Disney LongBox Reviews Uncle Scrooge #15
SCROOGE’S LAST ADVENTURE PART 3 of 4
FROM TOPOLINO #2987 (2013)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: ITALY
FIRST TIME PUBLISHED IN NORTH AMERICA
The last time we left off Scrooge and the gang ,they were heading down towards the centre of the Earth to reach the gates of Pluto. The Council of Dark Magic awaits them ,angered that Magica had dared entered their domain as a pure fairy and brought mortals with her.
Scrooge tells the three witches that he did not come back for his fortune to restore his wealth ,but rather to use it to save Duckburg from Glomgold and Rockerduck. He demands that Magica is re-given her powers to bring back his fortune from the dark dimension she locked it in back in Uncle Scrooge #13.
The witches explain that Magica’s spell did not work due to Scrooge no longer being rich at the time of her ritual. Scrooge then informs the witches that his estate loss took a long time to deplete his fortune then states that for an item ( his cubic acres of cash) to be stolen,it must be in new hands yet it is still in the dark dimension ,hence still his. Scrooge gives one last chance to restore Magica’s power since an act of kindness would boost their overall popularity since it would show they are wise and fair.
Meanwhile back in Duckburg ,Glomgold and Rockerduck are holding a press conference to announce their plans to tear down Killmotor Hill and make a luxurious shopping mall over it called Killwallet Gardens. Glomgold also announces he will open one of his environmental plants as part of the Rockerglom Consortium. A name that Flintheart is not happy about ,could this be a sign this alliance is in trouble ?
The witches ,after a long discussion gives Magica her powers back and proceeds to do her end of the bargain and return the lost fortune to Scrooge. But there’s a teeny tiny problem ,the fortune went to Scrooge’s bin …. which he no longer owns. Scrooge is devastated at this realization and goes mental since the spell cannot be cancelled.
Scrooge jumps down the gorge since Magica dropped the number one dime on the ground earlier during the discussion ,causing it to roll in the gorge. Donald and Magica are too afraid to go so Scrooge hops in alone before a guilt driven Donald soon joins in. What they discover inside will delight many Carl Barks fans.
That’s right ,the Terry Fermians have returned from the good old days as they had previously moved due to the ducks ruining their games in the mentioned classic adventure. It seems they’re having another problem ,this time with pollution and giant moles. Scrooge decides to go investigate since he noticed the moles are actually giant robots.
The Terry Fermians explain the holes they come out of are from various countries such as Italy , Sweden and the biggest one of them all is South Africa, we all know which tycoon duck lives in South Africa don’t we ? His hunch is correct as it turns out rather than disposing of the waste properly, Glomgold has just been dumping it into the Earth’s core.
He decides enough is enough as Scrooge informs the Terry Fermians to no longer attack the robots as if they were animals but to find a new way instead. One of the Terry’s decides to roll onto Donald to propel him onto one of the Mechamoles. Donald manages to disable it and Scrooge is rewarded for saving the day. The Terry’s actually give him back the hat Scrooge lost back in the 1950s during their previous adventure underground.
The two ducks soon return outside of Duckburg ,realizing they are near Grandma’s farm as they dashed over to see if everyone is alright. To their shock ,Scrooge’s fortune has been teleported to the farm since the spell considered it as his current home. The gang soon start cleaning it all up hiding it wherever they could.
Scrooge soon gathers everyone to discuss using the money towards a plan to get rid of Glomgold and Rockerduck once and for all from Duckburg. What is that plan ? We will have to find in next month’s conclusion to the story.
DISNEY’S UNCLE RUMPUS- THE STICK UP
FROM DONALD DUCK AND CO #9 (2010)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: NORWAY
FIRST TIME PUBLISHED IN NORTH AMERICA
Rumpus McDuck ( Scrooge’s brother) is on Money Bin Babysitting Duty while Scrooge and his nephews are yet on another globe trotting adventure. To cure him of his boredom and achieve fame,he tries to find a gimmick to use alongside a new slogan for McDuck Syrup’s latest contest. He decides to make giant syrup balls. He orders three hundred gallons of syrup ,thirty six rubber bags and one megaphone for his latest get rich quick scheme.
At the same time, those dastardly Beagle Boys are taking advantage of Scrooge’s absence to attack the bin. The brothers don police uniforms to pose as extra security to secure the bin from potential thieves. The next morning, they arrive at the bin to carry on their plan but old Rumpus is on the roof to demonstrate his Syrup Balls.
Will Rumpus end up winning the contest ? Will the Beagle Boys manage to fool him ? You have to read the story yourself to find out.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
LAST ADVENTURE 3:
Yet another fascinating entry in this short saga from Italian artist Alessandro Perina. Very lovely sketches along with detailed colours and inks, this shows how beautiful the newer Disney comics can be at times. I did like the return of the Terry Fermians in this comic as their part felt like an entirely separate comic compared to what happened with Magica and the sorceresses earlier. Though one complaint I do have is how they just left Magica there but its a safe bet that she flew home with her broom or something.
THE STICK UP:
I will be the first to admit that I never knew that Rumpus was a thing until I read this comic. David Gerstein told me about a little about him briefly during a chat so it was nice to get some info about the character before reading the tale. It seems that he likes to do schemes to outshine Scrooge and his idea in this story did help out in the end. I can’t wait to see more of him in the future.
CREDITS:
WRITERS: FRANCESSCO ARTIBANI (STORY 1) WILLIAM VAN HORN ( STORY 2)
ARTISTS: ALESSANDRO PERINA ( STORY 1) WILLIAM VAN HORN (STORY 2)
EDITOR: SARAH GAYDOS
ARCHIVAL EDITOR : DAVID GERSTEIN
PUBLISHER: IDW