High adventure, wild humor, and spectacular artwork all come together in Carl Barks’s “Lost in the Andes.” A classic of the medium, let’s take a moment to admire a true comics achievement.
Written and Illustrated by Carl Barks
Colors by Rich TommasoDonald and the nephews embark on an expedition to Peru to find where square eggs come from only to meet danger in a mysterious valley whose inhabitants all speak with a Southern drawl, and where Huey, Dewey, and Louie save Unca Donald’s life by learning how to blow square bubbles!
What else can we say about Carl Barks’s “Lost in the Andes?” Widely regarded as one of the greatest comics of all time as well as one of Barks’s favorites of his own work, it epitomizes everything fantastic, possibly even subversive, about the “Duck” books. There’s the high globe-trotting adventure, the seemingly endless strings of gags, the rich family dynamics, et cetera et cetera. This 32-page comic from 1949 has provided the basis for studies, thought pieces, and inspiration for almost 70 years.
We could talk about how “Lost in the Andes” was produced during a dark period in Barks’s life. He was dealing with a mentally unhinged wife while simultaneously providing for his daughters from another marriage. How he was strung through various animation jobs before setting in with the Duck comics. Barks actively loved these, and working on them became an escape from his daily troubles. An armchair explorer and National Geographic fanatic who didn’t even leave the country for the first time until very late in his wife, the whole world opened up for him through the material.
We could talk about how “Lost in the Andes” skewers and roasts modern society. (Well, 1940s modern society, but there’s plenty that’s still relevant for today.) The comic is by and large and indictment of conformity and capitalism. “They have so little of everything, yet they were the happiest people we have ever known,” Donald says at one point. From the corporate chain of janitors and sailors to the discovery of the lost people in Peru whose adherence to the same blocky design and structure makes for a huge plot point in the story.
We could talk about how “Lost in the Andes” features some pitch-perfect cartoon work. Barks’s lines are crisp and confident. His expressions are filled with energy and character. “Lost in the Andes” was produced in a time where no panels in a comic could apparently go silent, but you can tell a character’s feelings or motivations or intentions through their expressions. He constantly mines their faces for the best reactions to the situations. And that’s all before they reach the environmental spectacle. Of course, the discovery of Plain Awful is breathtaking, but take a look at the scenes in the fog, in that mystery and terror he’s able to conjure. (He even manages to put the Ducks at sea, one of his favorite places to be.)
We could talk about the portrayal of the native peoples in “Lost in the Andes.” About how it was a product of its time, about how although Barks relies on the racial caricatures of these people (though I mean, kind of? they are all blocky and square shaped; but there’s still that method of dress), he still goes a long way in humanizing. He makes the culture as believable and active as DuckBurg, rather than presenting it as a place to shrink away from.
There’s so much we could talk about, but I mainly want to take this time to admire just how much a joy “Lost in the Andes” is to read. From the first page, where Donald deals with being too far down the corporate totem pole, to his discovery of the square eggs to their adventures in Peru, Barks’s work is engaging and hysterical. It’s easy to think a sense of humor from a middle-aged dude from 1949 would have gone stale long ago, but he’s so confident in his cartooning, it’s timeless. He balances all manner of jokes, everything from sight gags (squares everywhere) to slapstick (rotten eggs everywhere) to situational humor (the American South-twanged accents everywhere ) to puns and wordplay. He even manages to work a running gag involving bubble gum into the main body of the story without a hitch.
Continued belowEverything he does, every choice Barks makes, every line he puts down is in service of the story. There’s a humbleness to Barks’s pages, a desire to simply entertain and wow. The pace is brisk but never overwhelming. Barks covers several different locations in a span of a couple pages. For instance, in the first act, instead of dumping tons of info on us about what the explorers are after, he uses this gag with rotten eggs so Donald is the one setting off into the mountains with all the necessary information in the time between big set pieces.
There also might be something truly engrossing about the bright color palettes. “Lost in the Andes” is most readily available through the Fantagraphics edition, which were recolored by Rich Tommaso. Tommaso stayed fairly on-point with the original artwork, though the new process allowed for the 100% yellows to be brighter, the saturation to be higher. Some might remember the originals through nostalgia glasses, and they do have a special charm to them, but Tommaso’s work is nevertheless a testament to Barks’s own legacy.
Of course, you could argue that Barks had a lot of work done for him already, especially in terms of characterization. Donald Duck had been around since 1934, and his personality was molded through numerous cartoon shorts. Even Huey, Dewey, and Louie had been running around since 1938, though Barks was hugely responsible for taking their personalities from bratty antagonists to the voice and heart of the series. But he had already been doing that work for years. What we see, then, in “Lost in the Andes,” is character in action. Barks knows we’re already aware of their personalities, so he spends more time creating drama through their choices. That being said, even the people of Plain Awful all bear strong distinctions, even if we only hang out with them for a page or two.
It’s nigh on impossible to read “Lost in the Andes” without a huge grin on your face. This is a comic that succeeds on pretty much every front. Not only is it a gripping adventure tale filled with humor and spectacle, it also stands as a strong thought-piece about conformity and modern society. It’s escapism, both literally and figuratively. It features some of the most famous pop culture characters of all time and makes you care about them, root for them rather than constantly laugh at them. “Lost in the Andes” has developed a reputation over the decades and even reading it now, it’s obvious it more than upholds it.
