The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck

The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck (Lo$)[1] is a serial of 12 comic book stories written and drawn by Don Rosa, lettered by Todd Klein (American editions),[2] first published by the Danish publisher Egmont in the magazine Anders And & Co. from 1992–94 and later in English in Uncle Scrooge #285 through #296 (1994–96). The stories chronicle the in-universe biography of Scrooge McDuck before his introduction in 1947. The stories were later collected and published together in a single volume. Rosa later published additional stories which expanded on Scrooge's biography. These were released as The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck Companion.

"The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck"
Cover of the collected edition published by Gemstone Publishing in 2005.
PublisherFirst: Egmont Publishing - First US: Gladstone Publishing
Publication dateFirst: 1992-1994 (Egmont) - First US: 1994-1996 (Gladstone Publishing)
GenreAdventure
Anthropomorphic animals
Main character(s)Scrooge McDuck
Creative team
Writer(s)Don Rosa
Artist(s)Don Rosa
Letterer(s)Todd Klein (US edition)

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 for Best Serialized Story in 1995 for this work.[3] 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. After being out of print for several years with high demand, the book was reprinted under the BOOM! Studios label in two deluxe hardcover volumes.

The Finnish composer Tuomas Holopainen released a concept album based on the book, titled Music Inspired by the Life and Times of Scrooge. Don Rosa illustrated the cover artwork for the album.[4]

Chapter list

Note: Chapters Zero, and all "in-between" chapters with B or C added to the numbers are 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.

The 12 original chapters

Part # Chapter Title Pages Story code First publication in United States
1The Last of the Clan McDuck15D 91308 at InducksUncle Scrooge #285
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.
2The Master of the Mississippi28D 91411 at InducksUncle Scrooge #286
1880-1882 The story takes place between 1880 and 1882. Scrooge works for his Uncle Angus "Pothole" McDuck and has his first encounter with Blackheart Beagle and his sons, the Beagle Boys.
3The Buckaroo of the Badlands15D 92008 at InducksUncle Scrooge #287
1882-1883 Scrooge becomes a cowboy and winds up having to recover a prize bull for his boss Murdo MacKenzie, then meeting future President Theodore Roosevelt while doing so.
4Raider of the Copper Hill15D 92083 at InducksUncle Scrooge #288
1883-1885 Scrooge takes some prospecting lessons from Howard Rockerduck and almost takes over the Anaconda Copper Mine of Butte, Montana from Marcus Daly.
5The New Laird of Castle McDuck15D 92191 at InducksUncle Scrooge #289
1885 The story takes place in 1885. Scrooge returns to Scotland to save Castle McDuck from being bought by the Whiskervilles.
6The Terror of the Transvaal12D 92273 at InducksUncle Scrooge #290
1886-1889 Scrooge goes to the South African Republic, where he first encounters Flintheart Glomgold.
7Dreamtime Duck of the Never-Never15D 92314 at InducksUncle Scrooge #291
1893-1896 Scrooge goes to Australia and learns about the Dreamtime.
8King of the Klondike24D 92514 at InducksUncle Scrooge #292
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 gambler Soapy Slick.
9The Billionaire of Dismal Downs15D 93121 at InducksUncle Scrooge #293
1898-1902 After becoming a billionaire, Scrooge goes back to Scotland only to realize that he doesn't really belong there anymore, and so returns to the United States, accompanied by his sisters Matilda and Hortense.
10The Invader of Fort Duckburg15D 93227 at InducksUncle Scrooge #294
1902 Scrooge and his sisters move to Duckburg, Calisota, United States 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 with President Theodore Roosevelt.
11The Empire-Builder from Calisota24D 93288 at InducksUncle Scrooge #295
1909-1930 Scrooge goes around the world building his financial empire, notably including forcing the Voodoo tribe of sorcerer Foola Zoola off their land. In revenge, the sorcerer curses him to be constantly haunted by Bombie the Zombie. He returns to Duckburg and first meets his ten-year-old nephew and niece, twins Donald and Della Duck. On the same day, he loses contact with his family and becomes the richest duck in the world.
12The Richest Duck in the World16D 93488 at InducksUncle Scrooge #296
1947 The story takes place in 1947 on Christmas Day. After 17 years of having lost contact with his family, Scrooge invites Donald and his grandnephews to Christmas dinner. He introduces them to his old Money Bin, and the new generation of Beagle Boys also introduce themselves.

The additional "in-between" stories

Part # Chapter Title Pages Story code First publication in United States
0Of Ducks, Dimes and Destinies15D 91249 at InducksUncle Scrooge #297
1877 Magica De Spell travels back in time to steal Scrooge's Number One Dime before he earns it.
3BThe Cowboy Captain of the Cutty Sark24D 98045 at InducksUncle Scrooge #318
1883 Scrooge imports cattle to the Dutch East Indies (present Indonesia) aboard the Cutty Sark but encounters a thief and meets his old friend Ratchet Gearloose from his Riverboat days, who helps the Cutty Sark survive the eruption of Krakatoa.
6BThe Vigilante of Pizen Bluff24D 96089 at InducksUncle Scrooge #306
1890 Scrooge returns to the United States and joins with Phineas Taylor Barnum, his Uncle Pothole, Geronimo, Buffalo Bill, and Annie Oakley on a mission to recover stolen money from the Dalton Gang.
8BThe Prisoner of White Agony Creek33D 2005-061 at InducksThe Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck Companion
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".
8CHearts of the Yukon24D 95044 at InducksWalt Disney Giant #1
1898 Scrooge is falsely accused to the Mounties 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.
10BThe Sharpie of the Culebra Cut26F PM 01201 at InducksUncle Scrooge #332
1906 Scrooge and his sisters, Matilda and Hortense McDuck, are prospecting for gold in Panama. Their search inadvertently interferes with the construction of the Panama Canal, at the same time President Roosevelt is visiting the country to oversee the project.

