cover image The Don Rosa Library Volume 1: Uncle Scrooge and Donald Duck The Son of the Sun

The Don Rosa Library Volume 1: Uncle Scrooge and Donald Duck The Son of the Sun

Don Rosa. Fantagraphics, $29.99 (208p) ISBN 978-1-60699-742-0

When Rosa began creating Uncle Scrooge comics in 1987, his work instilled childish wonder in readers. Disney comics had entirely disappeared from circulation, and those that had just preceded the fall had become completely hackneyed%E2%80%94rife with repeating storylines and drab artwork. But under Rosa's creative flair, a zippy, glamorous franchise suddenly appeared, with riveting stories and detailed yet kinetic artwork. While remaining totally true to Scrooge McDuck's ornery persona, Rosa turned the moody miser into a plucky adventurer worthy of Tintin. The billed billionaire, in Rosa's hands, seemed to overpower his own Disney persona and become a full-fledged character. For instance, "Last Sled to Dawson" is a romantic, evocative depiction of the untamed Klondike. Explaining the how and why of young prospector Scrooge's transformation into "Unca Scrooge," this origin tale isn't just bursting with intricate plot twists and flashbacks, it provides new insights into Scrooge's complexity and humanity. Every chapter is a romp, from the Indiana Jones-inspired title story, which pits Scrooge and his enterprising junior woodchucks against his arch nemesis Flintheart Glomgold, to the zany "Mythological Menagerie." (Nov.)