Carl Barks drew 256 Disney comic book covers during the years 1942-69. There exists only about 21 pcs original artwork of those comic book covers. Which are those surviving original covers and how they survived? As known, the publisher trashed and burnt almost 97% of all Carl Barks' comic book original artwork, consisting some 6700 pages all together, so there exists only circa 200 pages of original comic book art.

"Thank you for the copy of Carl Barks and the Art of the Comic Book by Michael Barrier, which we are thrilled to see finally in published form. It was worth the years of waiting, and we hope will supply the answers to the myriad of questions which Carl must answer thousands of times over. Now he can just say buy the Barrier book published by M.M. Lilien..." --Gare Barks (Mrs. Carl Barks)) "Carl Barks and the Art of the Comic Book is the very long-awaited biography/bibliography/critique of the Good Artist's work by Michael Barrier. It is published in a handsome, sturdy, well-designed hardcover edition by M. Lilien of New York, with a lovely dust jacket featuring a self-caricature of Barks on the front and a color photo of the Duck Man on the back side. Inside you will find a detailed account of Barks' life and career, with each story discussed and highlighted. There are many photos of Barks as a young man, sketches and cartoons he did for the Calgary Eye Opener and as inter-office gags at the Disney Studios ... If you are a fan of Carl Barks, you simply, absolutely, positively and unquestionably must have this book and right now. If you are a comic-book student, you must have this book to see how thoroughly and well comics can and should be studied ...." --Don and Maggie Thompson The Buyer's Guide For Comic Fandom. " ... Barrier covers not only the life of Barks but his particular thematic preoccupations (the "rescue theme") in what parent/child roles are reversed is documented with considerable wisdom, for instance). The photos of Barks, his house, and other people he worked with are precious glimpses on an important period in comic book history, and the many drawings by Barks and others constitute a real treasure trove for both fans and scholars..." --Catherine Yronwode. The Buyer's Guide For Comic Fandom This beautifully illustrated book captures the essence of Carl Barks, the man who brought Donald Duck into the hearts of a generation of Americans. Only Michael Barrier, who is uniquely familiar with both Bark's life and works, could assemble this definitive introduction to Barks' creations. Barrier traces Barks' life as a young cartoonist who eventually joined the Walt Disney Studios during the depression. Upon joining the Western Publishing Company in 1942, Barks produced vivid tales which captured comic book readers' imaginations for the following two decades. Barks brought to life such unforgettable characters as Uncle Scrooge, the Beagle Boys, and the other zany inhabitants of Duckburg. Although Barks' art was readily accessible to children, his stories contained satire aimed at the foibles of a nation immersed in the Cold War and new-found material success. In addition to chronicling Barks' life, this book provides a definitive bibliography of Barks' works. The bibliography is enhanced by quotations from Barks on specific works as well as comments from Kim Weston. Cost $90.00 plus shipping and handling.

Funnybooks is the story of the most popular American comic books of the 1940s and 1950s, those published under the Dell label. For a time, “Dell Comics Are Good Comics” was more than a slogan—it was a simple statement of fact. Many of the stories written and drawn by people like Carl Barks (Donald Duck, Uncle Scrooge), John Stanley (Little Lulu), and Walt Kelly (Pogo) repay reading and rereading by educated adults even today, decades after they were published as disposable entertainment for children. Such triumphs were improbable, to say the least, because midcentury comics were so widely dismissed as trash by angry parents, indignant librarians, and even many of the people who published them. It was all but miraculous that a few great cartoonists were able to look past that nearly universal scorn and grasp the artistic potential of their medium. With clarity and enthusiasm, Barrier explains what made the best stories in the Dell comic books so special. He deftly turns a complex and detailed history into an expressive narrative sure to appeal to an audience beyond scholars and historians.

The first full-length critical study of the genius who created Duckburg and Uncle Scrooge

Ten stories in this book, mostly unavailable since their original printings in comic books, are collected here together for the first time, along with a few other gems. Also included are several virtually unknown works by Barks which have not previously been collected anywhere. Four of the stories in this book appear in restored versions which are intended to showcase them as Barks originally intended for them to be seen. All of the stories are sourced from high quality masters except for three for which there are no known surviving masters. As collected in this book, newly colored and sourced from original masters, the stories look much better in this book than in previous printings. The 26 Barney Bear and Benny Burro stories, the bulk of Barks' non-Disney work, are in print in the USA in another book, The Carl Barks Big Book of Barney Bear; however, unfortunately, original masters were not used for their reproduction. The Unavailable Carl Barks also includes a comprehensive index to all of Carl Barks' non-Disney comics, and other introductory, historical, and background articles, totaling about 40 pages. Every story that Carl Barks wrote or drew featuring Disney characters during his career as a comic book creator has been reprinted, often many times, in comic books and albums and books. The Disney work is the most important of Barks' work, but Barks also wrote and/or drew 36 other comic book stories featuring non-Disney characters between 1943 and 1953; these have been less-well served in reprinting and are much less well-known. They are generally comparable in quality to the average of the Donald Duck work he was doing at the same time. A few of them are quite creative and delightful, and stand well with the best short story work he was doing at the time. Most of them have been out-of-print since their publication decades ago in comic books. This book is intended to remedy that situation.

Featuring over 80 full-color portraits of the pioneering legends of American comic books, including publishers, editors and artists from the industry’s birth in the ’30s, through the brilliant artists and writers of behind EC Comics in the ’50s. All lovingly rendered and chosen by Drew Friedman, a cartooning legend in his own right. Featuring subjects popular and obscure, men and women, as well as several pioneering African-American artists. Each subject features a short essay by Friedman, who grew up knowing many of the subjects included (as the son of writer Bruce Jay Friedman), including Stan Lee, Harvey Kurtzman, Will Eisner, Mort Drucker, Al Jaffee, Jack Davis, Will Elder, and Bill Gaines. More names you might recognize: Barks, Crumb, Wood, Wolverton, Frazetta, Siegel & Shuster, Kirby, Cole, Ditko, Werthem… it’s a Hall of Fame of comic book history from the man BoingBoing.com call “America’s greatest living portrait artist!”