The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck

The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck Collected Edition cover. Art by Don Rosa.

The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck is a serial of 12 comic book stories written and drawn by Don Rosa and first published 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 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 1997 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.

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.^[1]

Chapter list

Note: Chapters Zero, and all "in-between" chapters with halves in 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.

Part #	Chapter Title	Pages	Story code	First publication in United States
0	Of Ducks, Dimes and Destinies	15	D 91249 at the INDUCKS	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 at the INDUCKS	Uncle Scrooge #285
The story takes 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 at the INDUCKS	Uncle Scrooge #286
The story takes 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 at the INDUCKS	Uncle Scrooge #287
The story takes 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 at the INDUCKS	Uncle Scrooge #318
The story takes place in 1883. Scrooge imports some cattle to Dutch East Indies (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.
4	Raider of the Copper Hill	15	D 92083 at the INDUCKS	Uncle Scrooge #288
The story takes 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 at the INDUCKS	Uncle Scrooge #289
The story takes 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 at the INDUCKS	Uncle Scrooge #290
The story takes 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 at the INDUCKS	Uncle Scrooge #306
The story takes place in 1890. Scrooge returns to the United States and joins with Phineas Taylor Barnum, Angus McDuck, Geronimo, Buffalo Bill and Annie Oakley in a mission of recovering money stolen from the Dalton Gang.
7	Dreamtime Duck of the Never-Never	15	D 92314 at the INDUCKS	Uncle Scrooge #291
The story takes place between 1893–1896. Scrooge goes to Australia and learns about the Dreamtime.
8	King of the Klondike	24	D 92514 at the INDUCKS	Uncle Scrooge #292
The story takes 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 at the INDUCKS	The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck Companion
The story takes 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 at the INDUCKS	Walt Disney Giant #1
The story takes 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 at the INDUCKS	Uncle Scrooge #293
The story takes 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 at the INDUCKS	Uncle Scrooge #294
The story takes place in 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 to President Theodore Roosevelt.
10B	The Sharpie of the Culebra Cut	26	F PM 01201 at the INDUCKS	Uncle Scrooge #332
The story takes 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 at the INDUCKS	Uncle Scrooge #295
The story takes 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. 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 Donald Duck, along with his twin sister Della Duck. On the same day, he loses contact with his family and becomes the richest duck in the world.
12	The Richest Duck in the World	16	D 93488 at the INDUCKS	Uncle Scrooge #296
The story takes place in 1947 on Christmas Day. 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 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 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, 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, goes to Australia to search for gold but his search again fails.
• 1896–1899: Scrooge, age 29, 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.
• 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 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, United States, 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, 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.^[2][3]

Historical Figures

Several notable historical figures appear in the series:

• Murdo MacKenzie: cattle baron
• Theodore Roosevelt
• Jesse James
• Jack London
• Royal Canadian Mounted Police Colonel Sam Steele
• Phineas Taylor Barnum
• Geronimo
• Buffalo Bill
• Annie Oakley
• The Dalton Gang
• Marcus Daly
• John Jacob Astor IV

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").
• The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck, BOOM! Studios, ISBN 978-1-60886-538-3 (volume 1), ISBN 978-1-60886-542-0 (volume 2) and ISBN 978-1-60886-653-3 (companion)

References

1. "Lords of Metal interview with Tuomas Holopainen". lordsofmetal.nl. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
2. Don Rosa's drawing of Scrooge's grave at the INDUCKS
3. Don Rosa's unofficial list of birth and death dates of the Ducks, Coots and McDucks

External links

• The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck at the INDUCKS
• The Making of The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck