Pro gradu Don Rosan Disney-sarjakuvien historiakuvasta

[Jyrki Ilva]

Seuraava Turun yliopistossa hyväksytty pro gradu -työ on nyt luettavissa verkossa:

Petra Kotro: Unca Don and Unca Scrooge’s Guide to History. Representations
of the Past in the Disney Comics of Don Rosa
School of History, Culture and Arts Studies. European Heritage, Digital Media and the Information Society.
URL: http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe201109132384

Opinnäytteen tiivistelmä:
This thesis studies the various forms and layers of representations of the past that
can be found in the Disney comics of Don Rosa. To stay true to the legacy of
renowned comic book artist Carl Barks, Rosa has stopped time in the duck universe
to the 1950’s: the decade when Barks created his most noted stories. There is a
special feel of historicalness in Rosa’s duck stories, as his characters recall events
that occurred in both Rosa’s own stories as well as Barks’. Rosa has shed new light
to the past of the characters by writing and illustrating the history of Scrooge
McDuck, one of the most beloved Disney characters. Rosa is also adamant that the
historical facts used in his stories are always correct and based on thorough research.

The methodological tools used in the analysis of the comics come from the fields
of comic book studies, film theory, and history culture. Film and comics are
recognized by many scholars as very similar media, which share elements that
make them comparable in many ways. This thesis utilizes studies on historical film,
narrative and genre, which provide valuable insight and comparisons for analysis.

The thesis consists of three main chapters, the first of which deconstructs the
duck universe in the stories in order to understand how the historicalness in them
is created,and which outside elements might affect them, including the genre
of Disney comics, publishers, and the legacy of Barks. The next chapter focuses
on The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck series, i.e. the stories which are
located in the past. Such stories feature similar representations of history as
for example Westerns. They also compress and alter history to meet the
restrictions of the medium of comics. The last part focuses on the adventure
stories which draw inspiration from for example mythology, and take the
characters to strange and mystical, but yet historical worlds. Such treasure-hunting
stories show similarity to the action-adventure genre in film and for example their
stereotypical representations of foreign cultures. Finally, the chapter addresses
the problematic of historical fiction and its capability to write history.