"The Man from Oola-Oola"

And now, we continue our lackadaisical tromp through Scarpa territory.  This story didn't really leave much impression on me the first time I read it, but in rereading, I'm pleased to say that I found I actually really like it.  I think it helps that it's comparatively short and not that convoluted.  You DO have to get past the cockamamie initial premise--that Scrooge has a supercomputer that will only consent to be used by someone it "likes," and that the only person it likes is this hirsute south-seas native--but once you've done that, the whole thing runs mostly smoothly.

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"The Lentils from Babylon"

Okay, I've been reading a lot of Romano Scarpa stories lately.  I know I've been very critical of the man in the past (and I maintain that "Anti-Dollarosis" is a really poorly-conceived/realized piece of work), but there's no question that the man could turn out a quality mouse story.  So, I decided to go back and check out some of his duckwork that I had previously dismissed, to see whether my sensibilities had changed.  I propose, here, to look at a number of his stories, starting with this 1960 effort, currently ranked twenty-four (!) on inducks, his second-highest-rated thing after "The Blot's Double Mystery," which was written by my old nemesis Guido Martina, and therefore is not really a fair measuring stick for how good the man is or isn't.

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"Witch Hazel" Remastered

Good news, everyone!  Remember that 3-D giveaway, Donald Duck & Witch Hazel?  Well, MAYBE YOU SHOULD.

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