The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck is a revisionist comic book story by Don Rosa about Scrooge McDuck. Originally, the story had twelve chapters totalling 212 pages. Since then, there have been additional chapters, and the original stories have also been slightly expanded and tweaked in later releases. 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.
Most of the chapters were released in the United States in issues of Uncle Scrooge, and in many Disney publications in Europe. Don Rosa received the Will Eisner Award for this work in 1995. The trade paperback collection was also a top votegetter for the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Reprint Graphic Novel/Album for 1997.
Chapter list[]
Note: Chapters Zero, and all "in-between" chapters with halves in the numbers were not included in the softcover collection in North America. These chapters were later reprinted in a separate book published by Gemstone, titled The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck Companion.
| Cover art | # | Chapter Title | Pages | Story code | First publication in United States |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | 0 | Of Ducks, Dimes and Destinies | 15 | D 91249 | Uncle Scrooge #297 |
| Magica De Spell travels back in time to 1877 to steal Scrooge's Number One Dime before he earns it. | |||||
 |
1 | The Last of the Clan McDuck | 15 | D 91308 | Uncle Scrooge #285 |
| The story take place between 1877-1880. As a child, Scrooge comes in conflict with The Whiskervilles, earns his Number One Dime and heads for the United States on a cattle boat. | |||||
 |
2 | The Master of the Mississippi | 28 | D 91411 | Uncle Scrooge #286 |
| The story take place between 1880-1882. Scrooge works for his Uncle Angus "Pothole" McDuck and has his first encounter with Blackheart Beagle and his sons, the Beagle Boys. | |||||
 |
3 | The Buckaroo of the Badlands | 15 | D 92008 | Uncle Scrooge #287 |
| The story take place between 1882-1883. Scrooge becomes a cowboy and winds up having to recover a prize bull for his boss Murdo MacKenzie and meets future President Theodore Roosevelt while doing so. Scrooge suggests that Roosevelt take up politics. | |||||
 |
3B | The Cowboy Captain of the Cutty Sark | 24 | D 98045 | Uncle Scrooge #318 |
| The story take place in 1883. Scrooge imports some cattle to Indonesia but encounters a thief and meets his old friend Ratchet Gearloose from his Riverboat days. | |||||
 |
4 | Raider of the Copper Hill | 15 | D 92083 | Uncle Scrooge #288 |
| The story take place between 1883-1885. Scrooge takes some prospecting lessons from Howard Rockerduck and almost takes over The Anaconda Copper Mine of Butte, Montana from Marcus Daly. | |||||
 |
5 | The New Laird of Castle McDuck | 15 | D 92191 | Uncle Scrooge #289 |
| The story take place in 1885. Scrooge returns to Scotland to save Castle McDuck from being bought by The Whiskervilles. | |||||
 |
6 | The Terror of the Transvaal | 12 | D 92273 | Uncle Scrooge #290 |
| The story take place between 1886-1889. Scrooge goes to the South African Republic where he first encounters Flintheart Glomgold. | |||||
 |
6B | The Vigilante of Pizen Bluff | 24 | D 96089 | Uncle Scrooge #306 |
| The story take place in 1890. Scrooge returns to the United States and joins with Phineas Taylor Barnum, Angus McDuck, Geronimo, Buffalo Bill, Annie Oakley in a mission of recovering money stolen from the Dalton Gang. | |||||
 |
7 | Dreamtime Duck of the Never-Never | 15 | D 92314 | Uncle Scrooge #291 |
| The story take place between 1893-1896. Scrooge goes to Australia and learns about the Dreamtime. | |||||
 |
8 | King of the Klondike | 24 | D 92514 | Uncle Scrooge #292 |
| The story take place between 1896-1897. Scrooge finally goes to The Yukon, participating in the Klondike Gold Rush, and strikes some gold, but not before being kidnapped by crooked profiteer Soapy Slick. | |||||
 |
8B | The Prisoner of White Agony Creek | 33 | D 2005-061 | The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck Companion |
| The story take place in 1897. Scrooge takes Goldie O'Gilt to his property and makes her dig for gold. This was shown in the uncensored Barks-classic "Back to the Klondike". | |||||
 |
8C | Hearts of the Yukon | 24 | D 95044 | Walt Disney Giant #1 |
| The story take place in 1898. Scrooge is falsely accused of tracking mud in Dawson. He plans to clear his name by any means and thinks that Glittering Goldie O'Gilt is the one that framed him. | |||||
 |
9 | The Billionaire of Dismal Downs | 15 | D 93121 | Uncle Scrooge #293 |
| The story take place between 1898-1902. After becoming a billionaire, Scrooge goes back to Scotland only to realize that he doesn't really belong there anymore. | |||||
 |
10 | The Invader of Fort Duckburg | 15 | D 93227 | Uncle Scrooge #294 |
| The story take place in 1902. Scrooge and his sisters move to Duckburg, Calisota, USA and meet The Duck family and the founding three members of The Junior Woodchucks. Scrooge has his first run in with The Beagle Boys since his riverboat days and is reacquainted to President Theodore Roosevelt. | |||||
 |
10B | The Sharpie of the Culebra Cut | 26 | F PM 01201 | Uncle Scrooge #332 |
| The story take place in 1906. Scrooge and his sisters Matilda McDuck and Hortense McDuck are prospecting for gold in Panama. Their search inadvertently interferes with the construction of the Panama Canal and President Roosevelt is on a mission to resolve this problem. | |||||
 |
11 | The Empire-Builder from Calisota | 24 | D 93288 | Uncle Scrooge #295 |
| The story take place between 1909-1930. Scrooge goes around the world making all kinds of business deals, notably including forcing the Voodoo tribe of sorcerer Foola Zoola off their land and burning their village out of lust for money. In revenge, the sorcerer curses him to be constantly haunted by Bombie the Zombie. He realizes the mistake that he has done and feels bad, returns to Duckburg and first meets his ten-year-old nephew Donald Duck, along with his twin sister Della Thelma Duck. On the same day, he loses contact with his family and becomes the richest duck in the world.
