Disney Comics Don Rosa Library Reviews (Spoilers)
Reviews For Donald Duck And Uncle Scrooge: Treasure Under Glass, Uncle Scrooge And Donald Duck: The Last Of The Clan McDuck, Uncle Scrooge And Donald Duck: The Richest Duck In The World, Uncle Scrooge And Donald Duck: The Universal Solvent, and Uncle Scrooge And Donald Duck: The Treasure Of The Ten Avatars.
Donald Duck And Uncle Scrooge: Treasure Under Glass The Don Rosa Library Volume 3
The third volume of the Chronological Duck stories of Don Rosa.
This era of Don Rosa stories is frankly not my favorite. For some reason, when he was starting out at Egmont, the quality dipped a little. Things got back on track with The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck (which will start in Volume 4) but outside of the fabulous Tralla La sequel "Return To Xanadu", I don't really outright love any stories in this volume.
Or do I? The fact remains that Rosa is a master of the funny animal comic, and even when he's going through the motions, he's funnier and cleverer than just about anyone currently in the business. The only people at his level are Jeff Smith and Bill Watterson. So me saying I don't love most of this stories is me probably just kidding myself.
The best story is "Return To Xanadu" and the worst is the sci-fi "The Duck Who Fell To Earth" (which even Rosa doesn't seem too fond of in the Linear Notes.) Volume Overall: ***1/2.
Donald Duck "The Master Landscapist":
Rosa's take on Carl Barks various "Brittle Mastery Of Donald Duck" tales. The visual of the giant rat face on the landscape shows Rosa's inherent talent for funny sight gags and the climax builds impressively to disaster. That being said, this is hardly one of Rosa's best stories. And I find it hard to believe a fox hunt is actually enjoyable for the fox. ***.
Uncle Scrooge "On Stolen Time"
DuckTales did a nearly identical premise with the episode Time Teasers, about the Beagle Boys using a stopwatch that froze time, and it just goes to show how superior the comics were to that cartoon. They did not mine ANY of the interesting premises that Rosa does here like how in frozen time blades of grass are as sharp as needles. Or having the Beagle Boys climbing a flock of pigeons to escape only to realize that if they unfroze time they'd fall. And they certainly weren't clever enough to have one of the Ducks fake being frozen in time to trick the Beagle Boys. Here is an irony though: The DuckTales episode came BEFORE the Rosa story, although he has had this specific idea in his head for years. It shows. He mined the premise for all it was worth, while DuckTales barely scratched the surface. Coolest thing about the Fantagraphics reprint is that they used yellow outlines outside of the panel squares to indicate frozen time. Why didn't Disney Comics think of that in the 90's? ****.
Uncle Scrooge "Treasure Under Glass"
"I've heard of Coral Barques." I see what Rosa did there. Love "Bos'n Huey" and the detailed artwork was beautiful. The colors used in the reproduction make it more gorgeous than ever. The glass dome popping up above water looked awesome as did "the hole in the ocean". And as usual, I learned things I didn't know like that treasure hunting was a thing in the 1600's. Which makes sense. They had the opposite problem the ducks usually do. They knew where the treasure was, but had no means to get to it. The Ducks exploring a sunken wreck in their street clothes is an irresistibly cool concept, as is the idea that the 300 year old air in the diving bell was cleaner than regular air. A really great story. ****.
Uncle Scrooge "Return To Xanadu"
This was the best story from this era of Rosa's output. As Disney Comics billed it it's "The Sequel you didn't expect". And everything that happens in it feels like Deja Vu to the Ducks. The story even sounds familiar until Scrooge crankily tells Donald that he wouldn't have visited paradise and simply forgotten it. And I love that the secret hidden treasure is actually the bottlecaps. And there is a double surprise of Kublai Khan's treasure actually being sunk at the bottom of the whirlpool. It may seem strange that Carl Barks' original story fed into the Xanadu myth so flawlessly, but Xanadu is the same concept of Shangri La, which is what Lost Horizon and then Tralla La was based upon. It was fun watching Scrooge warm up to the place and the callback of him being good at fixing dolls. And he even mentions his sisters in Scotland for good measure, which blew by me back in the day because The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck hadn't come out yet. The picture of the gate bursting open with water was a great visual and one of the things Rosa excels at. I like Donald saying being paid a quarter and a nickel per hour is only handsome if you think Washington and Jefferson were cute. I also laughed at the nephews' astonishment that in one of the myriad tomes in the Tralla La library existed a fact not in the Junior Woodchucks Guidebook. Donald Duck's "Cold day" joke was less funny than it was obvious. I like Scrooge telling Miss Quackfaster to double his yearly donation to the Junior Woodchucks worldwide, and her telling him that that's the same amount. My one complaint is that the story engages in more than a few negative Asian stereotypes at times (especially regarding the yak herder). It's nowhere near as bad as the worst of Floyd Gottfredson's, or even Carl Barks' stuff, but the difference here is that Rosa should have known better. Still a great story though. *****.
Donald Duck "The Duck Who Fell To Earth"
Subpar. And the "knocked him into next week" as clever as it was, didn't justify the entire story. The scientist seems incredibly stupid to be worried about spacetime warps. I see why Bark substituted the cretin from Donald Duck's Atom Bomb for the comparatively respectable Gyro Gearloose. **.
Donald Duck "Incident At McDuck Tower"
"See how casually he falls off the building." That last page of Donald falling and bouncing off scaffolding was masterful, and Don Rosa's detailed artwork at its best. And Donald becomes so afraid of heights, he gets vertigo off of a street curb. He decides to become a street sweeper because you can't fall off of a street. And then he promptly falls into a manhole as Uncle Scrooge asks him if he should be washing windows. I love that Scrooge is so freaked out by losing the nickel. "Yes, what's your point?" says everything, and that McDuck is pretty much going to be occupied elsewhere for the remainder of the story. I always thought back in the day that the story was kind of edgy for having Donald being confused with a "jumper", and being slapped by a secretary for being "flirty", and both things are still kind of adult themed and saucy. Great story. ****.
Uncle Scrooge "The Island On The Edge Of Time"
Another great high concept involving the international dateline in which Scrooge outwits Glomgold using a loophole (the best way to outwit Glomgold) and the nephews outwits him using another one. Dewey seems a bit outraged at Scrooge getting Glomgold arrested and quarantined and says it's a dirty trick. Well, it's positively mild considering what Glomgold repeatedly puts them through. Truth be told, I am not sure either Scrooge or that kid's claim using the international dateline would hold up in a court of law. I'm surprised Glomgold didn't even bother to threaten to put his lawyers on it. I like that when Donald tries to weasel out a day's pay, Scrooge pays him in nothing as "imaginary money for imaginary work". The one thing in the story I dislike is Scrooge breaking the fourth wall at the end, but to be honest, Rosa's Narrator was working my last nerve too, so I see why Scrooge was getting annoyed. ***1/2.
Uncle Scrooge "The War Of The Wendigo"
This story created a bit of a controversy back in the day because Gladstone and the American publishers refused to print it due to racial stereotypes of Indians. This was during the Pocahontas controversy, and Disney didn't want to fuel that that particular fire. And I kind of get why that is. But I do understand Rosa's argument too. The Peewaggahs have the same character designs they did in "Land Of The Pygmy Indians", but they are a much more modern day interpretation of Native American archetypes. The story involves conservation and that maybe environmentalism is not just in your own best interest. It's a tiny sacrifice you make for the Earth because it gives you everything else. And maybe the fact that the environmental messages in this story are spiritual rather than scientific perhaps makes this story seem dated when it should be relevant. But I've found when talking to conservatives about protecting the environment, it helps to use their language and framing to get the point across. The story isn't religious, and even if it was, it would be using Indian religions, but the message still works for Christianity too, so it's compelling for the same reason. There are stereotypes in the story however, but most of them involve slurs being said by the white characters (and they are portrayed as insensitive for saying them). I understand that it WILL offend some people. But generally speaking, that's sort of the point of any character using the word "Injun" or "midget". Once Gladstone went out of business, they relented and finally printed the story in the last Uncle Scrooge issue they published because they figured they had nothing left to lose. It's interesting to get it in a collection of the actual era from which is was written. ****.
Donald Duck "Super Snooper Strikes Again!"
I have always thought the sequel was better than Carl Barks original and I think the reason is because Donald is the villain in the original and the nephews are the villains here. If Donald is a ginormous @$$ all throughout the story, you can't really take his complaints about superhero comics seriously. But if Donald is well-intentioned and simply looking out for the nephews best interests, you can actually show exactly why comics like "Marvin the Monkey" are superior to modern "adult themed" superhero fare. And it's to the nephews' credit they realize how badly they have been treating Donald and declare him their hero after the ordeal. Interestingly, they also referred themselves being "orphaned" which seems to me to be the clearest clue given by Rosa ever about Della Duck's actual fate. This isn't the best Rosa story ever, but like many sequels to Carl Barks stories, it crazily wound up better than the original. ****.
Uncle Scrooge And Donald Duck: The Last Of The Clan McDuck: The Don Rosa Library Volume 4
Book Four of The Don Rosa Library deals with roughly the first half of The Life And Time Of Scrooge McDuck (not counting the half-chapters which will be printed later). Rosa's ultimate masterpiece is an incredible tough read for a casual fan. But if you actually care about this? As much as Rosa does? You'll absolutely love it. Before Rosa there was never any tight continuity present in ANY Disney comics, Duck or otherwise. With his sequels and this prequel, Rosa made the Duckverse as geeky as any superhero comic. Only of a much higher quality than the average superhero fare.
The Best stories are the second chapter (The Master Of The Mississippi) and the fifth chapter (The New Laird Of Castle McDuck). Weakest story is Part 7 (The Dreamtime Duck Of The Never Never). I won't call it the worst story though, because that would imply it's actually bad when it is far from it. Volume Overall: ****1/2.
Uncle Scrooge "Of Ducks, Dimes, and Destinies"
Rosa correctly predicted this story might be a bit polarizing and he's right. I don't like the implications that Magica De Spell gave Scrooge his first dime one bit. And I also don't think the sci-fi premise works with Rosa's idea in the Linear Notes that maybe the timeline reset at the end and that the entire past adventure was retconned. I don't buy that because that isn't how time travel stories work. So I think for better or worse, we are stuck with this. Good things? Rosa did an admirable (if not perfect) job of making the scene we saw in The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck look if not identical, than at least indistinguishable (and from a different POV no less!). Neat trick since he hadn't even written that story yet. **1/2.
The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck: Part One: "The Last Of The Clan McDuck"
The Life And Times portion of the Rosa canon is surprisingly heavy reading. There are a lot of details to unpack, and it take a lot more focus to get through and enjoy than the average Rosa yarn. I actually like it less than the rest of his canon for that precise reason (and Rosa speculates in the Linear Notes that the heavy nature of the story would probably appeal less to casual fans). Hortense is quite adorable in this story, and this is the other chapter besides 11 that really piles on the Barksverse details. And it's a bit more work to put into than the average Duck comic. Interestingly, in this Fantagraphics printing, one of the Whiskerville's exclaims, "What the bloody h*ll?" I don't know if the canon is actually better for that swear existing, but it certainly shows that Fantagraphics is giving Rosa more freedom and leeway than any other American comic book company. ****.
