William Van Horn: Noel Van Horn

Noel Charles Van Horn was born on July 6, 1968 in San Francisco. When Noel was a child his father William worked in cartoon animation. Noel met many interesting people in his father’s studio during this time and thus decided quite early to become an artist himself.

When the Van Horn family moved to North Vancouver in 1980 Noel went to school there.

After he had finished school he studied at the Emily Carr College of Art and Design in Vancouver where he graduated in animation.

Noel drew stories with characters of his own by depicting realistic situations in a comic style. He was inspired by his father’s big comic-book collection. Especially he liked to read Walt Disney’s Comics & Stories.

In 1992 Noel met the Egmont editors Bob Foster und Byron Erickson. Bill’s son would have loved to draw stories featuring Bucky Bug, but Byron Erickson was looking for Mickey artists and instructed Noel to form the mouse’s character vividly and with an American touch.

Noel Van Horn was looking forward to his comic work. Before he officially began to work for Egmont in 1993, however, he practised his drawing style for 18 months. In his first works for Egmont Noel illustrated scripts sent to him. Over the years he started to write stories of his own, which took him more time, of course. Models for his stories are the famous mouse artist Floyd Gottfredson and his father William.

Today Noel is a freelancing full-time artist at Egmont. Like his father he works at home in his own studio. Together with Cèsar Ferioli and Rodriques Noel is one of the most experienced Mickey artists of the Egmont team. While the two Spaniards have taken to illustrate more and more Donald Duck stories, however, Bill’s son has stayed loyal to the mice. It was only for the 75th anniversary of Bucky Bug that Noel drew a four-page comic featuring the funny beetle, following a script by Don Markstein. Interestingly, the lettering of this story, which was produced by American publisher Gemstone, was done by Noel’s father William. In another collaboration of the two Van Horns William slightly rewrote one of Noel’s stories since it was better suited for Donald than for Mickey. This story was drawn by the father, too (D97482).

Noel uses many of his father’s stylistic devices for his page design. Double frames and stacked panels are among them as well as appearances of funny birds and mosquitoes. Noel’s mosquitoes are sometimes larger than those of his father William. Some of the flying bloodsuckers even have real facial expressions.

So far Noel has drawn nearly 80 stories, more than 20 of which he wrote himself.

Noel Van Horn and his wife Jaqueline live in Vancouver. They have a son called Robert.

In some years the first Donald artists of the second generation will retire. The gap left by Marco Rota, Daan Jippes, Vicar and William Van Horn will be huge. Certainly young artists will come and provide new Donald Duck adventures. Maybe Bill’s son is going to draw duck stories, too.

We would be very glad about Donald comics by Noel since he is indeed able to continue his father’s work.

Disney comics by Noel Van Horn
Storycode	Hero	Title	Pages	U.S. publications
D91221	GO	Fine Art	1 p.
		Script: Gorm Transgaard
D92099	GO	TV-Dinner	1 p.	WDC 631
		Script: Gorm Transgaard
D92102	GO	A Bright Idea	1 p.
		Script: Per Hedman
D92129	MM	Hatchet Mishap	1 p.
		Script: Bo Torstensen
D92130	MM	Patio Problems	1 p.
		Script: Bo Torstensen
D92133	MM	The Sunshine Collector	1 p.
		Script: Bo Torstensen
D92530	GO	Show The Way	1 p.
		Script: Lasse Andersen, Lars Jacobsen
D92563	MM	Tiring Work	1 p.
		Script: Lasse Andersen, Lars Jacobsen
D93014	GO	The Art Freak	1 p.
		Script: Lasse Andersen, Lars Jacobsen
D93022	MM	What A Feeling	1 p.
		Script: Lasse Andersen, Lars Jacobsen
D93025	GO	Stacking Plan	1 p.
		Script: Lasse Andersen, Lars Jacobsen
D93027	GO	Adapting Methods	1 p.
		Script: Lasse Andersen, Lars Jacobsen
D93079	MM	Stirring Up A Hornet’s Nest	1 p.
		Script: Per Hedman
D93392	MM	Hocus Pocus Hypnosis	6 p.	WDC 620
		Script: John Lustig
D93393	MM	Something Fishy	1 p.	WDC 630
		Script: John Lustig
D93394	GO	Peek-A-Boo Bunny	2 p.
		Script: John Lustig
D93497	MM	Digging Up Trouble	8 p.
		Script: David Gerstein
D93555	MM	On Your Marquee	10 p.
		Script: Bob Ingersoll
D93601	MM	Pasta Mousetrianni	8 p.
		Script: Susan Marengo
D93605	MM	Spytown	8 p.
		Script: Stefan Petrucha
D94025	MM	Plain Brown Wrapper	6 p.	DD 336
		Script: Susan Marengo
D94074	MM	The Sure Cure	7 p.	DD 334
		Script: Michael T. Gilbert
D94234	MM	A Load Of Hot Air	8 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn, David O’Connor
D95054	MM	Alas, Alee!	10 p.
		Script: Sarah Kinney
D95087	MM	The Icy Touch	10 p.	US 317
		Script: Janet Gilbert
D95122	MM	The Cavern In The Shifting Sands	10 p.	WDC 617
		Script: David Gerstein
D95156	MM	Tracked!	8 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D96087	MM	Fishing For Trouble	8 p.	WDC 628
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D96111	MM	Off On A Comet	10 p.	WDC 626
		Script: Byron Erickson
D96218	MM	The Ghost Train	16 p.	WDC 630–631
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D96328	MM	No Trouble At All	10 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D96347	MM	Brawling For Apples	10 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D96431	MM	Sweet Misery	8 p.	MM 259
		Script: John Lustig
D97046	MM	Bully For Birds	8 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D97242	MM	Horsefeathers	10 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D97468	MM	Mutts Ahoy	10 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D97529	MM	Sandgate	18 p.	VPE 3
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D98018	MM	Goofy Extra Large	10 p.
		Script: Stefan Petrucha
D98173	MM	Demolished In The Deep	10 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D98199	MM	Faulty Circuits	10 p.	WDC 679
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D98293	MM	Is This House Haunted?	9 p.	MM 257
		Script: Don Markstein
D98361	MM	Stale Curiosity	10 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D98394	MM	No Thanks For The Buggy Ride	10 p.	DD 318
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D98398	MM	The Jesting Sword	10 p.
		Script: Janet Gilbert
D98461	MM	Surefoot Jones	10 p.	MM 261
		Script: Don Markstein
D99006	MM	Idle Genius	10 p.	DD 308
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D99015	GO	Bell, Book And Goofy	7 p.	MM 269
		Script: Stefan Petrucha
D99119	MM	The Dictator From The Future	10 p.	MM 264
		Script: Stefan Petrucha
D99148	MM	Danger In The Darkroom	11 p.
		Script: Dave Rawson
D99157	MM	The Planet Muncher	20 p.	MM 260
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D99159	MM	Robojunk	10 p.
		Script: Paul Halas
D99163	MM	Mickey For Mayor	10 p.	WDC 653
		Script: Don Markstein
D99226	MM	Soda Jerk	10 p.	WDC 646
		Script: Dave Rawson
D99301	MM	Day Of The Joker	10 p.	WDC 645
		Script: Stefan Petrucha
D99302	MM	Lizard On The Loose	10 p.	WDC 643
		Script: Don Markstein
D2000-003	MM	I Scream, You Scream	10 p.	MM 272
		Script: Sarah Kinney
D2000-004	MM	The Quest For Quasar	10 p.	MM 295
		Script: Stefan Petrucha
D2000-129	MM	Too Many Goofs	10 p.	WDC 648
		Script: Sarah Kinney
D2001-012	MM	Why Spy?	16 p.	MM 273
