"North of the Yukon" is a 24-page Disney comics adventure story featuring Scrooge McDuck and his nephews, Donald Duck and Huey, Dewey, & Louie. It was written and drawn by Carl Barks. This was his last story involving Scrooge's adventures in Alaska. It was published in September 1965, and later reprinted in May 1993. Gemstone Publishing later reprinted the story again in 2005 for a Donald Duck/Uncle Scrooge graphic novel with another story inspired by this one called "Somewhere in Nowhere". The character of Barko was inspired by an actual sled dog named Balto, who participated in the 1925 serum run to Nome. Barks had read an article about Balto in an issue of National Geographic, and was inspired to create this character.
The story starts with a photographer from Jolt magazine, wanting to do a picture story on Scrooge. Donald is partly to blame after he tries to convince Scrooge that if he does it, he will be paid fifty thousand dollars. Scrooge refuses, saying that if more people knew that he was the Richest Duck in the World, "every chisler from Cape Town to Nome would be waylaying me!" It's not until the photographer threatens to rip a five thousand dollar check in front of McDuck that he gives in. Scrooge even tells them how he made his first billion dollars in the Alaskan Gold Rush.
Soon after the magazine is published, Scrooge is shocked to see that they extended his story to "ten pages of hogwash" and even calling him "a bashful King Midas". Just as Scrooge had feared, people come up to him asking for money. Just as he thinks things cannot get any worse, an old enemy in Goldboom, Alaska sees the article. The fiend then comes up with a plot. Since Scrooge gave him an I.O.U. in 1898, the sum doubled every month for the last sixty-seven years! It isn't long until Scrooge gets a summons from the same fiend known as Soapy Slick. Scrooge remembers how Slick was a crooked moneylender who cared for nothing but money.
Scrooge doesn't worry, however; he tells Donald that he has the receipt in his files, proving that he paid Slick in full that same year. Donald asks Scrooge why Slick still has the note, seeing how he had paid him. Scrooge explains that he "claimed" to have lost it (as he usually told every other miner to collect the same debt twice). In a flashback, Scrooge and Slick have an argument about the loan. McDuck then demands: "Sign the receipt, or I'll slug you in your fat tank!". Slick mocks Scrooge saying that he couldn't hurt him with "those big, soft mittens". Fortunately for Scrooge, he kept his "big, soft mittens" filled with twenty pounds of gold nuggets. In doing so, McDuck got his receipt signed.
After looking through a mountain of papers, with the help of Donald and his grandnephews, Scrooge finds the receipt. His hopes of sneaking back into Goldboom unnoticed are foiled after newsreporters get wind of the lawsuit. Meanwhile in Goldboom, Slick finds out about this, and boards the same bush plane that Scrooge takes.
While on the plane, Slick distracts the passengers by offering a game of "Klondike Scrabble" (he spills a bag of gold nuggets on the floor, and whoever finds the biggest nugget wins). Dewey sees Slick going for Scrooge's bag (with the receipt inside), and shouts a warning to his uncle. Scrooge leaps upon the would-be thief, and seeing that it's actually Slick in disguise, the two fight. During the brawl, the bag flies out the window. Scrooge's bag then lands near the Frozenjaw River. Scrooge tries to get the plane to land, but the pilot says "There'll be bad weather for a week." Slick mocks Scrooge, saying that he will soon own all of his money. Scrooge gets furious, saying, "You gloating crook! For my health's sake, I need to sock you!" Slick once again laughs at Scrooge, but is cut short after McDuck punches him with a mitten filled with the same nuggets Slick himself spilled on the floor.
Scrooge, after landing, contemplates that he can get a dogsled and get the receipt back in time for the trial. Donald tries to convince his uncle that the newsmen could help him, but Scrooge refuses, seeing that this was meant to be a race between Slick and himself, "with the only rules of the Arctic Law of Club and Fang." Arriving at a goods store that used to sell sled dogs, Scrooge is appalled to see that the owner only has one of only two dog teams in Goldboom (the one Scrooge looks at consists of Kyoodles) . The owner states that dog teams are hardly used anymore, to which Scrooge objects ("Yes, but in weather like this only dogs can take you where you have to go."). Upon saying this, an old sled dog pops out the snow.
