Reviewing a couple of old Barks stories
Mar 1, 2020 22:07:41 GMT
Matilda, Scrooge MacDuck, and 3 more like this
Post by That Duckfan on Mar 1, 2020 22:07:41 GMT
I recently splurged on a Carl Barks Library box set (the old ones from the '80s). I've been having a good time reliving all the classic Donald Duck adventures from Barks' peak. Thought I'd review some of the old stories to get a sense of what I like to see in Duck stories. I may be giving them a bit of a hard time, but that's because they are 70 years old and have dated. I admire them for what they are, but Disney comics and evolved with the times.
I'll be using a mix of American grading and tier-based systems: S, A, B, C, D, and F.
With that, let's begin.
Voodoo Hoodoo
We start off with one of the stories that got me into Disney comics all those years ago. I had an old Dutch weekly from 1981, when the comic was being serialised, and it ended on the cliffhanger of Donald and the kids meeting Foola Zoola for the first time. I have fond memories of it.
Despite the backlash over its racial depiction, the story remains charming. There's a great deal of character energy in it, between Donald's constant worries and the radio host's obnoxious enthusiasm, and Foola Zoola's mad cackling. It keeps the story lively long before we get to the climax. This is counterpointed by calm, grounded characters like Scrooge's reflections, Professor McCobb's positive attitude, and the kids playing with Bombie. There's a twinge of real pathos about his predicament. I also like how Barks used to end big adventures with low-key endings. "They can have it! I'll take vanilla!" In this story, more than most, Donald is written as a kind of outcast everyman. Society sneers at him, except for his jazz musician friend Bop Bop. Shades of the sailor suit take on the character of a World War II vet coming home, but never quite able to reintegrate into society. (Honestly, if the sailor suit became a kind of affix for Donald's veteran background, I would be totally on board with that.)
The racism is still an unfortunate artefact of its time. Thankfully, the Africans have show some very human motives: resentment and greed. I say thankfully, because you'll be wanting some of that humanity when we get to Land of the Totem Poles!
Verdict: B
Luck of the North
One of my favorites of the bunch. The main motivator in this story is remorse over a prank gone wrong. We don't often get that. I love the page where Donald's triumphalism turns into a fear of Gladstone being eaten by a polar bear. Gladstone, for his part, is suitably obnoxious. It's an early part for his him, but this is one of my favorite characterizations. He's the most arrogant character, he takes his luck for granted and he's proven right. He's also not belowing swindling an Inuit tribe for his benefit. I also like that he keeps up with the latest fashion in these stories, something Barks would often do with the character but which was sadly traded in for a kind of standard costume. I understand why they'd do that, but it loses a bit of depth to the character in my opinion. There's this issue in the Dutch weekly from the 70s, where Donald and Gladstone face-off in a disco dancing contest. It was one of the last times Disney really committed to the present. There's no fun in doing something about the present if so much of the aesthetic is rooted in the 50s.
Donald, is very much hoist by his own petard in this one, but his actions and their consequences means he remains broadly sympathetic. Besides which, spite is the best character motivation, don't at me.
The story ends with a valuable Viking map of North America. This was never brought up in The Lost Charts of Columbus, was it?
Verdict: A
Land of the Totem Poles
This is one of those stories that doesn't get reprinted all that often. And it's easy to see why. It harkens back to an earlier era of Barks writing, before side characters, when Donald and the nephews would often be pitted against one another. I've always found this one of the less interesting character dynamics. There might be another reason, and that is the mindless racism against American Indians. That's what the brunt of this story's gags are allotted to: indigenous people not understanding beauty products. It's tasteless and obnoxious. Barks has shown and will show himself to be better in respect to foreign cultures.
The steam calliope gag is cute, but stretched out for too long for my tastes. I do like the return of the hermit character. There's a feeling that these long stories were panorama where Barks could mature the elements he introduced in the ten-pagers. Or maybe it's just recycling. Barks' imagination didn't seem to have much on offer this week. Lazy writing.