Scrooge McDuck timeline according to Rosa

  • 1867: Scrooge was born in Glasgow, Scotland to Fergus McDuck and Downy O'Drake. He would have two younger sisters, namely Matilda McDuck (born in 1871) and Hortense McDuck (born in 1876).
  • 1877: Scrooge, age 10, goes into business with a shoeshine kit that Fergus built for him, but his first customer fools him and pays him with an American dime (which was actually a plan of his father's). He keeps the dime he cannot spend as his symbol of success.
  • 1880: Scrooge, age 13, 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, now 15 years old. 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, age 16, 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 D. Rockerduck, who will grow up to become one of Scrooge's main rivals.
  • 1886–1889: Scrooge, age 19–22, searches for gold in South Africa (during the Witwatersrand Gold Rush). 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, age 22–26, returns to the United States to search for gold, most notably near Pizen Bluff, Arizona. He meets many famous historical figures but his search fails.
  • 1893–1896: Scrooge, age 26–29, goes to Coolgardie, Western Australia to search for gold but his search again fails.
  • 1896–1899: Scrooge, age 29–32, 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, aged 57, in Dismal Downs. Scrooge is now 30.
  • 1899–1902: Scrooge, at 32, becomes a millionaire and buys a bank in Whitehorse, Yukon. He starts building a small financial empire; by 1902, at 35, he has become a billionaire.
  • 1902: Scrooge, age 35, returns to Scotland intending to make Castle McDuck at Dismal Downs the heart of his empire, but he soon finds local culture too stagnant and decides to return to America. His sisters Matilda McDuck and Hortense McDuck go 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, United States, which he chose as his home base.
  • 1909–1930: While his sisters remain in Duckburg and run his empire, Scrooge, age 42–63, travels the world expanding his empire in every continent.
  • 1930: Scrooge, at 63, 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 Duck and his nephew's twin sister Della Duck for the first time. (It was possibly the only time Scrooge met his niece Della, ignoring the girl completely.)
  • 1942: Scrooge, age 75, feels depressed and tired and decides to retire.
  • 1947: Scrooge, age 80, meets his nephew Donald Duck, now age 27, as well as his grandnephews, Della's children, Huey, Dewey, and Louie Duck. 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.
  • 1955: Scrooge, age 88, is reunited and reconciled with his sister Matilda, thanks to Donald (In the story "A Letter From Home").
  • 1967: According to Don Rosa's unofficial timeline, Scrooge McDuck died at the age of 100 years after a life of adventure.[5][6]

Historical figures appearing in the work

Several notable historical figures appear in the series:

Other notable historical figures mentioned include:

Collected editions

Collections
Publication date Title Publisher Format Number of volumes Included content Reproduction ISBN INDUCKS link
1996The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuckGladstone PublishingDeluxe album

8.75 × 11.25 inches
223 × 286 mm
1Chapter 1 - 12Color?
July 2005 - September 2006The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck[7][8]Gemstone PublishingSoftcover

6.5 × 10.1 inches
165 × 257 mm
2Vol .1 - Chapter 1 - 12
Vol. 2 - Companion chapters
ColorVol. 1 0-911903-96-8
Vol. 2 1-888472-40-5
Vol. 1
Vol. 2
March 2010 - December 2010The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck[9][10]BOOM! StudiosHardcover

7 × 10.5 inches
178 × 267 mm
3Vol. 1 - Chapter 1 - 6
Vol. 2 - Chapter 7 - 12
Vol. 3 - Companion chapters
ColorVol. 1 978-1-60886-538-3
Vol. 2 978-1-60886-542-0
Vol. 3 978-1-60886-653-3
Vol. 1
Vol. 2
Vol. 3
June 24, 2015[11]The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck Artist's Edition[12]IDW PublishingHardcover

14 × 22 inches
356 × 559 mm
2(3)Vol. 1 - Chapter 1 - 6
Vol. 2 - Chapter 7 - 12
Full color scans of original Black-and-white artworkVol. 1 978-1-63140-301-9
Vol. 2 978-1-68405-384-1
Vol. 1
Vol. 2
April 9, 2019 - October 29, 2019The Complete Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck[13][14]Fantagraphics BooksHardcover

8.5 × 11 inches
216 × 279 mm
2Vol. 1 - Chapter 1 - 12

Vol. 2 - Companion chapters
+ Last Sled to Dawson,
The Dream of a Lifetime,
Of Ducks and Dimes and Destinies,
A Letter From Home
ColorVol. 1 978-1-68396-174-1
Vol. 2 978-1-68396-253-3
Set (Vol. 1+2) 978-1-68396-254-0
Vol. 1
Vol. 2

References

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