Note: As of 2023, this story has now been removed from circulation, despite it being part of this 12-chapter storyline. | |||||
 |
12 | The Richest Duck in the World | 16 | D 93488 | Uncle Scrooge #296 |
| The story take place in 1947 on Christmas Day, between the last two pages of Scrooge's debut story, "Christmas on Bear Mountain". After 17 years of having lost contact with his family, Scrooge invites Donald and Huey, Dewey, and Louie to Christmas Dinner. He introduces them to his old Money Bin, and the new generation of Beagle Boys also introduce themselves. | |||||
Scrooge McDuck (unofficial) timeline according to the series[]
- 1867: Scrooge was born in Glasgow, Scotland, to Fergus McDuck and Downy O'Drake. He would have two younger sisters, namely Matilda McDuck and Hortense McDuck.
- 1877: Scrooge becomes a shoe polisher, but his first customer fools him and pays him with an American dime. He keeps the dime he cannot spend as his symbol of success.
- 1880: Scrooge emigrates to the United States. He first meets his uncle, Mississippi riverboater Angus "Pothole" McDuck, and the Beagle Boys, a family of outlaws that remain his enemies for the rest of his life.
- 1882: His uncle retires and leaves his riverboat, named Dilly Dollar, to Scrooge. The Beagle Boys destroy the riverboat in an act of revenge. Scrooge decides to try his luck in the American West and later in the year gets hired as a cowboy by cattle baron Murdo MacKenzie (an actual historical figure, one of the many that Scrooge met).
- 1883: Scrooge becomes a miner searching for silver and copper.
- 1885: Scrooge's father calls his son back to Scotland on an important family matter. Just a week before he leaves he meets and befriends the millionaire Howard Rockerduck, who had become rich in the California gold rush of 1849. He also meets Howard's seven-year-old spoiled son John Rockerduck, who will grow up to become one of Scrooge's main rivals.
- 1886–1889: Scrooge searches for gold in South Africa. During his first year there he saves the life of a duck about his age named Flintheart Glomgold, though Scrooge learns his name more than half a century later. A little later they become bitter enemies, and remain as such for the rest of their lives. Glomgold later became the second richest duck in the world.
- 1889–1893: Scrooge returns to the United States to search for gold. He meets many famous historical figures but his search fails.
- 1893–1896: Scrooge goes to Australia to search for gold but his search again fails.
- 1896–1899: Scrooge searches for gold in the Klondike. During his years there he meets the saloon owner, singer and occasional thief "Glittering" Goldie O'Gilt. He carries a love/hate relationship with her for the rest of his life. His search for gold succeeds.
- 1897: Scrooge's mother Downy O'Drake dies in Dismal Downs.
- 1899–1902: Scrooge becomes a millionaire and buys a bank. He starts building a small financial empire; by 1902 he has become a billionaire.
- 1902: Scrooge returns to Scotland to get his sisters Matilda McDuck and Hortense McDuck to come to America with him. Also in 1902, Scrooge's father Fergus McDuck dies, aged 67, in Dismal Downs. Scrooge, Matilda and Hortense are the last of the McDuck clan. Scrooge settles in the small village of Duckburg, Calisota, USA, which he chose as his home base.
- 1909–1930: While his sisters remain in Duckburg and run his empire, Scrooge travels the world expanding his empire in every continent.
- 1930: Scrooge becomes the richest duck in the world, but a fight with his family leaves him with no contact with them for the next seventeen years. Note that during this year he met his ten-year-old nephew Donald Fauntleroy Duck and his nephew's twin sister Della for the first time.
- 1942: Scrooge feels depressed and tired and decides to retire.
- 1947-today: Scrooge meets his nephew Donald Duck again and his grandnephews, Della's children, Huey, Dewey, and Louie. He decides to become active again and soon a circle of activities whirl around him as he attracts the attention of relatives, old and new enemies and friends.
Legacy[]
In 2014, Finnish composer Tuomas Holopainen released a concept album based on the comic, titled Music Inspired by The Life and Times of Scrooge. Don Rosa illustrated the cover artwork for the album.
The showrunners of the 2017 DuckTales reboot were greatly inspired by The Life and Times of Scrooge in terms of tone and Scrooge's characterization and made it required reading for all writers on the show. Ironically, the show would have a lot of changes from the story, most notably having Fergus and Downy alive in the present and giving Flintheart Glomgold (now given the real name "Duke Baloney") a new backstory.
Cover gallery[]
.jpg "Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck (Fantagraphics).jpg (2.88 MB)")
.jpg "Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck Companion (Fantagraphics).jpg (392 KB)")
Collections[]
- The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck, Gemstone Publishing, ISBN 0-911903-96-8 (only includes parts #1-12).
- The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck Companion, Gemstone Publishing, ISBN 1-888472-40-5 (has parts #0, 3B, 6B, 8B, 8C, 10B, "Dreams of a Lifetime" and part of "Last Sled to Dawson").
References[]
Rosa, D. (2007). Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck. Gladstone Pub.
External links[]
v - e - d  | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|