The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck (Lo$)[1] 12-part comic book storyline 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). It follows the life of Scrooge McDuck from 1877 to 1947, the year of his real-life debut, working in almost every event about his past referenced in stories by Carl Barks.
Rosa earned the Will Eisner Award for Best Serialized Story in 1995 for this story.[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, and again under Fantagraphics Books.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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, who are under Donald's care. 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.[7][1]
Historical figures appearing in the work
Several notable historical figures appear in the series:
