Carl Barks
The Duck Man who created Scrooge McDuck and shaped Disney comics.
Alan Light on flickr · via Wikipedia: Carl Barks · CC BY 2.0
Carl Barks was an American cartoonist, author, and painter born March 27, 1901, who died August 25, 2000.[1] The first Donald Duck comic book story was written and drawn by Carl Barks, who also originated the character Scrooge McDuck.[1][2] Enthusiasts referred to Barks as "The Duck Man" and "The Good Duck Artist."[1][3]
Quick Facts
- Born
- 27 March 1901
- Birthplace
- Near Merrill, Oregon, U.S.
- Died
- 25 August 2000
- Place of death
- Grants Pass, Oregon, U.S.
- Children
- 2
Facts from the source article.
Life and work
Barks quit working at Disney in 1942, citing unsuitable working conditions and sinus problems from the studio's air conditioning.[4][2] His first Donald Duck comic book story was "Donald Duck Finds Pirate Gold" in 1942's Four Color Comics #9.[4][2] Barks introduced Uncle Scrooge McDuck in the 1947 story "Christmas on Bear Mountain."[2] Scrooge was initially a miserly villain but Barks later transformed him into an adventurous character.[2]
Barks wrote some 2,000 other stories in nearly 200 different titles during comics' Golden Age.[3] William Barks and Arminta Johnson were the parents of Carl Barks, who was born close to Merrill, Oregon.[5] Clyde was the name of Barks' older brother.[5] David Barks and Ruth Shrum were the paternal grandparents of Carl Barks.[5]
What the cited sources add
A 2023 CBR article by Cronin explains Barks created Scrooge as a plot device to get Donald and his nephews to a mountain cabin.[2] The same article states Barks was intrigued by Scrooge and began bringing him back, eventually mellowing the character.[2] Barks' first comic book story was actually "Pluto Saves the Ship" in Large Feature Comics #7, according to Cronin.[2] The CBR article also reports Barks worked with animation partner John Hannah on the art for "Donald Duck Finds Pirate Gold."[2]
Oil paintings and lithographs of Disney duck characters, which collectors valued highly, were produced by Barks after his retirement.[3]
References
- Wikipedia, "Carl Barks" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Hall Of Fame", Comic-Con International (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Cronin, "How Was a Christmas Comic Used to Introduce Uncle Scrooge McDuck?", CBR, 2023-12-03. facts only, no text reused. cbr.com
- "Hall Of Fame", Comic-Con International. facts only, no text reused. comic-con.org
- Wikipedia, "Carl Barks" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Cronin, "How Was a Christmas Comic Used to Introduce Uncle Scrooge McDuck?", CBR, 2023-12-03 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Carl Barks" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Source: 1850 census; Goodspeed's History of Southeast Missouri, Southern Historical Press, 1888. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Carl Barks (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Artists & Composers
Elsewhere in Historical Figures
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced
