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.
ISSUES 1-8 as seen previously
Issue 9
Dimes Are Forever Part 1
Their training and background a mystery, Thaddeus Beagle, 'Tina' Beakley and Alberto Tross carried with them a foreboding reputation. With clear training in espionage, the 3 formed an unbreakable bond. Not surprisingly, their unification was known by those that had cause to fear them as Cerberus; for it was in Greek mythology Cerberus, the 3-headed guardian hound, was feared by all man, be their intent riotous or sinful.
*Thaddeus makes mention of his sister who fell into the wrong crowd to the point of losing her British accent. Thaddeus is modeled after Sean Connery's James Bond so much so that he introduces himself as Beagle,Thaddeus Beagle.
Beakely is far less rotund in her youth. Keeping the boxy shoulders, she's more akin to DC's Big Barda than anything else.
Salvatore Mandrill, Vincent Falcon and Lew Oxon, the heads of 3 major crime families in St Canard, have each made a small fortune working together to sell White Chocolate Apples on the black market. Each ran a portion of the White Chocolate Apple trade from St Canard until Cerberus came to stop them.
*Vincent Falcons has 3 cheek scars
For nearly one year, the criminals battled the trio.
NOTE: The title was taken from the James Bond movie, Diamonds Are Forever. Thaddeus Beagle is, as stated, 007 inspired. Alberto Tross is a play on the bird, albatross. The albatross is a legendary bird with deep metaphorical meanings, all of which apply. Thaddeus' passing comment of his sister will lead somewhere soon. Salvatore Mandrill, Vincent Falcon and Lew Oxon find there counterparts in Gotham City as Batman's enemies, Salvatore Maroni, Vincent Falcone and Lew Moxon. St Canard closes in on the Donaldverse by using the home of Darkwing Duck. White Chocolate Apples, while being a metaphor for drugs, also rings back to Snow White's apple with near fatal side effects.
Issue 10
Dimes Are Forever Part 2
When they were finally able to separate Cerberus, Mandrill threw Tross off of the Audubon Bay Bridge; Falcon captures Thaddeus for further questioning; Oxon, at the Coo-Coo Cola Company factory, taunts Beakley over the death of her husband, {da da Daaaaa} Tross. Meanwhile, during Thaddeus' torture, he is repeatedly asked what is Beakely's life worth to him, as he refuses to give in. "Is your life worth nothing? Is Beakley's life worth more? What's your life worth to you? What's Beakely's? What's the duck worth? I own you now, Beagle. From now on, you are my pet. I will call you Pluto."
Each time Falcon asks Thaddeus his name, his refusal to answer 'Pluto' earns him a punch. It's not until the arrival of SHUSH from whom Falcon must escape, that the thrashing is over. When SHUSH's Agent Blunt and others save the badly beaten up Beagle he asks the gentlemanly-dressed man his name to which he mumbles "What's your life worth to you? What's the duck worth?", repeating the barely audible phrase twice. When Bagheera comes in and asks his name, Blunt says "All we can get from him, sir, is Duckworth." I don't think he's going to make it."
At that moment, Agent Karnage calls in that they've found a hostage; Beakely.
Back at base, they learn of everything, including the missing-presumed dead, Alberto Tross and sadly tell Beakely she is the only one left. As Bagheera and his 2 top agents discuss Cerberus, they are still baffled as to where they came, but amazed by their reputation. Blunt suggests they move the base from New Pork to St Canard. Von Drake and Waddlemeyer walk in to tell them Beakely is with child, well, children. Beakley, choosing to retire from active duty but stay involved alongside SHUSH, makes the choice to turn the infants over to them. Drake and Derak Mallard, whose names are issued in an attempt to erase any connection to Cerberus and the body count, will be brought up in the agency.
Tross' body is recovered by FOWL. Bulba hands the Frankenstein a blue mask and says, "You will walk with FOWL now and be loyal to me, my friend. From now on, you are the KGBeak."
Note: The places from which the battles take place are already established in St Canard; the Cola Company ties in, as it originally did, Rescue Rangers and Darkwing Duck. This issue gives the only shoutout to Mickey's dog and 'sensational six' member, Pluto which is also a subtle foreshadow of Beagle's death. Shockingly, Thaddeus Beagle is none other than original Ducktales character, Duckworth. It is here that the conversation to eventually post in St Canard, in order to bring down the monsters, begins. As it is well known, Drake Mallard will eventually become Darkwing Duck (while not made clear is that his nickname, DW, will be an homage to his mother's dear friend, Thaddeus {D}uck{W}orth Beagle). A new origin is born for the hero, greatly tying him to SHUSH. His (evil) twin brother, Derak (Drake-all-mangled-up) is going to, one day, oppose his brother as Negaduck (also being given a new origin). One of these 2 ducks will clearly become the father of Webby... its Derak; making for some great stories down the road. The ending shows Alberto being 'resurrected' as KGBeak, further complicating things in dramatic fashion for 'Tina' Beakely, who will struggle with her husband's descent into evil. This parentage will also affect the Mallard twins when they learn the truth. Also affected, will be his granddaughter, Webby.
Issue 11
Scrooge and the da Vinci Toad Part 1
LaVallestrella Museum
*passing artwork includes}
•stone statues of the Gargoyle trio from The Hunchback of Norte dame
•Lady and the Tramp sharing spaghetti
•Steamboat Mickey
•Cheshire Cat smiles/stairwells
•Jack Skeleton screaming
•'Clara Belle'/ Mona Lisa
•Timon and Pumba as American Gothic
LaVallestrella curator and Priory of Lion grand master Mr JT Toad meets his end by the Creeper who is working on behalf of someone he knows only as the Teacher, who wishes to discover the location of the "keystone," an item crucial to the search for Hippolyta's (a duck) girdle which mythology states was stolen by Hercules (also a lion) and destroy it. After Toad's body is discovered in the pose of the Vitruvian Man, the police summon Scrooge McDuck. Police captain, (more serious, noir, Humphrey Bogart-type) Bonkers, tells him he was summoned to help the police decode the cryptic message Toad left during the final minutes of his life. The message includes a number sequence. Scrooge explains to Cpt Bonkers that Toad was a leading authority on the subject of Greek artifacts and that the words 'corn and club', which he wrote on the ground, represented fertility and Hercules, respectively.
Goldie O’Gilt, revealing herself as a police cryptographer, secretly explains to Scrooge that she is Toad's adopted daughter, and that Bonkers thinks Scrooge is the murderer because the last line in her father's message, which was meant for Goldie said "P.S. Find McDuck," which Bonkers had erased prior to his arrival. However, she understands that her father intended the 2 of them to decipher the code, which leads them to safe at the Bank of Xanitos. Goldie and Scrooge escape from the police and visit the bank. In the safe they find a box containing the keystone: a cylindrical, hand-held vault with rotating dials that are all labeled with letters.
When these are lined up correctly, forming a password, they unlock the device. If the object is forced open, an enclosed vial of vinegar breaks and dissolves the message inside. The box contains clues to its password. Scrooge and Goldie take the keystone to the home of Scrooge's friend, Sir Eli Squinch, an expert on the girdle, the legend of which is heavily connected to the Priory. There, Squinch explains that the girdle is not a belt, but the child of Zeus and Hippolyta. The true story is that, as an Amazon, Hippolyta was faithful to Hera and by being with Zeus, she betrayed that loyalty. Before Hera was able to kidnap the child, Zeus sent Hercules to rescue her and hide her from the goddess. The Priory was formed to protect their descendants. Creeper was sent so that he may learn the lineage of Hippolyta and Zeus from Mouse so that he could wipe said members from existence in order to honor Hera.
Goldie tells Scrooge that, after her parents and brother died in a car accident, she was adopted by Toad and moved far away.
Creeper breaks into Squinch's house, and holds the trio hostage with threats.
Note: The title is an obvious twist. The LaVallestrella Museum is a another twist, this time on the famous, Louvre Museum. The passing artwork are all Disney inspired. Mr Toad's wild ride for Scrooge begins. The Black Cauldron's Creeper unexpectedly slithers into the Donaldverse. Hippolyta and Hercules are far less controversial than those the actual book and movie reference while also using Hercules, a Disney (now anthropomorphised) character. Bonkers gets a much needed update while Xanitos gets a name drop. Eli Squinch, an old Mickey Mouse adversary, explains that, in the Donaldverse, the girdle, not the grail, has a mystery around it worth solving; the child is also nod to D.C. Comics New 52.
Issue 12
Scrooge and the da Vinci Toad Part 2
Squinch knocks him out with his cane. The trio flees the country on Squinch's private plane, on which they conclude that the proper combination of letters spell out Goldie's name. Opening the box, they discover a smaller box inside it, along with another riddle that ultimately leads the group to the tomb of Isaac Newt (a newt). By the time they arrive, Squinch reveals himself to be the Teacher for whom the Creeper is working. Squinch wishes to use this to besmirch Zeus for his infidelity and render extinct the bloodline. He compels Scrooge at gunpoint to solve the second cryptex's password, which Scrooge realizes is "apple." Scrooge secretly opens the box and removes its contents before tossing the empty box in the air. The distraction offers Goldie the opportunity to use Squinch's cane to knock him out; after which he is is arrested by Bonkers, who now realizes that Scrooge is innocent. The police find the Creeper and arrest him.
The final message inside the second keystone leads Goldie and Scrooge to the Chapel of Tuck, the base of the Priory of Lion, where they learn that, after Squinch found Goldie's family, unknowingly leaving Goldie alone, Toad was given the mission to leave the Priory and protect Goldie from the unidentified teacher, leaving behind his practices within the Priory as she, and now she alone, was the last descendant of Hippolyta and Zeus.
Note: the second half of the best-selling novel is Disney-fied. We learn that Goldie's lineage runs deep.
Issue 13
De Curse On de Spell Manor Part 1
Living in the moors of Yorkshire, England, while both families were outcasts of the county, the de Spell family, a generations-old family of white-witch ducks, were bitter rivals to the Sanderson family, a generations-old feline family that practiced the dark arts. When things culminate into a battle that would leave only one family standing, Mayor Lawrence Talon (also a duck) attempts to banish both families, threatening that 'the town will rally and end their banter permanently if (they) don't leave on their own will."
Reacting to his intrusion, Maleva, the matriarch of the Sanderson family, always shadowed by her loyal servant, Renfieldmouse, curses the the mayor to scour the night as a bloodthirsty werebird; leading him to the de Spell Manor where he kills each de Spell save the young Amelia. Over time, Amelia trained herself in the dark arts so as to enact her vengeance on the Sanderson family; she made a pact with the devil (from Darkwing Duck) that would wipe out the Sanderson family in its entirety. The devil agrees on the condition that her bloodline is both burdened, and powered, by rage. Talon, himself a monster come each full moon, is forbidden to return to the city circle. As kindred spirits, Amelia and Talon fall in love and have a son, Lugosi.
Note: The moors of Yorkshire celebrates one of the greatest werewolf movies ever produced, A Werewolf in London. The Sanderson movie hints that the cult classic, Hocus Pocus, a Disney film, has itself a Donaldverse version, and defining how spread across the world the family truly is. Maleva, a direct name stolen from, and Lawrence Talon, a slight manipulation of the name, Talbot, are both inspired by The Wolfman. Renfieldmouse is a play on Dracula's loyal servant while playing into animal names twists such as on the rodent called a field mouse. The devil (from DW) gets his due. His curse that their magic is driven by emotion is part of witch lore. Lugosi, as in Bela, arguably, portrays the most popular theatrical version of Count Dracula while also being the original Wolfman, and son of the gypsy, Maleva, who bites and, subsequently, turns Talbot into the titular tragic character.
Issue 14
De Curse On de Spell Manor Part 2
Lugosi, now an adult, is seen placing a dog bone at the tombstone of his father, Lawrence. Lilith, his wife, stands behind him with their children, the preteen twins, MayDay and Poe. Amelia, now Nona Amelia, steps up to weep at her late husband's tombstone while Lugosi stands with his wife and children. After the house relationships are established, Nona calling Mayday her 'little Magica' and Magica calling her brother a 'rat-face.' We learn that, with Lawrence gone, as he became, along with Amelia, the safe keepers of the town, an evil agency sweeps in to take over. This agency, LOKI (Locaters Of Key Items),
A team of cut-throat excavators hunting for relics, discovered that the town has mystical abilities within the soil. The team is led by its founder, Baron Zebra, his right-hand, Kaa (jokes-a-plenty about his right-hand not having limbs at all) (Kaa represents the Midgard serpent of Norse mythology), Geri and Freki (2 wolf brothers representing Geri and Freki, the wolves of The Norse king of the gods, Odin), Das Bat (as in das boot) and Blitzkrieg, a cheetah. A running theme throughout is Kaa disliking the way Baron Zebra speaks down to him, Geri and Freki's ferocity and Das Bat's straight man to Blitzkrieg's energetic rambling.
The de Spell clan must keep LOKI at bay. Early on, almost immediately, Lugosi and Lilith are killed in a line up by the team; although not shown, the bodies of the 2 piled together alludes to the loss as Nona shows her strength by holding the kids together. Little Magica shows great potential as a spell wielder. It takes the combined efforts of LOKI to wear down Nona as the twins cry by her side. They manages to corner the children and the 2 combine their abilities to run most of the team off, yelping and screaming. Left unshaken are Baron Zebra and Kaa. When Zebra orders Kaa to "squeeze the life out of those brats or I'll make a pair of boots out of you." Kaa hypnotizes the Baron, wraps him up entirely and tells the children they 'are free to go because I have a new plan. "(To Zebra) I'm the Baron now and from the ashes of LOKI a new organization shall be born; a fiendish organization." (Muffling can be heard by Zebra from within his coils). Magica refuses to go without a fight on the grounds that she will honor her defeated family. Lunging at the brave witch with his deadly jaws unhinged, Poe throws her out of the way, knocking her out just before Kaa gets to Poe. When she wakes up, Zebra's outfit, a black feather, and Poe's fedora are on the ground without any sign of either one of them or Kaa.
Note: FOWLs precursor is based heavily on Marvel's hydra's precursor, which itself is based in NAZI history, hence the Norse undertones. Zebra's inspiration comes from Baron Zemo (down to the costume) while adding depth to Kaa. May Day is a pagan holiday. Lilith is a hat tip to the mother of all demons (depending on one's choice of lore). Poe's fedora, as seen in the 80's cartoon, plays into the issue while his nickname of rat-face harkened to his name within the original comics.
Issue 15
Scrooge and the Lodger
Just after settling into Buzzwood, Calisota, and already missing his niece and nephew, Scrooge barely sets up a spot for his number one dime before a phone call unsettles the adventurer. The phone call is from Sean Quackidy and concerns a young woman he dated before traveling with Glomgold, Moira MacCoaduck. She is missing and Sean and needs Scrooge's help in finding her. Scrooge thinks to himself, "Why would Quackidy call me, after all of these years, for help? She left me for him." When Sean asks if he's still there, Scrooge says he's on his way London.
There's a lot of internal monologue for Scrooge this issue.
When he arrives, the news station talks about a new menace, the Jack the Russel copycat, lurking the alleys. Russel, once the most vile of creatures, kidnapped 9 women in 7 days 100 years ago, leaving a letter with his signature each time. The town is fearful he will, once again evade capture as not even Detective Basil, the great mouse detective, was unable to track him. Presently, over the last 3 days, 4 women have been kidnapped with a letter stating 'Jack is back.' Scrooge is met by lead detectives Quackidy and Casey who tell him they believe that the Russel copycat is, in fact, the original Jack and not a copycat at all. They need Scrooge's help as he is the leading archeological adventurer in the world.
Quackidy and Casey parody Dragnet, though, not in a comical slapstick way. As dry as they are they are taken seriously.
The suspicion the detectives had was on the money; Russel is the original. Early clues lead Scrooge to the identity of Russel. The man he calls El Capitán, whom he studied nightly after his encounter involving the Codex Maru, was, and is, Jack the Russel. The thought was, 'Russel' was committing these kidnappings over 100 years ago because he gained satisfaction from the crime. The question now becomes, why, after all of these years, is he at it again.
The detectives, aided by Scrooge's historical research, deduce that 'Russel' did not kidnap to satisfy his lust; he simply needed to make vanish any witnesses that saw him digging in the alleyway. He was after Prince Llywelyn ap Gruffudd’s Crown. Which he buried hundreds of years ago while on the run. It’s up to the trio to capture him and find Moira.
Scrooge and Quackidy find themselves at extreme odds competing in everything and trying to outdo each other. Once they find their man, the interrogation begins. Scrooge, as per protocol, is not a part of this. When he reveals the location of the kidnapped, the trio rescue Moira and the others, only for Scrooge to realize Moira has truly put her past with him behind her as she embraces Quackidy, thanking Scrooge for his help over the shoulder of Sean. The next box is a close up of her saddened, longing eyes staring as Scrooge walks into the distance with a long shadow trailing behind. When the detectives head to the alley in an attempt to dig up the gold, they discover that it has already been found.
When the detectives go back to the station to question Russel regarding the crown, he is gone and, as stated by Detective Quackidy, the floor was bitten through, creating a tunnel out; it appears to be the teeth marks of a couple of chipmunks.
Earlier...
Arpin Lusene sits across from Dr Nogood; behind him stand the 3 Blind Mice. Nogood tells him that FOWL has a client willing to pay good money for the found crown. Lusene’s only demand is to know the buyer’s name to which Nogood replies, “Glomgold.”
Note: Jack the Russel is an obvious Disney spin on Jack the Ripper. The newly named city, Buzzwood combines Buzz Lightyear and Woody of Toy Story. Calisota is the state with the commonly known cities in the Donaldverse. Sean Quackidy and Moira MacCoaduck are names and modeled, in both appearance and personality, after Marvel Comics X-Men characters, Sean Cassidy and Moira MacTaggart. Detective Basil, of The Great Mouse Detective is referenced. Dragnet is referenced.
Next...
Issue 16
Quack to the Future
TUNE IN SHORTLY TO CONTINUE THE LIMITED SERIES UNTIL ISSUE 26