This week marks what would have been the 118th birthday of one of the best Disney comic artists of all time, Carl Barks. The creator behind popular characters including Scrooge McDuck and the fictional world of DuckBurg, Barks went on to become one of the three inaugural inductees of the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame. But just how did this little farm boy go on to play a vital role in some of Disney’s most enduring creations?

Carl Barks was born on March 27, 1901, and spent much of his childhood on his family’s farm in Merrill, Oregon. Growing up in such a rural area, Barks was a rather lonely child. The school had only about eight or ten students including him, with his closest neighbor half a mile away. His family moved around a lot, relocating to Midland, Oregon and then Santa Rosa, California before returning home to Merrill. By now, Barks was 12 years old but, due to the constant moving, had been unable to complete grade school. Although he finally graduated in 1916, he began to develop hearing problems that made it difficult to listen to his teachers. Much to his disappointment, Barks decided to stop his school education and focus on getting a job.  

At the same time, Barks had thought about turning his drawing hobby into a profession. He had attempted to improve his style by copying the drawings of his favorite comic strip artists, such as Winsor McCay and Frederick Burr Opper. In 1918, Barks moved to California to work for a small publishing house while attempting to sell his drawings to newspapers with little success. Barks worked other, unsuccessful jobs, including such occupations as a farmer, woodcutter, turner, mule driver, cowboy, and printer. Despite these futile careers, Barks developed a satirical disposition toward life that would later influence his work on the Donald Duck comics. Donald’s drifting from job to job and his usual lack of success was reportedly inspired by Barks’ own experiences. 

Barks was hired by Disney Studios in 1935, more than a year after the debut of Donald Duck in the short film The Wise Little Hen. Initially, Barks worked as an inbetweener but would often submit gag ideas for cartoon story lines. Eventually Barks was transferred to the story department and collaborated on such cartoons as Donald’s Nephews, Donald’s Cousin Gus, Mr. Duck Steps Out, Timber, The Vanishing Private, and The Plastics Inventor. Shortly before quitting in 1942, Barks contributing half the artwork for the one-shot comic book Donald Duck Finds Pirate Gold. This 64-page story was the first Donald Duck story originally produced for an American comic book and also the first involving Donald and his nephews in a treasure hunting expedition. 

After transitioning over to Western Publishing, Barks was assigned to illustrate the script for a ten-page Donald Duck story for the monthly Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories. This initial ten-page story, The Victory Garden, was the first of about 500 Donald Duck stories that Barks would produce for Western Publishing over the next three decades. During this time, Barks created Duckburg and many of its inhabitants, including Scrooge McDuck, Gladstone Gander, the Beagle Boys, The Junior Woodchucks, Gyro Gearloose, Cornelius Coot, Flintheart Glomgold, John D. Rockerduck, and Magica De Spell. Barks’ ten-page stories often exhibited a wry, dark irony that found popularity not only among young children but adults as well.

In his later career, Disney allowed Barks to do a now seminal oil painting called “Wanderers of Wonderlands” for a limited edition book entitled Uncle Scrooge McDuck: His Life and Times. This book was the first of its kind ever reviewed in Time Magazine and went on to become the model for virtually every important collection of comic book stories. Throughout this time, Barks’ career was managed by the Carl Barks Studio and featured numerous art projects and activities, including a tour of 11 European countries. Silk screen prints of paintings along with high-end art objects were produced based on designs by Barks. 

Over his decade-long career, Barks was awarded the Shazam Award for Best Writer, the Academy of Comic Book Arts Hall of Fame Award, the 1977 Inkpot Award, and the Comics Buyer’s Guide Fan Award for Favorite Writer. He was also inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame and the William Randolph Hearst Cartoon Hall of Fame. The Walt Disney Company even bestowed Barks with a Duckster award and their Disney Legends award. To this day, Barks work remains beloved among Disney fans, with the creator fondly referred to as “The Duck Man.”