Carl Barks (1901-2000, b. Merrill, Oregon; d. Grants Pass, Oregon), one of the most brilliant cartoonists of the 20th century, entertained millions around the world with his timeless tales of Donald Duck and Barks’s most famous character creation, Uncle Scrooge. Over the course of his career, he wrote and drew more than 500 comics stories totaling more than 6,000 pages, most anonymously. He achieved international acclaim only after he semi-retired in 1968. Among many other honors, Barks was one of the three initial inductees into the Will Eisner Comic Awards Hall of Fame in 1987. (The other two were Jack Kirby and Will Eisner.) In 1991, Barks became the first Disney comic book artist to be recognized as a “Disney Legend,” a special award created by Disney “to acknowledge and honor the many individuals whose imagination, talents, and dreams have created the Disney magic.” He has been similarly honored in many other countries around the world.

David Gerstein is an animation and comics researcher, writer, and editor best known for his work with The Walt Disney Company and its licensees. His published projects include Uncle Scrooge and Donald Duck: The Don Rosa Library (Fantagraphics, 2014-2018) and Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History (with J.B. Kaufman; Taschen, 2018). He lives in North Carolina.