My background is in visual art and illustration. Often while working, I listen to either one of many Pandora stations I listen to, but lately, I've been getting into podcasts and web videos. I was inspired to take to the net and write and write about some things that interest me.
The subject for this first post is Don Rosa. He's famous for continuing the legacy Carl Barks left in illustrating the comic adventures of Uncle Scrooge, Donald Duck, and the rest of Duckburg. The two wrote and illustrated stories about these Disney characters for many decades. Barks came first, and in short created comics that inspired shows like Duck Tales and Darkwing Duck. What made the stories stand out was that a time where the Comics Code beard down on superheroes and underground comics, Disney created compelling and endearing stories of people who happened to be walking talking animals.
Barks's stories started in the 50's and remained anchored in that era. Rosa used logic in making his stories take place aroun
d that time period as well. He found that Scrooge's life touched on so many milestones dating back into the 1800's, that it would not make sense for Scrooge to still be alive without retconning stories. This type of conundrum does have me wondering what Marvel will do with some it's characters eventually. It's going to get more and more difficult to believe that characters like Legion's mom survived the Nazi holocaust without warping and stretching the MU passage of time further.
Back to ducks (I was gushing in the wrong direction for a second). So, I first started reading Disney comics through the Disney Adventures magazine. Back in the 90's, you could find comics based on Gargoyles, Tailspin, Ducktales, and other cartoons from the syndicated Disney Afternoon. I'm still a Disney-ophile and I learned a few years ago that there are many great stories to read, Fantagraphics has been releasing great hardcover volumes of Barks and Rosa stories, and with each book I'm learning more about their careers. So far, I've read how Rosa went from being a Barks fanboy to being a Barks fanboy published through Disney licensees around the world. This latest collection is from when he signed with Egmont Publishing in Copenhagen.
I'd strongly suggest Rosa and Barks's books to both fans of Disney and adventure comics. You get some gag stories, but also expeditions with a twist of imagination. I think my favorite story from this volume is Treasure Under Glass where the ducks are searching for treasure in galleons sunk off the Florida Keys.
Rosa has two well deserved Eisner awards for his work with Egmont and Gladstone Comics.
