Don Rosa sits in front of a portion of his Duck family collection. 24 KENTUCKY ALUMNI Going F E A T U R E QuackersBy Linda Perry Don Rosa brings Donald Duck & Co. to millions on Rosa — that name won’t ring a bined with his talent for expressing a Dbell with most folks in the United story and bringing life to the Ducks States. But if you’re reading this in Nor- gained him a cult-like following as way or Denmark, chances are you know Donald Duck and his cohorts enter- precisely who Rosa is. It’s his stories and tained millions of fans as they struggled art in comic books that bring the antics through each adventure until Barks of- of Donald Duck’s entire family to mil- ficially retired in 1966. lions of Duck fans across Europe, as If all that sounds like a testimonial well as other parts of the globe. It’s fair to Carl Barks, Don Rosa would have it to say that these Duck fans can’t get no other way. enough of Donald, $crooge McDuck, and Huey, Dewey and Louie. Each week Tales that Fit for the past 50 years a new Duck comic book has been published in all of the the Bill European countries — and that one is- “The Walt Disney Company had noth- sue is always the largest selling anything ing to do with these characters, the cre- in Norway. ation of these characters or anything Which brings us to two questions: that’s ever been done with these char- why are Disney’s ducks so popular in acters in the comic books,” says Rosa. other countries with the general popula- He, like other fans of Carl Barks, at- tion — both young and old —and how tributes the total personality develop- did 1973 UK civil engineering grad Don ment of the entire Duck family to the Rosa develop such a significant role in talented Barks. “The greatest story- pleasing Duck fans? teller of the 20th century,” says Rosa. Don Rosa, at left, met Carl Barks once at That might be akin to asking which And Rosa would surely know. He Barks’ home in Oregon. came first, the ‘chicken’ or the egg? got hooked on comics early, thanks to his older sister’s comic book collection. Which Came First? This introduction to stories with color- Actually, first came Walt Disney and ful art on paper had a lasting impact on then came Carl Barks. him. He grew up in the ’50s and ’60s tion at UK where he earned a civil en- A short history: Donald Duck was wanting to tell stories. He practiced gineering degree in 1973. While he was created by entrepreneur Walt Disney, telling stories and creating drawings to on campus he drew editorial cartoons whose animation company used the wa- accompany them based on his sister’s for the Kentucky Kernel, along with a ter fowl in its early films. Around 1935, a collection, which included Barks com- serial comic strip called “The talented man by the name of Carl Barks ics. $crooge McDuck was his favorite Pertwillaby Papers.” This legacy of started working with Donald for Disney, and he couldn’t wait to come home work has since been collected and re- but it wasn’t until Barks began drawing from school at the end of the day and printed in other countries for fans who the angst-ridden duck for comic books concoct his own stories. just can’t get enough of Rosa’s work. by Western Publishing Company in the Later, his attempts at telling a story Rosa says he went to college be- early 1940s that the duck developed the and drawing improved to the point that cause his Italian family expected him characteristics and personality we recog- he produced art work for his school to and he did what his family wanted, nize as all Donald’s. Barks’ powerful newspaper at St. Xavier High School in which also included joining the family’s command of ink and brush strokes com- Louisville. Rosa continued his educa- ceramic tile business after graduation. KENTUCKY ALUMNI 25 Donald Duck celebrates his 70th anniversary in 2004. the right place at the right comic and from then on Rosa’s days re- time. Or a combination of all volved around ceramic tile and his eve- three. nings around his comic book. Being a fan of comic Gladstone issued Rosa’s “The Son of books, it was only natural the Sun” in 1987. It was a sequel to the Rosa would become a 1948 comic “Lost in the Andes” by Carl collector (he now has Barks. Interestingly enough, Rosa more than 40,000). based this Duck sequel on the storyline Along the way he de- contained in the first comic strip he veloped relationships wrote for the Kentucky Kernel. As for with other collectors the Duck family, Rosa tried to capture and people in the the personalities of the characters in the comic book busi- Barks manner, relating a story that’s ness via his freelance comic more about real people — not cartoon book contributions, conventions ducks — who have adventures within and swap sessions. After Disney comics the context of a real world. had not been published in America be- Rosa continued to supply Gladstone tween 1975 and 1985, Gladstone Pub- with stories. “They did a fabulous job. Don Rosa’s first editorial cartoon for the lishing, a small three-person company Gladstone … showed other publishers Kentucky Kernel on Aug. 26, 1969 in Arizona, obtained the license to pub- they could produce Disney comics both shows Otis Singletary, as UK’s new lish the comics simply because no one for kids and adults,” says Rosa. president, dealing with the controversial else wanted to. When Rosa realized Before long, he and family members issues of the day. that the first Disney/Duck comics in 10 agreed to liquidate the tile business, years were about to be released in 1987, thus allowing Rosa more time for his he moved on what he saw as a unique comic book work. Rosa also worked on However, he used every spare moment opportunity for himself. The 36-year- other Disney-oriented projects, includ- he had to tell stories on paper. Various old approached Byron Erickson, the ing scripting for “TaleSpin.” publications occasionally carried his editor at Gladstone, and told him it was In the early 1990s, wanting to devote freelance cartoons, like The Louisville his destiny to draw $crooge and his attention to comics again, Rosa be- Times did, publishing a weekly strip of Donald, he was up to the task and he came involved with the one market that his called “Captain Kentucky,” featuring was not going to take “no” for an an- had not seen a decline in comic book Lancelto Pertwillaby. Don eventually swer. sales: Europe. wrapped up that series and killed off Erickson agreed to let him try one the main character. Ducking History Waddling into “Disney comics were the best selling comic books in American the Big Time history, as well as world history. So how did Rosa, a man with no formal In the mid-’50s they were selling art training, living in Kentucky and two million to three million cop- working at a ceramic tile company, get ies an issue. Fifty years later, to do what he loves most — tell stories what would you expect sales to — and then go on to become a celebrity be? Twice that? Ten times that? in other countries? How is it that there Disney comics don’t even exist are thousands of fan Web site pages de- anymore in the United States,” voted to him and his work? How is it says Rosa. “Nowadays, a success- that this Kentuckian is so popular in ful comic here only sells about Europe that his name is an answer on a 20,000 copies.” crossword puzzle in Italy? How is it Over the years in the United States, lead characters and the that he can walk down a street in Eu- II Sommers John Photo: rope and be called by name, but his subject matter in comics have Don and Ann Payne Rosa ’72 live in a rural part of changed. So-called superheroes neighbors in Jefferson County don’t Jefferson County with three basset hounds and one know what he does for a living? cockatoo named Gyro Gearloose. Ann recently retired with names like Spider-man, X- Maybe it’s magic. Maybe it’s about after 30 years from Thomas Jefferson Middle School Men and The Hulk have ap- risk-taking. Maybe it’s about being in as a social studies teacher. peared. Though comic books are 26 KENTUCKY ALUMNI F E A T U R E In Finland (5 million people) Aku Ankka comics sell over 350,000 each week. It is estimated that each of those issues is read by an average of 4 people. still popular with a core group of dedi- about obtaining the fi- cated fans, the overall sales of comics in nal product; it’s as much the United States has diminished from about the joy of the its highest circulation around World journey and spending War II. Today, comic books in the all day doing what you United States typically are sold only in love to do. specialty comic book stores. He meticulously re- But other countries march to the searches all of his stories beat of a different drummer. Not only because he wants to get did comic book sales not decline in Eu- the tale just right, since rope, they continued to increase.