Qui un paio di vignette inedite, a matita e mai inchiostrate, del Grande Uomo dei Paperi.

Si tratta di un mero antipasto di un post più consistente, con immagini del Maestro salvate alla distruzione, che comparirà prossimamente qui.
Fedeli alla linea.

Ma siccome per un post questo materiale sembra (al sottoscritto) troppo poco, aggiungo anche una vignetta di Donald Duck, uscita nel 1961, dove Barks, per becco di Paperino, cita i due contemporanei scopritori della sua identità anagrafica: Bill Spicer e Malcolm Willits.

Il primo, insieme al fratello John, nel 1959 aveva scritto alla casa editrice Western Printing per saperne di più su quel tal bravo fumettista e aveva ricevuto una risposta nella quale la redattrice Zetta DeVoe indicava agli Spicer identità e indirizzo di Barks. I due sarebbero andati a fargli visito l’anno seguente.

Ma prima, il sedicenne John gli avrebbe scritto, l’11 aprile.

Che cosa?

Ecco cosa!

Believe it or not, I have been planning this letter for about four or five years. I have been kept from doing so for the simple reason that I knew not your name or address. I tried several times, however, but all were in vain.

I recently moved from Los Angeles to a small burg on the Monterey Bay (Aptos). During this move I hit upon a somewhat unscrupulous scheme (to put it frankly, a big fat lie) for getting this information, and it worked!

Now you’re probably wondering why I’m writing this letter. The reason is: I admire you, or better put, your work. Like most kids, I bought and read comic books when I was young (I’m 16 now).

I started collecting comics about 1950 and I collected everything. Throughout the years, however, my collection has dwindled down to a point where it could be referred to as a collection of your works. I have every Uncle Scrooge ever printed, and all the Walt Disney’s Comics from 1950. I also have W.D.C. in the years of ’44, ’45, ’46, ’47, ’48, and ’49, but they are not complete. All this plus several D. Ducks in the older years make up my collection.

If I may say so, you are the best comic book artist I’ve ever seen! Your work stands out among the rest. Your work employs art, imagination, and humor which brings the comic book to an intellectual level. I notice that a number of your stories are based on real history. Are you a historian, or something? I have checked up on many names, dates, and places in your stories (for example: Francisco de Ulloa and the Seven Cities of Cibola in 1539) and have found that they are usually true!

Have you ever lived in the Burbank-Glendale area? In many of your stories Burbank is mentioned. Come to think of it, though, in one of your later stories the ‘Riverside County Relief’ is pictured, and I think San Jacinto is in Riverside County?

Here are some questions: Have you been drawing W.D.C. since they began in 1940? When did Donald Duck Comics begin, and what years did you draw? Do you have complete collections of the previous mentioned? Do you have any you wish to sell, or know where I could get old issues? Have you done any art which has been published other than W.D.C., D. Duck, and Uncle Scrooge?

Well, this is about all I have to say. By the way, I have a brother who lived in Glendale and is somewhat of an artist himself. Like I, he enjoys your work. Also, he has an almost complete collection of old rare E.C. Horror, Science Fiction, etc. comic books, if that’s any interest to you. It is possible that you might get a letter from him, I don’t know. I would appreciate it if you wrote me, if only to answer my questions. Thank you…

Yours truly

John Spicer

Il seguito… in un prossimo post!