THESIGNATURES

It is probably safe to state that no artist in the history of comic books has written his signature as often as Carl Barks. Furthermore, it was only in the latter part of his life he was asked for signatures on his work as well as plain autographs. Considering his fast growing popularity among both old and new fans it is not surprising that his signature - and especially his autograph - on a piece of work is one of the most treasured mementos of the great man and its value is increasing swiftly. This page gives you a few examples of Barks' signatures.

THE SCHOOL YEARS

Examples of Barks' signature styles in the early teenage years

Presumably, all schoolboys have fantasized about becoming famous one day, and it may be speculated that Barks was not an exception from that rule. At least, his schoolbooks bear witness to the fact that he repeatedly practiced his signature.
Above is revealed - for the first time ever - some of his autographs. You will notice how close most of them are to the one we later learned to treasure, and this is highly surprising, because Barks at the time was just between 10 and 14 years old!

THE CARTOON YEARS

Issue #7 - 1929

When Barks was employed at the girlie magazine The Calgary EyeOpener (1928-1935) he signed his cartoon drawings as Barks, C. Barks, and Barkie.
In the last years of employment there he developed into a veritable one man army; because the magazine was mismanaged Barks had to use a wide range of very different pseudonyms in order to lead the readers into believing that the staff was quite plentiful...

THE FAN YEARS

USA - 1993	Denmark - 1994
Denmark - 1994	Denmark - 1994
Finland - 1994	USA - 1994

During the last 30 years of his life Barks was a celebrity who, in popularity, could arguably compete with many actors, pop stars, and sports figures. And his distinct autograph soon became a 'must have' for many of his dedicated fans. With the introduction of lithographs of his duck paintings his worshippers got a golden chance to acquire the master's signature, because all the lithographs were signed by Barks! A humongous task for the old man who gladly autographed thousands upon thousands of numbered lithographs.
This website carries a number of photos depicting Barks autographing both magazines and lithographs, and the Internet carries even more. If you are interested in attending a 'live' session the Internet is also the place to go. One example from Sweden in 1994 can be savoured HERE.

THE PAINTING YEARS

115 Gifts for Shacktown - 1975

In his golden years, when Barks took up painting his beloved ducks, he developed a characteristic signature which has been used by others in different connections; for instance, it has been adopted by this website as the header for the index page: