Don Rosa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Don Rosa |
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Rosa in 2022
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| Born | Keno Don Hugo Rosa June 29, 1951 Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Area(s) | Writer, Penciller, Artist, Inker |
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Notable works
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| Awards | Full list |
| Spouse(s) |
Ann Payne
(m. 1980) |
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Keno Don Hugo Rosa, known as Don Rosa (born June 29, 1951), is an American comic book writer and artist. He is famous for his Disney comics stories. These stories feature characters like Scrooge McDuck and Donald Duck. Many of these characters were first created by Carl Barks.
Don Rosa has created about 90 stories between 1987 and 2006. His 12-chapter series, The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck, won a big award called the Eisner Award in 1995. This award was for "Best Serialized Story."
Contents
Early Life and Comic Adventures
Don Rosa was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on June 29, 1951. His full name is Keno Don Hugo Rosa. He was named after his father and grandfather. His grandfather, Gioachino Rosa, came to the United States from Maniago, Italy, around 1900.
Don's older sister, Deanna, collected comics. She helped him discover the fun of storytelling through pictures. Don loved Uncle Scrooge and Little Lulu comics. He also enjoyed MAD magazines. Later, he started collecting Superman comics.
In 1969, Don Rosa started studying at the University of Kentucky. He earned a degree in civil engineering in 1973.
Starting a Career in Comics
Even while in college, Don Rosa showed his talent. He won an award for being the "best political cartoonist in the nation in a college paper." His first published comic strip was The Pertwillaby Papers. He created it for his college newspaper in 1971.
This comic strip later became an adventure story called Lost in (an alternative section of) the Andes. This was a nod to a famous Donald Duck story by Carl Barks. Don Rosa drew 127 episodes of The Pertwillaby Papers before he graduated.
After college, Don Rosa worked for his family's tile company. He continued drawing comics as a hobby. He also wrote for comic collector magazines. He even drew a superhero comic strip called Captain Kentucky for a local newspaper. He drew 150 episodes of this strip.
Joining Disney Comics
In 1986, Don Rosa found a Gladstone Comics comic book. It featured Disney characters, which he loved. He called the editor, Byron Erickson, and said he was the perfect person to draw a Scrooge McDuck adventure. Erickson agreed, and Don Rosa started drawing his first Duck story, "The Son of the Sun".
"The Son of the Sun" was a big hit! It was even nominated for a Harvey Award. The story used a similar plot to his earlier Lost in (an alternative section of) the Andes adventure. Don Rosa simply changed the characters to Scrooge, Donald, and the nephews.
Don Rosa drew more comics for Gladstone until 1989. He stopped because Disney's rules meant artists could not get their original artwork back.
He then worked for a Dutch publisher and an American Disney children's magazine called DuckTales. He only made one script for DuckTales because of payment issues.
Working with Egmont
In 1990, Don Rosa joined Egmont, a big publisher in Denmark. Two years later, his former editor, Byron Erickson, also joined Egmont.
In 1991, Don Rosa started his most famous work: The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck. This was a 12-chapter story about Scrooge's life. It was a huge success! In 1995, he won an Eisner Award for this series. He later added more "missing" chapters to the story.
Challenges and Retirement
In 2002, Don Rosa stopped working for a while. He wanted more control over his comics. He found that his stories were often printed with mistakes or poor colors. Also, he and other artists did not receive extra payments (royalties) when their stories were printed in other countries.
He reached an agreement with Egmont later that year. This gave him more control over his work.
However, Don Rosa had eye problems since he was a child. In 2008, he had serious eye surgery. This made drawing much harder. He also felt that the "Disney comics system" did not pay artists fairly. They received a one-time payment per page, but no royalties for reprints. Because of these reasons, Don Rosa decided to stop creating comics.
Don Rosa is much more popular in Europe than in the United States. Many people in Europe know and love his work.
Life Outside of Comics
In 1980, Don Rosa married Ann Payne. She was a middle school teacher.
Don Rosa describes himself as an introvert. This means he enjoys spending time alone. He also sees himself as a workaholic, someone who loves to work hard. He faced challenges with his well-being during his intense working years. He believes this was due to working very hard and not taking enough time to relax.
Hobbies and Interests
Don Rosa is a big collector! He collects comic books, TV Guide, National Geographic, and movie magazines. He also collects fanzines, books, White Castle items, and pinball machines.
