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The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck

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Kapoios

Neo Member
I've got the collection and i've read it countless times. Don Rosa is definitely one the best (disney) artists out there and i've always loved his stories the most when i was kid reading disney comics.
 

Zeppelin

Member
A day or two ago there was some talk about this underrated classic in a gaming side thread so I thought about making an appreciation thread for it and Don Rosa's other works.

Underrated? Only by insane people. Here in the sane part of the world (Scandinavia) we love Don Rosa.

I still got a copy of The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck somewhere but it's in bad shape. Fantastic stuff nevertheless.
 

McNum

Member
How did he get so rich?
That is actually the entire point of the story. How DID he end up on Killmotor Hill with a bin full of money? And why keep all those coins around like that, anyway?

The answer?
He travelled the world in search of riches, but found only adventure. Until he found the Goose Egg Nugget at his claim in Klondyke. (Which by the way is also a series of awesome panels.) He found he could no longer fit in at home in Scotland and moved to the US, where he bought Fort Duckburg and helped shape the community into the Duckburg we all know, as well as doing a lot of investments overseas and at home. However, he lost contact with his family over some cruel deeds he did, including burning down a village.
Which brings us up to Scrooge McDuck's first appearance in Christmas on Bear Mountain. That's pretty much where the story ends, well the day after that story, actually. Unless you count "A Letter From Home" as the true end.

And that's the extremely short version. His adventures in the Wild West are a particular highlight of the series.
He broke a steamboat with his bare hands.
Basically, this entire story goes to show that when he says that he made his fortune by being "smarter than the smarties and tougher than the toughies", he's not kidding. At all.
 

GCX

Member
I remember reading the page where
Scrooge's father dies
and I had to reread it a few times, because I had to make sure that I saw what I think I saw in one of the last panels. Sure enough,
Scrooge's father, lying dead in bed right there on the page
. I had no idea Disney comics were allowed to do that. Then again, I suppose there's exceptions to anything.
Rosa actually mentioned in the notes section that it was the first Disney comic ever that
showed the death of one of the main characters
and he was a bit surprised it didn't get edited at all.
 

Peru

Member
One of the greatest works I've read. I get genuinely sad whenever I realize it's not as famous and heralded in most of the world as it is where I'm from, or that Don Rosa is an unknown name to many. THIS is how you put a highly artistic, serious twist on a famous pop culture icon. Genuinely makes Scrooge's narrative into one of the most emotionally resonant bildungsromans in popular fiction.
 

Mato

Member
I was obsessed with this back in the day. I used to drool over the images for hours. The story was published in twelve chapters part of a magazine here in Greece and I remember I'd count the days till the next issue would be released. I was just in love with Don Rosa although in later years I've developed a new-found appreciation for Carl Barks's more simple and abstract drawing and narrative style. SMcD's adventures around the world looking for treasure are some of my fondest childhood memories.
 

jdogmoney

Member
This thread inspired me to go read this book.

Wow.

It's one of the best comics I've ever read, in terms of writing, storytelling, art...it's fantastic. The amount of research that must have went into this to make it all so detailed and coherent boggles my mind. Fantastic book from start to finish.
 

Atruvius

Member
I think Don Rosa is the best Donald Duck artist. His art is just so full of little details other Duck artist's don't have.
 
Holy shit, I had no idea that there was a second Life and Times book. I bought that one years ago thanks to a GAF thread and it's one of my favorite books in my collection. Gonna have to order the Companion now! Thanks guys!
 

JDdelphin

Member
This is the greatest thread of all time.

Gladstone comics were my absolute favorites as a kid. Bar none.

It's great to see other people geeking out on them too
 

GCX

Member
This thread inspired me to go read this book.

Wow.

It's one of the best comics I've ever read, in terms of writing, storytelling, art...it's fantastic. The amount of research that must have went into this to make it all so detailed and coherent boggles my mind. Fantastic book from start to finish.
I'm so happy this thread inspired at least one person to read the book and become a fan.
 

Carcetti

Member
I love all Rosa books, have a huge pile of them. I'll be reading them to my children when they're a bit older... can't wait for that!
 

Hydderf

Member
Just a heads up to my fellow french Don Rosa fans in case they don't already know :

GLENAT is editing the complete Don Rosa comics collection starting this december with "La Jeunesse de Picsou" here

They're also editing the complete Carl Barks collection (9 books out of 24 for now)

Fantastic books !
 
Absolutely love the art in the Rosa books. So much detail! I just ordered those 2 Barks books, and pre-ordered the 3rd (thanks, peakish!), and put it an order for the Rosa Companion volume when it becomes available again.
 

GCX

Member
As a kid I loved searching for the hidden D.U.C.Ks in the first panels of new stories. And of course bragging to firends who hadn't found them yet.
I was always angry when I spent a ton of time looking for the D.U.C.K acronym in the first panel and then it turned out the editor had removed it. :mad: It happened a lot with the very early Rosa comics.
 

Uncle

Member
Don Rosa posted this on Facebook:
Hey guys, I know you've been waiting for it, and it's coming very soon! Tuomas Holopainen informs:

"The Life And Times Of Scrooge album & A Lifetime Of Adventure Single can now be pre-ordered via Mad Supply!!

A Lifetime Of Adventure features vocals by Johanna Kurkela and will be released on the 7th February. Check out Mad Supply's store to pre-order an exclusive signed copy!

The Life And Times Of Scrooge album will be released on the 11th April and features the cover and booklet as designed by the one and only Don Rosa!

Check out the store here: http://www.madsupply.com/en/shop/band+merchandise/tuomas+holopainen"

And have a prelisten at the single here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TV9ipfWCucc

-- Jano
 

Q8D3vil

Member
I live in the middle east and i was fortunate to read this when i was a child.
Definitely my favorite comic book.
 

MacNille

Banned
I always love Don Rosa artstyle when it comes to his comics. It just looks great. His story was the best one. Speaking of other Donald Duck character, I always hate Gladestone. He was such a smug motherfucker.
 
I always love Don Rosa artstyle when it comes to his comics. It just looks great. His story was the best one. Speaking of other Donald Duck character, I always hate Gladestone. He was such a smug motherfucker.

That's kind of the point of the character tho :lol. I love him.
 

tim.mbp

Member
Fantagraphics is releasing the Complete Don Rosa a la their Complete Carl Barks series. It was part of their recent kickstarter campaign. I got a signed copy coming.
 

Chumpion

Member
I prefer the European style supervillain Scrooge from the Donald Duck pocket books. It's more... Shakespearean. Some of the shady shit he pulls in the (mostly Italian made) stories is really horrific, LOL.
 

MacNille

Banned
I prefer the European style supervillain Scrooge from the Donald Duck pocket books. It's more... Shakespearean. Some of the shady shit he pulls in the (mostly Italian made) stories is really horrific, LOL.

He is a true villian in most of those stories. The most bizzare thing is the Duck Avenger:
Welcome3.png

Batman+ Donald Duck. The werdiest part, is that it work.
 

Khaz

Member
Fantagraphics is releasing the Complete Don Rosa a la their Complete Carl Barks series. It was part of their recent kickstarter campaign. I got a signed copy coming.

Rosa directed me to The book depository, which ships worldwide for free and is often cheaper than Amazon. I've got my copy preordered with only 121 days to go (four months, damn). Fantagraphics is really on a roll with their complete collections; Carl Barks, The Floyd Gottfredson Library, Popeye, The Peanuts... I just hope they keep printing them instead of printing 10 000 copies that you can only get for $500 if you're six month late (try to get the Life and Times today, you'll get ripped off.)
 

notBald

Member
Reading the Carl Barks stories as a kid was amazing. They were on a different level, nothing quite compared. I wonder how those stories hold up.

