Comics You Should Read: The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck

It is easy to take for granted tastes in comics. Americans and Canadians lean towards superhero and indie comics, but for most of the world, the bestselling comics are the ones starring the Disney Ducks. The Ducks are popular all over, especially in Scandinavia and Italy, and one character who stands out above others is Scrooge McDuck. Created in 1947 by the legendary Carl Barks, Scrooge has gone on to become one of Disney’s most important characters, with several appearances in animation, video games, and more. When it comes to the comics, the stories by Carl Barks always stand out as the most important, especially Only a Poor Old Man and Back To The Klondike ( Which I reviewed here), but for works by other creators, the most important is Don Rosa’s The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck.

A twelve-part story, with several side chapters, The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck covers several decades of the character’s history and highlights numerous details and facts that were mentioned or discussed in the works of Barks. We start with Scrooge as a young boy and end with his meeting with Donald that was detailed in the story Christmas on Bear Mountain. It is a journey that spans most of the world and manages to truly give us a look at Scrooge like never before.

I want to give as little spoilers as possible, so people will enjoy the book themselves and be surprised, but what I will say is that Rosa had a grasp on Scrooge that was surpassed only by Barks himself. His storytelling was masterful, whether showing Scrooge’s struggles as he tries to make something of himself, his rise to power and the moment he finally went too far, and the consequences it brought for him and his family. Some of Rosa’s imagery here has become iconic, such as Scrooge learning of what happened to his mother and his anger at those who would harm him, and Scrooge’s sisters showing they are equally strong characters.

What stands out more though, is Rosa’s attention to detail in terms of both history and Barksian facts. Scrooge meets numerous historical figures along the way such as Teddy Roosevelt, Marcus Daly, and more, and they are all true to history. The story also shows so many details that were key to Scrooge’s backstory, such as his finding of the Goose Egg Nugget, his establishment of the money bin, and even his infamous moment from Voodoo Hoodoo where he fell in in terms of morals and lost everything. Rosa was tempted to ignore some of the details that were contradicted by Barks himself, due to the fact that they were from stories written before Barks really knew what he wanted to do with Scrooge and was still treating him as a bit of a villain. However, rather than ignore it, Rosa showed why these moments were important to Scrooge’s history and shaped his legacy for better or for worse.

Along the way, other characters from the Disney Ducks world appear, such as the meeting between Scrooge and Grandma Duck for the first time, learning who Donald’s parents are, and the unveiling of the full family tree that Barks devised, and Rosa expanded on. A certain rival or two of Scrooge also appear, as do the terrible Beagle Boys, and the comic sets up just how significant these meetings were. This is a work that contains both heartwarming moments, and tragic moments, and is proof that comics are an art form in their own right, as well as being a strong part of our literature.

I urge everyone to read this comic, and the side stories, as this may be one of the most important Disney comics ever made, and a testament to the skill of Don Rosa and Carl Barks.