tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5423579092779163824.post2169109128576851933..comments2024-03-02T16:36:54.324-05:00Comments on Duck Comics Revue: The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck, Chapter Five: "The New Laird of Castle McDuck"GeoX, one of the GeoX boys.http://www.blogger.com/profile/14658452994152399308noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5423579092779163824.post-10357795648977196962017-09-16T07:18:52.160-04:002017-09-16T07:18:52.160-04:00First I want to congratulate Jasper for recognizin...First I want to congratulate Jasper for recognizing that you write criticism. Very observant. <br /><br />Second, yeah, as cool as it was to see Scrooge's ancestors in the not-flesh, the first half of this story was approaching classic status until that point. It did give him a chance to draw that great panel of Scrooge beaten and soaked, though.<br />-RMEAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5423579092779163824.post-58351143891461149742015-07-15T11:17:10.892-04:002015-07-15T11:17:10.892-04:00The Ancestors never actually help him in any way, ...The Ancestors never actually help him in any way, you know. Since the villains would have already been put knock-out by Scrooge alone IF Quackly had not interfered, the fact that said Quackly and his pals try to mend the problem by defeating the villains themselves doesn't affect the idea that Scrooge won alone (since in the end, the two paths were leading to the same present). Achille Talonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11636339293230261724noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5423579092779163824.post-31349488673167946572011-12-18T13:30:01.997-05:002011-12-18T13:30:01.997-05:00I see what you mean, but I'm not really bother...I see what you mean, but I'm not really bothered by it. I think it's meant to emphasize the sort of Duck of Destiny thing of which Rosa is so enamored. That can be a little heavy-handed, but does "self-made duck" really imply that nobody ever helped him with anything in any way? It's not like his ancestors earn his fortune for him.GeoX, one of the GeoX boys.https://www.blogger.com/profile/14658452994152399308noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5423579092779163824.post-25164913565168909412011-12-18T13:18:39.170-05:002011-12-18T13:18:39.170-05:00Geo,
I have A MAJOR PROBLEM with the whole idea o...Geo,<br /><br />I have A MAJOR PROBLEM with the whole idea of Scrooge getting direct help from ghosts of McDucks past. I've mellowed a bit since I ranted about it in the pages of the APA WTFB (RIP), but it's still an irritant. Doesn't it totally fly in the face of Scrooge, the self-made duck??<br /><br />ChrisChris Barathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06845538037091279990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5423579092779163824.post-84156281502126366802011-12-15T13:29:59.331-05:002011-12-15T13:29:59.331-05:00Thanks!Thanks!GeoX, one of the GeoX boys.https://www.blogger.com/profile/14658452994152399308noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5423579092779163824.post-81177773542302587532011-12-15T13:15:59.108-05:002011-12-15T13:15:59.108-05:00"Not knocking the movie at all, which I'v..."Not knocking the movie at all, which I've never seen--just questioning the relevance of the anecdote."<br /><br />No offense intended, just recommending a movie!<br /><br />btw, this is a great blog. I'm new to duck comics, so this blog has been invaluable.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5423579092779163824.post-71435947510976021612011-12-14T20:05:26.217-05:002011-12-14T20:05:26.217-05:00I love this chapter, and I think Rosa was correct ...I love this chapter, and I think Rosa was correct in his opinion (stated I don't remember where) that it works very well as a stand-alone story. I enjoy the comedy in the afterlife segment. The reason for the decision to give Scrooge another chance did amuse me and didn't bother me, perhaps because I have a Scottish-American friend who *is* a cheap penny-pincher and *is* proud of it! (Though he is generous in non-monetary ways.) I realize that the stingy/cheap Scot is a cultural stereotype, but perhaps there is indeed a cultural value of thrift which is parodied by that stereotype. This is why I am not bothered by the line in Micro-Ducks, where Scrooge looks at the MDs' money through a microscope and observes: "Now, isn't that the cutest stuff! Gold coins no bigger than a Scotchman's tip!" (Though someone saw this as a problematic stereotype, since it was changed for publication in one of the comic book printings. My view is, even if it is a stereotype that parodies a positive cultural trait, Scrooge is Scottish himself, not to mention averse to tipping, and thus gets to make fun of the Scottish stereotype.) That line does show that Barks sees thrift/stinginess as a general trait of Scots.<br /><br />I like to think that the female McDuck ancestors just choose to do something more interesting in the afterlife than play golf. <br /><br />As for the rainbow...I like it, too, and the "another rainbow" reference. Symbolizes for me my never-say-die hopes over the years that there will continue to be decent Disney comics published in the USA. But when I first saw that panel, it immediately looked wrong, because I know that a rainbow is always opposite the sun in the sky (and because one is never standing at one end, which is why one can never find the leprechauns' gold). This is what Rosa figured out after the fact, and why he's embarrassed about the panel in retrospect. But maybe one can see it as symbolic of the fact that Scrooge *will* find the pot of gold!Elainenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5423579092779163824.post-69309130177014690562011-12-14T17:15:17.101-05:002011-12-14T17:15:17.101-05:00Not knocking the movie at all, which I've neve...Not knocking the movie at all, which I've never seen--just questioning the relevance of the anecdote.GeoX, one of the GeoX boys.https://www.blogger.com/profile/14658452994152399308noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5423579092779163824.post-59058896548222610852011-12-14T17:03:13.568-05:002011-12-14T17:03:13.568-05:00"Another thing Rosa does in the commentary is..."Another thing Rosa does in the commentary is expend a LOT of space telling an incredibly pointless story about how he vaguely remembered seeing a movie that seemed relevant to this installment, but he couldn't find it on video anywhere, and he searched and searched, and finally he found a copy, and it provided no inspiration for the story. Riveting!"<br /><br />He was talking about the Powell and Pressburger classic "A Matter of Life and Death," and while it may be a bit obscure in the states it's an enshrined classic in its native Britain, where the Powell & Pressburger team hold a place in cinema culture like Hitchcock, Frank Capra, and Steven Spielberg rolled into one!<br /><br />It's a really brilliant film, but Black Narcissus and The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (also by this team) might be better.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5423579092779163824.post-64480128706191082382011-12-14T14:47:39.863-05:002011-12-14T14:47:39.863-05:00It's not the NAME that's the slip-up; it&#...It's not the NAME that's the slip-up; it's that Rosa has the character doing things at a point AFTER his death in "Back to Long Ago." <br /><br />You make very interesting points, reviewordie.GeoX, one of the GeoX boys.https://www.blogger.com/profile/14658452994152399308noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5423579092779163824.post-31056667113792234922011-12-14T13:31:06.326-05:002011-12-14T13:31:06.326-05:00We got very different things from this chapter, si...We got very different things from this chapter, sir. :) I found the whole sword fight to be interesting, but the golf scene in the afterlife to be absolutely fascinating, and one of my favorite parts! To me, it's interesting that despite the pain involved in his life to get where he ends up, that we see in multiple chapters that Scrooge is in some way bound by destiny, and how the world DOES hand things to him... easy ways out, comfort, love, but he abandons them because of the ethos HE feels the world should work on. How easy would it be for Scrooge to end up rich as can be, if only he were to take the easiest ways out? Stay at home and be a reputable local businessman, take the gold bullion, be a cattle ranch manager, own the Anaconda Copper Mine... among others you haven't covered yet. <br /><br />Just my opinion, of course. :) I prefer character/treasure hunt stories to straight comedy or straight action and that colors me! Looking forward to your review of the most... Odd chapter of the saga.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5423579092779163824.post-30709089580890342812011-12-14T13:03:50.453-05:002011-12-14T13:03:50.453-05:00Again with the critical eye. I rather enjoyed the ...Again with the critical eye. I rather enjoyed the jaunt into the afterlife, if only for the one panel at the end where Scrooge is unscrewing his armor at the bottom of the moat. I wouldn't say the Malcolm/Matey issue is really a "slip-up" on Rosa's part, he just "retconned" Barks' name into a nickname because he thought it was too informal, much like the Uncle Pothole/Angus deal. <br />Not to come across as completely defensive (too late, I know), I'm willing to bet that real swordfights in massive suits of armor look even more robotic. But these are ducks we're talking about.Jasper Y.https://www.blogger.com/profile/11494710356101531230noreply@blogger.com