Loose thoughts about Rockerduck and Jeeves's relationship
From the 619 stories they appear in together, I've only read around 300, due to availability, language and the likes. Still, if I know anything about duck comics, just like themes sometimes repeat themselves, the behavior of characters also remains more or less consistent. Except in that one comic we don't talk about…
I'll be using the English names of the characters.
Rockerduck and Jeeves's dynamic, over time, evolved beyond your typical boss and henchman relationship (and I'm not gonna say topolino confirmed they're friends again… wait oh no).
John doesn't appear to have any living family, at least not one he is very close to (the occasional nephew or cousin doesn't really count as those pop up all the time for almost every major character then get immediatelly forgotten), and neither does Jeeves (he was mentioned to have had grandparents from Texas. Southern Jeeves headcanon has me in a chokehold… but that's a story for another time). Looks like it's them against the world... and McDuck!
As for the ship itself, though I like it, I think the friendship is the more important part. Rockerjeeves can come off as kinda shady because of the inherent power dynamic. But when you actually examine their relationship across the comics (especially newer ones) it becomes obvious that it's Jeeves who initiates most friendly interactions, while Rockerduck is usually insistent on maintaining the professional barrier, even as he clearly trusts and cares about Jeeves (in his own awkward, emotionally constipated way).
My interpretation of the ship, and the one most in line with the comic book canon is that, if anything, Jeeves has an unrequited crush on Rockerduck.
More on their relationship below.
It's Jeeves who wants to get closer to John 99.9% of the time.
Jeeves genuinely likes John.
Jeeves is (somewhat) independent from John.
1
In the comics, if anyone wants and initiates a deeper connection, it's Jeeves (shipping aside, it would be going from co-workers to friends).
"The Ballad of John D. Rockerduck" is the longest example that goes for both point 1 and 2, as we got a lot of Jeeves and Rockerduck time in this one. In the first part, when John lists all the titles and responsibilities Jeeves holds in his company, Jeeves interjects to say that he's also John's friend. Rockerduck, ever prickly, tells him "not to take liberties" and demands he move out. Jeeves complies, seemingly unbothered, like he's used to his boss' moods hiding a deeper vulnerability (coincidentally what the comic is also about). By the end of the story, Rockerduck does admit out loud that Jeeves is his friend… but Jeeves isn't there to hear it. GAH!!!
Jeeves even moves in with John to support him through a depressive episode. Yes, he’s paid to clean and cook, but the support goes beyond duty: he suggests ways to spend time together in an attempt to get John out of the spiral (going on walks, playing chess, reading), tries to talk him out of his self-depreciating thoughts several times, and later conspires with Scrooge to reignite John’s confidence. The screenwriter for "The Ballad…", Marco Nucci, summed up John and Jeeves's relationship best in his interview , here gracefully translated by @frc-ambaradan.
In "Paperinik e l'inganno del successo", Jeeves expresses disappointment that, despite having worked alongside Rockerduck for so long, he's still not allowed to call him by his first name (or nickname in some versions. "Rocky"...😭).
★.°•
2
Jeeves isn't just doing his job, he genuinely likes Rockerduck. He's proud of John's accomplishments [1], invested in his background and well-being [2] [3] [4] [5] even if it changes little to nothing in his own life.
They hang out together casually outside of work: dancing, going to Grandma Duck’s farm, shopping, doing movie marathons (they're about to start one by the end of "I denari del giovane Rockerduck" and are interrupted, but you can tell it's a common occurence) and many other times where they're seen enjoying each other's company. This isn’t strictly a transactional connection—it’s affectionate.
★.°•
3
First and foremost, unlike Albert Quackmore, Jeeves isn't being chronically underpaid. He's described as having an "exorbitant salary" (whatever that means, but knowing Rockerduck and his spending habits… he might be a millionaire at this point tbh). John's employees in general are being paid very well. In this one, Jeeves mentions he's going to buy himself a new car and a villa. At least in the translated version. In any case, our boy is doing just fine.
Though technically a secretary, Jeeves isn’t a powerless underling. His actual position in Rockerduck Industries is more complicated than, say, Miss Quackfaster's or Albert's are in McDuck Enterprises. Again, @frc-ambaradan expanded on it wonderfully in this theory that Jeeves might actually be a COO, along with listing the comics that support it. I suggest you give it a read, it's really good. I only wanted to add these stories: Zio Paperone e l'indesiderato gioco di squadra, Battista e Lusky in Singolar Tenzone.
