DCML digest, Vol 1 #559 - 15 msgs

john garvin jgarvin at bendcable.com
Sat Jun 9 15:39:16 CEST 2001


 Don Rosa: >So I was particularly pleased that,
amid the many other superb observations, Barrier expounds something I've
always thought -- that Mr. Barks should be remembered strictly for the work
he did in writing and drawing comic books stories prior to 1967, and not at
all for his paintings and other "collectibles" endeavors of his final
years.<

This is just impossibly narrow minded and comes from the fact that you, and evidently Mr. Barrier,
come to Barks's work from your childhood memories of reading his stories.  It seems incredibly
presumptious that you would dismiss the later work of a great creator and artist just because it was
not "comic book stories."  Barks had a full time painting career from 1970 to 1997, give or take.
That's 27 years.  His comics career went from 1942 to 1967, give or take.  That's 25 years.  I argue
that some of Barks best, most inspired, most creative work, came from his painting years, NOT his
comics years.  The difference between you and I, Mr. Rosa, is that you grew up reading Barks comic
books, and my first exposure to Barks was his oil paintings in the 1977 price guide.  I possess and
have read, all Barks comics.  I also possess and have studied, ALL Barks paintings.  While it is true
that his later painting work is not very good, the same can certainly be said of his later comics
work.  To dismiss this important part of Barks life and career is really nothing more than ignorance
at best, arrogance at worst.





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