After the success of the Infinity Dime, Jason Aaron is back with even more Scrooge, and this time, instead of a one-shot, we’re getting a four-issue series. Titled Uncle Scrooge: Earth’s Mightiest Duck, the first issue is out this week, and frequent collaborator Mahmud Asrar joins Aaron with artists Ciro Cangialosi, Giuseppe Camuncoli, and Daniele Orlandini.
Asrar draws the first seven pages, which set up the fact that Scrooge has lost his fortune. It’s a real nightmare, and soon it goes from bad to worse as duck robots attack him, asking where the money is. Asrar gets to show Scrooge kick butt via cartoony clouds, and the drama is high octane. Capping off Asrar’s section is an excellent montage of classic Scrooge scenes in past comics, honoring the rich history of the character.
Cangialosi draws the next section, twelve pages in all, as he wraps up the issue as well. This section sets up The Connesuirs, an alien race that bags and slabs entire worlds’ most cherished items. This section opens up the world quite a bit, from the various citizens around the globe being affected, to Disney mainstays like Donald Duck entering the story.
Time to kick some duck butt.
Credit: Marvel
With most of the exposition out of the way, Camuncoli and Orlandini draw another seven pages that delve into Scrooge’s mind. Cleverly, Aaron takes readers to a memory of when Scrooge wasn’t rich yet, back in Glasgow. Not only is the artist change a natural place to switch things up, but it leads to a fun cliffhanger. Expect more exploration of Scrooge’s deepest past moments.
It’s in the last quarter of the issue that the story opens up and has plenty to explore for future issues. Instead of this being a simple action romp, as many of these Disney books at Marvel tend to be, there’s an opportunity to explore Scrooge’s deepest memories and psychology. There’s also the fact that Scrooge is without his money, and thus will have to go beyond his usual means of throwing cash around.
Uncle Scrooge: Earth’s Mightiest Duck #1 is a lively and layered debut, blending slapstick action with a surprisingly introspective take on Disney’s richest duck. With multiple art styles enhancing each story beat and a cliffhanger that promises deeper dives into Scrooge’s history, Jason Aaron and company set the stage for a series that’s as heartfelt as it is adventurous.
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