Walt Disney's Uncle Scrooge: "Only a Poor Old Man"

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Scrooge 5I've written about the great cartoonist Carl Barks before. If I were forced to get rid of all comic books and comic book anthologies except for the works of one artist, I would save Carl Barks and (tearfully) toss everything else.

Ruben Bolling and I spend an inordinate amount of time on Gweek singing the praises of the late Carl Barks. A Carl Barks duck story (he wrote and drew them in the 1940s-1960s) is funny and unpredictable and strong on both character and plot. His art is expressive and perfectly rendered. My children love to have me read Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge comics to them, especially the ones with the "kids" (Huey, Dewey, and Louie). Barks created the miserly tycoon Uncle Scrooge, who in my opinion is the greatest comic book character ever invented.

Scrooge 2I own Carl Barks' work in several different formats. I think the best way to read Barks is via The Complete Carl Barks Disney Library, published by Fantagraphics. Fantagraphics has published two hardcover volumes so far. The first is Walt Disney's Donald Duck: "Lost in the Andes", and the second is Walt Disney's Uncle Scrooge: "Only a Poor Old Man". Both are full-color, 240 page hardbacks that sell for about $(removed) each on Amazon. It's a steal, considering the value I've gotten out of them.

If you have never read Carl Barks before, do yourself a favor and get your hands on his work (everyone from Steve Martin to Robert Crumb cite Barks as a treasure of American literature). If you already own a few Barks comics, you will no doubt appreciate the gorgeous production that went into the making go these volumes.

Walt Disney's Uncle Scrooge: "Only a Poor Old Man", by Carl Barks