Wednesday, February 10, 2016

"The Seven Dwarfs and the Enchanted Faerie"

"Hey!" you indignantly shout. "I come here for ducks and occasional mice; I don't want this Snow White idiocy! That's it! I'm boycotting your sponsors!"

And I hear you, I really do. But if I can convince you to put aside your righteous rage for just a minute, I think you may be entertained in spite of yourself.

Anyway, it's not like this is without precedent; you may recall that a few years back, I wrote about a Gottfredson-penned Seven Dwarfs story. At that time, I said that I was planning on looking into the world of Italian 7D stories, and if you think that was a mere idle fancy, I'm here to prove you wrong!

This here story is by the venerable Scarpa/Martina team, and seeing what they do with atypical characters should at least hold a bit of interest, I think. I went into this story with absolutely no preconceived ideas about what it would be like. I came out of it thinking "good lord, Martina. Where the hell did this come from?" Just try to compare this to Western-published 7D stories--I dare you. These aren't just from different worlds; they're from different universes. Different sets of parallel universes, I should say. Many dimensions separate them! I mean jeez, Italian stories may not always be good, but their scope and ambition compared to their non-Barks American counterparts is astounding, and that is never more the case than here.

Yes, the main word I would use to characterize "The Seven Dwarfs and the Enchanted Faerie" is "dumbfounding," and oh come on you know where this is going. Download my English version here (my eleventh translation! Whaddaya know about that?).  I sure as heck didn't expect to be translating a Seven Dwarfs story, of all things, but needs must.  I know I may possibly have suggested that I was giving up that little hobby as long as IDW was around, but what can I say? Sometimes you read a story and think "this really, really needs to be in English, and if I don't take things into my own hands, it is never, ever going to be." I am super damn psyched to be able to share this with all y'all.

(Okay, so technically, there was already an English version, published in many installments in an old British magazine--but good luck finding them, and if you somehow do, don't expect much from the translation, given that it's entitled "Seven Keys of Danger," in spite of there only being four keys.)

Anyway, instead of trying to go through this story beat by beat, I'm going to just list some things about it--like a Cracked article. "Five insane facts about an obscure Italian comic!" This will likely come across as somewhat disjointed if you don't read the story itself first, but hey, you should be doing that ANYWAY.  I know I ALWAYS say "read the story before reading my commentary!" but I really mean it this time.  There's a lot of rather incredible stuff here, and it would be a shame to blunt the experience by not going in blind.  BUT IF YOU MUST...

1. It makes no sense.

Let's face it: if your standards for a story's quality have anything to do with whether or not said story makes any damn sense, you're sure not gonna like this one. It would be super-easy to spend a whole entry doing nothing but pointing out nonsensical things here, but it probably wouldn't be very interesting. And besides, it would be kind of beside the point.


(but seriously, how the HELL is he narrowing the choices down like that IT MAKES NO SENSE)

Now, I'll grant you that Martina is Martina, and some percentage of this surely comes from the same sensibility that caused a lot of vintage Italian duck/mouse stories to contain nonsensical elements (certainly, I'd say that about the above). However, in this particular instance, I think there's more to it than that. Does this story really "make no sense?" Well, yes, in the conventional sense of "making sense." But that's not really the right sense with which to approach it. I mean, look at this part where Doc is turned to stone:


Questions abound: why the heck does this guy have a gun that petrifies the shooter? Is he supposed to be a minion of the Evil Queen, and if so, why is he--apparently--so sincerely warning Doc that this is a bad idea?


...and then why, when he IS petrified, does his bag o' diamonds magically turn into a bag of what, were this a role-playing game, we'd call Quest Items?

BUT, I do tend to think this is missing the point. There's a delirious dream logic to this that you don't see in stories with just an illogical bit or plot hole or two. This is the logic--appropriately enough--of faerie tales. Indeed, I'd go further, and say that there are places where the story very much resembles some sort of abstruse mystical allegory about the transmigration of the soul or some such.


