A Guidebook to the Carl Barks Universe (test)

Research: At the end of this story there's a silhoutte of Donald chasing the cat just crossing a county border, which can be seen by a sign saying "ENTERING SQUASH COUNTY - DON'T PICKA DA PUNK!" This is a gag of which even some modern-day Americans may now have major trouble understanding it. Detailed information

Sources

W WDC 77-02 bug spray concoction

(Inducks description: Going Buggy)

Inducks: W WDC 77-02
Barrier: MBAC-170
CBL: 07C-535
Type: story
Art: Carl Barks (Inducks artist: Carl Barks)
Script: Carl Barks (Inducks writer: Carl Barks)
Hero: Donald Duck (Inducks hero: Donald Duck)
Submission: 1946, September 25 (Inducks submission: 1946-09-25)
Publication date: 1947, February (Inducks publication date: 1947-02)
Issue: Walt Disney Comics & Stories 77, Vol. 7, No. 5
Pages: 10 (Inducks pages: 10)
Inducks description: HDL dressed like giant bugs

Sources

W WDC 78-02 jam robbers

(Inducks description: Jam Robbers)

Inducks: W WDC 78-02
Barrier: MBAC-170
CBL: 07C-545
Type: story
Art: Carl Barks (Inducks artist: Carl Barks)
Script: Carl Barks (Inducks writer: Carl Barks)
Hero: Donald Duck (Inducks hero: Donald Duck)
Submission: 1946, October 28 (Inducks submission: 1946-10-28)
Publication date: 1947, March (Inducks publication date: 1947-03)
Issue: Walt Disney Comics & Stories 78, Vol. 7, No. 6
Pages: 10 (Inducks pages: 10)
Inducks description: DD tries to open the new safe; HDL eat half of the jam

Sources

W WDC 79-02 picnic poetry

Rumble on, buxom bumble bee!
Go sit on a cowslip - far from me!
-- Donald Duck, writing poetry

(Inducks description: Picnic Tricks)

Inducks: W WDC 79-02
Barrier: MBAC-170
CBL: 07C-557
Type: story
Art: Carl Barks (Inducks artist: Carl Barks)
Script: Carl Barks (Inducks writer: Carl Barks)
Hero: Donald Duck (Inducks hero: Donald Duck)
Submission: 19446, November 18 (Inducks submission: 1946-11-18)
Publication date: 1947, April (Inducks publication date: 1947-04)
Issue: Walt Disney Comics & Stories 79, Vol. 7, No. 7
Pages: 10 (Inducks pages: 10)
Inducks description: HDL spoil DD's picknick with DA

Sources

W WDC 80-02 flower garden contest

(Inducks description: Donald's Posy Patch)

Inducks: W WDC 80-02
Barrier: MBAC-170
CBL: 07C-567
Type: story
Art: Carl Barks (Inducks artist: Carl Barks)
Script: Carl Barks (Inducks writer: Carl Barks)
Hero: Donald Duck (Inducks hero: Donald Duck)
Submission: 1947, January 10 (Inducks submission: 1947-01-10)
Publication date: 1947, May (Inducks publication date: 1947-05)
Issue: Walt Disney Comics & Stories 80, Vol. 7, No. 8
Pages: 10 (Inducks pages: 10)
Inducks description: DD has bees in his garden

CBL-notes: Panel 8.3 is redrawn.

Sources

W WDC 81-02 lost turk gold mine

(Inducks description: Donald Mines His Own Business)

Inducks: W WDC 81-02
Barrier: MBAC-170
CBL: 07C-577
Type: story
Art: Carl Barks (Inducks artist: Carl Barks)
Script: Carl Barks (Inducks writer: Carl Barks)
Hero: Donald Duck (Inducks hero: Donald Duck)
Submission: 1947, January 28 (Inducks submission: 1947-01-28)
Publication date: 1947, June (Inducks publication date: 1947-06)
Issue: Walt Disney Comics & Stories 81, Vol. 7, No. 9
Pages: 10 (Inducks pages: 10)
Inducks description: DD Mines His Own Business; DD thinks HDL's fake mine map is for real

Sources

W WDC 82-02 super-magician

(Inducks description: Magical Misery)

