A Rosa by Any Other Name

I recently had an opportunity to meet Don Rosa. You're very impressed right now, if you're from Finland. Turns out this Kentuckian is a pretty big celebrity in Europe. It all makes sense when you realize this: He's the new Carl Barks.

Let me explain.

As it turns out, there's a long history of popularity (and quality) to Disney duck-related comic books. It started in the 1950s and, despite it essentially fizzling out in America, continues to this day throughout Europe.

Comic book collectors know well the name of Carl Barks. He began as an animator and then story editor at Disney Studios. He left the animation department and began drawing Disney-branded comics in the 1950s. Ever heard of Uncle $crooge McDuck? Thank Carl Barks. Perhaps you remember the TV series, and spinoff movie, DuckTales. Those episodes are adapted from old Carl Barks comic book stories. (Trivia: Did you know the voice of $crooge McDuck in his animated appearances is performed by the guy who played Wilbur on Mr. Ed?)

Barks created $crooge as a throwaway supporting character in the Donald Duck comic book. But he later brought him back, developed him and soon fell in love with him. Uncle $crooge quickly grew into a comic book star in the 1950s, headlining his own book and relegating Donald to support status.

Barks spent many years developing the Duck world and its citizens. He created Duckburg and many supporting characters. He often sent $crooge, Donald and the three nephews (Huey, Dewey and Louie) on grand treasure-hunting adventures. And although perhaps silly and juvenile on the surface, these stories had a nuanced quality that appealed to kids of all ages. I find it fascinating that all this popularity and development of all the Disney ducks was occuring completely seperate from anything the animation studio was producing.

To the generation of comic book fans that grew up reading in the days before the Marvel superhero renaissance of the 1960s, Carl Barks is a giant.

Among these enthralled readers was a kid from Kentucky named Don Rosa. The Disney duck books had faded from the American market completely by sometime in the 70s, but a small publisher named Gladstone had picked up the license from Disney and began doing new stories in the mid-80s. It was an occastion Rosa had apparently spent his whole life preparing for.

He quickly contacted the book's editor and in very short time was writing and drawing his first $crooge McDuck story. It was well received and Gladstone wanted more. And Rosa gave it to them, emulating the Carl Barks tradition of treasure-hunting. The reading audience quickly realized here, at last, was a storyteller worthy to succeed Barks. The European reading audience, that is. He remains almost entirely obscure in his home country, even among comic book collectors.

Comic books are much more popular in Europe than in America and Rosa's new Duck stories were celebrated. In 1992 and 93, Rosa crafted his most famous work. After thoroughly researching all of the little hints, clues and references Barks had made in his stories, Rosa crafted a comprehensive, and the definitive, life story of $crooge in the 12-part epic THE LIFE AND TIMES OF $CROOGE MCDUCK. This was later reprinted in a single collected volume and made available in America. For this work, Rosa received comic book industry awards.

To this day, when a new Don Rosa story appears in a Disney duck comic, his name is advertised on the cover. And as you might guess, the only other name ever to have appeared like that was Carl Barks.

When I first saw Don Rosa, he was sitting at a table sketching Huey, Dewey and Louie. I wasn't that impressed. "Oh, this guy draws Donald Duck stuff". I just didn't know the story. There's this weird history of Duck comics that is completely seperated from the mainstream Disney efforts and has its own legion of fans, mostly European. And right there in front of me, drawing kiddie ducks, was the man carrying on that tradition that started over 50 years ago.

Now that I have a baby boy, I'm a lot more interested in the works of Barks and Rosa than I otherwise might be. Maybe you'd like to order a copy of THE LIFE AND TIMES OF $CROOGE MCDUCK from Amazon (or better yet, your local comic book retailer). And as I finish up this piece, here's a link to Don Rosa's other most-famous work: The Duck Family Tree.