THEMORTALITYSTORIES

Death was not a suitable topic in the Disney comic books in the days when Carl Barks drew his stories. As a matter of fact his publisher, Western, at one point circulated a special morals code listing unwelcome and even forbidden subjects for Disney's funny animal stories. Mortality was on the list. There is some logic to this because such a subject is neither appealing nor interesting to young children.

Nevertheless, Barks occasionally wrote stories in which mortality was a key plot factor or at least hinted at. Barks probably did not even reflect on the taboo when writing. Ten of these stories are shown below.

WDCS155 'The Rainbow Heirs'

Synopsis: Scrooge decides to find an heir for his vast fortune. He can choose either Donald, the nephews, or Gladstone.

Comments: Barks wrote two stories in which the main theme is Scrooge pondering over his own mortality (the other one is WDCS 187 'The Successor Contest').

U$63 House of Haunts

Synopsis: Scrooge hides all his money in an eerie old castle, but then forgets where he put it. But the Beagle Boys know!

Comments: After a tap on the head from one of the Beagle Boys Scrooge becomes convinced that he is dead.

U$64 The Treasure of Marco Polo

Synopsis: Scrooge is at the harbour to collect a jade elephant from a ship, but he only encounters a mysterious stowaway...

Comments: Barks wrote a few war stories in which death was present. This satirical story from 1966 is perhaps the most memorable one that has the subject of war as the main theme. In the original story the disguised prince Char Ming was garroted an enemy soldier, but Barks had to modify the action and changed it to just showing the prince jumping the man from behind.

FC0275 Ancient Persia

Synopsis: A professor discovers how the ancient Persians immortalized themselves and he 'persuades' Donald to go with him to Persia to try out the invention.

Comments: In this story from 1950 Barks had a real problem, because the plot called for several characters to die. The story slipped by the editors, but for years it was banned in many countries.

FC0203 The Golden Christmas Tree

Synopsis: The nephews wish for a golden Christmas tree and Donald sets out to find one. Then the kids are abducted by a tree-hating witch...

Comments: The witch is coincidentally killed as she falls from a cliffside while trapped in an oil can. Barks' original ending was that Donald Duck accidentally pushed the witch to her death, but that scenario was not acceptable to the editor.

FC0189 The Old Castle's Secret

Synopsis: Scrooge's treasure is in peril at the old family castle in Scotland. He takes Donald and the nephews along only to discover that the castle may be haunted...

Comments: The entire story circles around dead ancestors and their ghosts. Even the current caretaker of the castle is presumed to be a ghost when Donald at one time encounters him.

FC0029 The Mummy's Ring

Synopsis: Donald and the nephews are given a ring which interests some shady characters. The ducks travel to Egypt and find living mummies...

Comments: The very subject of mummies oozes of mortality and death, and Donald also becomes frightened from what he experiences. Still, Barks probably did not think of the story as one of mortality - he merely wanted to draw some nice Egyptian scenery, and this plot seemed like a good choice.

FC0308 Dangerous Disguise

Synopsis: Donald stays at the French Riviera where he is contacted by a sinister looking man. A major spy story unfolds...

Comments: Suicide was a major taboo in the Disney comic books, yet in this story Barks showed us the villain deliberately jumping to his death.

U$65 Micro-Ducks from Outer Space

Synopsis: The Sceptics' Club has offered a prize to whoever can produce a genuine flying saucer. Shortly after, such an object lands in Scrooge's office...

Comments: This story is representative of a number of stories in which the ducks fall from high places and are sure to get killed. Of course, they usually don't even have their feathers ruffled, but their mortality is certainly conspicuous in these situations.

U$McD Go Slowly Sands of Time

Synopsis: Scrooge will not accept that he is mortal so he sets out with Donald and the nephews to find a rejuvenator. They find a place where people live to be very old...

Comments: Barks wrote this very special story in 1968 but it was first published in 1981 in the elaborate Uncle Scrooge McDuck His Life and Times book which was furnished with 12 large watercolour illustrations.

EXTRA

DD26 Trick or Treat

Barks drew this comic book story from an animated short by the same name. He opened with a splash panel showing Duckburg as seen from a cemetery as a witch flies over the town on her broom.

The scene was in the film, but the editor at Western objected to the mortality panel as he said that in a comic book the children would have time to dwell on the cemetery scene and that would not be wholesome. Barks then drew another splash panel but in later reprints the original version (shown here) is often chosen.