Inducks: W WDC 82-02
Barrier: MBAC-170
CBL: 07C-587
Type: story
Art: Carl Barks (Inducks artist: Carl Barks)
Script: Carl Barks (Inducks writer: Carl Barks)
Hero: Donald Duck (Inducks hero: Donald Duck)
Submission: 1947, February 19 (Inducks submission: 1947-02-19)
Publication date: 1947, July (Inducks publication date: 1947-07)
Issue: Walt Disney Comics & Stories 82, Vol. 7, No. 10
Pages: 10 (Inducks pages: 10)
Inducks description: HDL sabotage DD's magic tricks

Sources

W WDC 83-02 salesmen disturb vacation

A whole week of rest will put me on my toes!
-- Donald Duck

(Inducks description: Vacation Time)

Inducks: W WDC 83-02
Barrier: MBAC-170
CBL: 07C-597
Type: story
Art: Carl Barks (Inducks artist: Carl Barks)
Script: Carl Barks (Inducks writer: Carl Barks)
Hero: Donald Duck (Inducks hero: Donald Duck)
Submission: 194, (Inducks submission: 1947-03-19)
Publication date: 1947, August (Inducks publication date: 1947-08)
Issue: Walt Disney Comics & Stories 83, Vol. 7, No. 11
Pages: 10 (Inducks pages: 10)
Inducks description: DD stays at home during Summer vacation, bothered by salesmen

Sources

W WDC 84-02 costume ball waltz contest

Stop? I did stop ten minutes ago! The fool room keeps going around!
-- Donald Duck

(Inducks description: The Waltz King)

Inducks: W WDC 84-02
Barrier: MBAC-170
CBL: 07C-607
Type: story
Art: Carl Barks (Inducks artist: Carl Barks)
Script: Carl Barks (Inducks writer: Carl Barks)
Hero: Donald Duck (Inducks hero: Donald Duck)
Submission: 1947, May 1 (Inducks submission: 1947-05-01)
Publication date: 1947, September (Inducks publication date: 1947-09)
Issue: Walt Disney Comics & Stories 84, Vol. 7, No. 12
Pages: 10 (Inducks pages: 10)
Inducks description: DD can't dance anything but Waltz; trained too much to dance with DA

Research: Just before he attacks a big man at a bus stop, Donald says: "I'll give him the flying arm-lock that I learned in commando school!" (7.7) As a result, the big man is running away, and yelling: "What ran into me - A Tiger tank?" (8.1) As this story was made in 1947, it's likely that "Tiger tank" means the infamous World War II German Tiger tank. (Maybe a hidden joke could be that the big man Donald beat up was a war veteran?)

Sources

W WDC 85-02 string trio

Adt last dey haf learned to blay vun note!
See dot dey bractice idt vile I go home undt haf a nervous breakdown!
-- music teacher

(Inducks description: The Masters of Melody)

Inducks: W WDC 85-02
Barrier: MBAC-170
CBL: 07C-617
Type: story
Art: Carl Barks (Inducks artist: Carl Barks)
Script: Carl Barks (Inducks writer: Carl Barks)
Hero: Donald Duck (Inducks hero: Donald Duck)
Submission: 1947, May 5 (Inducks submission: 1947-05-05)
Publication date: 1947, October (Inducks publication date: 1947-10)
Issue: Walt Disney Comics & Stories 85, Vol. 8, No. 1
Pages: 10 (Inducks pages: 10)
Inducks description: Atonal Terror; HDL have to play music

Sources

W WDC 86-02 absent-minded fireman

A flire! A frier! I must shave the women and children!
-- Donald Duck

(Inducks description: Fireman Donald)

Inducks: W WDC 86-02
Barrier: MBAC-170
CBL: 07C-627
Type: story
Art: Carl Barks (Inducks artist: Carl Barks)
Script: Carl Barks (Inducks writer: Carl Barks)
Hero: Donald Duck (Inducks hero: Donald Duck)
Submission: 1947, June 23 (Inducks submission: 1947-06-23)
Publication date: 1947, November (Inducks publication date: 1947-11)
Issue: Walt Disney Comics & Stories 86, Vol. 8, No. 2
Pages: 10 (Inducks pages: 10)
Inducks description: DD works for the fire brigade but does mistakes; HDL get his job; Fireman Donald

Congruences:

