Support NeoGAF

[GCX]

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.

The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck is a comic book story by Don Rosa about Scrooge McDuck.

The story follows the main events of Scrooge's life between 1877 and 1947, including almost all references found in Carl Barks stories about Scrooge's life until 1947 but leaving some room for Rosa and other creators to add more details later. The comic also provides information on the backgrounds and origins of many characters related to Scrooge.

Don Rosa earned the Will Eisner Award in 1995 for this work. The trade paperback collection was also a top vote-getter for the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Reprint Graphic Novel/Album for 1997.

This was my favorite comic book growing up and I still read it every now and then.

It amazes me how no one in Don Rosa's homeland seems to know anything about him or his comics even though they're critically acclaimed and really popular in many parts of Europe. The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck is his most popular book and it's incredible how he managed to build a coherent and full story of Scrooge's whole life from Carl Barks' comics and notes that don't have almost any chronology behind them.

The story, humor and art is just top notch:

---

---

---

---

Most of all the book actually makes Scrooge an interesting and sometimes even complex character.

There's also a follow-up book with some of Rosa's additional Scrooge stories (including the infamous Inception one) that was published a decade after the original in 2006:

It's sad we won't get any new comics from Don Rosa anymore due to Disney and his eye sight but his works are still as great as ever. Right up there with the best of Carl Barks and sometimes even better.

 

[mltplkxr]

Nice! And a big influence on Tezuka apparently :
http://www.cracked.com/article_19021_5-amazing-things-invented-by-donald-duck-seriously_p2.html

 

[SonicMegaDrive]

I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Rosa last year. He was a very friendly fellow, and very humble. Though it took a lot of restraint for me to not gush like a raving fanboy.

Life and Times is most certainly on the small list of true 'essential reading' as far as comic books go. It's fantastic in every way. I recommend picking it up before it shoots up in value if it hasn't done so already.

 

[Stet]

Don Rosa and Carl Barks are incredible. The amount they were able to do with what amounts to a children's comic is inspiring.

 

[GCX]

Life and Times is most certainly on the small list of true 'essential reading' as far as comic books go. It's fantastic in every way. I recommend picking it up before it shoots up in value if it hasn't done so already.

I think there was a large reprint a year or two ago but not sure if it's still available.

 

[TommyT]

I remember having this as a kid and always being saddened when I would go home and dig through my childhood things never to find it. Prices are pretty high to acquire one now. One day! Good job OP!

 

[Salvor.Hardin]

Man I'm trying to find this on ebay and Amazon (UK) but it's way too expensive.

 

[SonicMegaDrive]

I think there was a large reprint a year or two ago but not sure if it's still available.

Yeah, the Boom! prints. They lost the Disney license, so those reprints are now out of print. However, they should still be obtainable if you look around and check your local comic shops. Avoid Amazon.

 

[raindoc]

"Onkel Dagobert" was my favorite disney character as a kid (and still is).
"Duck Tales" ran every saturday at 4pm and sunday on 10am. i'll never forget that, even though that was 20 years ago. good times.

 

[shira]

They should make a comic based on the NES game

 

[bjork]

I used to routinely go and ask for this at Barnes and Noble and they never got it in. Now it's fairly steep, but I'd love to own a copy eventually. Scrooge is my favorite disney character.

 

[Mumei]

I read the first volume that the library had. It really is wonderful. I don't know that it is worth the asking price these days, but it might be for a real fan.

 

[Mesoian]

You know, I'm kind of amazed that after all this time, the closet we've ever gotten to an animated representation of Donald Duck and TLATOSMD is Ducktails. Now is the PERFECT time to make a comic authentic cartoon of Scrooge McDuck and Donald Duck, especially since every cartoon out there has to be marketed to both kids and adults in order to become successful.

I still remember a line from the old Scrooge Comics, "Work Smarter, Not Harder." Try to keep that with me when things get tough, but I'm such a dummy, I usually just brute force problems solved.

 

[Ledsen]

I own the first volume and it's glorious. I love the articles where Rosa talks about each chapter in detail and tells some pretty funny anecdotes. Here in Sweden we did properly appreciate Mr. Rosa for the genius that he is. If you didn't have a subscription to Donald Duck, you were nobody!

edit: wait the Boom prints are OOP? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I ONLY HAVE VOLUME ONE PLEASE REPRINT THEM THEY ARE REALLY HARD TO GET IN SWEDEN

 

[Dan]

I'm wrapping up the Companion right now actually. Great series, Don Rosa is amazing.

 

[aett]

I love Don Rosa's Duck comics so much. I bought two copies of the collected Life and Times and gave one to a friend, because when I was a kid I borrowed a few issues of the original comics from him and my baby brother ruined them.

One of the things I like most about the Life and Times comics is how Rosa does his best to stay true to both Barks' stories AND historical facts.

 

[GCX]

One of the things I like most about the Life and Times comics is how Rosa does his best to stay true to both Barks' stories AND historical facts.

Yeah, when you really think about it's pretty crazy how much time he spent on getting all the historical facts right in a comic about a fictional duck.

In some weird logic his Barks history combined with real life history makes perfect sense.

 

[Lord Error]

Truly great. I don't think anyone every brought that much heart and soul into a Disney comic as he did there, and I love how he stayed true to historical facts too. You could learn a thing or two there, if you're not familiar with early American history. One of the only Disney comics that would be interesting to read through for the first time as an adult, I'd say.

 

[Jintor]

\

This panel is amazing.

Clearly I need to read this book

 

[peakish]

Don Rosa is really good, although I prefer Barks by far - Rosa takes the stories a bit too seriously at times, while Barks always seems to have had a fine grasp of the balance between wacky and serious adventure. Of course, this takes nothing away from masterworks as The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck, Le Chevalier Noir, or The Quest for Kalevala. Two amazing creators.

Speaking of which, these last days I've been playing with the thought of buying a collection of Barks works, but they don't seem to be available anywhere anymore :/ Really makes me wish I had the money to pick up that stuff when it came as offers in our Donald Duck magazine as a kid.

 

[AAequal]

Can't get enough of Rosa. I sold my first edition and bought this (well so far I got sets 2/3, third one is out next month):

First set out of three (the complete Don Rosa collection).

Front:

Back:

The books:

There is so much extra between the pages, from interviews to suff like this:

I also have the 30 book Carl Barks collection (8000 pages!)

 

[GCX]

Can't get enough of Rosa. I sold my first edition and bought this (well so far I got sets 2/3, third one is out next month):

First set out of three (the complete Don Rosa collection).

I really really need to buy these sets sometime.

 

[AAequal]

I really really need to buy these sets sometime.

Well worth it. Pages after pages of original panel layouts, alternative plot lines, sketches and all kinds of neat extra. Don gives nice prologues for the stories too. I actually think you can get the Don Rosa sets fairly cheap in the future since the first print was rather large. As for Barks, not so cheap or easy, I hunted the Barks collection years until I got them all.

 

[Rebel Leader]

Nice! And a big influence on Tezuka apparently :
http://www.cracked.com/article_19021_5-amazing-things-invented-by-donald-duck-seriously_p2.html

oh god

 

[GCX]

Well worth it. Pages after pages of original panel layouts, alternative plot lines, sketches and all kinds of neat extra. I actually think you can get the Don Rosa sets fairly cheap in the future since the first print was rather large. As for Barks, not so cheap or easy, I hunted the Barks collection years until I got them all.

Thanks, I've always been fascinated by all the "behind-the-scenes" Rosa stuff.

 

[GCX]

Semi-bump because I know there's more to talk about!

 

[TheContact]

Romney McDuck

 

[Vesmir]

Apparently they forgot about this chapter.

 

[Hoo-doo]

This is my favorite comic series. Don Rosa is a goddamn genius, I could read these strips until the end of time.

 

[akenatone]

I loved these books when i was a kid. Read them in both english and french

 

[EVOL 100%]

Wow, art looks amazing and the premise is cool too.

 

[donkey show]

Nice! And a big influence on Tezuka apparently :
http://www.cracked.com/article_19021_5-amazing-things-invented-by-donald-duck-seriously_p2.html

So I can blame Scrooge for moeblobs?

Apparently they forgot about this chapter.

Holy shit. xD

 

[xeris]

I'll always be more of a Barks fan, but Life and Times is an amazing book.

 

[Zhengi]

I definitely loved reading that comic. Don Rosa and Carl Banks are amazing.

 

[EmSeta]

Yep, Don Rosa is indeed amazing. It's a shame he's not more well known in the US.

 

[shadyspace]

So is just good humor or is this one of those "surprisingly well done drama elements" things

 

[Lafazar]

So is just good humor or is this one of those "surprisingly well done drama elements" things

It's an amazingly well done balance between drama and humour without either overpowering the other. I have never seen this pulled off quite as well in any other medium.

 

[GCX]

It's an amazingly well done balance between drama and humour without either overpowering the other. I have never seen this pulled off quite as well in any other medium.

Pretty much. There are many drama elements..

...But it never takes too much space away from the action and humor. It's really well balanced.

