Carl Barks, Or Don Rosa

One of my brothers was in discussion on two comic artists who have worked on the Ducktale stories...Don Rosa, and Carl Barks. now I am aware that Carl barks was in charge for scrooge's stories but I am not familar with both Rosa's and Barks(I havent read them). So is there any difference between Bark's stories to Rosa's? In other words...Who's the better cartoonist behind it?

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edited 11th Jun '11 10:36:23 AM by Foringinn

Both are geniuses in their own style, therefore, I can't really compare 'em because they pursue different things with their work. There's stuff I dislike about both, but when talking about them, I'll focus on what makes them so dear to my duck-loving heart.

His approach to the universe is unique among all of the Duck artists that ever lived. Truly, there is only one Don Rosa. You can almost touch the passion he poured on his stories, coupled with his modern humor, a knack for extensive research and instantly recognizable artstyle. Althought self-limited to follow the canon his role model created, he managed to explore emotional areas that were only ever hinted in Barks' ouvre. His retirement from the spotlight leaves all of us unsatisfied, wanting more of Rosa's style in our duck dishes. Looking back, everything comes full cycle; the hardcore duck fanatic who once dreamed of writing his own official stories has now inspired thousands of readers to proudly address themselves as his fans.

My preferences, however, lie with the one and only Good Duck Artist, Carl Barks. What would be of it world without Barks' imagination and talent? There'd be no Scrooge Mc Duck, for starters. Something that is usually overlooked when discussing Unca Carl was how much his incursion on Disney benefited not only Donald Duck's world, but also his personality. He evolved the duck from a one-note angry caricature to a human capable of feeling everything we do, with the attitude to act it out. In an era where Disney artist weren't credited for their work, the inventiveness and character of Barks' tales was enough to put him in the spotlight among readers. Not even getting on the topic of humor (which came in an unlimited variety of shapes and forms), one important element that makes his work survive the test of time is the subtle yet present depth. The ducks don't engage in atypical scenarios obeying just the Rule of Funny; there is great commentary on human nature to be found on Barks' panels, rewarding those who are looking for meaningful tales, and at the same time entertaining that part of us who just wants to have some fun. To talk Carl Barks is, quite simply, to talk about the greatest artist that ever graced Donald Duck and Co's lives.

Bump for great justice!

I have a very basic problem with Don Rosa:

His Uncle Scrooge looks a bit too scraggly for my tastes.

Sort of heading to the Night Mare Fuel section?

Almost, yes.

I do find Rosa to be funnier.

Don Rosa can be pretty hilarious at the top of his game, indeed.

I'll be doggoned if Carl Barks hasn't made me laugh out loud◊ several times, though!

edited 29th Dec '10 1:20:46 AM by Richie

'Tis a pity The Life And Times Of Scrooge Mc Duck is more popular in France (and Finland!) than in the USA! (The Sampo is AWESOME.)

One of my brothers was in discussion on two comic artists who have worked on the Ducktale stories...

You just got Gannon-Banned.

Duck Tales is based on pathetically tries to adapt the comics, not vice versa.

there have been released stories based on Duck Tales

Edit: Reread first post. Gannon-Banned of the highest order.

edited 7th Jan '11 7:42:36 AM by Foringinn

I wasnt aware of Ducktales being based on the comics should have known better.

I think Duck Tales is good on its own way. Not as good as the comics, but does a passable work for the most part. If anything, it Jumped the Shark when it tried to be its own thing.

edited 7th Jan '11 7:16:50 PM by NapoleonDeCheese

^^ Carl Barks had been retired for twenty years when Duck Tales started.

edited 8th Jan '11 1:16:23 PM by Kerrah

Hmm... if I was forced to put it into words, I'd say that Barks = more talented, Rosa = more polished.

Barks is the Old Master. He's the guy that created most of the Ducks' world. His pacing, especially, was superb- he had a sense of comic timing like nothing I've ever seen, and if there was a wasted panel, I don't remember seeing it; "Only a Poor Old Man", the first Uncle Scrooge story, is one that I would hold up as one of the most perfectly-paced comic books ever written. Barks is one of those creators like Osamu Tezuka or Will Eisner- the ones that you read when you want to see how it's done. That being said, he's distinctly old-school, and some of his techniques come off as rather old-fashioned now. He's an excellent storyteller all the same.

Rosa, on the other hand... it's hard for me to codify. At his best, I'd actually consider him to be funnier than Barks by a slight but noticeable margin. The difficulty being that I would consider his 'best' to come up only occasionally ("On a Silver Platter" is probably my favourite of his- it's flat-out insane and quite enjoyable). Also, quite honestly, Rosa can come off as... well, basically, an incredibly talented and respectful fanfic author. He's very, very, very good, there's no doubt about that, but you can never quite escape the knowledge that he's playing in someone else' sandbox. And lastly, and least forgiveably, Rosa is prone to Author Tract-ing so heavy-handedly that the hand has a measurable gravitational pull.

So: Barks = consistently very, very good, but somewhat old-fashioned and perhaps not as polished as Rosa. Rosa = less consistent, but sometimes better, but also prone to author tracts and fanboyism.

It's unfortunate that I cannot say many good things about the ignorance of the people in this thread...

Guys. Carl Barks is THE creator of the Duck universe who single-handedly created every character other than Donald, from Scrooge and the nephews to the Beagle Boys and every other character.

Rosa? A Barks fanboy who made some good, quality comics (even if his tendency to make Scrooge a Marty Stu sometimes makes them a painful read). There were dozens of artists and are there today who write Duck stories, and even though Rosa is one of the better ones his accomplishment cannot even be measured to Barks'. (I always preferred Romano Scarpa, myself.)

Neither of them were involved with Duck Tales (apart from Barks writing one episode - cause, y'know, he was already 90 at the time and stuff). So if you liked it, sing the hymns about the authors that were involved.

Barks didn't create the nephews.

He also didn't create Daisy Duck or Grandma Duck.

Aside from those five and Donald, yeah, he created pretty much everyone.

edited 15th Jan '11 3:43:02 AM by Kerrah

And Scarpa pretty much created those characters not predating or created by Barks.