QMS 1940-013: Donald as fireman
W WDC 225-01 romantic volunteer fireman: Donald as fireman

Sources

W WDC 87-02 wild turkey hunting

(Inducks description: The Terrible Turkey)

Inducks: W WDC 87-02
Barrier: MBAC-170
CBL: 07C-639
Type: story
Art: Carl Barks (Inducks artist: Carl Barks)
Script: Carl Barks (Inducks writer: Carl Barks)
Hero: Donald Duck (Inducks hero: Donald Duck)
Submission: 1947, July 31 (Inducks submission: 1947-07-31)
Publication date: 1947, December (Inducks publication date: 1947-12)
Issue: Walt Disney Comics & Stories 87, Vol. 8, No. 3
Pages: 10 (Inducks pages: 10)

CBL-notes: Pages 3, 5 and 6 are redrawn. Apparently, in 1983 the original version was printed by Dutch publisher Oberon.

Congruences: Donald tries to carve a "turkey" meal with a knife. The "turkey" is too tough, so Donald uses a mincer. (9.6 to 10.3) This scene is more or less similar to Al Taliaferro's December 26, 1938 Donald Duck daily strip. (Donald tries to carve a turkey meal with a knife. The turkey is too slippery, so Donald uses a vice.)

Congruences:

YD 38-12-26 slippery turkey

Sources

W WDC 88-02 swimming on christmas day

(Inducks description: Wintertime Wager)

Inducks: W WDC 88-02
Barrier: MBAC-170
CBL: 07C-649
Type: story
Art: Carl Barks (Inducks artist: Carl Barks)
Script: Carl Barks (Inducks writer: Carl Barks)
Hero: Donald Duck (Inducks hero: Donald Duck)
Submission: 1947, August 15 (Inducks submission: 1947-08-15)
Publication date: 1948, January (Inducks publication date: 1948-01)
Issue: Walt Disney Comics & Stories 88, Vol. 8, No. 4
Pages: 10 (Inducks pages: 10)
Inducks description: Crazy winter bet; Wintertime Wager; has to bath during winter

Landmark: First appearance of Gladstone Gander.

Sources

W WDC 89-02 night watchman in dockshed

Hmm! Never knew this chair was so soft!
-- Donald Duck

(Inducks description: Watching the Watchman)

Inducks: W WDC 89-02
Barrier: MBAC-172
CBL: 07C-659
Type: story
Art: Carl Barks (Inducks artist: Carl Barks)
Script: Carl Barks (Inducks writer: Carl Barks)
Hero: Donald Duck (Inducks hero: Donald Duck)
Submission: 1947, September 4 (Inducks submission: 1947-09-04)
Publication date: 1948, February (Inducks publication date: 1948-02)
Issue: Walt Disney Comics & Stories 89, Vol. 8, No. 5
Pages: 10 (Inducks pages: 10)
Inducks description: DD gets watchman job, HDL have to watch him

Sources

W WDC 90-02 telegram messenger boys

(Inducks description: Wired)

Inducks: W WDC 90-02
Barrier: MBAC-172
CBL: 07C-669
Type: story
Art: Carl Barks (Inducks artist: Carl Barks)
Script: Carl Barks (Inducks writer: Carl Barks)
Hero: Donald Duck (Inducks hero: Donald Duck)
Submission: 1947, October 9 (Inducks submission: 1947-10-09)
Publication date: 1948, March (Inducks publication date: 1948-03)
Issue: Walt Disney Comics & Stories 90, Vol. 8, No. 6
Pages: 10 (Inducks pages: 10)
Inducks description: Messengers' competition

Sources

W WDC 91-02 garden party monkeys

(Inducks description: Going Ape)

Inducks: W WDC 91-02
Barrier: MBAC-172
CBL: 07C-679
Type: story
Art: Carl Barks (Inducks artist: Carl Barks)
Script: Carl Barks (Inducks writer: Carl Barks)
Hero: Donald Duck (Inducks hero: Donald Duck)
Submission: 1947, October 28 (Inducks submission: 1947-10-28)
Publication date: 1948, April (Inducks publication date: 1948-04)
Issue: Walt Disney Comics & Stories 91, Vol. 8, No. 7
Pages: 10 (Inducks pages: 10)
Inducks description: try to hypnotize HDL to act as apes in social party; DD tries to hypnotize HDL to act as apes in social party