I mean, this is nuts in a sense, but it sure doesn't feel like a half-assed sort of nuts. Just TRY to tell me that the above is not, in its own way, pretty flippin' amazing. The thing that shocked me most upon initially reading this was how little, tonally, it's even trying to have in common with the movie, as exemplified by things like this. Martina is bending the 7D milieu in unnatural ways that are nonetheless pretty mesmerizing. And hell, when you think about it, it's only fair: as much as I enjoy Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, it's undeniable that the company has always sanitized their faerie tales--made them less gnarled and weird--for popular public consumption. This story pushes in the other way, with amazing results.

2. It's frequently incredibly macabre and/or gruesome.

So there are basically three parts to this story: 1. The dwarfs make their way to where the faerie is imprisoned and vow to rescue her; 2. They head off on their quest to do this and are one by one incapacitated; and 3. Dopey saves the day with his indomitable fortitude. And GOOD GOLLY, if this had been an actual Disney movie, that second part would be giving kids hella nightmares. Because the ways some of the dwarfs are dispatched, JEEZ. Again, this is par for the course in unsanitized faerie tales, but it's pretty doggone heavy stuff for a Disney movie.


Okay, so an old woman demanding Grumpy give her his eyes and then turning him into a scarecrow is only a little eyebrow-raising, relatively speaking...



...but how about Bashful getting fucking CONSUMED BY FLAMES? If you've ever seen anything more horrific in a Disney comic, please to be telling me what it is.


Still an' all, though, it may be that the Evil Queen gouging out Happy's eyes and making him into a fountain of tears wins the day. It's both gruesome AND macabre! No need to choose! This is what we in the biz call KID TESTED, MOTHER APPROVED.

3. It demonstrates the limits of these characters as protagonists.

So translating this thing was, I would say, a more constrained experience than most of the stuff I've done. 'Cause in a story like this, you basically need to just follow it. Sure, make it sound as good as possible, but there's really no room for pop culture references or the kinds of show-off-y gestures that one is tempted to include in a duck story. Gotta maintain the tone.

So that's good for discipline, I guess. BUT, it must be said: as much as I like the movie, the fact is, the dwarfs do not talk that much, and to the extent that they do, it's impossible to glean much of an idea of how they'd speak in an adventure scenario like this one. This is somewhat less the case for Grumpy and Doc, but only somewhat, and you will note, in any case, that those two are the first and second to be eliminated from contention. So...it's pretty tough to do much in the dialogue to characterize them, particularly since it's ofttimes impossible to tell which dwarf a given speech balloon is supposed to come from. So...there's undeniably a certainly loss of fidelity to the original story in terms of character. Note particularly that at no point does Bashful appear notably bashful (least of all when he's just attacking the shit out of a dragon).


Yup! Sure, he *yawn*s occasionally (and a lot of those were added by me, just to make him seem at least a little sleepy), but what else can you SAY about him?  NOT MUCH! Nothing to be done about it, really. It's not exactly a complaint; I think the story's great anyway--but given the things Martina was trying to do with the characters, it shouldn't be a great surprise that it wasn't exactly a perfect fit.

4. Who knew Guido Martina was such a sentimentalist?

I mean, GOOD GRAVY. The man's full of surprises, given how merciless he generally is towards our duck characters.


Whether you think this ending counts as "sweet" or "barf-inducingly saccharine" is really up to you. Me, I'm undecided, but I've got to admit, giving Dopey a line at the end is pretty effective. 'Course, it's effective exactly ONE (1) time. Martina makes the most of it, though!

5. You should read it.


Look you have EYES, don't you? As long as you're not giving them to a witch, ya might as well take advantage! Also, I didn't even mention all the different crazy forms that the Evil Queen takes throughout. Those are PROTEAN AS FUCK, and likewise cool. Read it an' see for yourself!

There are several more Martina/Scarpa 7D stories, as well as some by each of them with others. Alas, these have not been widely published outside of Italy. Perhaps someone in the know can tell me if any of the others are as cool and crazy as this.

Welp, back to ducks! Got several stories I'm planning to write about the near future, so BUCKLE THE HECK IN.

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23 Comments:

Blogger Achille Talon said...

I already knew this story (and better still, probably from the same digest as you), and I certainly did not expect you to ever review it. You're right, it's amazing, and it makes no sense, and the Dopey-talking part is sweet (also, not only is it sweet, but here's to you Dopey/Snow-White shippers ! Hah !).

Also, I mostly like the coloration here, butI think that when Happy turns into a tear fountain, he was meant to be petrified, and should have been colored grey.