The old dog's name is Barko. The owner explains that Barko was once the North's greatest champion, but now he's old and stricken with rheumatism. It's then revealed that the other dog team is Soapy Slick's champion racing team (as the owner tells Donald this, Slick and his team pass by). Scrooge remembers how Barko helped deliver serum to Nome (a reference to the 1925 serum run to Nome). Befriending the old duck quadzillionaire, Barko nips the other dogs into their positions. Scrooge tells his nephews to stay in town while he deals with Soapy. Despite this, Huey, Dewey, and Louie try to follow, but cannot keep up with the team's speed.
Scrooge befriends the old sled-dog, Barko. Art by Carl Barks.
As Scrooge draws closer to Slick's team, Slick drugs a few frozen fish, and leaves them on the trail. McDuck sees the fish, and decides to let the team rest and eat. Suddenly, the dogs collapse from the sedative. When Scrooge discovers this, he passes out from the fumes. The sedative, however, has the opposite effect on Barko—for the first time in ages, his rheumatism didn't cause pain. The old sled dog then gathers his team and musher onto the sled, he pulls with all his might.
Desperate to help their uncle, the boys stop by an Inuit village to see the local Junior Woodchucks. Upon meeting the Arctic Patrol, the boys are given a lift by a troop who raised a polar bear cub as a sled dog named Poly Poly. Later that night, Scrooge awakens to see that Barko pulled them the whole time. Thankful of his new friend's help, Scrooge and the Kyoodles pull the rest of the way. Back at town, Donald is tricked by a newsreporter into telling him the whereabouts of the team.
By morning, Slick's team slows down upon the frozen river. Barko, once again back in his harness, runs like he did in his days of youth. The old sled dog bobs over the cracks of the ice with ease. Just as Scrooge and his team reach victory, Slick pulls out a pistol, and fires. The bullets separate the handles from Scrooge's sled, and he falls into the icy waters. Barko then rescues him before the current takes him under. As the sled sinks through the ice, Scrooge cuts the team free, and they make it for dry land. Scrooge makes it, but then realizes that Barko has been caught in the ice.
Scrooge is then left with the choice of either getting his bag back or saving Barko. Scrooge dodges over the ice to save his friend instead of saving his fortune ("I can't let you drown, old boy! That would be welching on my debt to you!"). All seems lost as Scrooge and Barko are stranded on the cracks of ice, but then the boys and Poly Poly show up to save the day. Poly Poly swims with Scrooge and his sled dog back to land, but the celebration is cut short as Slick grabs the receipt. Before he can rip it and steal Scrooge's great fortune, news reporters show up, taking his photo for the court to see.
In the end, Soapy Slick is brought to the proper authorities, Scrooge gets to keep his fortune, and Barko the old sled dog and Poly Poly become famous animal heroes.
Analysis
Don Rosa, who considered Carl Barks his greatest idol, did a cover for Uncle Scrooge #278, depicting a reenactment of the scene on the ice with Scrooge and Barko (the story was reprinted in this issue, as well). Rosa also referenced the events of "North of the Yukon" in Chapters 8 and 9 of his Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck anthology, but retconned the year of Scrooge taking up the loan to 1896 (since in 1898 he would be too late to be at the forefront of the gold rush).
Carl Barks was an American cartoonist, author, and painter. He is best known for his work in Disney comic books, as the writer and artist of the first Donald Duck stories and as the creator of Scrooge McDuck. He worked anonymously until late in his career; fans dubbed him The Duck Man and The Good Duck Artist. In 1987, Barks was one of the three inaugural inductees of the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame.
Gladstone Gander is a cartoon character created in 1948 by The Walt Disney Company. He is an anthropomorphic gander who possesses exceptional good luck that grants him anything he desires as well as protecting him from any harm. This is in contrast to his cousin Donald Duck, who is often characterized for having bad luck. Gladstone is also a rival of Donald for the affection of Daisy Duck. Gladstone dresses in a very debonair way, often in a suit; wearing a bow-tie, fedora, and spats. He has a wavy hairstyle which is depicted either as white or blonde. In the story "Luck of the North" he is described as having a brassy voice.