Sources

W WDC 92-02 the art of child rearing

Stifling the child's extrovertentualities tends to subjunctuate his bio-physical transmogrification!
-- Pulpheart Clabberhead

(Inducks description: Spoil the Rod)

Inducks: W WDC 92-02
Barrier: MBAC-172
CBL: 07C-689
Type: story
Art: Carl Barks (Inducks artist: Carl Barks)
Script: Carl Barks (Inducks writer: Carl Barks)
Hero: Donald Duck (Inducks hero: Donald Duck)
Submission: 1947, December 30 (Inducks submission: 1947-12-30)
Publication date: 1948, May (Inducks publication date: 1948-05)
Issue: Walt Disney Comics & Stories 92, Vol. 8, No. 8
Pages: 10 (Inducks pages: 10)
Inducks description: Pulpheart Clabberhead; Educational professor tells DD how to educate HDL; Spoil the Rod

Congruences:

QMS 1938-005: child psychology

Sources

W WDC 93-02 rocket race to the moon

Papyuh! Papyuh!! Readyuhmawnin' papyuh!
-- Donald Duck, as newsboy

(Inducks description: Rocket Race to the Moon)

Inducks: W WDC 93-02
Barrier: MBAC-172
CBL: 07C-699
Type: story
Art: Carl Barks (Inducks artist: Carl Barks)
Script: Carl Barks (Inducks writer: Carl Barks)
Hero: Donald Duck (Inducks hero: Donald Duck)
Submission: 1948, January 16 (Inducks submission: 1948-01-16)
Publication date: 1948, June (Inducks publication date: 1948-06)
Issue: Walt Disney Comics & Stories 93, Vol. 8, No. 9
Pages: 10 (Inducks pages: 10)
Inducks description: Rocket race to the Moon

Updates: Stuck on the moon, which in this story must have an air atmosphere, the ducks accidently drink from a "natural rocket fluid" spring containing "kerosine", "oil of gun cotton" and "essence of nitro-glycerine" (8.7). At that point, Donald has just scared away a moonman with a burning match (8.4), about which he comments: "No wonder that guy was afraid of fire!" (8.8)

The documentary "95 Worlds and Counting", premiered on Discovery Channel in February 2001, mentions it can rain fuel (methane?) on Saturn's largest moon, Titan. And if there would be air, one could cause an enormous explosion with a lighter.

Sources

W WDC 94-02 coast patrol

(Inducks description: Donald of the Coast Guard)

Inducks: W WDC 94-02
Barrier: MBAC-172
CBL: 07C-709
Type: story
Art: Carl Barks (Inducks artist: Carl Barks)
Script: Carl Barks (Inducks writer: Carl Barks)
Hero: Donald Duck (Inducks hero: Donald Duck)
Submission: 1948, February 3 (Inducks submission: 1948-02-03)
Publication date: 1948, July (Inducks publication date: 1948-07)
Issue: Walt Disney Comics & Stories 94, Vol. 8, No. 10
Pages: 10 (Inducks pages: 10)
Inducks description: fooled by smugglers on a desert beach

Sources

W WDC 95-00 new heat wave due

(Inducks:

Inducks: W WDC 95-00
Barrier: MBAC-172
CBL: 08A-017
Type: cover
Art: Carl Barks (Inducks artist: Carl Barks)
Script: Carl Barks (Inducks writer: Carl Barks) (Inducks hero: Donald Duck)
Submission: 1948, March 4 (Inducks submission: 1948-03-04)
Publication date: 1948, August (Inducks publication date: 1948-08)
Issue: Walt Disney Comics & Stories 95, Vol. 8, No. 11
Pages: 1 (Inducks pages: 1)
Inducks description: on beach with Bolivar

Landmark: Barks' first published cover for Walt Disney Comics & Stories, submitted on the same date as the cover for issue 96.

Backstage: In 1983, Barks commented in an interview with Bruce Hamilton: "I am very poor at lettering and hate every inch of it. My biggest problem with the cover for number 95 was lettering the newspaper lying in the sand. But I did all of my lettering until 1952, when my wife Garé took over."

Interviews:

1983 interview by Bruce Hamilton

Sources

W WDC 95-02 raising five dollars in half an hour

(Inducks description: Gladstone Returns)

Inducks: W WDC 95-02
Barrier: MBAC-172
CBL: 08A-019
Type: story
Art: Carl Barks (Inducks artist: Carl Barks)
Script: Carl Barks (Inducks writer: Carl Barks)
Hero: Donald Duck (Inducks hero: Donald Duck)
Submission: 1948, February 19 (Inducks submission: 1948-02-19)
Publication date: 1948, August (Inducks publication date: 1948-08)
Issue: Walt Disney Comics & Stories 95, Vol. 8, No. 11
Pages: 10 (Inducks pages: 10)
Inducks description: Fund-raising race; Gladstone Returns"

Sources

W WDC 96-00 super bubble soap

(Inducks:

Inducks: W WDC 96-00
Barrier: MBAC-172
CBL: 08A-018
Type: cover
Art: Carl Barks (Inducks artist: Carl Barks)
Script: Carl Barks (Inducks writer: Carl Barks) (Inducks hero: Donald Duck)
Submission: 1948, March 4 (Inducks submission: 1948-03-04)
Publication date: 1948, September (Inducks publication date: 1948-09)
Issue: Walt Disney Comics & Stories 96, Vol. 8, No. 12
Pages: 1 (Inducks pages: 1)
Inducks description: floats out of bath on soap bubbles

Surviving material: Original art of alternate earlier version. Published as cover for "Walt Disney Comics & Stories" No. 540, 1989.

Sources

W WDC 96-02 hole-in-one caddies

There's more here than meets the eye!
Cousin Donald has hydrophobia or something!
I better cash in on it!
-- Gladstone Gander

(Inducks description: Links Hijinks)

Inducks: W WDC 96-02
Barrier: MBAC-172
CBL: 08A-029
Type: story
Art: Carl Barks (Inducks artist: Carl Barks)
Script: Carl Barks (Inducks writer: Carl Barks)
Hero: Donald Duck (Inducks hero: Donald Duck)
Submission: 1948, March 25 (Inducks submission: 1948-03-25)
Publication date: 1948, September (Inducks publication date: 1948-09)
Issue: Walt Disney Comics & Stories 96, Vol. 8, No. 12
Pages: 10 (Inducks pages: 10)
Inducks description: HDL help DD to win GL on a golf match; Links Hijinks

Congruences:

QMS 1938-015: golf contest
W WDC 131-02 unluckiest golfer of the day: golf contest

Sources

W WDC 97-02 pearls for daisy

Open up, Donald Duck! You smart aleck! You wisecracker! I'm here to thank you for your little joke!
-- Daisy Duck

(Inducks description: Pearls of Wisdom)

Inducks: W WDC 97-02
Barrier: MBAC-172
CBL: 08A-039
Type: story
Art: Carl Barks (Inducks artist: Carl Barks)
Script: Carl Barks (Inducks writer: Carl Barks)
Hero: Donald Duck (Inducks hero: Donald Duck)
Submission: 1948, April 29 (Inducks submission: 1948-04-29)
Publication date: 1948, October (Inducks publication date: 1948-10)
Issue: Walt Disney Comics & Stories 97, Vol. 9, No. 2
Pages: 10 (Inducks pages: 10)
Inducks description: diving to find pearls for DA

Research: On the Disney comics Mailing List, Dwight Decker gave an answer to the question if Mexican jumping beans really jump: "Yes, they do! They're seeds of a Mexican plant with an insect larva inside. The movement of the larva inside causes the seed to seem to jump. The movement is real, and even startling, though exaggerated in cartoons."

Sources

W WDC 98-02 fox hunting sportsman

Here Finnan Haddie! Here, Smoked Barracuda!
Shad Roe, where are you?
Kippered Sprats! Marinated Mackerel! Filet Of Sole!
Sardines In Olive Oil! There you are!
Columbia River Smelt, come to papa! Grilled Halibut, ol' boy, it's me!
Dogfish! Catfish! Sawfish! Swordfish! Goldfish! Whitefish! Chub! Carp! Minnows! Guppies!
Callico Bass! Bluegills! (Pant! Puff!) Red Snapper! Jelly Fish!
-- Donald Duck

(Inducks description: Foxy Relations)