Also, Jeeves isn't afraid of Rockerduck. He has no qualms about arguing with him, teasing / being snarky [6] [7] [8] [9] or speaking his mind when John's ego gets in the way [10] [11]. He's not a sycophant. I mean… he IS sometimes, but it seems that's only because he wants to... although I do find it hilarious that the Polish translators named him Lizoos. "Lizus" literally means bootlicker but it's spelled with two o's because AMERICA, RRRAH! 🦅🦅🇺🇸 idk it's fun
Besides, he walked away when he’s had enough and got by just fine, only coming back because he missed John (and Albert did because he missed Scrooge 🥺🥺). Major mistakes rarely have any real consequences for Jeeves, even if Rockerduck threatens to fire him. Jeeves certainly doesn't look like he's taking those threats very seriously. Yes, he is exasperated sometimes, or fed up with John's behavior. That usually happens when you know someone long enough, especially if they're as annoying as John D. Rockerduck (and let's face it he can be insufferable, though Jeeves is a very close second. A perfect duo of mischievous idiots). Anyway, their banter is mostly friendly.
★.°•
One more thing: unfortunately, Duckverse is full of dysfunctional dynamics. They're baked into almost every major relationship (romantic, platonic, familial) due to the nature of these comics. There's slapstick violence, characters insult or yell at each other and can be absolutely horrible to one another. This is also true for the entire family dynamic between Scrooge and his nephews (who are often being exploited and put in danger, insulted and so on), one might argue Scrooge and Goldie as well as Donald and Daisy. This mean-spiritedness is softened a little in at least some of the newer stories, and the characters mentioned above, Johnny and Jeeves included, are portrayed more tenderly.
Whether you ship them or not, Rockerduck and Jeeves are delightful little guys, and I'm so glad to be on Tumblr with all you people who appreciate them as much as I do! 🥰
Several flags have been proposed as a broader symbol of Antarctica and the people connected to it. None of these flags have any form of official status, and none are currently in common use on the continent. Here are some of them:
1929, proposed by the crew of the British Australian and New Zealand Antarctic Research Expedition (BANZARE).
The white flag was used to represent Antarctica on at least two occasions on the voyage to Antarctica.
1978 (1985 by some sources), proposed by vexillologist Whitney Smith Jr.
The letter A stands for Antarctica, the circle segment represents the area below °60 south (the Antarctic Circle), and the hands represent human protection of the environment. The negative (orange) space between the hands and the circle segment is the dove of peace. For high visibility, Smith chose international orange, a color commonly used in the aerospace industry to set objects apart from their surroundings. The bright orange color was also chosen due to its rarity among national flags, as no nation with an active research base on the continent uses the color orange in their flag. The design elements are positioned on the hoist side of the flag so that it would remain visible even if the flag were damaged by the harsh Antarctic winds.
1995, proposed by Joanne Cooper and Stefan Tucker.
After seeing Smith's proposal Cooper and Tucker attempted to improve the design to make it more "representational".
1996, proposed by Graham Bartram.
Bartram designed this flag while working on a CD-ROM Atlas project. Unaware of previous flag proposals, he set out to create a flag for Antarctica. He decided to use the outline of the continent. Further, the UN jurisdiction over the Antarctic Treaty suggested the use of UN blue and white. Since the CD-ROM sold more than 2 million copies, Bartram's design was considered the most-distributed flag of Antarctica. Due to frequent, rapid changes in the ice shelves, the silhoutte of the continent is no longer accurate.
1999, proposed by bank note collector Dave Hamilton.
Hamilton, operator of a mint for fantasy currency, printed this flag on his "Antarctican 50 dollar" bill after he found other designs "very stupid-looking and boring". His design includes: a pale blue strip representing the pack ice, a dark blue stripe representing the night sky and a yellow stripe as the representation of the aurora australis. The stellar constellation the Southern Cross is shown in the dark blue stripe at the right.
2007/08, proposed by the plastic artist Olivier Leroy.
Leroy's flag is vertically divided into four stripes — black, off-white, orange, and gray — reproducing the proportions of the colors of an emperor penguin.
2018, proposed by the journalist Evan Townsend and his team from the True South project.
After posting a viral picture of a pride flag in Antarctica, Townsend started to think about designing a flag to raise awareness for the vulnerability of Antarctica and to create a sense of community and identity among those who have experienced the continent firsthand and those who support it from afar. The horizontal stripes of navy blue and white represent the long days and nights at Antarctica's extreme latitude. The design is focused on a white peak representing the mountains and icebergs of Antarctica. The navy blue shadow it casts forms the shape of a compass arrow pointed to the south, a homage to the continent's legacy of exploration. Together, the two center shapes create a diamond, symbolizing the hope that Antarctica will continue to be a center of peace, discovery, and cooperation for generations to come.
×××××××××××××××××××
Now, let's have some fun with this: Which flag proposal do you like the most? (I don't have a lot of followers, so this is basically meaningless but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)
BANZARE (white flag)
Smith (orange w letter A)
Cooper/Tucker (orange w penguin)
Bartram (light blue w map)
Hamilton (dark blue, yellow, light blue stripes)
Leroy (emperor penguin stripes)
True South (navy blue and white)
other (please share!)
Voting ended onMar 19, 2023
Sources:
Wikipedia - List of Antarctic Flags
Edward Kaye - Flags over Antarctica, in: Proceedings of the XX International Congress of Vexillology
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