Verdict: F
Trail of the Unicorn
Speaking of gags that get old quick. Yes, Uncle Scrooge. It takes up four pages in total. Yes, Uncle Scrooge. That aside, this one nestles between Race to the South Seas and The Gilded Man in stories that pit Donald against Gladstone in the hunt for some MacGuffin for a rich guy. And if I'm being honest, I think it's done better in those stories. For one, Gladstone is too active in all of his disguises. It doesn't fit his character. He best wait for Donald to fetch the thing, and then it'll magically come to him. There's also a minimal supporting cast. Scrooge is mainly just there as window dressing, most of the story takes place between Donald and the boys, the unicorn, and Gladstone. There's not even a supporting cast of Indians (like in Luck of the North) to break up the tension. The character dynamics are simpler, and there's not a lot of depth to be got out of a unicorn.
This is also one of the few stories in which Donald wins. He gets two million dollars from Scrooge for curing the unicorn. It's out-of-character for Scrooge (something fixed when he starts taking them along in later stories), it counters the status quo (Donald with a massive car, which will be reset in the next story anyway), and it's just not the kind of phyrric victory that Donald Duck is supposed to get.
Verdict: C
In Ancient Persia
It's an interesting story, I'll give it that. It's inventive. But it's got such a disappointing climax in my opinion, that it feels like all the elements were done better elsewhere. The mysterious scientist isn't memorably kooky like the two from the Atom Bomb story. His motivations aren't explained or relevant. The domestic drama between the Persians is... ehm... an ugly wants to marry Donald? Really? Embarassing. The Donald double plot point returns in Dangerous Disguise, where it's used to much greater effect. And while the process of drying the ancients is interesting (did Barks nick this from an old Universal horror flick?), the sands of time were portrayed with more appropriate pathos in King Scrooge the First. The nephews' only contribution to the story consist of bringing Donald's doppelganger back alive, but that ultimately doesn't change how the story plays out: wedding or not, the scientist would have found the powder and brought all to dust either way.
This story gets a little bonus for the very thin panels it uses. Later, we'll see Barks use more symbols and vignettes. I always thought that was neat.
Verdict: C+
The Pixilated Parrot
I've never been too enamoured with the annoying parrot. It's a gimmick, a ten-page story stretched out to twenty-two. (Compare A Financial Fable.) Arguably the most interesting thing is the proto-Beagle Boys, about a year before their first appearance. Other than that, there's not a whole lot there.
Verdict: D
The Magic Hourglass
Now this is a story I really like. I remember being impressed by the opening panel, but the actual story's got a lot going for it as well. This is from the era when money and men's motivations to acquire it began to intrigue Barks, and it led to what is arguably the most interesting run of Scrooge stories this side of the 1980s. Scrooge isn't quite himself yet here, and the story is all the richer for it. Unlike Don Rosa, I really like how Barks went back and forth on how Scrooge acquired his wealth. Much like the 'lucky' dime, there's an element of myth and superstition around it that's best left ambiguous. Did Scrooge's fortunes go south because of the hourglass, or does he subconsciously lose faith in his business empire when he's not surrounded by his talismans?
I'm also fascinated by the space of No Itsa. A hidden world hidden in a cave under a lake. Much in the same way the unicorn is found, or Tralla La will be reached, this 'lost world' space behind a physical barrier fascinates me.
The best part is of course the walk through the desert, when lakes turn into diamonds and sand into gold dust. Barks teaches an incredible lesson about wealth, value, and scarcity here. And I love that Donald gets to be the one to teach the lesson.
Verdict: A+
Big-Top Bedlam
We round out this first set with a story that I've always found a little puzzling. From wonderfully interesting adventure tales, we get a 28-page full story where Donald goes to the circus to be humiliated by a circus artist. It also makes the worst use of Daisy, as the millstone whose wrath Donald is looking to avoid. Even the nephews get in on the sadism. I get that Donald wanted to pawn Daisy's brooch at first, but it would have been more interesting to see him get into scrapes trying to retrieve the money to buy back the brooch, than this unsympathic piece of low-lying circus fruit.
