The End of This Age of the World

Jonathan Markoff markoff2 at cais.com
Mon Aug 28 09:28:52 CEST 2000


An age of this world has ended. A new era is upon us even as the millennium
ends. A shift in the tide of time is in motion. For a great giant has gone
out of our world.

Never in the history of Disney comics--which indeed goes back to only
1930--has such an event happened. For we have been left by the titan of it
all--the seed which is the foundation of that small world. For decades
Barks has been enjoyed and discussed by many people around the world.
Generations and sects of enjoyers and discussors have come and gone.
Younger giants of the of the comics world, such as Jerry Siegel and Bob
Kane have predeceased their older, more prolific colleague. Would-be
pretenders such as Tony Strobl and Paul Murry have halfheartedly attempted
to usurp the Master's throne and died obscurely after unsung careers. Yet
all this rising and falling, making and breaking, has continued in the aura
of a living legend, a wonder of the modern world, until Friday, August 25,
2000.

Now the Master who trained us, Carl Barks, has become one with the Force
that governs all. Though it remains to be seen if he will return as a blue,
ethereal vision to counsel his young apprentices in the art of his ways, he
will remain with us and strengthen us. For now he belongs to the ages, with
great storytellers Homer, Malory, Shakespeare and Tolkien. We have entered
the post-Barks world. Having transcended mortality and begun to live on
without fear of mortal harm, Barks has seen us, his pupils, grow to
maturity, and now passes on the torch of his wisdom for us to protect and
cherish. Let us be brave, loyal, and true to the honored institution. It is
now our birthright, our responsibility. Let us not disgrace this sacred
trust we have inherited. Let each one of us put hand on heart, face toward
the west of the United States, and say to oneself, "I will be a Barks." For
the time is ripe for change. The Evil Disney Empire will feel the tremor
caused by the rupture on its borders. The fans shall rise in revolt,
demanding their rights to the Master's words and the recognition of his
legacy. Barksmania will grow and seethe. A new world shall arise from the
ashes of the old. Don't wait! Rise up in arms! Make yourself heard! Bring
the tyrants to their knees! Power to the Paperi! What our Leader failed to
achieve in his own time, he will succeed in now. It Is Time We Saw The
Future While We Still Have Human Eyes. One Vision. One Power. One Purpose.
Barks Lives In Death. May the Force Be With Us.

--Jonathan Markoff
  markoff2 at cais.com




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