Inducks: W WDC 98-02
Barrier: MBAC-172
CBL: 08A-053
Type: story
Art: Carl Barks (Inducks artist: Carl Barks)
Script: Carl Barks (Inducks writer: Carl Barks)
Hero: Donald Duck (Inducks hero: Donald Duck)
Submission: 1948, May 28 (Inducks submission: 1948-05-28)
Publication date: 1948, November (Inducks publication date: 1948-11)
Issue: Walt Disney Comics & Stories 98, Vol. 9, No. 2
Pages: 10 (Inducks pages: 10)
Inducks description: DD caught 300 foxes; DD catches 300 animals; DD catches 300 foxes by accident; Foxy Relations

Landmark: First appearance of Uncle Scrooge in Walt Disney Comics and Stories.

Appearances: Frank Bucko (2.8); Red Herring (3.1); Lord Tweeksdale (9.1).

Research: Big game hunter Frank Buck, upon whom "Frank Bucko" on page 2 was obviously based, was a popular real life adventurer of the day. His exploits were chronicled often in that era's journals and were even the subject of a short-lived comic book series, "Frank Buck", published by Fox Features in 1950. More recently, the Frank Buck legend enjoyed a brief resurgence in the form of 1982/83 television adventure series, "Bring 'Em Back Alive."

Congruences:

W US 30-04 Yoicks! The Fox!: Similar plot.

Sources

top of this page | previous item | sources | e-mail | forum

W WDC 99-02 radio quiz show

Nine trillion multipadillion, six hundred and eighty-six squadrificillion, fifty octodecimadillion, eight hundred and sixty-three centrifipillion --
nine hundred and forty overplusillion, six hundred and five duplicatillion, thirty-three impossibadillion --
seven hundred and ninety-one compounded ultrafatillion, three hundred and forty super trillion, fifty-nine duper dillion, twenty-nine billion, seven hundred and fifty million --
four hundred and six thousand, five hundred and thirty three drops!
-- Donald Duck

(Inducks description: The Crazy Quiz Show)

Inducks: W WDC 99-02
Barrier: MBAC-172
CBL: 08A-065
Type: story
Art: Carl Barks (Inducks artist: Carl Barks)
Script: [unknown] (Inducks writer: ?,Carl Barks(rewrite))
Script rewriting: Carl Barks
Hero: Donald Duck (Inducks hero: Donald Duck)
Submission: 1948, June 10 (Inducks submission: 1948-06-10)
Publication date: 1948, December (Inducks publication date: 1948-12)
Issue: Walt Disney Comics & Stories 99, Vol. 9, No. 3
Pages: 10 (Inducks pages: 10)
Inducks description: DD studies books to take part at a quiz-show for a barrel of money; D+N participate in crazy TV quiz show

Additional credits: In his 1969 list of work for Western, Barks wrote about this story: "Script came from the office. I was paid $ 25 extra for 'revising' it."

Landmark: Mickey Mouse is mentioned in panel 5.7. Barks seldom used Disney characters outside the Duck Family in any of his stories. When asked to comment for the Library about this reference, he wrote, "I can't remember the origin of the 'Mickey's Social Security number' gag. It probably was in the script as it came from the office. I doubt that I would have felt it permissible to mention Mickey."

In Barbara Boatner's Introduction to The Fine Art of Walt Disney's Donald Duck (page 24), Barks commented on Western Publishing's policy of keeping the identities separate of the traditional Disney characters whenever practical because of the many titles using the different names, saying "I wouldn't have been tempted to use them, anyway."

Research: The radio-quiz show Donald appears on was based on the then popular games series, "Truth or Consequences." This show entertained audiences by demeaning its contestants, forcing them to take the consequences if they failed to answer questions correctly. The results could be cruel, and Barks made Donald's humiliation positively brutal to satirize the sadism of basing a show on such a concept.

Panel 1.1 states that "Caesar was born in 102 B.C.!" Actually there have been different opinions about this date. The introduction to a 1897 edition of Caesar's Gallic Wars mentions that "Gaius Iulius Caesar was born July 12, in the year 100 before Christ [Some scholars put the date two years earlier. Cf. Mommsen, "History of Rome," (ed. of 1895), vol. iv., pp. 278-280.], being thus six years younger than Cicero and Pompey."

Congruences: