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"The Old Castle's Other Secret" | |
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Story code | D 2003-081 |
Story | Don Rosa |
Ink | Don Rosa |
Hero | Scrooge McDuck |
Pages | 34 |
Layout | 4 rows per page |
Appearances | Scrooge McDuck Donald Duck Huey, Dewey and Louie Matilda McDuck Mister Molay Maurice Matressface |
First publication | February 20, 2004 |
"The Old Castle's Other Secret", alternately titled "A Letter from Home", is Don Rosa's 2004 sequel to "The Crown of the Crusader Kings". The title is a reference to "The Old Castle's Secret", which was the second story to feature Scrooge McDuck and was the first in which he was a starring character in an adventure with his nephews.
The story was first published in the Danish Anders And & Co. #2004-09; the first American publication was in Uncle Scrooge #342, in June 2005. [1]
Scrooge McDuck and his family return to Castle McDuck, in Scotland, to find the treasure of the Knights Templar, after uncovering evidence in the previous story that a McDuck ancestor, Sir Simon McDuck, was appointed its treasurer.
The Castle's recently-hired caretaker is revealed to be Matilda McDuck, Scrooge's sister (and Donald's aunt and Huey, Dewey, and Louie's great-aunt) who has not spoken to her brother for nearly 25 years. Donald purposely did not tell Matilda they were coming, hoping to effect a reconciliation between her and Scrooge, but Matilda refuses to believe Scrooge is sincere and thinks he is only interested in the treasure. She reveals that the McDuck family has always known about it, but it was their father Fergus's wish that Scrooge not be told. Matilda believes that Fergus knew his son was becoming too greedy for his own good, and Scrooge, who never heard from his father before the latter's death, secretly fears she might be right.
Scrooge, despite being hurt and depressed, nevertheless keeps searching for the treasure. However, he is being shadowed by Mr. Molay and a reluctant Maurice Mattressface of the International Money Council (the modern successors to the Templars). Molay has stolen the Crown of the Crusader Kings from its museum in Haiti, knowing it is the key to finding the treasure. Following a series of clues leads Scrooge and his nephews to a vault underneath the Castle, sealed with an elaborate combination lock.
Mattressface rebels against Molay, who reveals himself as a member of the villainous Priory of Sion. Taking Matilda as a hostage, he confronts Scrooge and his nephews and forces them to use the key inside the crown to open the vault, but Scrooge jumps into the path of Molay's gun to protect Matilda, while Donald knocks Molay out by breaking the Holy Grail over his head.
The treasure is found, but Scrooge agrees with Mattressface that it was given to his family to safeguard, not to keep, and Mattressface promises that it will be gradually dispensed to a number of worthy causes. Matilda confronts her brother, asking him if he acted in defense of her, or if the treasure was all he ever cared about. Scrooge admits that the reason he never tried to make peace with her was because he was ashamed of his actions from the last time they talked, and that his ideals hadn't stood up to his travels from building his financial empire, and his vast wealth went from being a memento of his hard work and adventurousness, to becoming simply money. Scrooge also confesses that he envies Donald for having a family, but the McDuck spirit of adventure he sees in his younger relatives has inspired him to return to a life of adventure ever since he first met them. Scrooge begs his sister's forgiveness, and, seeing that he has always cared for his family, Matilda makes up with him at last.
Scrooge laments that he may have earned her forgiveness, but he will never know how his father felt about him. But during the fight at the vault entrance, a small box fell from one of the statues, inside which is a letter from Fergus to his son. Fergus writes that after his wife's death, he followed the same clues to the vault's location, but was unable to get inside without the final key (the Crown). Instead, he left the letter, confident that Scrooge would find his own way there one day, and confessing that the real reason he never told Scrooge about the treasure was because he recognized his son's integrity and adventurousness, and knew he would be much more satisfied earning his fortune instead of simply inheriting one. Fergus ends by affirming that he (and his wife) were always proud of Scrooge and his accomplishments.
Matilda admits that Fergus's opinion of Scrooge was the right one all along, but asks if Scrooge regrets leaving home to seek his fortune, not knowing until now that there was one hidden right under his ancestral home. Scrooge replies, not in the slightest: he would not have traded his lifetime of adventure for anything in the world, as it brought him his fortune, his family, and most important of all, the chance to prove that he was the man his father always believed him to be.
Don Rosa wanted to use both Matilda and Donald Duck's mother Hortense in A Letter from Home, but his editor (Egmont) did not want Donald's mother to be used in a present-day story, so Rosa only used Matilda.
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 exceptionally 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, and 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.
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.
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.
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. 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).
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.
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.
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.
"The Old Castle's Secret" is a 32-page Disney comics adventure/mystery/horror story written, drawn, and lettered by Carl Barks. It was first published by Dell Publishing in Four Color #189. Characters include Scrooge McDuck, Donald Duck, and his three nephews. The story is about a treasure hunt led by Uncle Scrooge through an old castle in Scotland.
Donald Duck, a cartoon character created by the Walt Disney Company, is today the star of dozens of comic-book and comic-strip stories published each month around the world. In many European countries, Donald is considered the lead character in Disney comics, more important and beloved than Mickey Mouse.
"The Son of the Sun" is the first Scrooge McDuck comic by Don Rosa, first published in Uncle Scrooge #219 in July 1987. It is a well-known comic book story that features Disney's Scrooge McDuck, Donald Duck, and his three nephews. This story is most notable for establishing Don Rosa as a major talent in the Disney comic book industry, as well as fulfilling Rosa's childhood dream of becoming a writer/illustrator of stories featuring Scrooge McDuck.
"The Last of the Clan McDuck" is a 1992 Scrooge McDuck comic by Don Rosa. It is the first of the original 12 chapters in the series The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck. The story takes place from 1877 to 1880 when Scrooge is a child in Glasgow, Scotland. He comes in conflict with The Whiskervilles, earns his Number One Dime and heads for the United States on a cattle boat.
"His Majesty, McDuck" is a Donald Duck story by Don Rosa, first published in Uncle Scrooge Adventures #14 in August 1989.
"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.
"The Empire-Builder from Calisota" or "The Richest Duck in the World" is a 1994 Scrooge McDuck comic by Don Rosa. It is the eleventh of the original 12 chapters in the series The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck. The story takes place from 1909 to 1930 and details Scrooge finishing his quest to become the richest man in the world, during which he becomes hardened and overall hostile towards others.