Curious about the contents of this episode? Be careful, sometimes curiosity kills the cat! "In Ancient Persia" is an all-time classic Barks story, in which Donald and the kids are shanghaied into accompanying a mad scientist...or is he? oh yeah, he definitely is...on strange and creepy expedition to uncover an ancient secret. This is certainly one of Barks' creepiest stories, and is a fascinating collision between the ancient and the modern. Just like this comic bounces between spooky and goofy, we'll dive into the creepy story, but also detour into the scientist's fashion, his resemblance to Boris Karloff, and Spider-man memes. Oh, and go ahead, judge that book by its cover!

Barks Remarks returns, with Barks' first (of several) Himalayas-set adventures! Trail of the Unicorn features TWO duck relations, as both Uncle Scrooge and Gladstone Gander feature in this brisk adventure story about the ducks' efforts to secure a shockingly ferocious unicorn for Scrooge's zoo...with Gladstone seeking to chisel them out of their reward at every turn! Listen to us as we talk about the unicorn legend, Scrooge's spectacular zoo, and the over-the-top luxury vehicles at the story's conclusion!

Greeting listeners! We are heading up to the Pacific Northwest, for Barks' classic kitchen sink story, Land of the Totem Poles! The title should clue you in that this 1949 story is going to have some problematic elements, but we also cover the fact that there are some aspects of the Native village that Barks at least attempted to get right! We'll also talk about totem poles themselves, steam calliopes (or is it calliopes?), and salesmanship! 

Guest Host: Pierre Sund

Happy Thanksgiving! For those in the United States, including Carl Barks, this is the week devoted to that family meal that features a turkey! We're celebrating with another ten-page podcast devoted to one of Barks' holiday-themed stories, the aptly-named "Turkey Trouble." This is actually the first of TWO stories that retroactively go by that title, and is the earlier one, a funny romp about the ducks acquiring not one, but two live turkeys in advance of Thanksgiving! My guest and I talk about the humor that Barks mines from his animals, the violence on display, and how this story was altered for non-U.S. audiences. Enjoy!

Guest Host: Ryan Bailey

Feeling dyspeptic? Chug some isotopes and enjoy our episode all about the one time Carl Barks delved into the world of super-heroes! Barks was well-known to be annoyed by the success of that side of the comics industry and yet, my guest host and I agree, he managed to deliver a 10-page send-up of the genre that captured the essence of those stories surprisingly well!

Feeling lucky, listeners? You should -- you've lucked into another great episode, this one being one of Barks' classic northern/arctic adventure stories featuring that infuriatingly lucky relation, Gladstone Gander! "Luck of the North" is a surprisingly deep story, that has just as much to say about guilt and redemption as it does about high adventure. My guest host (this time another longtime Barks fan!) and I have a great time nerding out about this great story, and talking about its great art and surprisingly intimate and introspective storytelling.

Ho ho ho! It's November 1st, the time when we flick the switch from the spooky season and go straight into Christmas! Luckily our chronological exploration of Barks' stories is just happening to land on the Duck Man's second full-length Christmas story, fan favorite "Letter to Santa." This memorable holiday tale features a money fight, the real Santa Claus, and the best steam shovel fight of all time! Join me and my extremely indulgent special guest (who is also my wife!) as we talk about childhood love of construction equipment and Christmas magic, artistic signifiers of the late 1940s, and what happens to beans when they get wet! 

Guest Host: Sara Santiago

Welcome to the Ten-Page Podcast! Occasional special episodes of Barks Remarks highlighting some of the Duck Man's 10-page short stories! This story felt just creepy enough to feature in the Halloween slot, and my guest host and I have a great time talking about Donald's extremely creepy series of nightmares, as well as the daffy gender politics in this one, and even some of the history of needlework and male involvement in the craft!

Alright folks, we did it. We've now covered Voodoo Hoodoo, which is almost certainly Carl Barks' most controversial story. My guest host and I had a thoughtful conversation about the story, both the good and bad, and what the story says about the legacy of colonialism, its genesis from a horror movie scene, the two religions that make up the title, and much, much more! Be aware that there is significant and unavoidable discussion of the legacy of racism and colonialism in this episode.

Here it is, our episode about Carl Barks' famous "square egg" story! This is frequently cited as the Good Artist's personal favorite, and is absolutely required reading for any Barks fan! I unabashedly love this story, but do my multiple co-hosts consider it egg-cellent? And will the episode have better puns than that groaner? Yes! So join us, in Plain Awful as we get Lost in the Andes!