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The early comics were... darker (i.imgur.com)

submitted ago by RuiningPunSubThreads

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[–]RemoCon 148 points149 points ago

Before Carl Barks developed his personality, Donald was pretty rough as a character. Short tempered, vengeful, and awesome. This artist, Al Taliaferro, helped define him as the affable loser who, though he rarely came out on top, was a force to be reckoned with.

TL; the old Donald Duck comic strips are great, read 'em.

[–]GreyInkling 57 points58 points ago

You make a valid point but...

Who's got the sweetest disposition? Who'd never ever start an argument? Who's always got a bit of temperament? Who's never wrong but always right? Who'd never dream of starting a fight? Who gets stuck with all the bad luck. No one, but Donald Duck,

[–]RemoCon 13 points14 points ago

The cartoons were golden too, I'm glad I got this reference.

[–]waaaghbosss 4 points5 points ago

Yah, I love that song, with Donald interjecting throughout :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rg3FLwW0a18

[–]MasterOfDeduction 2 points3 points ago

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rg3FLwW0a18 in this version it's "who never shows a bit of temperament"

[–]thelunchbox29 0 points1 point ago

That was pretty cute, I remember that opening. I wonder if I still have a few VHS hidden in the attic...

[–]justified_kryptonite 52 points53 points ago

This is why I love Donald Duck, and can't stand Mickey Mouse. As you say, Donald is the loser who hardly ever comes out on top, but he keeps on trying in spite of the world and the universe stacking odds against him.

Mickey is just one big kodak (Or instagram or whatever we're supposed to say now) moment of perfection. Always comes out on top, has a steady girl who's not a complete psycho, is liked by everyone and widely regarded as a hero. Donald seems more real compared to all that, and with real comes a bit of grit. Gritty Duck don't give a fuck.

[–]footballfan123 46 points47 points ago

Sure?

[–]catdogs_boner 5 points6 points ago

Is there more to this?

[–]footballfan123 8 points9 points ago

He also contemplates drowning, but I don't have it at hand...

[–]justified_kryptonite 20 points21 points ago

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/17qlhip75dyffjpg/original.jpg

I guess disney comics as a whole was way darker back then. I still wouldn't invite Mickey to my birthday party.

Edit: The artice I got that image from

[–]mattpsx2 24 points25 points ago

"Ah - Free gas for my balloon!"

LOL

[–]herruhlen 5 points6 points ago

Mickey got polished a lot earlier though. And Donald is still a loser in most iterations, whereas Mickey is basically Indiana Jones in contemporary comics.

[–]catdogs_boner 0 points1 point ago

Awesome. Just what I was interested in. Thank you.

[–]catdogs_boner 5 points6 points ago

I'm fascinated. These are legitimate Disney comics correct? I would do more research but Im at work on my phone. Using my company pc to google mickey's suicide may not be the best idea

[–]footballfan123 1 point2 points ago

By the master himself.

[–]3zekiel 3 points4 points ago

Lots of old cartoons were pretty dark. In Tom and Jerry`s "Blue Cat Blues" both Tom and Jerry commit suicide at the end.

[–]caracarn 2 points3 points ago

Hence why Donald is much more popular imho

[–]Ekorn 2 points3 points ago

Is he though? Don Rosa said in an interview that hardly any people he spoke with knew who Donald Duck was, or knew much about the Donald Duck universe.

However, DD is really huge here in Norway. I think we're the people who buy the most Donald Duck magazines per capita. [Citation needed, but i'm pretty sure]

[–]mrmattsmith 0 points1 point ago

Me me is out of luck. Mickey is a faggot.

[–]herruhlen 5 points6 points ago

Al Taliaferro's main achievement was developing Huey, Dewey and Louie who are good foils to Donald's character.

They were also a lot more dickish until Barks influenced them.

[–]87946512386745132186 0 points1 point ago

I may be wrong, but I seem to remember an Al Taliaferro strip/page where Donald went duck hunting. That's a bit... foul.

[–]RemoCon 0 points1 point ago

The lines between duck-kind and mankind were always very blurry. In one Uncle Scrooge Adventures comic by Van Horn, Scrooge goes crazy when his accountants can't keep up with the constant state of vigilance and panic to protect his fortune that he demands; one of Scrooge's grand-nephews (Huey, Dewey, Louie) comments "after all, we're only human."

edit: and everyone is either a fowl or a dog.

[–]mrdazed 2 points3 points ago

i have a ton of my dads old duck cartoons i should scan some for the karma someday

[–]CarlBarks 4 points5 points ago

There used to be a site disneycomics.free.fr that was pretty comprehensive... it was awesome. Everything in PDF form. Then one day it just disappeared.

