Carl Barks's stories about Scrooge McDuck were one of the things I discovered on my own as a kid. Nobody had to tell me they were something special. I just knew it, and they were among my favorite comics. Later on (years later on) I found out that plenty of other people loved Scrooge and had continued reading the comics about him for a lot longer than I had. I never became fanatical about Scrooge, but even now I enjoy reading one of the old comics if I run across it, and I was happy to hear from Rick Robinson about Don Rosa's The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck, which won the Will Eisner award for "Best Serialized Story" in 1995. (Yes, I'm ten years behind. For me that's about normal.)
Don Rosa has done a lot of Uncle Scrooge stories, but this is a little different. It's a 12-part serial based on the "facts" of Scrooge's life as discovered in Carl Barks' classic stories. Rosa says that every fact about Scrooge's early life, "no matter how minute or obscurely buried the morsel of history might have been" is included in his serial, each chapter of which is followed by Rosa's comments on the story and the facts therein (where they came from, any inconsistencies, and so on). I have to say that I enjoyed this "graphic novel" about as much as any book I've read lately. It made me feel a little like a kid again, waiting at the door for the postman to show up with the latest issue of Walt Disney's Comics & Stories. Check it out.
4 comments:
I learned so much history from Scrooge McDuck. I remember vividly the comic (and I read them all over and over) in which he goes to the New World to find treasure. He found potatoes in the treasure chest.. the treasure of the new world. thanks for the memories
I have this one! It's very good and I'd recommend anyone with the slightest interest in Scrooge, Barks or Rosa to buy it post haste.
I just recently got the two volume hardback reprint. I read these as they were published and got Rosa to draw me a full color Uncle Scroge out west with a flaming arrow through his cowboy hat. It is on the wall next to the Barks Donald as Sheriff of Bullet Valley print. Love the Ducks and the West
Boy talk about tugging on my heartstrings. I have a memory of moving from Minneapolis right after the war and sitting in the back seat of the family jalopy (and it was) with a stack of Disney comics. My favorite was always Scrooge McDuck. Those winding stairs leading to his vault always reminded me of Jack Benny's vault, also located at the end of winding stairs. Benny was my favorite comedian and remains so of comics from that generation.
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