The Complete Carl Barks Disney Library

Fantagraphics launched the Complete Carl Barks Disney Library with Lost in the Andes in December 2011. Since then, they have released two volumes each year. The volumes in this library are numbered chronologically, but they are being released in a different order. For example, the first volume released, Lost in the Andes, is volume 7. Carl Barks Disney comics were published between 1942 and 1966. When the Complete Carl Barks Disney Library is completed, it will have around 30 volumes. Carl Barks is in the Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame, and he is a Disney Legend which makes this library essential reading for Disney Duck Fans as well as all Disney and comic book fans.

Maharajah Donald

The Complete Carl Barks Disney Library Vol. 4: Maharajah was published by Fantagraphics in October 2023. The comic stories in this volume were originally published in 1946 and 1947.

The top and bottom illustrations on the cover of this book are both from the Maharajah Donald story.

This edition of the Carl Barks library is 218 pages, and it includes 17 stories. Comic covers that Carl Barks worked on during this period are also featured in this volume. There is a short biography on Carl Bark’s life as well as behind the scenes pictures and stories about each and every story that is included in this edition. It is full of great and interesting information and should be considered a text book of information for fans of Uncle Scrooge and Donald Duck. I am glad that it is included in this volume and every volume of the Carl Barks Disney Library.

Carl Barks Disney Library Vol. 4 is available in hardcover and KindleComixology versions. A link to buy this book can be found at the end of this review.

Included Stories

There are 17 stories included in this volume:

• Maharajah Donald
• Seals Are So Smart!
• The Terror of the River!
• Biceps Blues
• The Smugsnorkle Squattle
• Santa’s Stormy Visit!
• Swimming Swindlers
• Playin’ Hookey
• The Gold-Finder
• Turkey Turmoil
• The Cantankerous Cat
• Donald Duck’s Atom Bomb
• Going Buggy
• The Peaceful Hills
• Jam Robbers
• Picnic Tricks
• The Bill Collectors

Review

Fantagraphics started their releases of The Complete Carl Barks Disney Library with Vol. 7: Lost in the Andes in 2011 featuring classic Carl Barks stories from 1948-1949. After a few more volume releases, they went back to 1947 and 1948 to release volumes 5 and 6 in 2013. Volume 5 featured Scrooge McDuck’s monumental debut in “Christmas in Bear Mountain”. Fantagraphics has since added at least two volumes to The Complete Carl Barks Disney Library every year. This past summer we were treated to volume 28 with stories from 1960-1962. There will be more volume releases passed volume 28, but until then Fantagraphics is taking us back in time and blessing our bagpipes with Vol. 4: Maharajah Donald. I could have picked better words because Scrooge is of course not in this volume as mentioned above since he made his debut in late 1947 which is covered in Christmas in Bear Mountain. The spotlight is fully on Donald Duck and his nephews. There is a lot of great Huey, Dewey, and Louie content in these stories as they try to often get the better of their uncle, but they also are there to help him out when he gets into trouble. For fans of Barks’ holiday tales, there are fun stories for Christmas and Thanksgiving.

I love that Fantagraphics is finally releasing some of the earlier volumes of stories in this library. We have gotten a lot of puzzled questions over the years asking why the earliest volume available in this collection was volume 5. Now they will ask us why does the collection starts at volume 4?

There are a couple of Carl Barks covers in the back of the book to showcase some of the fantastic comic covers that Carl Barks illustrated for the stories in this volume as well as other comic book issues where he worked on the cover.

The behind the scenes content on each story really completes this volume for a comprehensive experience. I can’t wait to read through the rest of the volumes in the Carl Barks Library…especially his earlier works. The Complete Carl Barks Disney Library Vol. 3: Mystery of the Swamp will be released in Summer 2024.

As a reminder: It would take a lot of time and money to compile a comic collection that included all of these stories. Anything that takes a lot of time and money would not be approved by Scrooge McDuck.

Thank you to Fantagraphics for allowing us to go through this Disney Duck journey. I feel smarter for increasing my Disney Duck knowledge base by reading this volume.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

You can order the book at the following link:

Order: The Complete Carl Barks Disney Library Vol. 4: Maharajah Donald

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