When I was a kid some of my favorite comic books were of the Disney "duck" characters. Why did I prefer Donald Duck, his nephews (Huey, Louis, and Dewey), his Uncle Scrooge, and associated folk more than I did the folk like Mickey Mouse and Goofy? Well, it had more than a little to do with the guy who was writing and illustrating most of the comics with the ducks in them. His name was Carl Barks and he knew what little kids liked to read and he had a style of drawing that no one else in those days could touch.
Among the bird characters he created was the inventor Gyro Gearloose. At some point Gyro obviously got enough feedback so that Dell Comics or Disney (or both) felt that he could perhaps support his own book. Thus, he got some tryouts in the book that came to be known as "Four Color", which was how Dell tested out new titles on its customer base. Before a book got its own continuing title it generally got a tryout in the Four Color numbering.
Thus, Gyro Gearloose was offered a chance to appeal to the kids who were obviously adoring his adventures as a backup character in the various Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge tales. I've been trying for some time to nab the Four Color appearances of Gyro as a feature character and not just a supporting cast member. Finally, a few weeks ago I found these three books as a "buy it now" option on Ebay. I didn't hesitate, and now they're mine.
I can look at these and read them and forget about people with guns who want to kill those of us who don't think like they do.
Here's to Gyro, Carl Barks, and Walt Disney:
Four Color 1047
Four Color 1095
Four Color 1267
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