Oh, boy! Our favorite duck of the century is turning 88 years old. On June 9, 1934, Donald Duck debuted with the Silly Symphonies cartoon, The Wise Little Hen. In this iteration, he was slightly different, sporting a thinner bill and a longer neck with his sailor outfit. He was merely a plot device at this point. Donald Duck eventually saw a rise in popularity attributed to his personification of the fighting spirit of the 1940s war era.
The History of Donald Duck
Donald Duck became synonymous with hope and adversity, participating in patriotic cartoons like Donald Gets Drafted (1942) and The New Spirit (1942). Along the way, he started gaining that mischievous and temperamental personality known to many fans.
Three years passed and the character emerged in his own 18-page comic. From there, he became the most-published non-superhero comic book character of all time. In these comics, Donald became even more developed with articulated speech. Additionally, he gained a family in the world of Duckburg, which included his rich uncle Scrooge McDuck and his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie.
Donald Duck’s first comic appearance started with The Wise Little Hen Silly Symphony comic strip of the same name by Ted Osborne and Al Taliaferro. This comic would be one of many in Donald’s strip appearance before Taliaferro decided to give him his own spotlight.
In October 1942, Donald Duck starred in the Disney comic Donald Duck Finds Pirate Gold, originally printed in Four Color #9. In addition, this also marks the first Donald Duck illustrated by iconic Disney artist Carl Barks. It was the first comic involving Donald and his nephews as they embark on a treasure-hunting expedition.
Donald Duck’s Take on Real World Issues
While many of Barks’ comic book tales were lighthearted, there were other adventures that were influenced by real-world social issues. Since Donald and his crew were always traveling the world, foreign relations played a big factor in their stories. This aspect made up the overarching theme of modernization vs. tradition.
With the introduction of Donald’s wealthy Uncle Scrooge McDuck, these stories of obtaining riches at the cost of another’s well-being became prominent. Particularly, Bark wanted to provide some commentary on the false nature of Western conquests. In their adventures, the ducks “discover” untouched civilizations and leave chaos in their wake.
Different Countries Borrowed Donald Duck
Before Barks’ addition to the Donald Duck canon, the character had already experienced his first comic book debut outside of United States publications. In the 1936 British comic book series, Mickey Mouse Weekly, Donald received his first serialized story in issue #67. In it, Donald stars alongside his then-girlfriend, Donna Duck, in several adventures.
Following the British comic series, an Italian publishing house, Mondadori, published Paperino e altre avventure (Donald Duck and Other Adventures). Like its British counterpart, this feature presented serialized adventures of Donald Duck, starting in 1937. Donald Duck was renamed Paolino Paperino, and the story was called Paolino Paperino e il mistero di Marte (Donald Duck and the Mystery of Mars).
Fortunately, these Western iterations only mark the beginning of a long series of Donald Duck comics that would go on to endear audiences in the future. For Carl Barks, readers became more enamored with his drawing style and would go on to call him the “Good Duck Artist”, even after discovering his true identity in the 1950s.
These Donald Duck comics would also spawn other characters from Barks, such as Gladstone Gander, Gyro Gearloose, the Beagle Boys, Magica De Spell, and Flintheart Glomgold. Still, Donald remained the key factor in the comic series’ success. The Complete Carl Barks Disney Library has a structured collection of Barks’ Donald Duck comics that spans over 27 volumes, with the 28th already in the works.
While times have changed since the 1940s war era, Donald Duck remained consistent in his portrayal of someone determined. With his thirst for adventure along with the other ducks and his grit in times of hardships, he remains an inspirational symbol for all audiences.
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