He also enjoys growing exotic chili plants. He takes care of nearly 30 acres of a private nature preserve. This preserve has wildflower fields and forest trails. He also travels to Europe to meet his fans. He is working to collect all American comic books published between 1945 and 1970.
Don Rosa's Unique Work
In Europe, Don Rosa is known as one of the best Disney comics creators. Like Carl Barks, Don Rosa's name is often on the covers of Disney magazines. He likes to add small references to his favorite movies, comics, and his own past work. He usually uses about twelve panels on each page, which is more than the usual eight.
Don Rosa is very popular in Finland. In 1999, he created a special 32-page adventure for his Finnish fans. It was called The Quest for Kalevala. This story was based on a famous Finnish epic poem. It became a national sensation in Finland.
His most recent work is a cover for an album called Music Inspired by the Life and Times of Scrooge. This album was made by Tuomas Holopainen from the band Nightwish, who is a big fan of Don Rosa's comics.
Drawing Style
Don Rosa taught himself how to draw comics. He uses skills he learned in engineering school. He often uses technical pens and templates to draw. He draws many details in his pictures.
His drawing style is very detailed and sometimes looks "busier" than other Disney artists. It is often compared to underground artists like Robert Crumb. Don Rosa says his style is similar because they both drew comics for fun, not to please publishers.
Inspired by Carl Barks
Don Rosa's hero in comics is Carl Barks. Don Rosa builds almost all his stories on characters and places that Barks created. Many of Rosa's stories refer to facts from Barks's stories. Publishers even asked Rosa to create sequels to old Barks stories. For example, Return to Plain Awful is a sequel to Barks's Lost in the Andes!.
To keep his stories consistent, Don Rosa sets all his Duck stories in the 1950s. This is because Barks drew most of his stories about Scrooge and Donald in that time. Don Rosa does a lot of research to make sure his stories are accurate for the time period.
Don Rosa feels a strong connection to Barks's characters. He has spent a lot of time making lists of facts from Barks's stories. The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck is especially based on Barks's earlier works.
There are some differences between Don Rosa and Carl Barks. Don Rosa's drawing style is much more detailed. He often adds many funny details in the background. He also uses more exaggerated facial expressions and physical comedy. Barks created over 600 Duck stories, while Rosa created 85. Rosa's stories are usually long adventure tales.
Here are some key differences:
- Don Rosa follows a very strict timeline for his stories. Barks did not focus much on continuity between his stories.
- Don Rosa shows Scrooge as more sentimental, often remembering his past adventures.
- Barks set his stories in the present day and sometimes included satire. Rosa's stories always take place at least 50 years in the past. He usually avoids political comments.
- With his engineering background, Don Rosa often tries to give scientific explanations in his stories. Barks did not focus on scientific details.
D.U.C.K. Dedication
Most of Don Rosa's stories have the letters D.U.C.K. hidden somewhere. You can usually find them in the first panel or on the cover art. D.U.C.K. stands for "Dedicated to Unca Carl from Keno." This is his way of honoring Carl Barks. Since Disney did not allow artists to sign their work, Don Rosa started hiding this dedication.
Hidden Mickeys
Don Rosa mainly draws stories about the Duck family. But he often hides small Mickey Mouse heads or figures in his pictures. Sometimes, Mickey is in a funny or unexpected situation. For example, in "The Terror of the Transvaal", a flat Mickey can be seen under an elephant's foot. Don Rosa says he doesn't love or dislike Mickey, he just doesn't have strong feelings about him.
In the story Attack of the Hideous Space-Varmints, an asteroid hits the Moon. This creates a large Mickey Mouse head on the Moon's surface. In The Quest for Kalevala, a character's clothing is patterned with Mickey Mouse heads.
Awards and Recognition
Don Rosa has won many awards for his work. He was nominated for the Comics' Buyer's Guide Award for Favorite Writer several times. His 1994 story, Guardians of the Lost Library, was called "possibly the greatest comic book story of all time" by Heidi MacDonald.
In 1995, he won the Eisner Award for Best Serialized Story for The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck. He also won an Eisner for Best Artist/Writer – Humor Category in 1997. In 2014, he received the Inkpot Award.
His story The Black Knight GLORPS Again! was nominated for an Eisner Award in 2007. His latest Duck story, The Prisoner of White Agony Creek, was nominated for five Harvey Awards in 2007. In 2013, Don Rosa received the Bill Finger Award for his excellent comic book writing.
