Il Dottor Paperus - Donald, Hazel, Mephistopheles
Artist: Fabio Celoni (All)
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Description--- Donald Duck's 90th anniversary (1934-2024) ---This commission is inspired by "Il Dottor Paperus" comic book story, created by Luciano Bottaro and published for the first time in Topolino (Mickey Mouse) magazine n° 188-189, in 1958. The protagonist is an ancestor of Donald Duck and the story is a comic parody of Goethe's "Faust". Paperus lived in an unspecified place in Europe in the dark feudal Middle Ages. He spent his very long life (claims to have been working on his projects for ninety years, so at the time of the story we must assume centenary) among alchemy studies, in particular trying, without success, to create a filter capable of ensuring eternal peace to humanity. Paperus was the victim of a deception by the devil Mephistopheles, intent on perpetuating the war that then raged between two rival fiefdoms and then interrupting the alchemist's studies: the duck would regain his youth by giving his soul back to the infernal forces. Like Goethian Faust, Paperus will eventually manage to escape damnation, but, in the Disney tradition of Donald Duck and the characters inspired by him, he will see his hopes of happiness - especially that of marrying the beautiful Margherita - vanish. The scene in this illustration is probably one of the most powerful in the original story when Paperus is brought by Mephistopheles to the witch's (Hazel) mansion, full of weird creatures, and forced to drink a potion that rejuvenates his body. Fabio here masterfully combined a sequence of different panels (in Bottaro's story) in a single, incredible, striking image. Celoni is a real master at creating complex and detailed illustrations that are perfectly balanced and easily readable (you can see a few other examples in my gallery), the composition is the hardest part, and in this case, it took him a few days to get it right. I also own a Paperus illustration by Luciano Bottaro (it was part of a portfolio) that shows Paperus in Hell (this happens towards the end of the story), but I felt I was not done with the story and needed at least another piece to close the circle, and the part at the very beginning of the story where the old duck is brought back to his youth was simply perfect. This is a studio work that I picked up at Cortona Comics 2024 (he finished just before the trip to Cortona, he inked it overnight). When it comes to Fabio's work, it's not easy to decide the technique of the piece since he's also outstanding with colors, but his inked crosshatching is so beautiful and perfectly fits the horror-themed pieces that I felt I had no choice with Paperus. Please also check, in the additional images, a photo of the pencils, the finished inked piece and one with the artist himself :) Huge thanks to Fabio and Marika!!! Paper size: 35 x 50 cm Social/Sharing |
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Davide G.
Member Since 2009
1 - Posted on 6/15/2024
Yet another masterful work by Celoni, congrats and thanks for sharing!
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