Uncle Scrooge: The Seven Cities of Gold

Uncle Scrooge: The Seven Cities of Gold by Carl Barks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Uncle Scrooge: The Seven Cities of Gold is a collection of Uncle Scrooge comics written and drawn by Carl Barks, originally presented in Uncle Scrooge 7-12 and 14.

I've seen Carl Barks mentioned as being influential time and time again, from sources like Jeff Smith and Bill Watterson. Since I grew up on the Disney Afternoon and Ducktales was one of my favorite shows, I finally decided to take the plunge.

The tales within range from comic-length adventures or 1-4 pagers detailing with the world's richest/cheapest duck, Scrooge McDuck. The stories are meant for kids but clever enough for adults to enjoy.

I mentioned Ducktales earlier and that's what this book primarily reminds me of. Uncle Scrooge and Donald Duck, and nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie, go on adventures around the world, looking for gold, lost cities, and the like. In fact, Barks created the nephews! And their damn Junior Woodchuck Guide Book! The money bin and Gyro Gearloose also make appearances, further making me wonder if Carl Barks was mentioned in the credits for Ducktales.

The shorter stories are mostly one page gags, usually revolving around Scrooge's cheapness. While treasure hunting and prospecting was his bread and butter at the beginning, Scrooge isn't above screwing the local diner owner out of a nickel every chance he gets.

The book itself is a gorgeous hardcover that's built to last. The colors aren't overly vibrant, which is how I imagine they looked on newsprint back in the 1950s. Between the Carl Barks Library and the EC Artist Edition Library, Fantagraphics isn't going to go broke on my account.

Superheroes are the first thing that comes to mind when people mention comic books but that needn't be the case. Uncle Scrooge: The Seven Cities of Gold is an enjoyable all-ages collection. Four out of five stars.

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