And, I'm surprised you did not point out another reason it is unlikely to be officially reprinted in the U.S.A., it contains human (well, fairy) nudity; covered by Godiva Hair of course, but still, it's surprising it got past the Disney censors.

I'm going to read your translation right now…

February 10, 2016 at 5:40 AM  
Blogger Pan Miluś said...

I think there aren't enough "THANK YOU VERY MUCH'es" in the world to express how glad I'am you shared this story with us!!! :D I LOVE THE ATMOSPHERE AND SURREALITY OF IT ALL and It has some great imagination and creativity behind it. It's up there with "Mickey's Inferno" as one of stranges Italian stories I've seen. Part of me wish comics for kids today took a deep into darker stuff more often...


IN FACT : This story was so darn cool, It free me from a curse that was cast on me by an evil imp and now that I'm free from my terrible fate I'll shall reward you GeoX with five new faries inside your hearth! Let them be your guide!


Any way some points I want to make :


Point 1 : The dream logic of it all actually makes me thing of something like "Alice in Wonderand".


Point 2 : Hahaha... Yhe, Achile Talon I will fully admit I use to be among Dopey/Snow White shippers. Let's be honest, they shared more on screen chemistry (even as friends) then she ever did with Prince Ken doll. ARGH!!! This is why in my own comic books halflings have female elves as their girfriends!!!

But aside from that It's just odd to see him see her as mother, since in the movie he's clearly sexuality attrackted to her (his atemps to kiss her are still the best running gag in the movie in my opinion) So yhe, odd.



Point 3 : I know there are much, much more wirder things in this stoty but Err.. SPOILERS Doopey death and resuraction takes the cake for me, as far the mindfuckery goes... Well, ok Bashfull death by fire is more messtup but what a wonderfull leason to teach the children - "Nobody will stay dead as long you trully love them" (in your face "The Lion King"!) Note that it appears that the thombstone turn into Doopey, which is like something out of "THE SIMS" games. The ultra-christian part of me likes the fact that Snow White gives credit to God for restoring him...



Point 4 : The fairy is naked... Em... YAY!!!


Point 5 " Is Doc's "Alea Iacta Est" in the oryginal Italian?


Point 6 : I honestly prefer Evil Queen in her... well, evil Queen form which In many ways I find more scary then the old Hag. There is something about a villian who's all about her own beauty and vain I find much more disturbing. Agian - some great touches with her appearing as difrent animals/objects.


Ponint 7 (which at this point isn't really a point but whatever) - Can you imagine if the Queen was THIS powrerfull in the Disney movie? Holly smokes, the amount of visual creativity they could go with...

February 10, 2016 at 9:01 AM  
Blogger Achille Talon said...

"But aside from that It's just odd to see him see her as mother, since in the movie he's clearly sexuality attrackted to her (his atemps to kiss her are still the best running gag in the movie in my opinion)" Well precisely, I don't know… Kids like being kissed by their mother.

February 10, 2016 at 9:27 AM  
Blogger Pan Miluś said...

But not on the lips ;)

February 10, 2016 at 11:40 AM  
Blogger GeoX, one of the GeoX boys. said...

I'm glad you like it! "Alea iacta est" was an embellishment. And yeah, I should've mentioned the nudity--it doesn't strike me so much with the faerie, but the part where the Evil Queen is rocking the "topless Barbie doll" look is definitely not the MOST fortunate choice.

February 10, 2016 at 11:52 AM  
Blogger Hex said...

I actually got all but the second part of the British print. But a LOT of content is cut from that version. It’s still fun to compare to your translation, so here they are.

February 10, 2016 at 2:34 PM  
Blogger GeoX, one of the GeoX boys. said...

Wow, that's amazing! Thanks a heckuva lot!

February 10, 2016 at 2:43 PM  
Blogger Achille Talon said...

Wow ! They did cut a lot. Including the "Dopey talks" part, I see… Not a wise decision at all, if you ask me.

February 10, 2016 at 2:46 PM  
Blogger GeoX, one of the GeoX boys. said...

Yeah, it's a pretty thorough butchering. The story's weird enough as it is; it does not benefit from hacking out huge swaths of material and changing plot points willy nilly. Very interesting to see, though!

