Week 4- Carl Barks-Scrooge (2 pts.)

As soon as I saw Carl Bark's Scrooge McDuck comics appear, I got excited to check them out. I've grown up with classic Disney characters like Donald Duck and his nephews, and I was already familiar with their uncle Scrooge, mainly through Disney TV programs such as House of Mouse and many classic shorts. I was even familiar with Ducktales and its legacy, and I'm currently watching the ongoing 2017 reboot. And I've discovered that very reboot has its roots in several Carl Barks Comics, and it made me interested in seeing what they were all about. One thing that interested me was how it expands upon Donald Duck's family tree, in more ways than the classic cartoons did. I always found it funny that even Mickey Mouse didn't get this same kind of expansion, despite him also having his own set of comics.

I started with the comic "The second Richest Duck in the World. Right away, certain character aspects stuck out to me. Notably, Donald Duck is a lot less over the top and temperamental than his animated depictions, and is instead a bit more grounded. I enjoyed reading about Scrooge's philosophy about money, how he believes in saving every bit of money as he can, and not waste it on simple things like buying soda, and starts to get bitter towards Donald when he barely listens to him. Despite that, Scrooge is also characterized as being petty and competitive as well, when he discovers that Flinthart Glomgold is the 2nd richest Duck in the world. 

Ive noticed that Carl Bark's Scrooge and Donald comics tend to have a whimsical sense of humor much in the vein of Disney, fitting for the characters. However, Bark's stories are much more character focused and are fit for longer ( and often adventurous) narratives, allowing the plots develop more than they would in cartoon shorts. Unlike the classic shorts, they maintain a sense of continuity and world building with the Duck family, that would continue to stick throughout most of the Disney canon. 




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