[–]loonsun 7 points8 points ago

Just like anything that messes with Disney

[–]elvis_jagger 0 points1 point ago

TL; the old Donald Duck comic strips are great, read 'em.

Any tips where to find some? Preferably online. I was a massive Donald Duck fan as kid but never really read any of the older stuff.

[–]RemoCon 0 points1 point ago

I know that Gladstone comics was a huge promoter of early comics by the "duck masters" (Carl Barks, Don Rosa, Al T, Van Horn), but Disney was supposedly awful to them about rights issues (not that they released any of this great material for kids to grow up with! [indignation]), so they folded in 1998, I believe.

I want to say you can buy collections of comics on sites such as this.. Bruce Hamilton was an editor who really helped preserve the legacy of these great storytellers.

[–]RemoCon 0 points1 point ago

Conversely, you can just come over with some beer and read my collection (stacks of comic books, man, stacks!)

[–]CarlBarks 1 point2 points ago

Upvote for knowing things.

[–]ipitydafool64 61 points62 points ago

You ever seen some of the old Disney comics? In one of them Donald is suffering from PTSD after the war and...well the things Donald says would never fly today. This shit would get you posted on every media outlet in the country so fast. The comic made me laugh but only because you'd never imagine an endorsed comic from a well know company would be so politically incorrect.

Warning: Language. May be NSFW due to Language

http://aks-dolan.tumblr.com/image/36050289176

[–]hansschnier 4 points5 points ago

I knew I had seen that before. In my German 1994 version he's fighting three "Martians" :)

[–]DasBarenJager 5 points6 points ago

Can you imagine how many guys must have read this and laughed, BECAUSE THEY COULD RELATE.

This shouldn't be thrown away or buried somewhere.

[–]nicearthur32 9 points10 points ago

Holy crap! This is very, um, sad.

[–]brmlyklr 0 points1 point ago

I thought it was funny...

[–]thefuckdude 3 points4 points ago

Where do I get more of this?

[–]armabe 0 points1 point ago

Oh wow. I remember reading this ~14 years ago localized (I think it was official). Never understood it as a kid :D

[–]gaunten 0 points1 point ago

It being politically incorrect depends on how you interpret it though. it may as well be an accurate portrait of how prejudiced shellshocked soldiers were/became at the time.

[–]TMG26 1 point2 points ago

Well, disney was not as big as it it today!

[–]b2dmizzle 167 points168 points ago

He was originally known as Donald Dick.

[–]NintendoDestroyer89 40 points41 points ago

AND DONALD DICK DON'T PLAY BIYITCH.

[–]supercollidur 12 points13 points ago

Donald Richard? I'd hate to have 2 first names, especially as a duck.

[–]sirunclecid 202 points203 points ago

And this is why we have dolan.

[–]jon_ossum 97 points98 points ago

Gooby plz

[–]Fgame 46 points47 points ago

fak u gooby

[–]rasta_lion 58 points59 points ago

this thread is cansur

[–]DeathsDemise 32 points33 points ago

At lest ders no Bogs

[–]AMZ88 23 points24 points ago

Fak bogs.

[–]lulzy12 16 points17 points ago

he a fagt

[–]danrennt98 10 points11 points ago

K

[–]Drevak 6 points7 points ago

KKK

[–]sqrt-1loveyou 9 points10 points ago

gooby pls

FTFY

[–]josephsh 3 points4 points ago

*pls

[–]ShittyPhil 2 points3 points ago

accully am dolan

[–]itsscience 2 points3 points ago

TIL about the r/dolan subreddit. God, those comics are horrendously unfunny. Worse than F7U12.

[–]sirunclecid 0 points1 point ago

They used to be good.

[–]skullturf -1 points0 points ago

This comic is in the spirit of r/dolan, and is better than most submissions to r/dolan.

[–]Magnetic_Knives 25 points26 points ago

Ahh Dolan's humble beginnings

[–]dwhit86 16 points17 points ago

My girlfriend bought me the original smurfette comic. Unbeknownst to her it is the most misogynist thing you're likely to read

[–]herruhlen 14 points15 points ago

She was created by Gargamel to divide the smurf brociety, right?

