Carl Barks
Born March 27, 1901 and raised on an Oregon farm, Carl worked a variety of jobs, ranging from logger to factory worker, before he became a freelance artist in the 1920s. A self-taught cartoonist, influenced by the Mickey Mouse newspaper strip, Carl caught wind that The Walt Disney Studios was hiring artists and beat tracks to Hollywood, joining the animation department in 1935.
Within a few months, Carl moved to the story department where he helped write stories for cartoons, including the Donald Duck shorts, "Modern Inventions" and "Timber." In all, Carl collaborated on three dozen Donald Duck cartoons and even helped create Huey, Dewey, and Louie for the 1938 short "Donald's Nephews."
In 1942, he began developing comic books starting with "Donald Duck Finds Pirate Gold" and continued creating comic books until his retirement in 1966. Probably his most memorable creation over the years is Donald's wealthy uncle, Scrooge McDuck, who debuted in the 1947 story "Christmas on Bear Mountain." In 1952, Uncle Scrooge was given his own comic book series, which became a top-seller in the market.
After more than 25 years of chronicling the adventures of Donald and his feathered friends and family, Carl retired from full-time comic book work, but continued in a new medium - oil painting. At that point, Carl's "Duckburg U.S.A." clan, which were featured in 122 paintings followed by a series of lithographs, entered the world of fine art.
Still, it's Carl's comic book work for which he is most famous. His canon of comics continue to live on in one of the most popular animated television series of all time, "DuckTales," while his comic books have become highly collectible. On October 22, 1991, when honored at the Disney Legends Awards, the 92-year-old artist won a laugh from the audience when he said, "I want to thank all the kids that bought my comic books for a dime and are now selling them for $2,000."
Within a few months, Carl moved to the story department where he helped write stories for cartoons, including the Donald Duck shorts, "Modern Inventions" and "Timber." In all, Carl collaborated on three dozen Donald Duck cartoons and even helped create Huey, Dewey, and Louie for the 1938 short "Donald's Nephews."
In 1942, he began developing comic books starting with "Donald Duck Finds Pirate Gold" and continued creating comic books until his retirement in 1966. Probably his most memorable creation over the years is Donald's wealthy uncle, Scrooge McDuck, who debuted in the 1947 story "Christmas on Bear Mountain." In 1952, Uncle Scrooge was given his own comic book series, which became a top-seller in the market.
After more than 25 years of chronicling the adventures of Donald and his feathered friends and family, Carl retired from full-time comic book work, but continued in a new medium - oil painting. At that point, Carl's "Duckburg U.S.A." clan, which were featured in 122 paintings followed by a series of lithographs, entered the world of fine art.
Still, it's Carl's comic book work for which he is most famous. His canon of comics continue to live on in one of the most popular animated television series of all time, "DuckTales," while his comic books have become highly collectible. On October 22, 1991, when honored at the Disney Legends Awards, the 92-year-old artist won a laugh from the audience when he said, "I want to thank all the kids that bought my comic books for a dime and are now selling them for $2,000."