Verdict: D-
Do you agree with my assessments? Do you disagree? Please let me know in the thread down below. I might come back and do the second set at a later date. Enjoy!
I'll be using a mix of American grading and tier-based systems: S, A, B, C, D, and F.
With that, let's begin.
Voodoo Hoodoo
We start off with one of the stories that got me into Disney comics all those years ago. I had an old Dutch weekly from 1981, when the comic was being serialised, and it ended on the cliffhanger of Donald and the kids meeting Foola Zoola for the first time. I have fond memories of it.
Despite the backlash over its racial depiction, the story remains charming. There's a great deal of character energy in it, between Donald's constant worries and the radio host's obnoxious enthusiasm, and Foola Zoola's mad cackling. It keeps the story lively long before we get to the climax. This is counterpointed by calm, grounded characters like Scrooge's reflections, Professor McCobb's positive attitude, and the kids playing with Bombie. There's a twinge of real pathos about his predicament. I also like how Barks used to end big adventures with low-key endings. "They can have it! I'll take vanilla!" In this story, more than most, Donald is written as a kind of outcast everyman. Society sneers at him, except for his jazz musician friend Bop Bop. Shades of the sailor suit take on the character of a World War II vet coming home, but never quite able to reintegrate into society. (Honestly, if the sailor suit became a kind of affix for Donald's veteran background, I would be totally on board with that.)
The racism is still an unfortunate artefact of its time. Thankfully, the Africans have show some very human motives: resentment and greed. I say thankfully, because you'll be wanting some of that humanity when we get to Land of the Totem Poles!
Verdict: B
Luck of the North
One of my favorites of the bunch. The main motivator in this story is remorse over a prank gone wrong. We don't often get that. I love the page where Donald's triumphalism turns into a fear of Gladstone being eaten by a polar bear. Gladstone, for his part, is suitably obnoxious. It's an early part for his him, but this is one of my favorite characterizations. He's the most arrogant character, he takes his luck for granted and he's proven right. He's also not belowing swindling an Inuit tribe for his benefit. I also like that he keeps up with the latest fashion in these stories, something Barks would often do with the character but which was sadly traded in for a kind of standard costume. I understand why they'd do that, but it loses a bit of depth to the character in my opinion. There's this issue in the Dutch weekly from the 70s, where Donald and Gladstone face-off in a disco dancing contest. It was one of the last times Disney really committed to the present. There's no fun in doing something about the present if so much of the aesthetic is rooted in the 50s.
Donald, is very much hoist by his own petard in this one, but his actions and their consequences means he remains broadly sympathetic. Besides which, spite is the best character motivation, don't at me.
The story ends with a valuable Viking map of North America. This was never brought up in The Lost Charts of Columbus, was it?
Verdict: A
Land of the Totem Poles
This is one of those stories that doesn't get reprinted all that often. And it's easy to see why. It harkens back to an earlier era of Barks writing, before side characters, when Donald and the nephews would often be pitted against one another. I've always found this one of the less interesting character dynamics. There might be another reason, and that is the mindless racism against American Indians. That's what the brunt of this story's gags are allotted to: indigenous people not understanding beauty products. It's tasteless and obnoxious. Barks has shown and will show himself to be better in respect to foreign cultures.
The steam calliope gag is cute, but stretched out for too long for my tastes. I do like the return of the hermit character. There's a feeling that these long stories were panorama where Barks could mature the elements he introduced in the ten-pagers. Or maybe it's just recycling. Barks' imagination didn't seem to have much on offer this week. Lazy writing.
