The life and times of Carl Barks, the Duck Man, creator of Uncle Scrooge, the Beagle Boys, Magica De Spell, Gyro Gearloose and many others, has been well documented. Michael Barrier’s Carl Barks and the Art of the Comic Book (Lilien, 1981) and Donald Ault’s Carl Barks: Conversations (University Press of Mississippi, 2003) are books that would be particularly recommended to anyone wanting to understand Barks’ career and genius.
The format of Ault’s book is very similar to Walt’s People and served as one of the sources of inspiration for this series. Because Don’s book contains so many of the interviews conducted with Barks over the years, we were for a long time reluctant to include any interview with Barks in Walt’s People. Why cover again ground that had already been tread so often? However, we could not include Al Taliaferro, Floyd Gottfredson, and especially Jack Hannah, without featuring Barks at least once. Jim Fanning’s short interview, which is not part of Carl Barks: Conversations, provided the perfect opportunity. […]
