Uncle Scrooge: The Mines of King Solomon by Carl BarksMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Uncle Scrooge: The Mines of King Solomon is the 20th entry in Fantagraphics' Carl Barks library.
The stories in this volume appeared in 1956-1962. They run the gamut from 32 pagers to four pagers to single page gag strips. Uncle Scrooge takes on the Beagle Boys, looks for the mines of King Solomon, and screws everyone he can out of whatever he can. Scrooge is a hilarious old miser. "I bought these glasses for a dollar in 1885. Why should I pay ten dollars for a new pair?" pretty much sums the old boy up.
Scrooge, sometimes with Donald and/or the nephews in tow, goes on globetrotting adventures, inspiration for Ducktales years later. The tales are fairly timeless, as amusing as they were over a half century ago. While they're clearly geared more toward kids, there are jokes for adults to enjoy as well.
Unlike the previous volumes of the Carl Barks library I've read, this one features quite a few four-pagers starring Gyro Gearloose, future inventor of GIzmo Duck, among other things. These tales wound up being my favorites in the collection, partly because of Gyro overshooting his mark and under-planning the consequences, but also because of Gyro's nameless lightbulb-headed robot sidekick who is always doing things in the background.
Carl Bark's art is clean and crisp. His influence is apparent in many artists who came after, like Jeff Smith of Bone fame and also Bill Watterson of Calvin and Hobbes. it's no wonder his big run with Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge is so revered among Disney aficionados.
Everything we think of when we think of Uncle Scrooge comes from here. The Mines of King Solomon is a set of tales for kids and adults alike. 3.5 out of five stars.
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