“Uncle Scrooge is one of the greatest adventurer characters in comic book history.” Writer Jason Aaron opens Uncle Scrooge and the Infinity Dime #1 with that bold statement. The rest of the comic is spent backing it up.
Spinning out of the Carl Barks‘ classic “Christmas on Bear Mountain,” Aaron reveals a Scrooge McDuck who never found a heart of gold within his feathered chest. He becomes a wicked duck, who seeks the wealth of every variant of himself. This leads to a conflict with a familiar multi-millionaire mallard. Ultimately, our Scrooge must prove he is still tougher than the toughies and smarter than the smarties. Even if that toughie or smartie is himself!
Infinity Dime blends Uncle Scrooge and Marvel magic
Jason Aaron’s script perfectly captures the spirit of the classic Don Rosa and Carl Barks comics, while adding in the Marvel Multiverse angle. Wolverine may be the best there is at what he does, but Aaron places Uncle Scrooge alongside Logan in pure grit. This is a duck who jumps out of an airplane without a parachute because he doesn’t want to be slowed down. That’s an impressive feat for anyone, let alone a “poor old duck.”
The artwork proves equally impressive. All four chapters of this volume are illustrated by an all-star team of artists from Disney’s Italian comics division. Their looks are distinctive, yet undeniably born of the same spark of genius.
Uncle Scrooge and the Infinity Dime #1 is a fine start to what promises to be an exciting new line of DuckTales with a Marvel twist. Thankfully, it has already been promised not to be the last. Already comics are in the works where Donald Duck gains the power of Thor or becomes Wolverine. It may sound silly on paper, but this new line promises all-ages action and adventure that are sorely needed on the comic shop shelves.
Grade: 5/5.
Uncle Scrooge and the Infinity Dime #1 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