Scrooge McDuck is a cartoon character created in 1947 by Carl Barks for The Walt Disney Company. Appearing in Disney comics, Scrooge is a Scottish-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. 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 Disney comics, and Barks's signature work. Scrooge lives in the city of Duckburg in the fictional US state of Calisota, whose claimed location is in California in the real-world United States.
The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck (Lo$) is a serial of 12 comic book stories written and drawn by Don Rosa, lettered by Todd Klein, first published by the Danish publisher Egmont in the magazine Anders And & Co. from 1992–94 and later in English in Uncle Scrooge #285 through #296 (1994–96). The stories chronicle the in-universe biography of Scrooge McDuck before his introduction in 1947. The stories were later collected and published together in a single volume. Rosa later published additional stories which expanded on Scrooge's biography. These were released as The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck Companion.
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.
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.
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. It is a part of the larger Mickey Mouse universe. Life in the Donald Duck universe centers on the city of Duckburg and 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 QuackShot (1991), Goin' Quackers (2000), and DuckTales: Remastered (2013).
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 three triplet nephews.
Uncle Scrooge Adventures is a 1987-1997 Disney comic book series published by Gladstone Publishing under license from the Walt Disney Company. It features the adventures of Scrooge McDuck and his nephews Donald, Huey, Dewey, and Louie. It was usually distinguished from the main Uncle Scrooge title in its focus on longer, full-length stories, often in the pulp adventure style.
"Back to the Klondike" is a Disney comic book story created by Carl Barks, first published in September 1952. Scrooge McDuck returns to Klondike where he has made his fortune, bringing Donald and the three nephews along, to find back gold he has left there.
Balto was a Siberian Husky and sled dog belonging to musher and breeder Leonhard Seppala. He achieved fame when he reportedly led a team of sled dogs driven by Gunnar Kaasen on the final leg of the 1925 serum run to Nome, in which diphtheria antitoxin was transported from Anchorage, Alaska, to Nenana, Alaska, by train and then to Nome by dog sled to combat an outbreak of the disease. Balto lived in ease at the Cleveland Zoo until his death on March 14, 1933, at the age of 14. Following his death, his body was mounted and displayed in the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, where it remains today.
The 1925 serum run to Nome, also known as the Great Race of Mercy and The Serum Run, was a transport of diphtheria antitoxin by dog sled relay across the U.S. territory of Alaska by 20 mushers and about 150 sled dogs across 674 miles (1,085 km) in 5 ½ days, saving the small town of Nome and the surrounding communities from a developing epidemic of diphtheria.
"Return to Plain Awful" is a Donald Duck story that was originally printed during the Gladstone Publishing run of Donald Duck Adventures, issue #12 in May 1989. It was written by Don Rosa as a sequel to "Lost in the Andes!" by Carl Barks, to commemorate that story's 40th anniversary.
"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.
The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck Companion is a 2006 trade paperback by Don Rosa published by Gemstone Publishing for The Walt Disney Company.
"The Prisoner of White Agony Creek" is a 2006 Scrooge McDuck comic by Don Rosa. The story takes place between "King of the Klondike" and "Hearts of the Yukon" in the series The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck making it part 8B. The story shows how Goldie O'Gilt was taken to Scrooge's claim by the White Agony Creek. As Don Rosa announced his retirement in June 2008, this is his last story to date.
"The King of the Klondike" or "The Argonaut of White Agony Creek" is a 1993 Scrooge McDuck comic by Don Rosa. It is the eighth of the original 12 chapters in the series The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck. The story takes place from 1896 to 1897 and deals with Scrooge McDuck who participates in the Klondike Gold Rush. It takes place before The Prisoner of White Agony Creek and The Hearts of the Yukon.
The Klondike Gold Rush is commemorated through film, literature, historical parks etc.
"Last Sled to Dawson" is a 1988 Scrooge McDuck comic by Don Rosa. It is Rosa's third full-length Uncle Scrooge story after The Son of the Sun and Cash Flow, both published the previous year. Last Sled is the first story in which Rosa delves into Scrooge's past life, on his journey to becoming the richest man in the world, and so acts as a spiritual sequel to Carl Barks's classic Scrooge story "Back to the Klondike", describing his experiences as a gold prospector during the Klondike Gold Rush.
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