Disney's Most Famous Donald Duck Artist Only Drew One Mickey Mouse Comic
Despite drawing more than 500 Donald Duckcomics over the course of 24 years, legendary artist Carl Barks only ever drew one comic starring Disney's most famous character, Mickey Mouse. Barks is perhaps the most important figure in Disney history next to Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. He was such a good artist that, despite the fact artists weren't allowed to sign their names in Disney comic books, fans were able to recognize Barks' style of drawing and writing. The fans didn't know his name, but they dubbed him «The Good Duck Artist.»
Carl Barks was associated with Donald Duck since the character's early days, starting work at Disney as an animation in-betweener in 1935. Barks would submit gags to the cartoon writers in his spare time and would eventually be moved to the story room where he would contribute to Donald Duck's first solo cartoons. Barks adopted Donald Duck and created an entire duck world, and after he was finished with animation, he would continue Donald Duck's adventures in one of the most celebrated comics of all time. Carl Barks' Donald Duck stories were known for their detailed and rich settings, inventive use of silhouette, and MacGuyver-like escapes and pursuits. They even helped serve as an inspiration to George Lucas and Steven Spielberg for Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Related: 10 Worst Things Donald Duck Has Done in Disney History
If Barks' Duck comics leaned more toward the pulp adventure genre, his single Mickey Mouse story is a solid noir complete with doppelgängers, gangsters and a standoff with guns. «The Riddle of the Red Hat» appeared in 1945'sFour-Color #79 and lovingly makes use of tropes and settings familiar to the Warner Bros. gangster films of the time. Barks used references from Floyd
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