[–]Buschytree 4 points5 points ago

Yeah but she was transformed by their loving and happy lifestyle

[–]Namocol 0 points1 point ago

I remember it, I had that comic (but in spanish), she was created by gargamel for that, but was different (had short black hair, for example, and considered too ugly, so the smurfs didn't accept her. Papa Smurf turned her into the blonde version to make her happy, and that actually made all other smurfs fall in love with her and fight each other, so Gargamel's plan actually worked until she accidentally mentioned that he created her, so the other smurfs started rejecting her again

[–]Hehe_I_Made_Me_Laugh 2 points3 points ago

Link anywhere?

[–]thelunchbox29 0 points1 point ago

I have that one... somewhere. But it's in dutch. So for the first years I had it I had to figure out the storyline from the odd words I knew and look at the pictures

[–]Operation_mongoose 13 points14 points ago

Fak

[–]sufi633 7 points8 points ago

Mickey comics were also quite dark. Link

Thanks to Dan Lewis and NIK

[–]MrDNL 1 point2 points ago

You're welcome!

[–]sufi633 0 points1 point ago

i guess it's hard for people to believe you'd be roaming reddit

[–]Jono9999 5 points6 points ago

Well, Goofy did say "let 'er go!" instead of "pull me up!"

Donald was obliged to do it!

[–]ozzymustaine 6 points7 points ago

accualy is dolan

[–]Daddelfar 4 points5 points ago

goby dnt thkn it be liek it is but do

[–]ListenToNestor 6 points7 points ago

Brace yourselves. /r/dolan is coming.

[–]ZiccoSim 0 points1 point ago

Haha I remember that exact comic, i think i still have it some where. Those where the times!

[–]sfeld-60 0 points1 point ago

Well, at least it wasn't premeditated.

[–]SgtRootCanal -1 points0 points ago

Donald Duck

Don't Give a Fuck

[–]tango-romeo 2 points3 points ago

y u do dis dolan?

[–]imkunu 1 point2 points ago

/r/dolan

[–]Sanity_prevails 3 points4 points ago

at least no black people in this one, could have been worse. wheeeew

[–]jaamzw -1 points0 points ago

there are still plenty comics and cartoons like this, Disney changed their ways though.

[–]TheFilthiest -1 points0 points ago

Nobody fucks with Donald Duck.

[–]claysallday -1 points0 points ago

That's quacktastic!

[–]JimDaBoff 0 points1 point ago

While we're here, the old animated shorts weren't exactly sunshine and rainbows... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRKPqotbEeo

[–]infinitysnake 0 points1 point ago

"Early?" Pretty sure I had these in 1983...

[–]nicolairathjen 0 points1 point ago

This is from the '30s. Disney have often used Talioferro's more than one time.

[–]infinitysnake 0 points1 point ago

Hm....well, now I want a refund. =D

[–]thefuckdude 1 point2 points ago

Don't fuck with the duck.

[–]withtheranks 0 points1 point ago

Ice cold mutha ducka!

[–]nicolairathjen 0 points1 point ago

Prisoner of White agony Creek, page 28-29 by Don Rosa

Scrooge McDuck having sex with the love of his live, Glittering Goldie. I will try to get some images of the pages, I may even scan then in myself.

It is very unclear if it's a fight or sex. I think it's sex. It must be.

[–]MusclesGlassesDoes 0 points1 point ago

Gooby. pls

[–]spicy45 0 points1 point ago

Dolan, y u du dis

[–]TheRealMaxPower 0 points1 point ago

Anyone have a collections of these dark donald comics?

[–]outlier_lynn 0 points1 point ago

In the early days of short, animated features, there was no intention of creating something for children. Cartoons where shown as a short followed by feature movies intended for adult audiences. When color TV was brand new, cartoons provided bright colors for the fledgling industry. In little time, "family entertainment" took over and voila, cartoons became programming for children.

I grew up on the "real" cartoons. Violent, aggressive, sexual, and aimed strongly at an adult audience. I miss the good ol' days. :)

[–]sgt0pimienta 0 points1 point ago

Wasn't this the comic that gave birth to dolan?

[–]joejoetheeskimo 0 points1 point ago

He's a sailor, i wouldn't expect any less.

[–]Patches67 0 points1 point ago

Go to Google image search and type in "Mickey Mouse suicide" and click on the old comics from the 1930's - 40's. You will see some shit.

[–]Jundarer 1 point2 points ago

Don't fuck with the duck.

[–]Drevak 0 points1 point ago

Gooby pls

[–]andrewquik 0 points1 point ago

Expected to see teenage mutant ninja turtles image.

[–]moosehugger13 0 points1 point ago

And Dolan was born...

[–]OG_Willikers 0 points1 point ago

Cartoon characters were very murdery back then.

[–]ahnice 0 points1 point ago

I worked at Disney in the character development departments. We spent a lot of time a few years ago revisiting what made the characters popular, and why characters like Spongebob are more popular with kids today.

