Talltales: A Ducktales Bedtime Story
Scrooge is an "adventure-capitalist" that separated himself from his family years prior in order to find treasures and solve the unsolvable; a driving force behind this was his poor upbringing
Flintheart Glomgold is an experienced treasure-seeker who lived a lonely life until he met Scrooge and, later, Magica
Magica De Spell befriends the above duo during her trials to become a sorceress as is in her lineage
Donald and Della, Scrooge's 7 year old twin nephew and niece, get caught up in the mayhem along eside Donald's best friend, the accident-prone, and naive, Goofy. While Della is a no-nonsense, intelligent and formidable young duckling, Donald is very emotionally driven. His best attribute is his bravery. His love for, and protection of, his sister knows no boundaries
Baloo, although lazy and slobbish, he is a natural pilot and capable of the most daring maneuvers. With a laissezr-faire attitude, along with Louie, his best friend, who can sometimes be competitive with him when it comes to women and business, and shares the same personality traits as Baloo, can't seem to get ahead in life. After being ousted from Zootopia, the 2 derelicts have pretty much become accustomed to being shiftless beatniks who enjoy fast cash over dependable work.
Goldie O’Gilt shares Scrooge's love for adventure. While Glomgold is consumed by the wealth that comes with the found treasures, Goldie lives for the adventure. She shares a live/hate relationship based on one-upsmanship with Scrooge
Goose Lee is an old martial arts master. He constantly refers to Scrooge, whom he encounters, as "Grubworm"
S.H.U.S.H.
Bagheera is the head of SHUSH
Derek Blunt is thought to be the greatest agent in the history of SHUSH
Don Karnage is a rebellious rookie agent whose arrogance leads him to think himself superior to Blunt and Bagheera; he is also an expert pilot
Professor Waddlemeyer is the lab assistant to SHUSHs lead scientist
Professor Ludwig Von Drake is the lead scientist and smartest duck in the world. He is also the brother-in-law of the estranged Scrooge
El Capitán is (possibly) a former conquistador who is insanely greedy for gold.
Paddywhack was once the ruthless dictator of Loonveria. Currently, he is a supernatural entity who is capable of possessing inanimate objects and imbuing them with his will. He is able to feed off of people's negative emotions and often urges others to "play" with him, enticing them to join him. He has a hatred for Magica due to their shared past
Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear As hitmen, may be the fast-talking Fox (the self-appointed brains of the pair) and Bear (the accidents-prone half-wit) aren’t the greatest, but these 2 opposites come very, very cheap and they make everything personal
Arpin Lusene is a sticky fingered kleptomaniac, even going so far as to steal people's clothes while the victims are wearing them. He wishes to be remembered as the greatest thief
Bay and Boo Beagle are a dangerous Bonnie and Clyde pair of newlywed beagles
FOWL
(the "Fiendish Organization for World Larceny")
Baron Von Kaa is the head of FOWL
Dr. Nogood is an agent of FOWL
Taurus Bulba is a ruthless and extremely dangerous criminal and FOWLs newest recruit
Professor Emil Eagle is FOWLs lead scientist
3 Blind Mice are 3 actual, bumbling, blind mouse assassins that are under the direct order of Nogood
Doberman 'Red' Grant, A Doberman, is the thug working directly for Bulba along with Puma Galore, a feline fatale, and the hulking, broad shouldered duck always under a hood, KGBeak
Chip 'n' Dale
Rascals who find themselves more likely to revel in pranks than accomplish any tasks. Chip is the brains while Dale is far too easily distracted
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Huey, Dewey and Louie are told several bed time stories by Daisy after the boys are upset and missing their Uncle Donald when he is deployed. Each night, they are told a new story to help them cope without their Uncle.
Issue 1
Scrooge and the Bow
During his lonely travels across the globe, Scrooge becomes fast friends and allies with Glomgold, a treasure hunter, and Magica De Spell, a gypsy. After several hunts, the trio become very adept. They go on a mission to find Robin Hood's Bow, of which a flashback to Disney's Robin Hood shows him handing it to Friar Tuck to hide; following this, a very elderly Tuck hands it to an adult Skippy the rabbit, dressed in blue, and his friend, Tobey the turtle. (narrated) Scrooge and his friends encounter, and eventually overcome, Baron Von Kaa and all of the FOWL field agents. In the end, Glomgold pushes Magica out of the plane over water. Immediately, Scrooge attacks Glomgold only to lose the tussle and himself be thrown from the plane; not given a 'chute, he is able to grab one before losing his grip from the plane exit. The last scene shows Magica, drenched and floating atop a log, swearing revenge, unaware that Glomgold was acting alone, on her former partners.
NOTES: the origin of the trio is inspired by the adventures of Professor X, Magneto, and Gabriel with FOWL replacing HYDRA. Robin Hood officially has a historical place with the Donaldverse. The 3 Blind Mice are ripped from the James Bond assassins of the same name. Doberman Red, while his appearance, and partially his title, reminds us of Marvel's Omega Red, is named after Donald 'Red' Grant who is also a Bond villain; Puma Galore, while named after her Bond femme fatale counterpart, looks strikingly similar to Marvel's Kraven the hunter; KGBeak, is unmistakably an homage to Batman's enemy, the KGBeast, in both name and costume, minus the cybernetics.
Issue 2
Paddywhacked
Magica travels to Duckstadt, the capital of Loonveria. There she masters sorcery, which, as it was, was always a part of her ancestry. She meets Paddywhack, a warlock that rules with an iron fist, from his castle in Duckstadt, over Loonveria. Always plotting to one day gain her revenge on Glomgold and Scrooge, she failed to see in her 2 years there, as she became Paddywhack's wife and Loonveria's queen, that he was exchanging his loyal followers to FOWL for riches. In the end, she used her spells to banish Paddywhack to another realm as punishment. To her dismay, the Loonverians impeach her and she is no longer welcomed in their country. Villagers watch sternly from the mountaintop as she sorrowfully marches away; she grabs a picture with herself, Glomgold and Scrooge and hesitates before crumbling the picture while growling. As she lets the crumbled picture go, it floats and spontaneously combusts. The last frame is a close-up of her devilish grin.
NOTE: Magica's origin, and, in part, Paddywack's origin, are directly inspired by Dr Doom
Issue 3
Scrooge and the Codex
We find Scrooge 1 year after Glomgold's betrayal as a college professor of Archeology at Pridelands University, with a Simba mascot adorning the campus. Bagheera introduces Scrooge to some of his agents and asks him to join Agents Blunt and Karnage in locating the Kingdom of Maru. The kingdom is an ancient kingdom whose people harnessed the most ancient and powerful magic in the world which is stored in the Codex Maru. The origin of the Codex is briefly depicted. Tension reaches its boiling point when he encounters his brother- in-law, Professor Ludwig. We learn Scrooge chose the hunt for gold over his family; he left them in their time of need, never looking back; he tries unsuccessfully to make amends with Ludwig. Their mission is to find the Codex before FOWL does. FOWL, again represented by Bulba and Nogood, is being helped by a man called El Capitán whose motives are also briefly depicted. Scrooge and the agents do manage find it, however, the FOWL agents steal the Codex from them and capture the trio. Karnage seems to be interested in bargaining with FOWL to let him go free in exchange for coveted information held within the walls of SHUSH. With the option to walk away and half way to freedom, Karnage turns back to save his team and, together, they escape with the Codex in hand. Karnage is one step closer to proving he may be the best SHUSH has to offer. Scrooge reluctantly walks away from the Codex, leaving it in the hands of Bagheera and his agency.
NOTE: this issue has roots in the first Indiana Jones film while the Pridelands University and its mascot honor Lion King. The Codex and the kingdom of Mary are ripped from Sophia the First
Issue 4
Sharper than the Sharpies
Flintheart was born the oldest son of wealthy West African businessman, 'Chief' Glomgold and his wife, Feather. From a young age, he had to endure his father's treatment. When Flint' was 9 years old, he accompanied his father on a trip to Scotland to purchase the armor of Arthurian legend's, Sir Mordred, from local millworker, Fergus McDuck. McDuck was looking to accumulate enough money to buy back his family castle lost a generation ago. The Chief swindles McDuck out of the armor, leaving him with virtually nothing. He turns to his diapered son and says "Scrooge, m' boy, let this be a lesson to you. I see something special in you. Unlike me, my duckling, you will be the McDuck that gets our home back. You will be smarter than the smarties, tougher than the toughies, and sharper than the sharpies. Let my failure be a lesson to you." Years later, when Glomgold returns from boarding school, complaining about being bullied by peers, he is scorned for is weakness. Put to work as the Glomcorp office coffee boy to further demean him, Flintheart is more bitter than ever. He slowly manipulates everyone around him until he plants evidence that sees his father locked away for embezzlement. With the company now in his mother's hands, he sets in motion a plan to see her ousted from the company by the board of directors
which include
Pistol Pete
Sher Khan
Si and Am
Hopper
Now in charge of Glomcorp, Flintheart announces that being the 4th richest in the world is no longer acceptable. "Soon Vanderbill, Rockafeather, and Rothsweiler will be asking Flintheart Glomgold for a bailout."
NOTE: Glomgold's childhood pressures share similarities with Smallville's Lex Luthor and his board members are no strangers to Disney as they are all well known villains.
Issue 5
Scrooge and the Thunder Frog
A 12-47 is reported, an object of unknown origin, by SHUSH, which Agent Blunt investigates. When Blunt arrives to New Mexico, he observes a massive crater created by Mjølnir, the mythical hammer of Thor. He then calls Bagheera who calls Scrooge in as a consultant. When Thor, a frog, comes searching, he unsuccessfully attempts to retrieve it. Later, Arpin Lusene tries to steal the hammer and, had he been able to lift it, he would've been successful. Lusene is broken from jail by the mischievous duo, Chip and Dale. Their message to him, the bigger the thorn in the side of Scrooge he becomes, the more Flintheart Glomgold will protect him.
NOTE: December, 1947 (12-47) was the first appearance of Scrooge McDuck. There was a time, as this homage reminds us, Marvel Comics turned Thor into a frog. Also, this issue finds its premise in the MCU after-credits and Thor movie
Issue 6
Scrooge and the Buried Treasure. Part 1
Scrooge, having left the university, feels the need to make amends with family after hearing from his brother-in-law, Professor Ludwig Von Drake, how much he has hurt his older sister.
He visits his youngest sibling, Hortense Duck, in Mouseton, who asks him to watch her children, Donald and Della, while she and her husband, Quackmore, go back to Scotland for 'matters that obviously do not concern you, Scroogey.' While he realizes making things right with his family was not going to be easy, he obliges to duck sit for the week they leave. A running joke is Scrooge's difficulty in understanding Donald; to which Della translates. To settle the ducklings in at night, he tells them a bedtime story.
As the story goes, 2 million pounds in treasure had been buried on an island. The origin of the treasure began with Macaw Antoinette. In order to keep her jewels out of the hands of her enemies, her maid took them and fled to Nova Soda. It was there that an evil sea captain, Captain Kat Nipp, would take them from her. Though, as karma would have it, BlackPete the Pirate, saw to it that the treasure was his and only his and robbed Kat Nipp. While villains like Captain Tic-Tock (with a hook hand) and the Dread Pirate Pike (Sword in the Stone) tried to take his new-found treasure, BlackPete decided to bury it "where none but myself can find it" at Oaky Oaks.
1799
A mouse named MickGinnis, the first settler on Oaky Oaks, discovered a depression in the ground while scouting a location. He abandoned the excavation at 30 feet due to "superstitious dread". 8 years after the MickGinnis dig, another group called the Coleslaw Company sailed to Oaky Oaks.
According to an account written in 1862, at 90 feet, they recovered a large stone bearing an inscription of symbols. The excavation was abandoned when the pit flooded up to the 33-foot level. Years later, researchers claimed that the stone translated to "Forty feet below, two million pounds lie buried."
After several more failed attempts, some theorized that BlackPete booby-trapped the pit to protect the treasure.
Of interest was was excavator, Frankwing D Roostervelt. The group departed Oaky Oaks in November, 1909 but Roostervelt kept up with further news, developments and failures on the buried treasure.
The little fall fast asleep with smiles on their faces. Scrooge, though, can not sleep; he can barely hold back the itch he gets from globe-trotting adventures.
NOTE: Based on real events, this adventure has plenty of guest stars from Kat Nipp and BlackPete, nemeses of Micky Mouse (himself under the guise of MickGinnis to Tick-Tock (who bears the scars of his rival, Captain James Hook in this world) and Pike, the carnivorous barracuda whose prefaced title tips it's hat to The Princess Bride. Scrooge picks up his nephew and niece in Mouseton, placing them next to Duckburg in their, and Mickey's traditional hometown. Oakey Oaks, home of Chicken Little, replaces Oak Island.
Issue 7
Scrooge and the Buried Treasure. Part 2
In the morning, Scrooge, more exited than ever, wakes up the children for breakfast,". Scrooge asks the kids if they want to go find that buried treasure; to which they enthusiastically cheer. As they screech out of the driveway, Donald's best pal Goofy comes over. Scrooge, too exited to explain, grabs the pup up and asks his mamma, who's planting outside, if he can come along. ""Ah-hyuck, sure" she replies. There shouldn't be any harm in taking the young Goof along, right?
When the children ask to hear more treasure stories, Scrooge begins the story about his number one dime however, the children are bored (Della), angry over the bad story (Donald) and sleeping (Goofy).
Once they arrive, they meet Goldie O’Gilt. As they both race to find the treasure, Scrooge is enamored by Goldie, herself, having never met another with such gumption, is equally intrigued by Scrooge. Goldie's ability to equal, and sometimes outdo, Scrooge creates a romantic tension that is equal parts cute and competitive. Goldie certainly carries an aura of mystique and intrigue.
Scrooge finds his concentration divided between the twins and Goofy. Della's adventurous nature, although uplifting for Scrooge as he sees a bit of himself in her, tends to attract her ever protective brother, who's unlucky nature has him fending off calamities while trying to chase her down to keep her safe. Goofy, in toe, only adds to the problems by being, quite possibly, the clumsiest youngster ever.
While Scrooge winds up getting the jewels, he and the young trio are confronted by a stalking jackal. Just in time to save the Scrooge and the children, Goldie repels from a helicopter, scaring the jackal away. As Scrooge gloats that he outdid Goldie, she kisses the bewildered duck, nabs the jewels, pulls a cord, and ascends upwards to her escape, laughing and saying she hopes to see him again some day. The angry Scrooge blushes and quickly changes the subject, "I'd better get you kids home. Where's Goofy?"
NOTE: The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest episode detailing Jade's introduction is at the heart of this issue
Issue 8
Scrooge and the Red Flower
A white rabbit walks into a tiki bar called Aristocats
*background guests--
The LK hyena trio
Honest John and Gideon
Dumbo's crows
Pete
Anthropomorphic Iago
and asks for a pilot to bring him to his destination. "I am looking for the right man to pilot my plane. He'll need to be good, good enough to fly in the rain. My name is Percy Nivens and I mustn't be late; I have to hurry, so please don't hesitate." He's laughed out of the bar. Outside, he meets the incoming Talespin duo, Baloo and Louie; asking the 2 if they are pilots, to which Baloo lies and says yes. As they head to Percy's plane, The Sea Duck, we see Scrooge and the twins in the back scrambling and looking around. All 3 shout out for Goofy. Scrooge spots Goofy in the plane as the door begins to shut, grabs the twins and makes it just in time to the wheel as it lifts into the plane.
Surprised, Percy refuses to stop as he does not wish to be late and explains that they are all on there way to an island, St Rudyard Kiplings, where they will enter Mt Mowgli, a ferocious volcano in search of Mowgli's red flower, according to legend, actually a ruby Tamatoa lost when passing by the island and climbing Mowgli in search of more treasures. It is said that this is the enchanted ruby endowed him with eternal life. Scrooge introduces himself as Carl Quacks, the twins as Jack and Ava and Goofy as Dippy.
They land, leave the Sea Duck, and begin their hike to Mt Mowgli. Immediately after they leave, 2 crates bust open and rolling out, stretching and cramped, are the dimwitted duo of Br'er Fox and Br'er Bear who note that "de boss gone mighty happy wit us when we gets im dat dea rubi flowah." "Yup. Ain't nobody else gone get dry hands on it but Fatcat himself. We gone make sho o dat."
Hot on the trail, the hitmen stay just far enough but the humor in their bafoonary shines.
In the end, Scrooge and the gang realize that the red flower is exactly that; It's a metaphor for life. The Bre'r hitmen can't comprehend that and wind up taking the flower anyway for their boss. The heroes let them run off excited to show Fatcat what they think they've done well. Donald is furious with them while Della tries to explain they have nothing and Goofy happily waves goodbye, seemingly unaware of anything. Scrooge consoles Donald with a hug, a lesson, and a conservation which makes him realize he now understands his nephew as they bond.
Percy "I'm sorry my friends, but there is no more time to be had. My boss, when she learns this was for nothing, will be very, very mad. She was once filled with great sadness. Sadly, for us, it's mutated into unrivaled madness. She searches for potions and incantations that will aid her in her journey to hell. Nothing will stop in her; nothing will stop Magica De Spell."
Scrooge is flabbergasted by the reveal and screams, not to be retrieved, but to be given answers. Percy yells back, "Do not worry, friend. After she destroys Paddywack, she will hunt 2 others to no end. It's with them, she wants payback. Carl, don't worry, you're in luck, the 2 she seeks call themselves Glomgold and McDuck."
Goofy shouts to Percy, "Hey mister, you forgot us! Hyuck."
Scrooge groans, "How am I going to explain this to Hortense?"
Louie to Baloo, "I don't think we're getting paid for this one."
NOTE: In this Jungle Book homage heavy issue, The Red Flower is the very thing King Louie sought, Mt Mowgli is an unsubtle nod to the man-cub while the volcano and its fiery insides allude to the JB referring to fire as the flower and the island on which it towers is named after the original author from which the Disney animators found inspiration. The first character to be illustrated in the issue is the Wonderland white rabbit who's propensity to run late is apparent. His name is derived from Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. The bar's name is the least subtle egg yet while Baloo's Talespin plane is given an origin. Many guests are veterans to the world of Disney. Tamatao gets a shoutout. Jack, short for Jacky is a term used for a sailor while Ava is short for aviator, something Della will come to adopt as part of her identity in these books. Goofy was first known as Dippy before officially named Goofy. Finally, the good ol' duo name drop their boss, who's better known as the arch nemesis of the Rescue Rangers
Next...
Issue 9
Dimes Are Forever Part 1
tune in for a total of 26 issues all combined