		Script: Stefan Petrucha
D2001-018	MM	The Ice-Park Cometh	10 p.
		Script: Sarah Kinney
D2001-036	MM	A Bite Too Far	10 p.
		Script: Paul Halas
D2001-082	MM	The Mouse Who Knew Too Much	10 p.	DD 330
		Script: Pat McGreal, Carol McGreal
D2001-130	MM	Flip Mickey	16 p.	MM 291
		Script: Stefan Petrucha
D2002-069	MM	Addressee Unknown	10 p.
		Script: Don Markstein
D2002-178	MM	Airwave Pirates	7 p.
		Script: Stefan Petrucha
D2002-190	MM	Reverting Raptors	10 p.	WDC 672
		Script: Pat McGreal, Carol McGreal
D2002-216	MM	Rocky Road To Ruin	10 p.
		Script: Don Markstein
D2003-125	MM	A Worthless Trinket	10 p.
		Script: Paul Halas
D2004-206	MM	Stir Crazy	10 p.	WDC 688
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D2004-225	MM	By Hook Or By Crook	8 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D2005-060	MM	Iceberg Let Us Alone	16 p.
		Script: Stefan Petrucha
D2005-270	MM	Signs	10 p.	WDC 686
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D2006-041	MM	Fame	10 p.	WDC 694
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D2006-130	MM	Amnesia	10 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D2006-182	MM	Tradition	10 p.	WDC 697
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D2006-222	MM	Suspicion	10 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D2006-279	MM	Prometheus	10 p.	WDC 693
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D2007-002	MM	The Mouse Collector	10 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D2007-183	MM	Whitewash	10 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D2007-194	HDL	No Cheese, Please	5 p.
		Script: Kai Vainiomäki
D2007-213	MM	Predictably Oblivious	10 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D2007-241	MM	Flotsam	10 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D2007-450	MM	Metamorphosis	10 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D2008-002	MM	Legend	10 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D2008-230	MM	Daydreams	7 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D2008-396	MM	Cosmos	10 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D2008-397	GO	Labyrinth	7 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D2009-124	MM	Tick-Tock Doc	10 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D2009-196	GO	Creature Comforts	7 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D2009-210	MM	Foolproof	8 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D2009-264	MM	Quirks	7 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D2009-265	MM	Bonanza	7 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D2010-101	DD	The Ferocious Feast	8 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D2011-021	US	The Confounded Con Man	10 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
D2011-038	US	The Frost Giant’s Sorceress	8 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
DD2000-013	MM	Shadows	10 p.	WDC 636
		Script: Noel Van Horn
DD2001-003	MM	Checkmate	10 p.	WDC 634
		Script: Noel Van Horn
DD2002-010	MM	The Domesticated Mouse	10 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
DD2002-016	MM	Sticky Business	10 p.	SFE 2
		Script: Noel Van Horn
DD2002-031	GO	The Barter System	8 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
DD2003-001	MM	The Kite Fight	9 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
DD2003-011	MM	Mickey’s Guilty Secret	8 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
DD2003-027	MM	Kismet	18 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
DD2003-030	MM	Hoodwinked	10 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
DD2003-050	MM	Memento	12 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
DD2004-008	MM	Go-Carts	10 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
DD2004-037	MM	As Ye Sow So Shall Ye Mow	10 p.
		Script: Stefan Petrucha
DD2005-041	MM	The Wildwood	10 p.
		Script: Noel Van Horn
GEM107	BU	Bucky’s Birthday Party	4 p.	WDC 677
		Script: Don Markstein

Abbreviations used

Heroes: BU Bucky Bug DD Donald Duck GO Goofy HDL Hewey, Dewey & Louie MM Mickey Mouse US Uncle Scrooge

Series: DD Donald Duck MM Mickey Mouse SFE Spring Fever US Uncle Scrooge VPE Vacation Parade (Gemstone) WDC Walt Disney’s Comics & Stories