 

[peakish]

I feel like I'm stealing the thread from Don Rosa now (although I'll say that I'm quite envious of a few of my friends who just got their copies of Life and Times signed by him as he visited Sweden on a book festival just a few weeks ago), but it kind of seems to be the thread for it: I mentioned that Barks books seemed hard to find, but there's a company called Fantagraphics who are releasing anthologies of them right now. I got my paws on the two they have released so far - they're lovely:

240 pages each, containing tons of stories. The Scrooge book seems to have the ones which inspired Don Rosa for Life and Times. Beautiful, muted colours and matte pages. I'll be following releases in the collection like a hawk (and possibly pick up their Gottfredson Mickey Mouse collections as well).

 

[Ledsen]

I feel like I'm stealing the thread from Don Rosa now (although I'll say that I'm quite envious of a few of my friends who just got their copies of Life and Times signed by him as he visited Sweden on a book festival just a few weeks ago), but it kind of seems to be the thread for it: I mentioned that Barks books seemed hard to find, but there's a company called Fantagraphics who are releasing anthologies of them right now. I got my paws on the two they have released so far - they're lovely:


240 pages each, containing tons of stories. The Scrooge book seems to have the ones which inspired Don Rosa for Life and Times. Beautiful, muted colours and matte pages. I'll be following releases in the collection like a hawk (and possibly pick up their Gottfredson Mickey Mouse collections as well).

Oh man, thanks! Just ordered these two, and apparently the third one is coming out next month? Will wrap them up and make them a nice Christmas present for myself

Also if you have ANY idea where I can get the second "Life and Times" book and the Companion in the BOOM! editions, please tell me... vill ha

 

[Uncle]

So is just good humor or is this one of those "surprisingly well done drama elements" things

As others have said, it's both. A really wonderful book.

Some people apparently don't like his art style, but I just love looking at it and just absorbing all the little details.

 

[Kenka]

One of my most favourite pieces of art ever. Right up there with sufi writings, H.C. Andersen, traditional indian music, Michael Jackson's albums and my favourite movies.


Don Rosa has wrapped the sweetness of God and all things good and printed it to let us have a glimpse of what true contentment is.

 

[Accoun]

Nice! And a big influence on Tezuka apparently :
http://www.cracked.com/article_19021_5-amazing-things-invented-by-donald-duck-seriously_p2.html

Mind blown. Seriously.
(and I don't even say this much)

 

[Jay Sosa]

What is it with Disney and availability of their products?

 

[CiSTM]

Pretty much. There are many drama elements..



...But it never takes too much space away from the action and humor. It's really well balanced.

Handling the

Spoiler

death of Scrooge's parents was absolutely brilliant.

I would have loved to see more story about Scrooge and Glittering Goldie.

What is it with Disney and availability of their products?

Rosa is such an unknown figure in US so I would guess tehre isn't much demand for new prints of his works. Not to mention he still have royalty disbutes with his publishers so I would assume that muddies the water even more.

 

[McNum]

Handling the

Spoiler

death of Scrooge's parents was absolutely brilliant.

I would have loved to see more story about Scrooge and Glittering Goldie.

I remember reading the page where

Spoiler

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,

Spoiler

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.

I think The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck iare some of the best comics ever. Some people say Watchmen, and I won't disagree, it's good, but I'm a Scrooge McDuck fan and this book is pretty much THE Scrooge McDuck book. Don Rosa's masterpiece, as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Vice]

I feel like I'm stealing the thread from Don Rosa now (although I'll say that I'm quite envious of a few of my friends who just got their copies of Life and Times signed by him as he visited Sweden on a book festival just a few weeks ago), but it kind of seems to be the thread for it: I mentioned that Barks books seemed hard to find, but there's a company called Fantagraphics who are releasing anthologies of them right now. I got my paws on the two they have released so far - they're lovely:


240 pages each, containing tons of stories. The Scrooge book seems to have the ones which inspired Don Rosa for Life and Times. Beautiful, muted colours and matte pages. I'll be following releases in the collection like a hawk (and possibly pick up their Gottfredson Mickey Mouse collections as well).

Sweet. Fantagraphics are a great company for classic comics. They put so much love into what they do. Their Mickey stuff is great.I wish they could release the Rosa stuff in the U.S.

 

[Jay Sosa]

Handling the

Spoiler

death of Scrooge's parents was absolutely brilliant.

I would have loved to see more story about Scrooge and Glittering Goldie.



Rosa is such an unknown figure in US so I would guess tehre isn't much demand for new prints of his works. Not to mention he still have royalty disbutes with his publishers so I would assume that muddies the water even more.

That sucks. Out of frustration I bought the companion and the (first) Donald book.

 

[BobbyRobby]

One of my favorite graphic novels. it's crazy how much care went into writing it and making sure it is based off the Barks stories.

 

[SirIgbyCeaser]

How did he get so rich?