Is Carl Bark's peak period really 47-56?

[deb]

There are still good stories before and after the dates given, but the consistently best Carl Barks material falls within 1947-56. There are some snappy early 10-pagers and some later stories that feel like Barks had a flash of inspiration during a period where he felt that he was just churning out page after page until he could finally retire. The Magica DeSpell stories are a good example of later material that doesn't feel as tired as some of the others created around the same time.

[Horace]

I don't know. Today I read the long Uncle-Scrooge-Stories "McDuck of Arabia" and "The Ghost Train Mystery". Both are from 1965 and both are quite great - storywise, with regard to the humour and also the art. If these comics really fall into Barks' weakest period I really have to say that his weakest period was probably still stronger than the strongest periods of almost every other Disney artist.

[grupaajord]

Oct 13, 2018 20:28:38 GMT Horace said:

I don't know. Today I read the long Uncle-Scrooge-Stories "McDuck of Arabia" and "The Ghost Train Mystery". Both are from 1965 and both are quite great - storywise, with regard to the humour and also the art. If these comics really fall into Barks' weakest period I really have to say that his weakest period was probably still stronger than the strongest periods of almost every other Disney artist.

The stories you mention were created in 1964 (published in 65), at a point where Barks had almost stopped making 10-pagers. He could focus almost entirely on his longer Scrooge-tales during the last three years (64-66) he both wrote and drew his stories. I don't know if that's what make the longer Scrooge-stories from this period so acclaimed, but acclaimed they are.
I think his weakest period is ending around 63-64, starting with the Farm Friends and Daisy's Diary period in 59. The stories created (not published) from 59-63/64 

[Horace]

Oct 14, 2018 8:24:25 GMT grupaajord said:

Oct 13, 2018 20:28:38 GMT Horace said:

I don't know. Today I read the long Uncle-Scrooge-Stories "McDuck of Arabia" and "The Ghost Train Mystery". Both are from 1965 and both are quite great - storywise, with regard to the humour and also the art. If these comics really fall into Barks' weakest period I really have to say that his weakest period was probably still stronger than the strongest periods of almost every other Disney artist.

The stories you mention were created in 1964 (published in 65), at a point where Barks had almost stopped making 10-pagers. He could focus almost entirely on his longer Scrooge-tales during the last three years (64-66) he both wrote and drew his stories. I don't know if that's what make the longer Scrooge-stories from this period so acclaimed, but acclaimed they are.
I think his weakest period is ending around 63-64, starting with the Farm Friends and Daisy's Diary period in 59. The stories created (not published) from 59-63/64 

Thanx, that makes sense. I just knew that some of his later longer stories were not considered to be very good. And I also read some that I found quite weak (e.g. the one with the giant ants and the moon gold story but I just saw that both fall into that "middle period" you mentioned).

[sirredknee]

Sept 24, 2018 2:17:29 GMT RobbK1 said:

Maharajah Donald was issued in 1947.

I stand corrected. But it must have been very, very early in 1947, long before "Ghost of the Grotto" and Scrooge's first appearance.

[RobbK1]

Oct 14, 2018 22:49:27 GMT sirredknee said:

Sept 24, 2018 2:17:29 GMT RobbK1 said:

Maharajah Donald was issued in 1947.

I stand corrected. But it must have been very, very early in 1947, long before "Ghost of the Grotto" and Scrooge's first appearance.

I believe that I have read that the first 3 Donald Duck March of Comics issues (#4, 20, & 41) were issued in spring of 1947, 1948, and 1949, and The Mickey Mouse issues during those 3 years were released in Fall.  I believe they were first at the stores either in March, or April.  That is supported by the style of Barks' art in Maharajah Donald, which looks almost exactly like Feb. through April, 1947 (when matched to the art in The Walt Disney's Comics & Stories issues of that period).