The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck: Part Two: "The Master Of The Mississippi"
I've always liked this this part although it feels five or six pages too long. The first "ending" is a false one and the story keeping continuing for some reason. I think Rosa's origin of the Beagle Boys is brilliant. The masks are from Mardi Gras. This is the only story that I am aware of that we see a Beagle Boy face without the mask. But Rosa is so clever because the rest of the face is covered in mud, so the skin around the eyes where the mask was taken off looks like a mask itself. I like that when a customer complains that Ratchet Gearloose's clarifying pills make the water taste like skunkweed, Ratchet shoots back that he bets Edison's first lightbulb didn't taste very good either. But the selling point of the story is Pothole McDuck and his allegories for how muddy the Mississippi was. They are comedy gems first written by Mark Twain. He wouldn't drink the water unless he rinsed it off with other water first. And then he'd drink it with a fork. Dust gathers on the surface and catfish come up to sneeze. Whenever it goes around a bend, it cracks. The farmers complain it is too thick to drink but too thin to plow. It's so muddy you could lay down railroad tracks on it etc. Rosa must have had fun stealing those corny "Tall Tale" jokes. I also liked seeing the genesis of Scrooge getting the idea to pay his nephews 30 cents an hour by Uncle Pothole only paying him 30 cents a day. Was there anything in the story I didn't like? I didn't like when Blackheart admires Pothole for supposedly being willing to let his nephew die, and that he'd do the same to his own kind, the sons saying, "Atta boy, Pappy!" "Wait a minute! He's talking about US!" That was Rosa overexplaining the joke. If he has to do that then it's not funny. But it's my opinion that he didn't actually have to do that. So now a joke that WOULD have been funny actually isn't. ****1/2.
The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck: Part Three: "The Buckaroo Of The Badlands"
I love the idea that young Scrooge punked the James Gang, and I always love the idea that Teddy Roosevelt and Scrooge became good friends and TR was his mentor. The square eggs things was a great bit of canon too although even Rosa points out in the Linear Notes that it doesn't actually fit "Lost In The Andes" canon. I laughed that Scrooge screams "Wak!" like a duck on the rodeo horse. Because he is Donald's Uncle. I also loved Hortense's reaction to the letter saying that Scrooge named his horse after his sister because they had similar tempers. The idea that it was raining so hard that Scrooge saw catfish swim by shoulder high is another good Tall Tale joke. The joke about Scrooge refusing to shoot the bear because bullets were expensive would undoubtedly get Chris Rock's approval. Good chapter. ****.
The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck: Part Four: "The Raider Of Copper Hill"
I love that the insufferable John Rockerduck's father Howard is actually decent. We actually saw him in "Ducks, Dimes, and Destinies" but didn't realize it was him, and that Scrooge's first dime was originally owned by him. And I especially love that at this stage of the game, he is probably more decent than Scrooge. He taught him some tough lessons about the reality of people and money, although I would have liked to have heard him actually give the prospecting tips. I feel a little weird that we didn't hear them because that is usually the kind of thing Rosa researches. Maybe this chapter was on a tight deadline or something. ***1/2.
The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck: Part Five: "The New Laird Of Castle McDuck"
If anyone deserves to be called a hellion it's Hortense McDuck. I love that these stories finally have the proper colorings for the Whiskerville's white hair and beards. It looks SO much better now. I love the moment of all of the ghosts of Scrooge's ancestors scaring off the Whiskervilles, and I love the "Another Rainbow" reference at the end (even if the rainbow itself is badly drawn, as Rosa admits in the Linear Notes). This is one of the best Chapters of the saga. ****1/2.
The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck: Part Six: "The Terror Of The Transvaal"
"You just made me mean!" That was awesome, and sums up Scrooge's entire relationship to Flintheart Glomgold. What a great origin story for Glomgold. He was always a sneak, but he wasn't always a rich, RESPECTABLE sneak. And is there any cooler battle cry than "Fill your hand!" from "True Grit"? I laughed at Scrooge asking the stableman to look after his lion. I like that Rosa was able to do this story because Glomgold never says his name and neither recognize each other from this experience in their later years. Which is very consistent with how clueless and self-involved older Scrooge is often portrayed. But maybe Glomgold actually DID recognize Scrooge from this adventure when they met in "The Second Richest Duck", and just never revealed who he was. There is nothing in the Barks canon that disproves that interpretation either. ***1/2.
The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck: Part Seven: "The Dreamtime Duck Of The Never Never"
This chapter is admittedly a bit of a filler. But I liked that Platypus cave drawings at the end representing the Money Bin, Donald, and Huey, Dewey, and Louie. **1/2.
Behind The Scenes:
We actually get to see the very intriguing prologue from chapter 1, detailing McDuck family history before Scrooge! Fascinating stuff, and Rosa wasn't ultimately able to get back to it all in the story. Here we see an ancestor of Donald's Neighbor Jones. One thing I dislike is that Rosa seems to be quite downplaying the horrors of the Crusades. There are also first draft pages from the third chapter, but as Rosa himself admits, they suck, so they only included two of them, and they aren't really worth going into detail about. ****.
This Should Cover It All:
I love seeing Rosa covers for Barks stories, or the even rarer Rosa covers for Non-Barks European artist Duck stories (which he claims he never even bothered to read before drawing the cover). Some of these covers I recognize from my old Disney Comics collection without ever realizing they were Rosa's. ****.
Uncle Scrooge And Donald Duck: The Richest Duck In The World: The Don Rosa Library Volume 5
The Fifth Uncle Scrooge Don Rosa Libary book finishes off The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck, and offers two other stories, one good, one not so much. From "Duckburg To Lillehammer" is such an awkward and unlikely premise that even Don Rosa thinks it is 100% non-canon, and a Duckverse Elseworlds, if there was anything else to call it. "Guardians Of The Lost Library" is interesting because Rosa shows genuine apathy towards it in the Linear Notes, and yet, he also admits that many think it is his best story. And I think they are both wrong, and it's just really good.
The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck stuff got really interesting this issue. Aside from the must-read "The King Of The Klondike", the penultimate chapter, "The Empire Builder Of Calisota", fixes one of the gravest mistakes Carl Barks ever made. I hope up in Heaven he is still grateful to Rosa for that. It was an entirely gracious gesture from one superfan to his hero and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Best stories are Scrooge striking it rich! Rich! Rich! Rich! (The King Of The Klondike), and pretty much the best, most gut-wrenching, and mindblowing chapter in the entire series (The Empire Builder From Calisota). Worst story is "From Duckburg To Lillehammer" but I'm sure you already gathered that. Volume Overall: ****.
The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck: Part Eight "The King Of The Klondike"
Magnificent. Soapy Slick is in my mind the most detestable Scrooge villain ever. Just because he reads the letter from home Scrooge gets to his pals and laughs at the fact that Scrooge's mother has died (which is the first Scrooge is hearing of it). I love the idea of the Tall Tale that followed, but I choose to believe it actually happened, if only because it is the only kind of justice for Soapy's scumbaggery. It seems fitting and perfect that the thing that gets Scrooge to lose his cool is Soapy talking smack about his dead mother. Out of all of Scrooge's various vanities and hang-ups, it strikes me as incredibly cool that Rosa instead turns to something universal and relatable. Rosa seems almost apologetic in the linear notes that followed for the violence in the story, but whether it actually occurred or not, I think it was fully justified. It's not like Carl Barks himself never drew that brutal bar fight in "Back To The Klondike" so it's not unprecedented either. I love that Wyatt Earp fears Scrooge by reputation (the dime on the string has gotten famous in the meantime). I also find it interesting that Scrooge knows what the frozen mammoth is, even if he doesn't know the proper name for it. It shows that Scrooge is very smart and worldly. Great part. ****1/2.
Uncle Scrooge "Guardians Of The Lost Library"
There are several major clues that the Guardians of the Lost Library are actually the Junior Woodchucks throughout the story (such as the fact that all of the clues seem to lead back to the Guidebook), but it doesn't make the revelation less pleasurable. Scrooge having a happy ending by saving billions of dollars in library fees felt right too. I love that Donald watches various action TV shows with a guy named Savage who's mode of transport always seems to burst into flames. I didn't know Cleopatra was Greek, rather than Egyptian, but Duck Comics teach me something new every day. Serves the nephews right for having to live with the idea that the Woodchucks were founded by a girl. That was probably the one part of the story I didn't like. Rosa thinks this story is boring, and many fans think it is his best. They are both wrong. It is merely good. ****.
The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck: Part Nine "The Billionaire Of Dismal Downs"
This was an incredibly moving issue for me with Scrooge's father dying and the ghost of him and his mother waving goodbye to Scrooge and the girls. Just watching them walk through the wall with Sir Quackly as Fergus' body lies still in his bed gives me the chills (in a good way). I also liked Scrooge getting five points in the tournament for retrieving the golf ball from the bog. Only a highlander would be such a cheapskate. Great joke there. Also fun to learn the genesis of Scrooge's classic outfit. And Scrooge is rich. He's not loony, he's eccentric. ****.
Donald Duck "From Duckburg To Lillehammer"
Gladstone Gander story and those all aggravate me. Once in a while Rosa (not Barks) can add an interesting twist to the luck premise, but he didn't do it here. **1/2.
The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck: Part Ten "The Invader Of Fort Duckburg"
The guy who made it square against the guy who DEALT it square. Rosa is REALLY good at this. I like Scrooge saying TR did almost as well as himself, and the Beagle Boys being starstruck they were being arrested by the President of the United States. Hortense and Quackmore being crabby love at first sight was amusing as was the origin of Killmotor Hill, Daphne Duck's luck (to be inherited by Gladstone), Elvira Duck being call Ma Duck before Grandma Duck, and the Junior Woodchuck deciding to create a hand held manual. Fun fact: We don't actually SEE Ma Beagle in this story, but we DO hear her voice for the first and only time in the canon. This is really the last "fun" chapter Scrooge has in the saga before everything goes to hell in the next part. ****.
The Duck Fanily Tree
I agree with Rosa that I would have preferred Ludwig Von Drake to the annoying Fethry on the tree, but the truth is, since Barks never really used Von Drake, and Fethry was after his time, neither actually belongs on the tree. Still wonder who the nephews' father is. The new DuckTales cartoon and comics are exploring the history of Donald's twin sister Della, but I wonder if we'll ever get the answer to that or what Rosa's second Tralla La sequel would have entailed. *****.
