Handshaking Tour in Progress by postdeification on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

Front cover for Danish Fanzine DDF(r)appet #9, dec2006.
inking: Rotring inkpens, colouring on Photoshop.

THE STYLE :
* I was a bit thinking about Todd Schorr's surrealist paintings while thinking the composition : a bit weird and saturated.
* The picture illustrates all the articles published in the issue at the same time, a bit like Don Rosa's Pin-ups for Picsou Magazine surrealistically tye together several Carl Barks stories published in the same issue.
* The old color and printing patterns refer to old days comicbooks but also are a bit trendy in nowadays graphic works.
* The red and blue Duck heads at the top edge are directly scanned from 1960s Journal de Mickey edges.

THE REFERENCES :
* An article about South American characters José Carioca (here drinking Cachaça) and Panchito Pistoles ( hence the Rio de Janeiro floor, Corcovado Christ). Disney used to refer to his 1940s trip to South America as a "Handshaking Tour", which is illustrated in "South of the Border with Disney". The "whores-legged horse" like character has been re-worked from a surrealist collage scene from "The Three Caballeros". The Aracuan Bird is dressed as a waiter, as he does in "Melody Time". The exchanging of cards happens in "Aquarella do Brazil".

* An article about History of Duckburg (hence the Fort Duckburg, and Cornelius Coot, which I copied from a Don Rosa panel from "W.H.A.D.A.L.O.T.T.A.J.A.R.G.O.N.", but whose beak I reworked for him to look more like Barks' statues. Note that he actually shoots a pop corn

* An article about Dutch Disney comics artists, hence the reference to Barks' "Hero of the Dyke" with the windmill.

* Interviews of Niels Houlberg Hansen, a Danish Disney editor from the 70s (hence the editor character from Gottfredson's 1935 story"Editor in Grief"), and John Gisle, whose 1973 satiric book, Donaldismen, is re-issued (hence Ludwig holding the book), and who is now a Judge (hence the judge Owl, though I re-worked his hair into Gisle's style)

* The black parrot character is Nestor, José's friend from Brazilian Disney comic stories, bit I re-worked his beak a bit. He has 5 fingers and a Danish flag because the Danish D.o.n.a.l.d.i.s.t. association is five years this winter.

* The star at Donald Duck's feet is the one he received in 2004 at Hollywood's Walk of Fame.

* The R.I.P. sign under Donald's glass is dedicated to Luciano Bottaro who just died (he used to sign with this mouseeared smiley instread of a regular "o").

* The back cover is meant to be a sequel ...