Donald Duck in Comics - Developments Under Taliaferro

Developments Under Taliaferro

Back in the USA, Donald finally became the star of his own newspaper comic strip. The Donald Duck daily strip started on February 2, 1938, and the Donald Duck Sunday page began December 10, 1939. Taliaferro drew both, this time co-operating with writer Bob Karp. Taliaferro continued to contribute plot ideas and gags, and some studies credit Taliaferro with most of the ideas that would turn his run of the strip into a classic. He continued to work at the daily strip until October 10, 1968, and at the Sunday page until February 16, 1969.

Among other innovations, Taliaferro made several additions to Donald's supporting cast. Bolivar, Donald's pet St. Bernard first appeared in the strip on March 17, 1938, following his animated appearances in Alpine Climbers (July 25, 1936) and More Kittens (December 19, 1936). Donald's second cousin Gus Goose, the son of Fanny Coot, made his first appearance on May 9, 1938—the first member of the Coot Kin to appear (he would make the leap to animation a year later in 1939's Donald's Cousin Gus). Daisy Duck first appeared in the strip on November 4, 1940, following her first proper animated appearance in Mr. Duck Steps Out, first released on June 7, 1940. Donald's paternal grandmother Elviry (Elvira Coot, usually just called Grandma Duck), first appeared in a portrait on August 11, 1940, and in person on September 28, 1943. Taliaferro also reintroduced Donna Duck as a separate character from Daisy. This old flame of Donald rivaled Daisy for his affections between August 7, 1951 and August 18, 1951, before leaving him for another. Though he did not create most of those characters, Taliaferro is credited with the development of their personalities as well as of Donald's own personality. It has been said that Taliaferro laid the foundations for the character's subsequent development under Carl Barks and his successors.