His Majesty, McDuck

Last updated
"His Majesty, McDuck"
Hismajestymcduck.jpg
Uncle Scrooge Adventures's cover His Majesty, McDuck by Don Rosa from 1989.
Story codeAR 145
Story Don Rosa
InkDon Rosa
Hero Scrooge McDuck
Pages28
Layout4 rows per page
AppearancesScrooge McDuck
Donald Duck
Huey, Dewey and Louie
The Beagle Boys
Cornelius Coot
Emily Quackfaster (cameo)
Clerkly (cameo)
First publication Uncle Scrooge Adventures #14,
August 1989

"His Majesty, McDuck" is a Donald Duck story by Don Rosa, first published in Uncle Scrooge Adventures #14 in August 1989.

Contents

Despite thematic similarities, this story is not to be confused with the Carl Barks story King Scrooge the First.

Plot

Scrooge McDuck accidentally finds a brass plaque on the site of his Money Bin. The plaque was originally made by Sir Francis Drake, who claimed the entire hill as property of the Queen of England back in 1579. Later, in the early 19th century, the English built a fort there. However, a war with Spain caused England to abandon the fort, giving it away to the nearest non-English person found, who just happened to be Cornelius Coot. Coot, the sole person present at the fort, drove the Spanish away with a clever plot, and continued to maintain the fort. Later, of course, Scrooge's Money Bin was erected in its place.

Scrooge finds out that the hill his Money Bin stands on was never actually part of the United States of America, so he jumps at the chance to claim sovereignty and collect tax refunds from Duckburg. To retaliate, Duckburg imposes strict restrictions on inter-country travel, with Scrooge's own employees having to show their passports just to come to work. A crafty villain shows up with the Beagle Boys, attempting to conquer Scrooge's own private country, initially succeeding, but Scrooge eventually fends him off.

Finally, the mayor of Duckburg tells Scrooge that his tax refunds would be so large that they would bankrupt the entire city. Scrooge does not seem to care, but he "accidentally" destroys the deed that Coot signed, and irritably informs his nephews that he melted down Drake's plaque to make his crown, with materials being expensive. In the end, it turns out that this was no accident. Scrooge still has the plaque, but chooses to keep it secret, indicating that he destroyed the grant on purpose, from the good of his heart: He could not bring himself to bankrupt Duckburg, yet had to save face before his nephews who must not think of him as "soft."

Cultural references

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huey, Dewey, and Louie</span> Disney cartoon characters

Huey, Dewey, and Louie are triplet cartoon characters created by storyboard artist (screenwriter) Carl Barks for The Walt Disney Company from an idea proposed by cartoonist Al Taliaferro. They are the nephews of Donald Duck and the grand-nephews of Scrooge McDuck. Like their maternal uncles, the brothers are anthropomorphic white ducks with yellow-orange bills and feet. The boys are sometimes distinguished by the color of their shirts and baseball caps. They appeared in many Donald Duck animated shorts, as well as in the television show DuckTales and its reboot, but the comics remain their primary medium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scrooge McDuck</span> Disney comics character

Scrooge McDuck is a cartoon character created in 1947 for The Walt Disney Company by Carl Barks. Appearing in Disney comics, Scrooge is a Scottish-born American anthropomorphic Pekin duck. Like his nephew, Donald Duck, he has a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a red or blue frock coat, top hat, pince-nez glasses, and spats varying in color. He is portrayed in animation as speaking with a Scottish accent. Originally intended to be used only once, Scrooge became one of the most popular characters in the Disney comics world, as well as Barks' signature work. Scrooge is an extremely rich duck who lives in the fictional city of Duckburg in the fictional U.S. state of Calisota, whose claimed location is in real-world California, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clan McDuck</span> Disney comics characters

The Clan McDuck is a fictional Scottish clan of cartoon ducks from which Disney character Scrooge McDuck is descended. Within the Donald Duck universe, the clan is related to the American Duck family through the marriage of Hortense McDuck and Quackmore Duck, Donald and Della Duck's parents, giving both of them partial Scottish ancestry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gyro Gearloose</span> Disney comics character

Gyro Gearloose is a cartoon character created in 1952 by Carl Barks for Disney comics. An anthropomorphic chicken, he is part of the Donald Duck universe, appearing in comic book stories as a friend of Donald Duck, Scrooge McDuck, and anyone who is associated with them. He was also featured in the animated series DuckTales. Gyro first appeared in the Carl Barks comic "Gladstone's Terrible Secret", and was the regular lead character in 4-page backup stories in Barks' issues of Uncle Scrooge, starting with issue #13 and continuing through #41.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flintheart Glomgold</span> Disney comics character

Flintheart Glomgold is a cartoon character created in 1956 by Carl Barks. He is a South African American Pekin Duck and the business rival of Scrooge McDuck, usually portrayed as an ambitious, ruthless, and manipulative businessman who shares many of the same qualities as Scrooge—the drive for massive wealth, and the cunning and creativity to obtain the same—but he lacks any of Scrooge's tendencies towards generosity and compassion. In Don Rosa's The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck, he is said to be a Boer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald Duck universe</span> Fictional universe involving Donald Duck and related Disney characters

The Donald Duck universe is a fictional shared universe which is the setting of stories involving Disney cartoon character Donald Duck, as well as Daisy Duck, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, Scrooge McDuck, and many other characters. Life in the Donald Duck universe centers on the city of Duckburg and is a part of the larger Mickey Mouse universe. In addition to the original comic book stories by Carl Barks, the Duckburg cast was featured in Little Golden Books, television series such as DuckTales (1987–1991), Darkwing Duck (1991–1992), and the DuckTales reboot (2017–2021), and video games such as DuckTales (1989), QuackShot (1991), Goin' Quackers (2000), and DuckTales: Remastered (2013).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beagle Boys</span> Disney comics characters

The Beagle Boys are a group of cartoon characters created in 1951 by Carl Barks for the Donald Duck universe. They are a family clan of organized criminals who constantly try to rob Scrooge McDuck. Their introduction and first appearance was in "Terror of the Beagle Boys", although in this story they only appear in the last frame and have no lines. They appear again in the next issue in a similar fashion, in The Big Bin on Killmotor Hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duck family (Disney)</span> Disney comics characters

The Duck family is a fictional family of cartoon ducks related to Disney character Donald Duck. The family is also related to the Coot, Goose, and Gander families, as well as the Scottish Clan McDuck. Besides Donald, the best-known members of the Duck family are Huey, Dewey, and Louie, Donald's triplet nephews.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Junior Woodchucks</span> Disney comics characters

The Junior Woodchucks of the World is a fictional scouting organization appearing in Disney comics and the DuckTales animated television franchise, most notably in adventures featuring Disney characters Huey, Dewey, and Louie as members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John D. Rockerduck</span> Disney comics character

John D. Rockerduck is a cartoon character created in 1961 by The Walt Disney Company for the Duck universe. He is one of Scrooge McDuck's main rivals in Disney comics. His name is a play on that of John D. Rockefeller, the American capitalist and philanthropist. Though a relatively obscure character in the United States, Rockerduck is an example of a character who has become notable in the foreign market, particularly in stories produced for the Italian market. He made his first animated appearance in 2019, in the second season of the DuckTales reboot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guardians of the Lost Library</span>

"Guardians of the Lost Library" is a 1993 comic book story made by Don Rosa for The Walt Disney Company, mentioned by Comics Buyer's Guide as "possibly the greatest comic book story of all time". Although afraid at the time of its creation of cramming too many historical details into the story, Rosa himself mentions in Uncle Scrooge #383 that in fan mail he receives to this day, "Guardians of the Lost Library" to his own surprise is often referred to as "'the best Rosa story' or 'the best Duck story' or even 'the best comic book story' (?!!) that fans say they've ever read."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Land Beneath the Ground!</span>

"Land Beneath the Ground!" is a Scrooge McDuck comic book story that appeared in 1956 in the comic book Uncle Scrooge, written by Carl Barks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Little Something Special</span>

"A Little Something Special" is a 1997 Disney comics story created by Don Rosa to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Scrooge McDuck's first appearance in Carl Barks's "Christmas on Bear Mountain" in 1947.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Richest Duck in the World</span>

"The Richest Duck in the World" or "The Recluse of McDuck Manor" is a 1994 Scrooge McDuck comic by Don Rosa. It is the twelfth of the original 12 chapters in the series The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck. The story takes place on Christmas Day, 1947.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Invader of Fort Duckburg</span>

"The Invader of Fort Duckburg" is a 1994 Scrooge McDuck comic by Don Rosa. It is the tenth of the original 12 chapters in the series The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck. The story takes place in 1902.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Beagle Boys vs. the Money Bin</span>

"The Beagle Boys vs. the Money Bin" is a 2001 Donald Duck comic by Don Rosa. Rosa's inspiration for it was mostly to get a chance to thoroughly demonstrate the Money Bin, invented by Carl Barks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Black Knight (comics)</span> Disney comics story

"The Black Knight" is a 1998 Scrooge McDuck story by Don Rosa. This story was a sequel to Rosa's 1995 story "The Universal Solvent", and was likewise followed by "The Black Knight Glorps Again".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gyro's First Invention</span>

"Gyro's First Invention" is a Gyro Gearloose story by Don Rosa that also features Donald Duck, Scrooge McDuck, and Huey, Dewey, and Louie. It is a 50th anniversary story for the character of Gyro Gearloose, as well as a sequel to A Christmas for Shacktown by Carl Barks, and tells of the creation of Gyro's Little Helper.

References

  1. Rosa, Don (June 2003). "DCML Digest #62 & 63". DCML. Retrieved 2015-06-25.