I read the Life and Time of Scrooge McDuck on a airplane trip a few years back. As a kid the story made me laugh so hard my sides hurt, and it was surprisingly funny as an adult too. Definitely my favorite comic book.

I recommended reading the Carls Barks classics first. There's plenty of references to those stories in the Life and Times, and it made me smile a bit every time I spotted one.
 
Rosa directed me to The book depository, which ships worldwide for free and is often cheaper than Amazon. I've got my copy preordered with only 121 days to go (four months, damn). Fantagraphics is really on a roll with their complete collections; Carl Barks, The Floyd Gottfredson Library, Popeye, The Peanuts... I just hope they keep printing them instead of printing 10 000 copies that you can only get for $500 if you're six month late (try to get the Life and Times today, you'll get ripped off.)

If you order from the UK site instead you can get an extra 10% off:
http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Walt-Disneys-Uncle-Scrooge-Donald-Duck-Don-Rosa/9781606997420

Get a 10% off coupon code here:
http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/spreadthelove
 

GCX

Member
The complete cover art has the D.U.C.K. in it, if you want to find it.

tuomasholopainenlifeandtimesofscrooge.jpg


Link to picture.
A bit late to the party but always nice to see new Rosa artwork. :)

I'm not the biggest fan of Tuomas Holopainen's music but he knows how to use London Philharmonic Orchestra effectively which I appreciate. The album will probably have some beautiful instrumental cues.
 

Tizoc

Member
At work but the main image link doesn't open. If there's a 1080p ver. I'm def. making that my background image.

My brother's going to the US in March, will ask him to find me the entire series for cheap.
 
Just picked up a reprint of life and times vol1 for 200dkk (about 20gbp or 36usd) !!! There was an error during checkout which made my heart skip, but I made it out of the store, comic in hand. I just don't get it, it was a professional comic store and everybody else is selling it so much more expensive. Guess it was my lucky day - now onto the search for vol2 ;)
 

Loxley

Member
For those in the US who may be interested, they're printing two separate compilations of Don Rosa's Scrooge/Donald Duck books at the end of this year:

Walt Disney's Uncle Scrooge And Donald Duck: The Don Rosa Library Vols. 1 & 2 Gift Box Set (The Don Rosa Library) - October 7, 2014

To commemorate the first time Don Rosa’s legendary and internationally acclaimed Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge stories have been comprehensively reprinted in America, we have produced a stunning two-volume boxed set collecting the first two books in the 10-volume series. These two volumes contain over 30 of Rosa’s ingeniously plotted, meticulously rendered, and kinetically vital Duck stories — from “A Matter of Gravity,” in which Magica deSpell turns Uncle Scrooge’s world upside down and sideways, to “Return to Plain Awful,” Rosa’s sequel to Carl Barks’ “Lost in the Andes.” Both books are available in a customized, full-color slipcase at a bargain price. Full color.

oyu3d2x.jpg


Walt Disney's Donald Duck Box Set: "Lost In The Andes" & "Trail Of The Unicorn" (The Carl Barks Library) Hardcover – November 5, 2014

A double dose of Donald Duck! Walt Disney’s Donald Duck: “Lost in the Andes” and Walt Disney’s Donald Duck: “Trail of the Unicorn” make up this special boxed set of two of our most popular Donald Duck albums exquisitely representing the Duck stories of Carl Barks, one of the most brilliant cartoonists of the 20th century. The title story of Lost in the Andes features the Ducks’ memorable quest to South America in search of rare “square eggs” and Trail of the Unicorn’s title tale is a trek to the Himalayas to find that fabled mythical creature. Handsomely presented in a stunningly beautiful and colorful box set at a special price that even Uncle Scrooge would approve. Full color.

9M2LZug.jpg
 

Khaz

Member

OCD kicking in Tempting!
Nah, I don't want boxes, else I'd have some in boxes and some without, which would look terrible on the shelf.
Unless I buy them all again... Dammit!
 
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