MICHAEL GILBERT

Author and friend

Carl Barks was an amazing man. 

We live in a time when we worship creators whose comic books reach as few as 2000 hard-core fans. During Carl's heyday, he reached 3,000,000 readers every month. More importantly, many of his most ardent fans were kids, at their most impressionable age. The stories that Carl spun for them in Walt Disney's Comics & Stories, Uncle Scrooge and his other duck titles remained with those kids a lifetime. They were uplifting without being preachy - and always funny. And he did it month after month for over 25 years. Amazing!

Carl's ability to create real characters was unbeaten. I've written Disney comics for 10 years for the Disney Comics imprint, Gladstone and the Danish Egmont. Having scripted both Mickey and Donald, I'm always impressed how much easier it is to write the ducks. Carl's crystal-clear characterization makes the difference.

By designing and refining Donald, Gladstone, Uncle Scrooge and the rest of the duck crew over a 25 year period, he created a blueprint for the rest of us to follow. It was a superb blueprint too - easy to follow, with clear motivations, character tics, and distinct personalities for each character. I can't begin to tell you how much he still influences those of us who, in our own small way, try to continue his legacy.

My wife Janet also writes Duck stories for Egmont, and two years ago this month we were fortunate enough to visit Carl at his home.  We had heard rumors that he was hard of hearing and very frail at 97, and we were prepared for the worst. Instead, we found a vibrant, beaming man who looked 20 years younger than he claimed to be.

He could still walk with a cane and could hear reasonably well. Better still, he was gracious, articulate, funny and everything you'd hope Carl Barks would be. Even at 97, he still loved comics and was concerned about whether they would survive into the future, and how the internet would affect the medium he loved. Even near the end of his life, he was still thinking about tomorrow.

Carl Barks was an amazing man, and he will be missed.