We reference a lot of these original comics and film reels discovering that Donald, Mickey and the gang were actually quite mischievous, much like Cartoon Network and Nick today.

The results of the efforts to "revisit" the core of these characters can be seen in the concept art for Epic Mickey. Sadly, corporate fear of gambling on the cornerstone of the company won out, and to kids today, Mickey is back to being a little more than a logo.

[–]ShinyAssholes 0 points1 point ago

So in an old comic Donald killed Micky?

[–]needydog 0 points1 point ago

Don't .

[–]saxy_lady 0 points1 point ago

mfw I saw this on 4chan yesterday

[–]DrCoolGuy 0 points1 point ago

The KING of reposts.

[–]RuiningPunSubThreads[S] 0 points1 point ago

th-thanks

[–]ThePlatniumLantern 0 points1 point ago

Y u du dis Dolan?

[–]FearAzrael -1 points0 points ago

Doesn't* fucking play.

[–]mamboman 0 points1 point ago

Mickey Mouse used to have a freaking gun

[–]e_lasorda -1 points0 points ago

gooby pls

[–]1amathrowaway -1 points0 points ago

acually is dolan

[–]cale69er -1 points0 points ago

haha donald duck the lad.

[–]I_Am_A_Pumpkin 1 point2 points ago

no, kids these days are whiny pussies who need to be sang to sleep

[–]jminuse 0 points1 point ago

Considering the length of the rope and the fact that they're on a pier, Goofy would be fine. He probably has 10 feet of slack and no more weight on his foot than a wet rope.

[–]Nish5115 1 point2 points ago

This kills Goofy.

[–]soulruler 1 point2 points ago

MUST.....FIND....OLD....DISNEY.....COMICS...!

Old school Disney was hardcore. I've also seen a number of old propaganda films that they made during the wars, like nothing you'd expect to see nowadays. I think that Disney actually owns the copyright on all these films but even they don't seem to want to be associated with them, and thus have let them slip to the public domain. Just search for "Disney propaganda" on YouTube.

[–]Lamatrauma -1 points0 points ago

Gooby pls

[–]greenboxer 1 point2 points ago

There was an animation where Donald Duck was a nazi working at a nazi factory saying "heil hitler"

Here it is, it's called Der Fuehrer's Face: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2I7rlmefA8

[–]nicolairathjen 0 points1 point ago

Der führers face

[–]Arkanos 2 points3 points ago

Anyone seeking more info might also check here:

title comnts points age /r/
Oh Donald... 125coms 917pts 1yr funny
Don't fuck with the Duck 4coms 26pts 1yr funny
Donald Duck: Hook, Line, and Succor 1com 59pts 1yr funny
Donald Fucking Duck 72coms 482pts 1yr funny

source: karmadecay

[–]endline80 0 points1 point ago

gooby no... dolan kick

[–]Schadenfreude96 1 point2 points ago

Don't fuck with the duck.

[–]Bluedemonfox -2 points-1 points ago

Dolan pls. Wat u doin. dolan pls no...

[–]ElArcho -2 points-1 points ago

fak gooby

[–]ButcherJones -3 points-2 points ago

This is why I shouldn't reddit in class

[–]LeTrollSprewell -4 points-3 points ago

whore

[–]Drunken-Historian -1 points0 points ago

When was this originally released?

[–]trogdorwhore -2 points-1 points ago

Disney Comics generally were much darker than today, even Mickey Mouse had a comic strip where he is committing suicide!

[–]uvbeanchopped 0 points1 point ago

Someone needs to photoshop a dramatic scene of a Goofy silhouette being dragged into the depths of the ocean.

[–]llcbdavis 0 points1 point ago

i used to have a boss who could cuss in donald duck's voice. i tried and tried but it's a voice i could never do.

[–]Wardbuyer 0 points1 point ago

Donald has the same birthday as Itachi from Naruto. Itachi also "drowns" his friend. Coincidence? I think not!

[–]Azumango 0 points1 point ago

...He drowned his friend, the shark?

[–]Wardbuyer 0 points1 point ago

No, Shishui, his friend who gave him an eye.

[–]kevro 0 points1 point ago

Read this now!

5 Amazing Things Invented by Donald Duck (Seriously)

This made me get a download of all the Classic Donald Duck comics. Which I still have to read...

[–]lern1 0 points1 point ago

DAMNLIBERALS

[–]AngryEngineer912 -3 points-2 points ago

Pls

[–]Fenoe -4 points-3 points ago

this one is a classic