The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck: Part Eleven "The Empire-Builder From Calisota"
Holy. Freaking. God. Rosa once described the penultimate chapter of his opus "the killer" and it is. Frankly, I don't think the last part is a good enough conclusion to this. It makes sense that Scrooge winds up old and alone before he reconnects with Donald on Bear Mountain, but holy freaking God, I wish things had ended better with his sisters. Do you know what I notice about Matilda? She is very forgiving. And unlike Hortense, understanding. So you know when things go to Hell in Africa and she is in tears, that Scrooge has gone over the line. There is nothing about "Voodoo Hoodoo" that doesn't suck. Except Rosa wrung the best part of his most famous story out of it. Some future Mickey Mouse writer is able to do the same with Floyd Gottfredson's dreadful "Mickey Mouse Meets Robinson Crusoe" and I'd be shocked. Foolu Zulu and Bombi's new character designs fascinate me. They still sort of traffic in arch racial stereotypes, but since neither of the characters are actually portrayed that way (in this story at least) it makes their designs much less offensive. Rosa did tone a lot of that stuff down from Barks story, while still being smart enough to make the characters still recognizable. I love that the first thing kid Donald Duck does upon meeting Scrooge McDuck is to give him a swift kick in the @$$. How perfect is that? I mean, really. There are Barks purists who hate Rosa for the liberties he takes with his stories, but that one moment shows that Rosa gets the characters better than anyone. I sincerely doubt even Barks could come up with a meeting that perfect had he been the one tasked to write this saga. Great nods to the Gilded Man and the Maharajah of Howdyustan. Flintheart Glomgold is not the Second Richest Duck at this point. I wonder where on the list he actually was. Even if you dislike the rest of the saga, you will probably love this part. Because it took the absolutely cr*ppiest Barks story, and pointed out WHY it actually sucked, and wrung drama and pathos from the fact that it sucked so much. Carl Barks is Don Rosa's hero. But I hope he was grateful for what Rosa did in this chapter. He fixed Barks' biggest and most shameful mistake. That is how dedicated a fan and writer Rosa is. He makes Barks better in hindsight and after the fact, than he actually was. There aren't that many second generation writers of a franchise able to do stuff like that. The Star Trek sequels of the 80's and 90's couldn't do it. Russell T Davies on Doctor Who couldn't do it. They both supplemented the original material just fine. But actually improved it? This is only a skill known by Rosa. Perfect chapter. *****.
The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck: Part Twelve "The Richest Duck In The World"
This did some things right and some things wrong. The first right thing was the genuine 100% homage to the beginning of Citizen Kane at the beginning. And somehow I think Glittering Goldie O'Gilt has more value than an old sled. I also love that this story sort of fixed the way the old DuckTales cartoons misrepresented the first dime. It was called the "Lucky Dime" and in reality, it never was. Scrooge got where he was on his own. Rosa was actually wise enough to ignore the "Magic Hourglass" for the same reason. Rosa and William Van Horn never really worked together on their stories, but Van Horn wrote a new wraparound to "The Magic Hourglass" a few years back, suggesting the entire thing was a Tall Tale and not canon. Which pretty much makes it the only Van Horn story that fits comfortably in the Rosa canon in my mind. The biggest mistake of the story was not addressing the multiple balls left in the air from the last part. I also think Donald is far too annoying in this story. Did he really NEED to be such a skeptic to all of the things we witnessed Scrooge do in the previous eleven parts? It just makes him unlikable and unusually stupid. Speaking of unusually stupid, I don't care if the nephews are years younger than we usually see them, they are DUMB if they are asking the butler if he is their Uncle Scrooge. Why? Because he's a freaking dog! Even I know how this stuff actually works. Interesting that Donald sees that Scrooge has won an Eisner Award which means Rosa actually won before he finished the story. He deserved the award, but I kind of think awarding something that prestigious to a comic book miniseries should happen only after the thing is actually finished. Maybe they could only do the award in the timeframe of the year it was given, but it would have been a much more impressive win in hindsight had the awards committee been able to judge the entire thing as a whole. Either way though, it definitely deserved the award. ****.
Behind The Scenes:
Some deleted pages from "From Duckburg To Lillehammer" and "The King Of The Klondike". The Klondike pages suck, the Lillehammer ones don't. In fact they were better than what was in the actual story! ****.
This Should Cover It All:
Not a ton of other Rosa covers in this edition and almost none of them have a D.U.C.K. dedication. **1/2.
Uncle Scrooge And Donald Duck: The Universal Solvent: The Don Rosa Library Volume 6
The 6th Volume of The Don Rosa Library has a couple of great stories and a couple of lousy ones. I tend to differ with many fans (and Rosa) about what the lousy stories are, but there is no question that "Hearts Of The Yukon" is still one of Rosa's best. I also have always loved "An Eye For Detail", even though Rosa does not. The stories I disliked ("The Universal Solvent", "The Lost Charts Of Columbus") are both Rosa and fan favorites so I seem to be alone in my disapproval there. Volume Overall: ****.
Donald Duck "The Duck Who Never Was"
I like the Donald Duck 60th Birthday story. I like the idea that Donald is just as crucial to Duckburg's success as Scrooge, but the thing I don't like is that his influence seems more to do with random bad luck coincidences happening with him gone. That's not the world being a lesser place for Donald Duck not being in it. That's simply alternate timeline chaos theory. That being said, the three people in Duckburg who seem legitimately worse off because Donald isn't there are Huey, Dewey, and Louie, which is important to me, because I believe Donald Duck is one of the greatest examples of fictional parents ever. Maybe it's random that the Think Boxes backfired on Gyro, or that Scrooge was unlucky enough to only have Gus Goose as a living relative old enough to work for him, but those are the breaks. The nephews having Gladstone as a parent is a legitimately bad turn for them. The nephews still being around says that Hortese and Quackmore were still a thing, but that Della was an only child who never had a twin. I got the heebie jeebies looking at the body of Gyro's Helper. And the devastating thing is that there is nothing he can do for him. I think the Beagle Boys being corrupt cops is the icing on the "Duckburg Sucks" sundae, but frankly, learning that Gladstone is even happier with Donald gone has got to be the straw that broke the camel's back, and the impetus to actually set things right. Daisy as a hot mess is bad enough. Gladstone being the nephew's guardian? Donald must fix this. Now. ***1/2.
Uncle Scrooge "Treasury Of Croesus"
I would very much have loved to have seen that adventure with Magica and the fireworks coming out of the Money Bin. I like the parallels between Scrooge and Magica and Croesus, Circe, and Midas, and I love that Scrooge actually decided to help Magica with her spell with Croesus's coin. But I think Scrooge is missing the forest for the trees as far as the moral of the story goes. The moral isn't "This means Scrooge McDuck is actually the richest Duck in history." It means that Circe and the Midas Touch are fiction, and Magica is a hoary old fraud and always has been. I get the latter idea appeals to Scrooge's ego, but sometimes Occam's Razor is the best answer. I again love how Rosa uses Donald as the voice of reason at the end and give both Scrooge and Magica a good and deserved shellacking. Because both of those two WERE getting on my nerves by the end of the story. ***1/2.
Uncle Scrooge "The Universal Solvent"
This story has always rankled me for some reason because both Scrooge and Gyro seem far stupider in it than they should be. Gyro is stupid for creating something that dangerous and Scrooge is stupid for not finding out how it works before foolishly giving it applications to mining. All of this (and the later troubles with the Black Knight) could have been avoided if either character had a lick of common sense. This was another story where Rosa uses strange science to give us great visuals and I loved seeing the cameo of the Terra Firmies again. I also love that the second hardest material next to diamonds is Disney contracts, and that Jules Verne was portrayed as a five fingered human.. But the story doesn't really hold up in hindsight and makes both Gyro and Scrooge look uncommonly bad. **1/2.
Donald Duck "An Eye For Detail"
Donald has one of the best actual superpowers ever. I freaking love this story and always have. A mosquito bite behind Louie's ear? Ear? Never mind. I love that Donald refuses the good donut at the end because it has fly footprints on it. I laughed at the nephews' outrage over the idea that they look and act exactly alike. They seemed to really enjoy Scrooge grabbing them, holding them up to Donald, and him correctly identifying them. Correct as always! I think the DuckTales remake is losing a lot of the nephews' appeal in making them look and sound different. Donald definitely can't have that cool superpower there. I laughed that one of the things on the nephew's contract negotiations board was the return of artwork. Rosa always seems to put his personal details in these stories, doesn't he? Aside from Scrooge making Donald pay for donuts and coffee, I laughed at the idea that he has broom, mop, dustpan, and bucket rentals in his office. As Scrooge noted, he doesn't consider Donald calling him a miser an insult. One of my favorite Rosa stories from this era of his output. I find it quite weird that he dislikes it. *****.
Donald Duck "The Lost Charts Of Columbus"
This was a similar premise to "His Majesty McDuck" except I don't think it is quite as plausible. McDuck claiming a small piece of land as his own country is more plausible than two shysters being able to claim ownership of North America and making everyone their slaves. It's a foolish premise, no matter what U.N. laws state (even fictitious one). No country would ever stand for it, especially not the U.S.. What I did like was the end suggesting perhaps that Native Americans owned Europe. It's a silly idea, but very thought-provoking. To be fair to Rosa, the stupid fictitious law cited in the story was actually created by Carl Barks. It still makes no sense though and I still think this story is otherwise overrated. **.
Uncle Scrooge "The Incredible Shrinking Tightwad"
Great last half page splash panel, but Rosa is always great at those. The open mouth reaction shot of the nephews seeing the Money Bin has disappeared and then looking directly into the camera was absolutely priceless. Perfect visual joke there. Who says the nephews aren't funny? I also laughed at the Beagle Boys laughing that the nephews all look alike. And the Prune Beagle Boy is a running gag that somehow never gets old. I also loved the idea that Scrooge had Donald rewind his ball of string from "The Second Richest Duck". Good story. ***1/2.
Uncle Scrooge "Hearts Of The Yukon"
This story is so amazing. Just the gag of Goldie rescuing an unconscious Scrooge from the Blackjack Ballroom is priceless enough. But you got that hilarious scary bear-tamer splitting town because Steele is coming and I'm rolling. Steele is great. I love that he says "Sasquatch" because Mounties do NOT say "Yowtch!" (or get muddy for that matter). Jack London and the "Always Get Our Duck" runner was great too, and the last scene of Scrooge not opening the letter, just so he could keep hope that there was one person in the world who loved him was great. Goldie stating that she could stand a little pressing from Scrooge was perhaps the most salacious line I have ever read in a Disney Comic. I love that Scrooge goes back to the idea of the barroom brawl from "The King Of The Klondike" being a Tall Tale to Coot until Coot suggests he couldn't have possibly licked that many people. But the idea that it was an exploded boiler that Scrooge just took from there is actually quite plausible. One of my favorite Scrooge stories of the "Life And Times" era, even if it's the only one of those not under that particular banner. *****.
Behind The Scenes:
The penciled original second half of The Lost Charts of Columbus was actually better than the published story (absent the last unfunny panel). Appropriately Akers McCovet also shows up and the story sort of turns into a parody of It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. The Indians owning Europe idea was also made more explicit, and frankly works better and is more awesome here. Rosa seems really regretful he had to lose that angle and I see why. More lost Rosa art is from The Universal Solvent, showing Scrooge regaining his classic top hat he lost in "Land Beneath The Ground". I wish those two panels had appeared in the published version because I feel as annoyed as Rosa was for Scrooge losing his original hat in that story. ****.
This Should Cover It All:
Not a ton of unrelated covers this round, but I liked the ones we got. ****.
Walt Disney's Donald Duck And Uncle Scrooge: The Treasure Of The Ten Avatars : The Don Rosa Library Volume 7
The Seventh Volume of The Don Rosa Library includes two keepers of stories in the 50th Anniversary Uncle Scrooge story "A Little Something Special", and the ten page Magica De Spell story "A Matter Of Some Gravity". Both stories are pure dynamite, and Rosa at his best. The collection also has the great "The Treasure Of The Ten Avatars", the good "The Last Lord Of El Dorado", The mediocre "The Once And Future Duck", and the lousy "Attack Of The Hideous Space Varmints". But seeing "A Little Something Special" and "A Matter Of Some Gravity" again made every cent I paid for the book worth it. Volume Overall: ****1/2.
Donald Duck "The Once And Future Duck"
Don Rosa isn't crazy about this story, and neither am I. But he thinks it's too dark (it's based on a Pertwillaby Papers story) and I think it's too stupid. It's a really cool concept to see the idea that King Arthur was NOT a Legend, but that instead we saw the genesis of how the legend was created and told. It never actually happened. But because of what happened with the Ducks, everyone thinks it did. The problem in my mind with the story is that there is a giant plothole in it and some outright bad writing. The Ducks should have known they had traveled back in time immediately. That's precisely what they were attempting. Why are they acting surprised it worked? The second hole is just plain stupid. How is Donald Duck's broke butt supposed to be able to pay to not only fly overseas, but bring over all of Gyro's necessary equipment? This kind of expedition is expensive, and Donald cannot actually afford it himself. This is why Duck adventures work better when Scrooge is involved. Scrooge may be cheap, but he can actually believably get the Ducks to where they need to be. And I do not understand why Rosa continually keeps giving "Crowning Moments Of Awesome" to Little Bulb. He barely has a personality, and is cute at best, and suddenly he's the dude who pulled out Excalibur. That's the kind of moment that should have gone to either Donald or Gyro. Or all three nephews at once. Because it's Little Bulb, and he is such a meaningless character, the entire MOMENT is meaningless. Rosa states he dislikes this story because it's not a Duck story. But he was the one who chose to make Little Bulb the Savior, which is why the story REALLY sucked. That underwhelming twist is on him and him alone. This will probably wind up being the only Donald Duck story in comic history to refer to "wild orgies". And I'm fine with that. "Run away! Run away!" was like the only funny thing in the story. Underwhelming story with an admittedly interesting concept. **1/2.
Uncle Scrooge "The Treasure Of The Ten Avatars"
First time I read this one. I love that even though Uncle Scrooge lost the treasure, he's perfectly happy with the outcome. Which is the right reaction. Not just because the people in that village were finally brought out of poverty, but because the entire reason he went to India in the first place was to hire some of these people, and now he can. He appreciates what happened for the win it was, rather than the loss it was. I like that because Scrooge doesn't always do that. But as Rosa's adventures have gone on, it's clear to me that some of Donald and the nephews' wisdom about stuff like that has rubbed off on him. In the preface, Rosa claims you cannot actually change the Duck canon. Well, he kind of rewrote how Scrooge evolved and reacted to wins and losses anyways. Speaking of Donald and wisdom, the one thing I didn't like in the story was the fact that Donald kept foolishly setting off those booby traps. Donald is sometimes useless, but not always, and Rosa only seems to do that when he's with Scrooge, so that's a failing on Rosa's end. But he is totally Short-Round in those moments. Which is not a good thing. I like that the story ends with Scrooge telling the Maharajah that he's finally learned the concept of zero. One of the reason Carl Barks was so talented and so beloved, is because he knew instinctively the right line or joke to end a story on. Rosa has that same gift. Great story. ****1/2.
Uncle Scrooge "A Matter Of Some Gravity"
Great concept, great visuals, great story. What I love about Magica is that she doesn't actually seem to possess real magic. And only Barks and Rosa get this about the character. But that gravity wand seemed as science based as anything Gyro Gearloose cooks up. The only difference is that Gyro's weird inventions have buttons and switches. Are we sure those are magical incantations? Because it seems likelier to me that the wand is merely voice operated. Nothing Magica ever does in a Barks or Rosa story is outside of the realm of ducky science. It's only DuckTales and the European Duck stories who have retconned Magica into a powerful Sorceress. As far as I can, tell she seems a bit of a fraud to me. Which not only levels the playing field for Scrooge and her, but it also means Rosa is able to come up with far more interesting concepts than if Magica simply curses the Ducks, or makes them disappear, or sends them to another magical dimensional. Scrooge vs. Magica is a very relatable squaring off in Rosa (and Barks) stories. Because Magica simply a regular Duck like all of the rest of us. *****.
Uncle Scrooge "The Vigilante Of Pizen Bluff"
I like that Scrooge's posse is called the "Magnificent Seven" because P.T. Barnum counts himself twice. And if Annie Oakley is REALLY mad, it's the other end of your pipe she'll aim for. I like the idea of Uncle Pothole coming up with the concept of "Nephew Scrooge" comics. Ah, the Rosa spin-off that never was! Speaking of which, I like that the story's end sets up the Dutchman Mine story. This is the only Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck related story that does something like that. You might feel underwhelmed that we only heard Buffalo Bill describing what Scrooge did to the Daltons, but that's a classic Rosa sensibility, in suggesting the legend of Scrooge's violence in the past sounds bad, but the reader doesn't actually know if it's true. Some of it is just legend and exaggerated. Now this violence is far more credible than the Tall Tales from the Yukon because Bill is relating it as it happened here. But it is very consistent with Rosa declining to turn the Vigilante of Pizen Bluff into an actual violent comic book vigilante. Which is one of the things I like about the Duck comics in the first place. ****.
Uncle Scrooge "A Little Something Special"
The 50th Anniversary story lived up to the hype. And it's Rosa's ONLY "Special Event / Anniversary" story that did that. Everybody got a moment, and even Gladstone's luck was useful for the first time ever. And while the story is ostensibly about how important Scrooge is to Duckburg, his family saves him and Duckburg. As Scrooge notes, Duckburg has more defenders than just the poor shoeshine boy from Glasgow. It's not just Scrooge that makes Duckburg what it is. It's everyone. Which is an amazing and weirdly empowering message. Honestly, Blackheart Beagle's plot will probably go down as the most infamous criminal plot in Duckverse history, at least as far as Barks and Rosa are concerned. This story was a few years before 9/11, but it's clearly the same thing, with the same intention. And it's the only story where all of Duckburg is at stake solely because somebody wants to destroy Duckburg. Duckburg is often caught in the crossfire between Scrooge and his enemies. But the people are never the target. And suddenly Blackheart is the worst villain in Duckverse history. I was expecting more with a potential betrayal from Magica simply because that was well set up. The allies all claimed their goals aligned because they all wanted different things, but that was always completely untrue of Magica's goals, whether Magica is too dumb to see that ahead of time or not. The other thing that hinted at a bigger Magica defection than we got is the notion that she's a bit shocked and surprised that Blackheart intends to level the city, and never told them that. Whatever Magica's faults, she is not a murderer, and has never tried to kill Scrooge, while the rest of his enemies have. And I like that things "just got real" in this moment and she realizes she didn't sign up for this, and was allied with people with much more darker intentions than she actually has. Flintheart is dumb. He instructs a crowd of Duckburg citizens to shoot Scrooge in the back as if he actually expects they will, and didn't just publicly implicate himself in an attempted murder with a thousand witnesses. This stupidity is why Glomgold will NEVER be the World's Richest Duck. He's smoother than the smoothies, softer than the softies, and made his money round. I love that Rosa points out that Magica is Italian. Because June Foray had a sort of Romanian accent to her on DuckTales, but in the Comics Magica has always been Italian, just like Flintheart Glomgold's Money Bin is actually in South Africa and not Duckburg. I especially like the fact that he has a First Pound that Magica winds up stealing, simply because Magica never learns. If the Beagle Boys rob Glomgold blind and Scrooge gets his money back, the First Pound will be worthless to her. I like that of the people in the group, only her and Flintheart have back-up escape plans in case the others louse the mission. In Magica's case it worked out. Not so much Flintheart's. And the revelation of Goldie at the end was fun, as was the kiss, but I was a little annoyed at how shabbily Scrooge treated her. I understand that you can't actually give Scrooge that particular ship. But still, it's not a flashback, and Rosa is not constrained by what Barks already told. It's the present day. He is allowed to have Scrooge be happy to see her and them part on pleasant terms. But that's the only thing about the story I didn't like. Everything else was Rosa amazingly delivering a huge, epic story in the canon, and finding a way to not actually change the canon even a little bit. That is a tough thing to show, and I don't think he did it in the Donald Duck 60th Birthday story. But he definitely did here. *****.
Uncle Scrooge "Gyro's Beagletrap"
This must be Rosa's only one page story ever. Rosa always says he's better at longer adventures. He's right. *1/2.
Uncle Scrooge "Attack Of The Hideous Space Varmints"
This is the first time I've read this particular story and I don't like it. There are no stakes, it's just random nonsense and that tries to attach pathos to Scrooge wanting to stay in space by creating an old man alien who is nothing more than a random coincidence. The only virtue the story has in my mind is that the new craters on the dark side of the moon are a not-so-hidden Mickey. I also like that Scrooge already knows the farmer's name in Duckburg is Clem, but once I realized he keeps his spaceship for him, that much less impressive on Scrooge's end. And I'm sorry, does Rosa truly think he's the first guy to come up with a story where aliens think humans are monstrous and ugly, and that they are the alien invaders? He's acting like this sci-fi story is reinventing the wheel, and subverting all expectations, when this is Star Trek's Tuesday. A dud of a story. *.
Uncle Scrooge "The Last Lord Of El Dorado"
It's still a good story years later, but I don't like it as much. Donald kissing Glomgold freaks me out. Not only because of Daisy, but because he basically plants a kiss on a stranger unasked. It's literally the creepiest thing Donald has ever done in these stories, and it's totally gross. But not for the homophobic reasons Rosa thinks it is. Still, great treasure hunt, great treasure reveal and resolution, and I love Glomgold's expression once he realizes Scrooge owned the land deeds. Interestingly, unlike Barks, in Rosa stories, Scrooge doesn't often get to keep the various treasures from his treasure hunts. And I think that's probably the right answer, because Barks usually had Scrooge search for stuff that was a single item like the Golden Fleece, the Philosopher's Stone, or the Candy Striped Ruby. But if Scrooge just take an entire treasure out from under the entire Colombian Government, he's the villain. In the end, it's the adventure that's important in the Rosa stories. I can accept Scrooge wandering off with the Lost Crown of Ghengis Khan. Stealing another country's huge amount of treasure makes him the actual bad guy. And since he is NOT a bad guy, he understands that. Which is what I like about him. I don't like the gag of Scrooge retrieving the map from Donald in such a dire situation. It would be one thing if Scrooge did that because he knew the nephews would get him out of that fix, but they didn't. Donald survived by blind luck. So it's not funny. It's callous, and out of character. It would be funny if Scrooge did that because his faith in his grandnephews was absolute. Since it's because he's greedy, it's not. I still like the story, but not as much as I did years ago. ****.
Behind The Scenes:
Some deleted pages and commentary. The Maharajah of Howdoyustan was originally going to be the villain in The Treasure Of The Ten Avatars, until Egmont pointed out to Rosa the Maharajah was far too evil in the story to be him. So Rosa changed it to a new character.
The Should Cover It All:
Some really nice ones in here. I'm getting much better at spotting the "D.U.C.K.'s".
Donald Duck And Uncle Scrooge: Treasure Under Glass The Don Rosa Library Volume 3
The third volume of the Chronological Duck stories of Don Rosa.
This era of Don Rosa stories is frankly not my favorite. For some reason, when he was starting out at Egmont, the quality dipped a little. Things got back on track with The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck (which will start in Volume 4) but outside of the fabulous Tralla La sequel "Return To Xanadu", I don't really outright love any stories in this volume.
Or do I? The fact remains that Rosa is a master of the funny animal comic, and even when he's going through the motions, he's funnier and cleverer than just about anyone currently in the business. The only people at his level are Jeff Smith and Bill Watterson. So me saying I don't love most of this stories is me probably just kidding myself.
The best story is "Return To Xanadu" and the worst is the sci-fi "The Duck Who Fell To Earth" (which even Rosa doesn't seem too fond of in the Linear Notes.) Volume Overall: ***1/2.
Donald Duck "The Master Landscapist":
Rosa's take on Carl Barks various "Brittle Mastery Of Donald Duck" tales. The visual of the giant rat face on the landscape shows Rosa's inherent talent for funny sight gags and the climax builds impressively to disaster. That being said, this is hardly one of Rosa's best stories. And I find it hard to believe a fox hunt is actually enjoyable for the fox. ***.
Uncle Scrooge "On Stolen Time"
DuckTales did a nearly identical premise with the episode Time Teasers, about the Beagle Boys using a stopwatch that froze time, and it just goes to show how superior the comics were to that cartoon. They did not mine ANY of the interesting premises that Rosa does here like how in frozen time blades of grass are as sharp as needles. Or having the Beagle Boys climbing a flock of pigeons to escape only to realize that if they unfroze time they'd fall. And they certainly weren't clever enough to have one of the Ducks fake being frozen in time to trick the Beagle Boys. Here is an irony though: The DuckTales episode came BEFORE the Rosa story, although he has had this specific idea in his head for years. It shows. He mined the premise for all it was worth, while DuckTales barely scratched the surface. Coolest thing about the Fantagraphics reprint is that they used yellow outlines outside of the panel squares to indicate frozen time. Why didn't Disney Comics think of that in the 90's? ****.
Uncle Scrooge "Treasure Under Glass"
"I've heard of Coral Barques." I see what Rosa did there. Love "Bos'n Huey" and the detailed artwork was beautiful. The colors used in the reproduction make it more gorgeous than ever. The glass dome popping up above water looked awesome as did "the hole in the ocean". And as usual, I learned things I didn't know like that treasure hunting was a thing in the 1600's. Which makes sense. They had the opposite problem the ducks usually do. They knew where the treasure was, but had no means to get to it. The Ducks exploring a sunken wreck in their street clothes is an irresistibly cool concept, as is the idea that the 300 year old air in the diving bell was cleaner than regular air. A really great story. ****.
Uncle Scrooge "Return To Xanadu"
This was the best story from this era of Rosa's output. As Disney Comics billed it it's "The Sequel you didn't expect". And everything that happens in it feels like Deja Vu to the Ducks. The story even sounds familiar until Scrooge crankily tells Donald that he wouldn't have visited paradise and simply forgotten it. And I love that the secret hidden treasure is actually the bottlecaps. And there is a double surprise of Kublai Khan's treasure actually being sunk at the bottom of the whirlpool. It may seem strange that Carl Barks' original story fed into the Xanadu myth so flawlessly, but Xanadu is the same concept of Shangri La, which is what Lost Horizon and then Tralla La was based upon. It was fun watching Scrooge warm up to the place and the callback of him being good at fixing dolls. And he even mentions his sisters in Scotland for good measure, which blew by me back in the day because The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck hadn't come out yet. The picture of the gate bursting open with water was a great visual and one of the things Rosa excels at. I like Donald saying being paid a quarter and a nickel per hour is only handsome if you think Washington and Jefferson were cute. I also laughed at the nephews' astonishment that in one of the myriad tomes in the Tralla La library existed a fact not in the Junior Woodchucks Guidebook. Donald Duck's "Cold day" joke was less funny than it was obvious. I like Scrooge telling Miss Quackfaster to double his yearly donation to the Junior Woodchucks worldwide, and her telling him that that's the same amount. My one complaint is that the story engages in more than a few negative Asian stereotypes at times (especially regarding the yak herder). It's nowhere near as bad as the worst of Floyd Gottfredson's, or even Carl Barks' stuff, but the difference here is that Rosa should have known better. Still a great story though. *****.
Donald Duck "The Duck Who Fell To Earth"
Subpar. And the "knocked him into next week" as clever as it was, didn't justify the entire story. The scientist seems incredibly stupid to be worried about spacetime warps. I see why Bark substituted the cretin from Donald Duck's Atom Bomb for the comparatively respectable Gyro Gearloose. **.
Donald Duck "Incident At McDuck Tower"
"See how casually he falls off the building." That last page of Donald falling and bouncing off scaffolding was masterful, and Don Rosa's detailed artwork at its best. And Donald becomes so afraid of heights, he gets vertigo off of a street curb. He decides to become a street sweeper because you can't fall off of a street. And then he promptly falls into a manhole as Uncle Scrooge asks him if he should be washing windows. I love that Scrooge is so freaked out by losing the nickel. "Yes, what's your point?" says everything, and that McDuck is pretty much going to be occupied elsewhere for the remainder of the story. I always thought back in the day that the story was kind of edgy for having Donald being confused with a "jumper", and being slapped by a secretary for being "flirty", and both things are still kind of adult themed and saucy. Great story. ****.
Uncle Scrooge "The Island On The Edge Of Time"
Another great high concept involving the international dateline in which Scrooge outwits Glomgold using a loophole (the best way to outwit Glomgold) and the nephews outwits him using another one. Dewey seems a bit outraged at Scrooge getting Glomgold arrested and quarantined and says it's a dirty trick. Well, it's positively mild considering what Glomgold repeatedly puts them through. Truth be told, I am not sure either Scrooge or that kid's claim using the international dateline would hold up in a court of law. I'm surprised Glomgold didn't even bother to threaten to put his lawyers on it. I like that when Donald tries to weasel out a day's pay, Scrooge pays him in nothing as "imaginary money for imaginary work". The one thing in the story I dislike is Scrooge breaking the fourth wall at the end, but to be honest, Rosa's Narrator was working my last nerve too, so I see why Scrooge was getting annoyed. ***1/2.
Uncle Scrooge "The War Of The Wendigo"
This story created a bit of a controversy back in the day because Gladstone and the American publishers refused to print it due to racial stereotypes of Indians. This was during the Pocahontas controversy, and Disney didn't want to fuel that that particular fire. And I kind of get why that is. But I do understand Rosa's argument too. The Peewaggahs have the same character designs they did in "Land Of The Pygmy Indians", but they are a much more modern day interpretation of Native American archetypes. The story involves conservation and that maybe environmentalism is not just in your own best interest. It's a tiny sacrifice you make for the Earth because it gives you everything else. And maybe the fact that the environmental messages in this story are spiritual rather than scientific perhaps makes this story seem dated when it should be relevant. But I've found when talking to conservatives about protecting the environment, it helps to use their language and framing to get the point across. The story isn't religious, and even if it was, it would be using Indian religions, but the message still works for Christianity too, so it's compelling for the same reason. There are stereotypes in the story however, but most of them involve slurs being said by the white characters (and they are portrayed as insensitive for saying them). I understand that it WILL offend some people. But generally speaking, that's sort of the point of any character using the word "Injun" or "midget". Once Gladstone went out of business, they relented and finally printed the story in the last Uncle Scrooge issue they published because they figured they had nothing left to lose. It's interesting to get it in a collection of the actual era from which is was written. ****.
Donald Duck "Super Snooper Strikes Again!"
I have always thought the sequel was better than Carl Barks original and I think the reason is because Donald is the villain in the original and the nephews are the villains here. If Donald is a ginormous @$$ all throughout the story, you can't really take his complaints about superhero comics seriously. But if Donald is well-intentioned and simply looking out for the nephews best interests, you can actually show exactly why comics like "Marvin the Monkey" are superior to modern "adult themed" superhero fare. And it's to the nephews' credit they realize how badly they have been treating Donald and declare him their hero after the ordeal. Interestingly, they also referred themselves being "orphaned" which seems to me to be the clearest clue given by Rosa ever about Della Duck's actual fate. This isn't the best Rosa story ever, but like many sequels to Carl Barks stories, it crazily wound up better than the original. ****.
Uncle Scrooge And Donald Duck: The Last Of The Clan McDuck: The Don Rosa Library Volume 4
Book Four of The Don Rosa Library deals with roughly the first half of The Life And Time Of Scrooge McDuck (not counting the half-chapters which will be printed later). Rosa's ultimate masterpiece is an incredible tough read for a casual fan. But if you actually care about this? As much as Rosa does? You'll absolutely love it. Before Rosa there was never any tight continuity present in ANY Disney comics, Duck or otherwise. With his sequels and this prequel, Rosa made the Duckverse as geeky as any superhero comic. Only of a much higher quality than the average superhero fare.
The Best stories are the second chapter (The Master Of The Mississippi) and the fifth chapter (The New Laird Of Castle McDuck). Weakest story is Part 7 (The Dreamtime Duck Of The Never Never). I won't call it the worst story though, because that would imply it's actually bad when it is far from it. Volume Overall: ****1/2.
Uncle Scrooge "Of Ducks, Dimes, and Destinies"
Rosa correctly predicted this story might be a bit polarizing and he's right. I don't like the implications that Magica De Spell gave Scrooge his first dime one bit. And I also don't think the sci-fi premise works with Rosa's idea in the Linear Notes that maybe the timeline reset at the end and that the entire past adventure was retconned. I don't buy that because that isn't how time travel stories work. So I think for better or worse, we are stuck with this. Good things? Rosa did an admirable (if not perfect) job of making the scene we saw in The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck look if not identical, than at least indistinguishable (and from a different POV no less!). Neat trick since he hadn't even written that story yet. **1/2.
The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck: Part One: "The Last Of The Clan McDuck"
The Life And Times portion of the Rosa canon is surprisingly heavy reading. There are a lot of details to unpack, and it take a lot more focus to get through and enjoy than the average Rosa yarn. I actually like it less than the rest of his canon for that precise reason (and Rosa speculates in the Linear Notes that the heavy nature of the story would probably appeal less to casual fans). Hortense is quite adorable in this story, and this is the other chapter besides 11 that really piles on the Barksverse details. And it's a bit more work to put into than the average Duck comic. Interestingly, in this Fantagraphics printing, one of the Whiskerville's exclaims, "What the bloody h*ll?" I don't know if the canon is actually better for that swear existing, but it certainly shows that Fantagraphics is giving Rosa more freedom and leeway than any other American comic book company. ****.
The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck: Part Two: "The Master Of The Mississippi"
I've always liked this this part although it feels five or six pages too long. The first "ending" is a false one and the story keeping continuing for some reason. I think Rosa's origin of the Beagle Boys is brilliant. The masks are from Mardi Gras. This is the only story that I am aware of that we see a Beagle Boy face without the mask. But Rosa is so clever because the rest of the face is covered in mud, so the skin around the eyes where the mask was taken off looks like a mask itself. I like that when a customer complains that Ratchet Gearloose's clarifying pills make the water taste like skunkweed, Ratchet shoots back that he bets Edison's first lightbulb didn't taste very good either. But the selling point of the story is Pothole McDuck and his allegories for how muddy the Mississippi was. They are comedy gems first written by Mark Twain. He wouldn't drink the water unless he rinsed it off with other water first. And then he'd drink it with a fork. Dust gathers on the surface and catfish come up to sneeze. Whenever it goes around a bend, it cracks. The farmers complain it is too thick to drink but too thin to plow. It's so muddy you could lay down railroad tracks on it etc. Rosa must have had fun stealing those corny "Tall Tale" jokes. I also liked seeing the genesis of Scrooge getting the idea to pay his nephews 30 cents an hour by Uncle Pothole only paying him 30 cents a day. Was there anything in the story I didn't like? I didn't like when Blackheart admires Pothole for supposedly being willing to let his nephew die, and that he'd do the same to his own kind, the sons saying, "Atta boy, Pappy!" "Wait a minute! He's talking about US!" That was Rosa overexplaining the joke. If he has to do that then it's not funny. But it's my opinion that he didn't actually have to do that. So now a joke that WOULD have been funny actually isn't. ****1/2.
The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck: Part Three: "The Buckaroo Of The Badlands"
I love the idea that young Scrooge punked the James Gang, and I always love the idea that Teddy Roosevelt and Scrooge became good friends and TR was his mentor. The square eggs things was a great bit of canon too although even Rosa points out in the Linear Notes that it doesn't actually fit "Lost In The Andes" canon. I laughed that Scrooge screams "Wak!" like a duck on the rodeo horse. Because he is Donald's Uncle. I also loved Hortense's reaction to the letter saying that Scrooge named his horse after his sister because they had similar tempers. The idea that it was raining so hard that Scrooge saw catfish swim by shoulder high is another good Tall Tale joke. The joke about Scrooge refusing to shoot the bear because bullets were expensive would undoubtedly get Chris Rock's approval. Good chapter. ****.
The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck: Part Four: "The Raider Of Copper Hill"
I love that the insufferable John Rockerduck's father Howard is actually decent. We actually saw him in "Ducks, Dimes, and Destinies" but didn't realize it was him, and that Scrooge's first dime was originally owned by him. And I especially love that at this stage of the game, he is probably more decent than Scrooge. He taught him some tough lessons about the reality of people and money, although I would have liked to have heard him actually give the prospecting tips. I feel a little weird that we didn't hear them because that is usually the kind of thing Rosa researches. Maybe this chapter was on a tight deadline or something. ***1/2.
The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck: Part Five: "The New Laird Of Castle McDuck"
If anyone deserves to be called a hellion it's Hortense McDuck. I love that these stories finally have the proper colorings for the Whiskerville's white hair and beards. It looks SO much better now. I love the moment of all of the ghosts of Scrooge's ancestors scaring off the Whiskervilles, and I love the "Another Rainbow" reference at the end (even if the rainbow itself is badly drawn, as Rosa admits in the Linear Notes). This is one of the best Chapters of the saga. ****1/2.
The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck: Part Six: "The Terror Of The Transvaal"
"You just made me mean!" That was awesome, and sums up Scrooge's entire relationship to Flintheart Glomgold. What a great origin story for Glomgold. He was always a sneak, but he wasn't always a rich, RESPECTABLE sneak. And is there any cooler battle cry than "Fill your hand!" from "True Grit"? I laughed at Scrooge asking the stableman to look after his lion. I like that Rosa was able to do this story because Glomgold never says his name and neither recognize each other from this experience in their later years. Which is very consistent with how clueless and self-involved older Scrooge is often portrayed. But maybe Glomgold actually DID recognize Scrooge from this adventure when they met in "The Second Richest Duck", and just never revealed who he was. There is nothing in the Barks canon that disproves that interpretation either. ***1/2.
The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck: Part Seven: "The Dreamtime Duck Of The Never Never"
This chapter is admittedly a bit of a filler. But I liked that Platypus cave drawings at the end representing the Money Bin, Donald, and Huey, Dewey, and Louie. **1/2.
Behind The Scenes:
We actually get to see the very intriguing prologue from chapter 1, detailing McDuck family history before Scrooge! Fascinating stuff, and Rosa wasn't ultimately able to get back to it all in the story. Here we see an ancestor of Donald's Neighbor Jones. One thing I dislike is that Rosa seems to be quite downplaying the horrors of the Crusades. There are also first draft pages from the third chapter, but as Rosa himself admits, they suck, so they only included two of them, and they aren't really worth going into detail about. ****.
This Should Cover It All:
I love seeing Rosa covers for Barks stories, or the even rarer Rosa covers for Non-Barks European artist Duck stories (which he claims he never even bothered to read before drawing the cover). Some of these covers I recognize from my old Disney Comics collection without ever realizing they were Rosa's. ****.
Uncle Scrooge And Donald Duck: The Richest Duck In The World: The Don Rosa Library Volume 5
The Fifth Uncle Scrooge Don Rosa Libary book finishes off The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck, and offers two other stories, one good, one not so much. From "Duckburg To Lillehammer" is such an awkward and unlikely premise that even Don Rosa thinks it is 100% non-canon, and a Duckverse Elseworlds, if there was anything else to call it. "Guardians Of The Lost Library" is interesting because Rosa shows genuine apathy towards it in the Linear Notes, and yet, he also admits that many think it is his best story. And I think they are both wrong, and it's just really good.
The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck stuff got really interesting this issue. Aside from the must-read "The King Of The Klondike", the penultimate chapter, "The Empire Builder Of Calisota", fixes one of the gravest mistakes Carl Barks ever made. I hope up in Heaven he is still grateful to Rosa for that. It was an entirely gracious gesture from one superfan to his hero and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Best stories are Scrooge striking it rich! Rich! Rich! Rich! (The King Of The Klondike), and pretty much the best, most gut-wrenching, and mindblowing chapter in the entire series (The Empire Builder From Calisota). Worst story is "From Duckburg To Lillehammer" but I'm sure you already gathered that. Volume Overall: ****.
The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck: Part Eight "The King Of The Klondike"
Magnificent. Soapy Slick is in my mind the most detestable Scrooge villain ever. Just because he reads the letter from home Scrooge gets to his pals and laughs at the fact that Scrooge's mother has died (which is the first Scrooge is hearing of it). I love the idea of the Tall Tale that followed, but I choose to believe it actually happened, if only because it is the only kind of justice for Soapy's scumbaggery. It seems fitting and perfect that the thing that gets Scrooge to lose his cool is Soapy talking smack about his dead mother. Out of all of Scrooge's various vanities and hang-ups, it strikes me as incredibly cool that Rosa instead turns to something universal and relatable. Rosa seems almost apologetic in the linear notes that followed for the violence in the story, but whether it actually occurred or not, I think it was fully justified. It's not like Carl Barks himself never drew that brutal bar fight in "Back To The Klondike" so it's not unprecedented either. I love that Wyatt Earp fears Scrooge by reputation (the dime on the string has gotten famous in the meantime). I also find it interesting that Scrooge knows what the frozen mammoth is, even if he doesn't know the proper name for it. It shows that Scrooge is very smart and worldly. Great part. ****1/2.
Uncle Scrooge "Guardians Of The Lost Library"
There are several major clues that the Guardians of the Lost Library are actually the Junior Woodchucks throughout the story (such as the fact that all of the clues seem to lead back to the Guidebook), but it doesn't make the revelation less pleasurable. Scrooge having a happy ending by saving billions of dollars in library fees felt right too. I love that Donald watches various action TV shows with a guy named Savage who's mode of transport always seems to burst into flames. I didn't know Cleopatra was Greek, rather than Egyptian, but Duck Comics teach me something new every day. Serves the nephews right for having to live with the idea that the Woodchucks were founded by a girl. That was probably the one part of the story I didn't like. Rosa thinks this story is boring, and many fans think it is his best. They are both wrong. It is merely good. ****.
The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck: Part Nine "The Billionaire Of Dismal Downs"
This was an incredibly moving issue for me with Scrooge's father dying and the ghost of him and his mother waving goodbye to Scrooge and the girls. Just watching them walk through the wall with Sir Quackly as Fergus' body lies still in his bed gives me the chills (in a good way). I also liked Scrooge getting five points in the tournament for retrieving the golf ball from the bog. Only a highlander would be such a cheapskate. Great joke there. Also fun to learn the genesis of Scrooge's classic outfit. And Scrooge is rich. He's not loony, he's eccentric. ****.
Donald Duck "From Duckburg To Lillehammer"
Gladstone Gander story and those all aggravate me. Once in a while Rosa (not Barks) can add an interesting twist to the luck premise, but he didn't do it here. **1/2.
The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck: Part Ten "The Invader Of Fort Duckburg"
The guy who made it square against the guy who DEALT it square. Rosa is REALLY good at this. I like Scrooge saying TR did almost as well as himself, and the Beagle Boys being starstruck they were being arrested by the President of the United States. Hortense and Quackmore being crabby love at first sight was amusing as was the origin of Killmotor Hill, Daphne Duck's luck (to be inherited by Gladstone), Elvira Duck being call Ma Duck before Grandma Duck, and the Junior Woodchuck deciding to create a hand held manual. Fun fact: We don't actually SEE Ma Beagle in this story, but we DO hear her voice for the first and only time in the canon. This is really the last "fun" chapter Scrooge has in the saga before everything goes to hell in the next part. ****.
The Duck Fanily Tree
I agree with Rosa that I would have preferred Ludwig Von Drake to the annoying Fethry on the tree, but the truth is, since Barks never really used Von Drake, and Fethry was after his time, neither actually belongs on the tree. Still wonder who the nephews' father is. The new DuckTales cartoon and comics are exploring the history of Donald's twin sister Della, but I wonder if we'll ever get the answer to that or what Rosa's second Tralla La sequel would have entailed. *****.
The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck: Part Eleven "The Empire-Builder From Calisota"
Holy. Freaking. God. Rosa once described the penultimate chapter of his opus "the killer" and it is. Frankly, I don't think the last part is a good enough conclusion to this. It makes sense that Scrooge winds up old and alone before he reconnects with Donald on Bear Mountain, but holy freaking God, I wish things had ended better with his sisters. Do you know what I notice about Matilda? She is very forgiving. And unlike Hortense, understanding. So you know when things go to Hell in Africa and she is in tears, that Scrooge has gone over the line. There is nothing about "Voodoo Hoodoo" that doesn't suck. Except Rosa wrung the best part of his most famous story out of it. Some future Mickey Mouse writer is able to do the same with Floyd Gottfredson's dreadful "Mickey Mouse Meets Robinson Crusoe" and I'd be shocked. Foolu Zulu and Bombi's new character designs fascinate me. They still sort of traffic in arch racial stereotypes, but since neither of the characters are actually portrayed that way (in this story at least) it makes their designs much less offensive. Rosa did tone a lot of that stuff down from Barks story, while still being smart enough to make the characters still recognizable. I love that the first thing kid Donald Duck does upon meeting Scrooge McDuck is to give him a swift kick in the @$$. How perfect is that? I mean, really. There are Barks purists who hate Rosa for the liberties he takes with his stories, but that one moment shows that Rosa gets the characters better than anyone. I sincerely doubt even Barks could come up with a meeting that perfect had he been the one tasked to write this saga. Great nods to the Gilded Man and the Maharajah of Howdyustan. Flintheart Glomgold is not the Second Richest Duck at this point. I wonder where on the list he actually was. Even if you dislike the rest of the saga, you will probably love this part. Because it took the absolutely cr*ppiest Barks story, and pointed out WHY it actually sucked, and wrung drama and pathos from the fact that it sucked so much. Carl Barks is Don Rosa's hero. But I hope he was grateful for what Rosa did in this chapter. He fixed Barks' biggest and most shameful mistake. That is how dedicated a fan and writer Rosa is. He makes Barks better in hindsight and after the fact, than he actually was. There aren't that many second generation writers of a franchise able to do stuff like that. The Star Trek sequels of the 80's and 90's couldn't do it. Russell T Davies on Doctor Who couldn't do it. They both supplemented the original material just fine. But actually improved it? This is only a skill known by Rosa. Perfect chapter. *****.
The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck: Part Twelve "The Richest Duck In The World"
This did some things right and some things wrong. The first right thing was the genuine 100% homage to the beginning of Citizen Kane at the beginning. And somehow I think Glittering Goldie O'Gilt has more value than an old sled. I also love that this story sort of fixed the way the old DuckTales cartoons misrepresented the first dime. It was called the "Lucky Dime" and in reality, it never was. Scrooge got where he was on his own. Rosa was actually wise enough to ignore the "Magic Hourglass" for the same reason. Rosa and William Van Horn never really worked together on their stories, but Van Horn wrote a new wraparound to "The Magic Hourglass" a few years back, suggesting the entire thing was a Tall Tale and not canon. Which pretty much makes it the only Van Horn story that fits comfortably in the Rosa canon in my mind. The biggest mistake of the story was not addressing the multiple balls left in the air from the last part. I also think Donald is far too annoying in this story. Did he really NEED to be such a skeptic to all of the things we witnessed Scrooge do in the previous eleven parts? It just makes him unlikable and unusually stupid. Speaking of unusually stupid, I don't care if the nephews are years younger than we usually see them, they are DUMB if they are asking the butler if he is their Uncle Scrooge. Why? Because he's a freaking dog! Even I know how this stuff actually works. Interesting that Donald sees that Scrooge has won an Eisner Award which means Rosa actually won before he finished the story. He deserved the award, but I kind of think awarding something that prestigious to a comic book miniseries should happen only after the thing is actually finished. Maybe they could only do the award in the timeframe of the year it was given, but it would have been a much more impressive win in hindsight had the awards committee been able to judge the entire thing as a whole. Either way though, it definitely deserved the award. ****.
Behind The Scenes:
Some deleted pages from "From Duckburg To Lillehammer" and "The King Of The Klondike". The Klondike pages suck, the Lillehammer ones don't. In fact they were better than what was in the actual story! ****.
This Should Cover It All:
Not a ton of other Rosa covers in this edition and almost none of them have a D.U.C.K. dedication. **1/2.
Uncle Scrooge And Donald Duck: The Universal Solvent: The Don Rosa Library Volume 6
The 6th Volume of The Don Rosa Library has a couple of great stories and a couple of lousy ones. I tend to differ with many fans (and Rosa) about what the lousy stories are, but there is no question that "Hearts Of The Yukon" is still one of Rosa's best. I also have always loved "An Eye For Detail", even though Rosa does not. The stories I disliked ("The Universal Solvent", "The Lost Charts Of Columbus") are both Rosa and fan favorites so I seem to be alone in my disapproval there. Volume Overall: ****.
Donald Duck "The Duck Who Never Was"
I like the Donald Duck 60th Birthday story. I like the idea that Donald is just as crucial to Duckburg's success as Scrooge, but the thing I don't like is that his influence seems more to do with random bad luck coincidences happening with him gone. That's not the world being a lesser place for Donald Duck not being in it. That's simply alternate timeline chaos theory. That being said, the three people in Duckburg who seem legitimately worse off because Donald isn't there are Huey, Dewey, and Louie, which is important to me, because I believe Donald Duck is one of the greatest examples of fictional parents ever. Maybe it's random that the Think Boxes backfired on Gyro, or that Scrooge was unlucky enough to only have Gus Goose as a living relative old enough to work for him, but those are the breaks. The nephews having Gladstone as a parent is a legitimately bad turn for them. The nephews still being around says that Hortese and Quackmore were still a thing, but that Della was an only child who never had a twin. I got the heebie jeebies looking at the body of Gyro's Helper. And the devastating thing is that there is nothing he can do for him. I think the Beagle Boys being corrupt cops is the icing on the "Duckburg Sucks" sundae, but frankly, learning that Gladstone is even happier with Donald gone has got to be the straw that broke the camel's back, and the impetus to actually set things right. Daisy as a hot mess is bad enough. Gladstone being the nephew's guardian? Donald must fix this. Now. ***1/2.
Uncle Scrooge "Treasury Of Croesus"
I would very much have loved to have seen that adventure with Magica and the fireworks coming out of the Money Bin. I like the parallels between Scrooge and Magica and Croesus, Circe, and Midas, and I love that Scrooge actually decided to help Magica with her spell with Croesus's coin. But I think Scrooge is missing the forest for the trees as far as the moral of the story goes. The moral isn't "This means Scrooge McDuck is actually the richest Duck in history." It means that Circe and the Midas Touch are fiction, and Magica is a hoary old fraud and always has been. I get the latter idea appeals to Scrooge's ego, but sometimes Occam's Razor is the best answer. I again love how Rosa uses Donald as the voice of reason at the end and give both Scrooge and Magica a good and deserved shellacking. Because both of those two WERE getting on my nerves by the end of the story. ***1/2.
Uncle Scrooge "The Universal Solvent"
This story has always rankled me for some reason because both Scrooge and Gyro seem far stupider in it than they should be. Gyro is stupid for creating something that dangerous and Scrooge is stupid for not finding out how it works before foolishly giving it applications to mining. All of this (and the later troubles with the Black Knight) could have been avoided if either character had a lick of common sense. This was another story where Rosa uses strange science to give us great visuals and I loved seeing the cameo of the Terra Firmies again. I also love that the second hardest material next to diamonds is Disney contracts, and that Jules Verne was portrayed as a five fingered human.. But the story doesn't really hold up in hindsight and makes both Gyro and Scrooge look uncommonly bad. **1/2.
Donald Duck "An Eye For Detail"
Donald has one of the best actual superpowers ever. I freaking love this story and always have. A mosquito bite behind Louie's ear? Ear? Never mind. I love that Donald refuses the good donut at the end because it has fly footprints on it. I laughed at the nephews' outrage over the idea that they look and act exactly alike. They seemed to really enjoy Scrooge grabbing them, holding them up to Donald, and him correctly identifying them. Correct as always! I think the DuckTales remake is losing a lot of the nephews' appeal in making them look and sound different. Donald definitely can't have that cool superpower there. I laughed that one of the things on the nephew's contract negotiations board was the return of artwork. Rosa always seems to put his personal details in these stories, doesn't he? Aside from Scrooge making Donald pay for donuts and coffee, I laughed at the idea that he has broom, mop, dustpan, and bucket rentals in his office. As Scrooge noted, he doesn't consider Donald calling him a miser an insult. One of my favorite Rosa stories from this era of his output. I find it quite weird that he dislikes it. *****.
Donald Duck "The Lost Charts Of Columbus"
This was a similar premise to "His Majesty McDuck" except I don't think it is quite as plausible. McDuck claiming a small piece of land as his own country is more plausible than two shysters being able to claim ownership of North America and making everyone their slaves. It's a foolish premise, no matter what U.N. laws state (even fictitious one). No country would ever stand for it, especially not the U.S.. What I did like was the end suggesting perhaps that Native Americans owned Europe. It's a silly idea, but very thought-provoking. To be fair to Rosa, the stupid fictitious law cited in the story was actually created by Carl Barks. It still makes no sense though and I still think this story is otherwise overrated. **.
Uncle Scrooge "The Incredible Shrinking Tightwad"
Great last half page splash panel, but Rosa is always great at those. The open mouth reaction shot of the nephews seeing the Money Bin has disappeared and then looking directly into the camera was absolutely priceless. Perfect visual joke there. Who says the nephews aren't funny? I also laughed at the Beagle Boys laughing that the nephews all look alike. And the Prune Beagle Boy is a running gag that somehow never gets old. I also loved the idea that Scrooge had Donald rewind his ball of string from "The Second Richest Duck". Good story. ***1/2.
Uncle Scrooge "Hearts Of The Yukon"
This story is so amazing. Just the gag of Goldie rescuing an unconscious Scrooge from the Blackjack Ballroom is priceless enough. But you got that hilarious scary bear-tamer splitting town because Steele is coming and I'm rolling. Steele is great. I love that he says "Sasquatch" because Mounties do NOT say "Yowtch!" (or get muddy for that matter). Jack London and the "Always Get Our Duck" runner was great too, and the last scene of Scrooge not opening the letter, just so he could keep hope that there was one person in the world who loved him was great. Goldie stating that she could stand a little pressing from Scrooge was perhaps the most salacious line I have ever read in a Disney Comic. I love that Scrooge goes back to the idea of the barroom brawl from "The King Of The Klondike" being a Tall Tale to Coot until Coot suggests he couldn't have possibly licked that many people. But the idea that it was an exploded boiler that Scrooge just took from there is actually quite plausible. One of my favorite Scrooge stories of the "Life And Times" era, even if it's the only one of those not under that particular banner. *****.
Behind The Scenes:
The penciled original second half of The Lost Charts of Columbus was actually better than the published story (absent the last unfunny panel). Appropriately Akers McCovet also shows up and the story sort of turns into a parody of It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. The Indians owning Europe idea was also made more explicit, and frankly works better and is more awesome here. Rosa seems really regretful he had to lose that angle and I see why. More lost Rosa art is from The Universal Solvent, showing Scrooge regaining his classic top hat he lost in "Land Beneath The Ground". I wish those two panels had appeared in the published version because I feel as annoyed as Rosa was for Scrooge losing his original hat in that story. ****.
This Should Cover It All:
Not a ton of unrelated covers this round, but I liked the ones we got. ****.
Walt Disney's Donald Duck And Uncle Scrooge: The Treasure Of The Ten Avatars : The Don Rosa Library Volume 7
The Seventh Volume of The Don Rosa Library includes two keepers of stories in the 50th Anniversary Uncle Scrooge story "A Little Something Special", and the ten page Magica De Spell story "A Matter Of Some Gravity". Both stories are pure dynamite, and Rosa at his best. The collection also has the great "The Treasure Of The Ten Avatars", the good "The Last Lord Of El Dorado", The mediocre "The Once And Future Duck", and the lousy "Attack Of The Hideous Space Varmints". But seeing "A Little Something Special" and "A Matter Of Some Gravity" again made every cent I paid for the book worth it. Volume Overall: ****1/2.
Donald Duck "The Once And Future Duck"
Don Rosa isn't crazy about this story, and neither am I. But he thinks it's too dark (it's based on a Pertwillaby Papers story) and I think it's too stupid. It's a really cool concept to see the idea that King Arthur was NOT a Legend, but that instead we saw the genesis of how the legend was created and told. It never actually happened. But because of what happened with the Ducks, everyone thinks it did. The problem in my mind with the story is that there is a giant plothole in it and some outright bad writing. The Ducks should have known they had traveled back in time immediately. That's precisely what they were attempting. Why are they acting surprised it worked? The second hole is just plain stupid. How is Donald Duck's broke butt supposed to be able to pay to not only fly overseas, but bring over all of Gyro's necessary equipment? This kind of expedition is expensive, and Donald cannot actually afford it himself. This is why Duck adventures work better when Scrooge is involved. Scrooge may be cheap, but he can actually believably get the Ducks to where they need to be. And I do not understand why Rosa continually keeps giving "Crowning Moments Of Awesome" to Little Bulb. He barely has a personality, and is cute at best, and suddenly he's the dude who pulled out Excalibur. That's the kind of moment that should have gone to either Donald or Gyro. Or all three nephews at once. Because it's Little Bulb, and he is such a meaningless character, the entire MOMENT is meaningless. Rosa states he dislikes this story because it's not a Duck story. But he was the one who chose to make Little Bulb the Savior, which is why the story REALLY sucked. That underwhelming twist is on him and him alone. This will probably wind up being the only Donald Duck story in comic history to refer to "wild orgies". And I'm fine with that. "Run away! Run away!" was like the only funny thing in the story. Underwhelming story with an admittedly interesting concept. **1/2.
Uncle Scrooge "The Treasure Of The Ten Avatars"
First time I read this one. I love that even though Uncle Scrooge lost the treasure, he's perfectly happy with the outcome. Which is the right reaction. Not just because the people in that village were finally brought out of poverty, but because the entire reason he went to India in the first place was to hire some of these people, and now he can. He appreciates what happened for the win it was, rather than the loss it was. I like that because Scrooge doesn't always do that. But as Rosa's adventures have gone on, it's clear to me that some of Donald and the nephews' wisdom about stuff like that has rubbed off on him. In the preface, Rosa claims you cannot actually change the Duck canon. Well, he kind of rewrote how Scrooge evolved and reacted to wins and losses anyways. Speaking of Donald and wisdom, the one thing I didn't like in the story was the fact that Donald kept foolishly setting off those booby traps. Donald is sometimes useless, but not always, and Rosa only seems to do that when he's with Scrooge, so that's a failing on Rosa's end. But he is totally Short-Round in those moments. Which is not a good thing. I like that the story ends with Scrooge telling the Maharajah that he's finally learned the concept of zero. One of the reason Carl Barks was so talented and so beloved, is because he knew instinctively the right line or joke to end a story on. Rosa has that same gift. Great story. ****1/2.
Uncle Scrooge "A Matter Of Some Gravity"
Great concept, great visuals, great story. What I love about Magica is that she doesn't actually seem to possess real magic. And only Barks and Rosa get this about the character. But that gravity wand seemed as science based as anything Gyro Gearloose cooks up. The only difference is that Gyro's weird inventions have buttons and switches. Are we sure those are magical incantations? Because it seems likelier to me that the wand is merely voice operated. Nothing Magica ever does in a Barks or Rosa story is outside of the realm of ducky science. It's only DuckTales and the European Duck stories who have retconned Magica into a powerful Sorceress. As far as I can, tell she seems a bit of a fraud to me. Which not only levels the playing field for Scrooge and her, but it also means Rosa is able to come up with far more interesting concepts than if Magica simply curses the Ducks, or makes them disappear, or sends them to another magical dimensional. Scrooge vs. Magica is a very relatable squaring off in Rosa (and Barks) stories. Because Magica simply a regular Duck like all of the rest of us. *****.
Uncle Scrooge "The Vigilante Of Pizen Bluff"
I like that Scrooge's posse is called the "Magnificent Seven" because P.T. Barnum counts himself twice. And if Annie Oakley is REALLY mad, it's the other end of your pipe she'll aim for. I like the idea of Uncle Pothole coming up with the concept of "Nephew Scrooge" comics. Ah, the Rosa spin-off that never was! Speaking of which, I like that the story's end sets up the Dutchman Mine story. This is the only Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck related story that does something like that. You might feel underwhelmed that we only heard Buffalo Bill describing what Scrooge did to the Daltons, but that's a classic Rosa sensibility, in suggesting the legend of Scrooge's violence in the past sounds bad, but the reader doesn't actually know if it's true. Some of it is just legend and exaggerated. Now this violence is far more credible than the Tall Tales from the Yukon because Bill is relating it as it happened here. But it is very consistent with Rosa declining to turn the Vigilante of Pizen Bluff into an actual violent comic book vigilante. Which is one of the things I like about the Duck comics in the first place. ****.
Uncle Scrooge "A Little Something Special"
The 50th Anniversary story lived up to the hype. And it's Rosa's ONLY "Special Event / Anniversary" story that did that. Everybody got a moment, and even Gladstone's luck was useful for the first time ever. And while the story is ostensibly about how important Scrooge is to Duckburg, his family saves him and Duckburg. As Scrooge notes, Duckburg has more defenders than just the poor shoeshine boy from Glasgow. It's not just Scrooge that makes Duckburg what it is. It's everyone. Which is an amazing and weirdly empowering message. Honestly, Blackheart Beagle's plot will probably go down as the most infamous criminal plot in Duckverse history, at least as far as Barks and Rosa are concerned. This story was a few years before 9/11, but it's clearly the same thing, with the same intention. And it's the only story where all of Duckburg is at stake solely because somebody wants to destroy Duckburg. Duckburg is often caught in the crossfire between Scrooge and his enemies. But the people are never the target. And suddenly Blackheart is the worst villain in Duckverse history. I was expecting more with a potential betrayal from Magica simply because that was well set up. The allies all claimed their goals aligned because they all wanted different things, but that was always completely untrue of Magica's goals, whether Magica is too dumb to see that ahead of time or not. The other thing that hinted at a bigger Magica defection than we got is the notion that she's a bit shocked and surprised that Blackheart intends to level the city, and never told them that. Whatever Magica's faults, she is not a murderer, and has never tried to kill Scrooge, while the rest of his enemies have. And I like that things "just got real" in this moment and she realizes she didn't sign up for this, and was allied with people with much more darker intentions than she actually has. Flintheart is dumb. He instructs a crowd of Duckburg citizens to shoot Scrooge in the back as if he actually expects they will, and didn't just publicly implicate himself in an attempted murder with a thousand witnesses. This stupidity is why Glomgold will NEVER be the World's Richest Duck. He's smoother than the smoothies, softer than the softies, and made his money round. I love that Rosa points out that Magica is Italian. Because June Foray had a sort of Romanian accent to her on DuckTales, but in the Comics Magica has always been Italian, just like Flintheart Glomgold's Money Bin is actually in South Africa and not Duckburg. I especially like the fact that he has a First Pound that Magica winds up stealing, simply because Magica never learns. If the Beagle Boys rob Glomgold blind and Scrooge gets his money back, the First Pound will be worthless to her. I like that of the people in the group, only her and Flintheart have back-up escape plans in case the others louse the mission. In Magica's case it worked out. Not so much Flintheart's. And the revelation of Goldie at the end was fun, as was the kiss, but I was a little annoyed at how shabbily Scrooge treated her. I understand that you can't actually give Scrooge that particular ship. But still, it's not a flashback, and Rosa is not constrained by what Barks already told. It's the present day. He is allowed to have Scrooge be happy to see her and them part on pleasant terms. But that's the only thing about the story I didn't like. Everything else was Rosa amazingly delivering a huge, epic story in the canon, and finding a way to not actually change the canon even a little bit. That is a tough thing to show, and I don't think he did it in the Donald Duck 60th Birthday story. But he definitely did here. *****.
Uncle Scrooge "Gyro's Beagletrap"
This must be Rosa's only one page story ever. Rosa always says he's better at longer adventures. He's right. *1/2.
Uncle Scrooge "Attack Of The Hideous Space Varmints"
This is the first time I've read this particular story and I don't like it. There are no stakes, it's just random nonsense and that tries to attach pathos to Scrooge wanting to stay in space by creating an old man alien who is nothing more than a random coincidence. The only virtue the story has in my mind is that the new craters on the dark side of the moon are a not-so-hidden Mickey. I also like that Scrooge already knows the farmer's name in Duckburg is Clem, but once I realized he keeps his spaceship for him, that much less impressive on Scrooge's end. And I'm sorry, does Rosa truly think he's the first guy to come up with a story where aliens think humans are monstrous and ugly, and that they are the alien invaders? He's acting like this sci-fi story is reinventing the wheel, and subverting all expectations, when this is Star Trek's Tuesday. A dud of a story. *.
Uncle Scrooge "The Last Lord Of El Dorado"
It's still a good story years later, but I don't like it as much. Donald kissing Glomgold freaks me out. Not only because of Daisy, but because he basically plants a kiss on a stranger unasked. It's literally the creepiest thing Donald has ever done in these stories, and it's totally gross. But not for the homophobic reasons Rosa thinks it is. Still, great treasure hunt, great treasure reveal and resolution, and I love Glomgold's expression once he realizes Scrooge owned the land deeds. Interestingly, unlike Barks, in Rosa stories, Scrooge doesn't often get to keep the various treasures from his treasure hunts. And I think that's probably the right answer, because Barks usually had Scrooge search for stuff that was a single item like the Golden Fleece, the Philosopher's Stone, or the Candy Striped Ruby. But if Scrooge just take an entire treasure out from under the entire Colombian Government, he's the villain. In the end, it's the adventure that's important in the Rosa stories. I can accept Scrooge wandering off with the Lost Crown of Ghengis Khan. Stealing another country's huge amount of treasure makes him the actual bad guy. And since he is NOT a bad guy, he understands that. Which is what I like about him. I don't like the gag of Scrooge retrieving the map from Donald in such a dire situation. It would be one thing if Scrooge did that because he knew the nephews would get him out of that fix, but they didn't. Donald survived by blind luck. So it's not funny. It's callous, and out of character. It would be funny if Scrooge did that because his faith in his grandnephews was absolute. Since it's because he's greedy, it's not. I still like the story, but not as much as I did years ago. ****.
Behind The Scenes:
Some deleted pages and commentary. The Maharajah of Howdoyustan was originally going to be the villain in The Treasure Of The Ten Avatars, until Egmont pointed out to Rosa the Maharajah was far too evil in the story to be him. So Rosa changed it to a new character.
The Should Cover It All:
Some really nice ones in here. I'm getting much better at spotting the "D.U.C.K.'s".