I never realized this when devouring these as a kid. But Barks’ Donald Duck is a truly terrible person. I wonder if that should tell me something about kids in general, or just about myself. Myself as a kid, that is. Not myself as an adult. Obviously.
I’m not sure I agree with you. Barks’ Donald Duck may be selfish, aggressive, laughable, etc., but he may also be any number of other things. Often, he is the grownup that kids may identify with Huey, Dewey and Louie in ridiculing and fearing, but mostly he is an “Everyman”, the channel for the readers’ own dreams and hopes and frustrations.
I love Carl Barks’ Donald Duck, I might add. I subscribed to his Collected Works in Danish, when they came out in 10 box sets with three volumes in each box, thirty volumes in all, which are still sitting very beautifully on my shelf. 
I got the same set (in Norwegian). I love it. Absolutely beautyful books. I also got the six bonus books that was published a year or so later.
That said - these books from Fantagraphics are also very nice, and I really enjoy reading the Barks stories in the original language for the first time. If the lack of comments on this post is an indication of the (lack of) interest in these books in the US, that’s a real shame. I desperately hope they sell well enough for Fantagraphics to be able to publish the entire Barks Library.
I only came to love the Duck when I discovered Don Rosa. He himself was inspired by Barks but took the whole Donald World to a new level. Just like with Barks, good old Disney left him in abject poverty, while milking his contribution for every cent they could get out of it. The wonderful world of comics. Anyway, Fantagraphics are starting the Don Rosa Donald Duck collection next year - here’s hoping this time around he gets the remuneration he deserves for all Disney put him through.
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