I thought that Carl Barks had given up on the big adventures and was sticking with just 10-page stories but here in volume 19 we get several more longer stories. There is a serious time overlap between volume 18 (The Lost Peg Leg Mine) and this volume. The stories in volume 18 were published between September 1956 and July 1958. This volume includes July 1957 to September 1958. The reason for this is that Fantagraphics recently made the decision to print the stories in the order in which Barks created them, not when they were published, which means that, for whatever reason, Dell was sitting on some stories for quite a while before publishing them. It really doesn’t matter because each story is self-contained with little to no continuity besides the introduction of new characters.
This volume features the 18-page “Black Pearls of Tabu Yama” as well as the 26-page Forbidden Valley. It’s clear that Fantagraphics uses the catchiest story title rather than the best story to name their volumes because I’d say that Forbidden Valley was much better. Tabu Yama is essentially a story about the ducks trying to dislodge their boat which has become wedged into a hole at the base of an active volcano. Forbidden Valley has the duck family on the hunt for the rare Razor Wasps in a valley of dinosaurs. Now THAT’S exciting. The rest of the book is mostly 10 pagers with a couple shorter stories and the 20-page “Donald Duck and the Titanic Ants”.
Carl Barks stories are always intelligently written and have that rare quality of conveying information in an entertaining manner. In “The Tenderfoot Trap”, Uncle Scrooge tries to heat up a can by wrapping it loosely with greasewood shavings and lighting the whole thing up. Barks was always including these little life hacks into his stories and I bet they worked. I would also add that Huey, Dewey and Louis had a lot of admirable qualities and would be good role models for young readers. Even Scrooge and Donald had their moments, particularly Scrooge who had an unshakable tenacity. He was also a money hungry miser but nobody’s perfect.
Included in this collection is a story featuring Gyro Gearloose, three with Gladstone Gander, a couple with Daisy and a whole bunch with Uncle Scrooge. There is also the first appearance by a pig faced villain named Argus McSwine. McSwine wasn’t really a specific character but was more of a template that Barks would occasionally use when he needed a baddy. There are stories of Donald trying to hold down a job as a hotel manager (Sagmore Springs Hotel), a mailman (The Persistent Postman), a baker (The Half-Baked Baker) and a milkman (Donald the Milkman). Other times, he’s trying to win a competition as in The Tenderfoot Trap, Battle of the Echoes, Old Froggie Catapult and Ski Race. Barks reuses a lot of ideas and a bunch of these stories are rehashes of older stories but the high quality of art and writing is such that I never cared whether or not each story was a unique snowflake.
I always say that I’ve never seen a bad story by Carl Barks but I have to admit that “Donald Duck and the Titanic Ants” is about as close as it comes. The story centers around a scientist who has created a shrink and growth ray and he creates giant ants, with no malice intended. The story just feels completely out of place in the world that Barks has crafted and it’s not a great tale regardless. Even with one clunker I give this collection the same score as the previous 14 books in this series, which is 5 stars. I don’t know that there has ever been another comic creator with such consistent high level output over such a long period of time. I look forward to “The Mines of King Solomon”, due out in April of next year, and I have no doubt I’ll be giving out another perfect score.
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From the Publisher
Fantagraphics Books and Disney Publishing Worldwide proudly present The Complete Carl Barks Disney Library — these beautifully produced deluxe hardcover editions collect the complete Duck comics by Carl Barks, one of the medium's greatest artists and a Disney Hall of Fame Legend. Featuring Donald Duck, Uncle Scrooge, Huey, Dewey and Louie and more, these classic adventure comics are meticulously restored and newly recolored with insightful story notes by an international panel of Barks experts!
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Top reviews from other countries
Coala Bear
One of the best ones in the series.
Reviewed in Canada on February 4, 2024
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It's By The Duck-Man - So Of Course It's Great!
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