February 10, 2016 at 4:15 PM  
Blogger GeoX, one of the GeoX boys. said...

...also, I'd like to note for the record that I'm aware that the faerie's name is meant to suggest "deer," so then you go back and look and realize, oh, she was actually the deer with Snow White at the beginning. Clever, but...not very transferrable to English; there aren't really any good names she could have that would suggest deerishness without sounding weird. So, I just named her after a good sorceress from Carolingian legend. I think it's fine; you can still get the point well enough from her conversation with the Queen near the end.

February 10, 2016 at 4:28 PM  
Blogger Hex said...

The part where Bashful faced the dragon certainly was too gruesome for the British editors, as that entire sequence was removed! Instead he was added in a panel later and then "vanished" facing the giant.

February 10, 2016 at 4:59 PM  
Blogger GeoX, one of the GeoX boys. said...

Yup! Also the part where the witch wants Grumpy's eyes. And we don't actually see the queen gouging out Happy's eyes, for some unfathomable reason.

February 10, 2016 at 5:43 PM  
Blogger Pan Miluś said...

If it was up to me, I would named her (the fairy) Fawn ;)

February 10, 2016 at 5:56 PM  
Blogger Achille Talon said...

There's a good idea !

February 10, 2016 at 6:03 PM  
Blogger Pan Miluś said...

I guess the reason she couth my atention more then the naked Queen is the fact she's naked... and in chains. Must be painfull.

It's odd how some dwarfs die by something personality-related (Sleepy falls a sleep by poppy seed ala the Wizard of Oz, Happy starts crying, Snezee Snezzes and falls to his doom) the rest... not so much. It would be a bit more clever if each one face some personality trade related challange and failed...

February 10, 2016 at 6:03 PM  
Blogger tymime said...

For my money, the most horrifying image in a Disney comic is a bunch of weasels realistically melting into puddles of ooze and washing down a sewer drain: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v428/tymime/Weasels/The%20Resurrection%20of%20Doom/resurrection_of_doom49.png
And this was in an American comic.

February 11, 2016 at 6:09 AM  
Blogger Achille Talon said...

Pretty horrific indeed, but still, the weasels and Judge Doom were the villains. It's not the same thing as to see the seven dwarfs dying.

February 11, 2016 at 6:41 AM  
Blogger Achille Talon said...

Hey there, GeoX ! I remember that in an old post, you wondered why Don Rosa aside there were so little Barks sequels. I also remember that in another old post, you thought of maybe introducing American audiences to French Disney comics. And I so happen to have stumbled upon this story: https://coa.inducks.org/story.php?c=F+JM+08226&search=Retour%20au%20Shangri-Lala, which is a sequel to "Trail of the Unicorn" by French authors. I have scans of the stuff, would you like me to send them to you ?

February 12, 2016 at 4:59 AM  
Blogger GeoX, one of the GeoX boys. said...

Well...yes, if it's not too much trouble! Thank you. That would be interesting indeed.

February 12, 2016 at 11:51 AM  
Blogger Achille Talon said...

So, I send them to your email ? Okay, right now. I'll put "Unicorn Comic" as subject (since of course my email address isn't to the name of Achille Talon, it'll allow you to know that it's the right mail).

February 12, 2016 at 12:31 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

February 14, 2016 at 5:04 PM  
Anonymous Federico Provenzano said...

Hi! I have a FB page about all the comics by Guido Martina!
In this FB page I put the link to my OneDrive archives where I upload all Martina's stories in high resolution and in the original version (not censored reprints), with comments.
How about a collaboration to translate unofficially Martina's 1950s stories to English language for all the aficionados in the world?

Federico Provenzano (mozenrathottantas@libero.it)

February 14, 2016 at 5:06 PM  
Anonymous Nona said...

Many thanks for sharing this story! I ended up on this post after reading Fantagraphics's The Return of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. I found the world created by Scarpa/Martina captivating, and wondered if there were more such tales... there are, and this one is incredible. A pity about it not being included in the Fantagraphics edition! Maybe Disney isn't much keen on the nudity and didn't want it to be reprinted? Anyway, whatever the reason, I'm very thankful for your translation. The Queen as a spider is a sight to behold.

June 1, 2022 at 11:50 AM  

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