He has also won many "Best Cartoonist of the Year" awards from different countries:
- Germany: International Grand Prize 2005
- Denmark: ORLA Award
- Sweden: Svenska Serieakademins and Seriefrämjandets Unghunden
- Norway: Sproing Award
- Italy: Yambo Award and Premio U Giancu's Prize
- Spain: Haxtur Award
Books About Don Rosa
Several books and documentaries have been made about Don Rosa's life and work.
- In 1997, an Italian book called Don Rosa e il Rinascimento Disneyano ("Don Rosa and the Disneyean Renaissance") was published. It covered his life and Disney work.
- In 2009, a documentary film called The Life and Times of Don Rosa was made. It included interviews with Don Rosa himself.
- In 2011, an Italian book called Don Rosa: A Little Something Special was published. It featured interviews and articles about his work.
- In 2017, the book I Still Get Chills! was released. It celebrated his 66th birthday and Scrooge McDuck's 70th anniversary.
- A documentary called The Scrooge Mystery was released in 2017.
Comic Collections
Don Rosa's comics have been collected and published in many books around the world.
United States
- The Don Rosa Classics — The Pertwillaby Papers
- The Don Rosa Classics — The Adventures of Captain Kentucky
- The Don Rosa Classics — The Early (So-Called) Art of Don Rosa
- The Don Rosa Library of Uncle Scrooge Adventures in Color Vols. 1–8
- The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck
- The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck Companion
- The Barks/Rosa Collection Vols. 1–3
- Walt Disney Treasury: Donald Duck Vols. 1–2
- Uncle Scrooge and Donald Duck: The Don Rosa Library Vols. 1–10
- Don Rosa's The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck: Artist's Edition Vols. 1–2
- The Complete Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck Vols. 1–2
Other countries
| Country | Collection | Year | Remarks |
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| Brazil | — Tio Patinhas e Pato Donald – Biblioteca Don Rosa 1-10 | 2017–2020 | |
| Denmark | — Hall of Fame: Don Rosa – bog 1–10 — Don Rosas Samlede Værker 1–9 |
2004–2009 2014–2015 |
Including non-Disney comics |
| Finland | — Don Rosan Parhaita — Don Rosan kootut 1–9 |
1995–2010 2011–2013 |
Including non-Disney comics |
| France | — La jeunesse de Picsou 1-2/Les trésors de Picsou 3–7 — Intégrale Don Rosa 1–7 |
2004–2008 2012–2016 |
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| Germany | — Onkel Dagobert von Don Rosa 0–32 — Hall of Fame: Don Rosa 1–8 — Don Rosa Collection 1–9 — Don Rosa Library 1–10 |
1994–2006 2004–2011 2011–2013 2020–2022 |
Incomplete Including non-Disney comics |
| Greece | — Βιβλιοθήκη Κόμιξ vol 1-6 | 2008–2012 | Not including The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck and The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck Companion collections and the story A Little Something Special |
| Indonesia | — Komik Petualangan Paman Gober Karya Don Rosa 1–8 | 2011 | Incomplete |
| Italy | — The Don Rosa Library - Zio Paperone & Paperino — Don Rosa Library De Luxe |
2017–2019 2019-2022 |
Both reprints of the Fantagraphics library, the first one is composed of 20 economic paperback volumes, the second one is composed of 10 hardback volumes |
| Netherlands | — Oom Dagobert 53–74 — Het levensverhaal / De reisavonturen van Dagobert Duck |
1996–2005 2013–2019 |
Incomplete (only upper collection) |
| Norway | — Hall of Fame: Don Rosa – bok 1–10 — Don Rosa Samlede Verk 1–9 |
2004–2010 2011–2013 |
Including non-Disney comics |
| Poland | — Komiksy z Kaczogrodu: Życie i czasy Sknerusa McKwacza — Życie i czasy Sknerusa McKwacza — Wujek Sknerus i Kaczord Donald 1-10 |
2000 2017 2019-2022 |
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| Russia | — Дядюшка Скрудж и Дональд Дак - Библиотека Дона Росы | 2017–2019 | |
| Sweden | — Hall of Fame: Don Rosa – bok 1–10 — Don Rosas samlade verk 1–9 — Don Rosa-biblioteket 1–10 |
2004–2009 2011–2013 2020– |
Including non-Disney comics |
See also
In Spanish: Don Rosa para niños
- List of Disney comics by Don Rosa
- Donaldism
- Donald Duck universe
- Clan McDuck
- List of people from the Louisville metropolitan area