Verdict: F
Trail of the Unicorn
Speaking of gags that get old quick. Yes, Uncle Scrooge. It takes up four pages in total. Yes, Uncle Scrooge. That aside, this one nestles between Race to the South Seas and The Gilded Man in stories that pit Donald against Gladstone in the hunt for some MacGuffin for a rich guy. And if I'm being honest, I think it's done better in those stories. For one, Gladstone is too active in all of his disguises. It doesn't fit his character. He best wait for Donald to fetch the thing, and then it'll magically come to him. There's also a minimal supporting cast. Scrooge is mainly just there as window dressing, most of the story takes place between Donald and the boys, the unicorn, and Gladstone. There's not even a supporting cast of Indians (like in Luck of the North) to break up the tension. The character dynamics are simpler, and there's not a lot of depth to be got out of a unicorn.
This is also one of the few stories in which Donald wins. He gets two million dollars from Scrooge for curing the unicorn. It's out-of-character for Scrooge (something fixed when he starts taking them along in later stories), it counters the status quo (Donald with a massive car, which will be reset in the next story anyway), and it's just not the kind of phyrric victory that Donald Duck is supposed to get.
Verdict: C
In Ancient Persia
It's an interesting story, I'll give it that. It's inventive. But it's got such a disappointing climax in my opinion, that it feels like all the elements were done better elsewhere. The mysterious scientist isn't memorably kooky like the two from the Atom Bomb story. His motivations aren't explained or relevant. The domestic drama between the Persians is... ehm... an ugly wants to marry Donald? Really? Embarassing. The Donald double plot point returns in Dangerous Disguise, where it's used to much greater effect. And while the process of drying the ancients is interesting (did Barks nick this from an old Universal horror flick?), the sands of time were portrayed with more appropriate pathos in King Scrooge the First. The nephews' only contribution to the story consist of bringing Donald's doppelganger back alive, but that ultimately doesn't change how the story plays out: wedding or not, the scientist would have found the powder and brought all to dust either way.
This story gets a little bonus for the very thin panels it uses. Later, we'll see Barks use more symbols and vignettes. I always thought that was neat.
Verdict: C+
The Pixilated Parrot
I've never been too enamoured with the annoying parrot. It's a gimmick, a ten-page story stretched out to twenty-two. (Compare A Financial Fable.) Arguably the most interesting thing is the proto-Beagle Boys, about a year before their first appearance. Other than that, there's not a whole lot there.
Verdict: D
The Magic Hourglass
Now this is a story I really like. I remember being impressed by the opening panel, but the actual story's got a lot going for it as well. This is from the era when money and men's motivations to acquire it began to intrigue Barks, and it led to what is arguably the most interesting run of Scrooge stories this side of the 1980s. Scrooge isn't quite himself yet here, and the story is all the richer for it. Unlike Don Rosa, I really like how Barks went back and forth on how Scrooge acquired his wealth. Much like the 'lucky' dime, there's an element of myth and superstition around it that's best left ambiguous. Did Scrooge's fortunes go south because of the hourglass, or does he subconsciously lose faith in his business empire when he's not surrounded by his talismans?
I'm also fascinated by the space of No Itsa. A hidden world hidden in a cave under a lake. Much in the same way the unicorn is found, or Tralla La will be reached, this 'lost world' space behind a physical barrier fascinates me.
The best part is of course the walk through the desert, when lakes turn into diamonds and sand into gold dust. Barks teaches an incredible lesson about wealth, value, and scarcity here. And I love that Donald gets to be the one to teach the lesson.
Verdict: A+
Big-Top Bedlam
We round out this first set with a story that I've always found a little puzzling. From wonderfully interesting adventure tales, we get a 28-page full story where Donald goes to the circus to be humiliated by a circus artist. It also makes the worst use of Daisy, as the millstone whose wrath Donald is looking to avoid. Even the nephews get in on the sadism. I get that Donald wanted to pawn Daisy's brooch at first, but it would have been more interesting to see him get into scrapes trying to retrieve the money to buy back the brooch, than this unsympathic piece of low-lying circus fruit.
Verdict: D-
Do you agree with my assessments? Do you disagree? Please let me know in the thread down below. I might come back and do the second set at a later date. Enjoy!