The Son of the Sun
Encyclopedia
The Son of the Sun is the first Scrooge McDuck
comic by Don Rosa
, first published in 1986. It is a well-known comic book
story that features Disney's Scrooge McDuck, Donald Duck
, and Huey, Dewey, and Louie, 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 and illustrator of stories featuring Scrooge McDuck.
The combination of homage to Barks, clever and intelligent writing, appealing art, and dependence of the resolution of the plot on of one of Scrooge's most redeeming character traits were instrumental in the reception of this storyline as a modern classic.
, the best-loved writer
and illustrator
of Scrooge McDuck comic book
s, since childhood, and had drawn several comics with strong stylistic influences from Barks' work during his early career. One such story, appearing in a series called the Pertwillaby Papers
, was called "Lost In (an alternative section of) the Andes", and was in no small part an homage
to a Barks story called (perhaps not surprisingly) Lost in the Andes!.
When Rosa began working with Gladstone Publishing
, a publisher of Disney comics, he asked for and was granted permission to draw a Scrooge McDuck story. Rosa updated the plot for Lost In (an alternative section of) the Andes to feature Scrooge and his nephews instead of the original protagonist, and this story became Son of the Sun. He has since stated that the original conception of the story in his mind had always featured the Disney ducks, and that Son of the Sun is simply a return to the original conception.
The story met with widespread acclaim and was nominated for a Harvey Award
, and immediately established Rosa as a major talent in writing and illustrating Scrooge McDuck.
, where Scrooge McDuck is opening a museum exhibit featuring the greatest wonders he has collected during his travels around the world (most of them direct tributes to classic Barks stories).
As Scrooge is bragging to his nephews, Donald Duck and Huey, Dewey and Louie (who know all of the details by heart, having been there for the original expeditions), Flintheart Glomgold
, who is about to open an exhibit of his own, overhears Scrooge, and shortly the conversation between the two duck tycoons turns into a bragging match as to who is the greatest adventurer and treasure-seeker. Scrooge challenges Glomgold to think of something he could find; Glomgold is momentarily nonplussed, then catches sight of Scrooge’s exhibit of Inca artifacts and points out that while Scrooge found the original gold
mines of the Incas, he never found the golden artifacts that had been extracted from the mines. Soon Scrooge and his nephews are off on a race with Glomgold to see who can find, and claim, the "greater Incan treasure."
The first clue comes as soon as Glomgold has left, as Donald picks up an Incan vase that was knocked over during the bragging match. They find a metal plaque baked inside, providing a map to a temple of Manco Capac
in the Andes
mountains. Unfortunately, Glomgold is listening outside.
Arriving at a village near Cuzco
, Scrooge hires a plane to fly them to its location. The pilot of the plane turns out to be Glomgold, who relieves them of the plaque at gunpoint and then parachutes out. Scrooge tries to regain control of the plane and, in a comic episode, inadvertently rips out the belly of the plane while flying too low, dumping his nephews’ onto the valley floor, still in their seats. As the plane flies off, Glomgold approaches and informs the ducks that Scrooge has frightened away the porters he hired, so they will have to do.
A week later, Glomgold and his reluctant helpers reach a remote mountain
, on the summit of which is the temple, built around a large volcanic fumarole
(hence, the plaque’s description, the “life breath” of Manco Capac). Glomgold enters the temple’s treasure chamber and is beside himself with glee to discover an enormous store of golden Inca artifacts. Then Scrooge appears, calmly informing Glomgold that he crash-landed the plane on the mountaintop several days ago, and has already filed his claim on the gold using the plane’s radio.
It seems the Scrooge has won, but Huey, Dewey, and Louie are confused about one thing: the plaque makes reference to an Incan “treasure” being moved to the temple, but it actually predates the time of the conquistadors, which is naturally when the gold would have been moved there. Realizing there must be another Incan treasure in the temple, Glomgold investigates further and discovers the “Eye” of Manco Capac: an enormous, disc-shaped sunburst festooned with enormous gemstones. Since Scrooge claimed the gold, and not the temple, and there’s no gold on the sunburst, that makes it Glomgold’s.
As Scrooge and Glomgold begin to argue about whose treasure is of greater value, Glomgold begins taking it down from its wall mounting, but it falls and rolls down the temple steps and into the fumarole. It wedges into the hole convex side down, creating a perfect seal. As the volcanic
gas
es build up an enormous pressure, Scrooge notices that the back of the sunburst is sheathed in gold, starting another furious argument between him and Glomgold, and causing them to wedge the sunburst down even more firmly. Before the others can stop them, the pressure mounts and (in a spectacular panel) the entire mountaintop, temple and all, is blown into the sky like a cork from a bottle. The ducks are able to use a tapestry
as a makeshift parachute
before the temple lands squarely in a nearly bottomless volcanic lake
, next to the village they originally started from. The massive splash
of water irrigates the villagers’ crop fields, relieving them from the effects of recent drought
.
All of the treasure is now completely irretrievable. As the dispirited ducks begin their journey back to civilization, Scrooge is seen emerging from the village and mentions that he has agreed to build a pumping station
for the village so that they will never be troubled by drought again. Glomgold scorns Scrooge's generosity, until Scrooge reveals that that in return, the villagers have agreed to sell him the lake for one peso
- which makes Scrooge the rightful owner of both the temple and all of the treasure inside it. Even though he cannot retrieve it, Scrooge is now the clear legal owner of all of the treasure - and thus the winner of the contest.
However, Rosa also softened the character of Scrooge somewhat from Barks’s version, making him a deliberate contrast to Glomgold’s evil and sneakiness. In previous Barks stories (notably "Voodoo Hoodoo") Scrooge has sometimes been portrayed as an unscrupulous robber baron
, while Glomgold has been portrayed as remarkably similar to Scrooge in many ways, such as his thrift
. Rosa’s version manages to be both shrewd and generous, finding ways to make a profit that do plenty of good to local communities. The fact that his generosity
allows him to triumph over Glomgold in this story shows the qualities that elevate Scrooge to a hero
instead of just a rich eccentric.
Scrooge McDuck
Scrooge McDuck is a cartoon character created in 1947 by Carl Barks and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Scrooge is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a red or blue frock coat, top hat, pince-nez glasses, and spats...
comic by Don Rosa
Don Rosa
Keno Don Hugo Rosa, known simply as Don Rosa, is an American comic book writer and illustrator known for his stories about Scrooge McDuck, Donald Duck and other characters created by Carl Barks for Disney comics, such as The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck.-Early life:Don Rosa's grandfather,...
, first published in 1986. It is a well-known comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
story that features Disney's Scrooge McDuck, Donald Duck
Donald Duck
Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
, and Huey, Dewey, and Louie, 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 and illustrator of stories featuring Scrooge McDuck.
The combination of homage to Barks, clever and intelligent writing, appealing art, and dependence of the resolution of the plot on of one of Scrooge's most redeeming character traits were instrumental in the reception of this storyline as a modern classic.
Background
Don Rosa had idolized Carl BarksCarl Barks
Carl Barks was an American Disney Studio illustrator and comic book creator, who invented Duckburg and many of its inhabitants, such as Scrooge McDuck , Gladstone Gander , the Beagle Boys , The Junior Woodchucks , Gyro Gearloose , Cornelius Coot , Flintheart Glomgold , John D...
, the best-loved writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
of Scrooge McDuck comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
s, since childhood, and had drawn several comics with strong stylistic influences from Barks' work during his early career. One such story, appearing in a series called the Pertwillaby Papers
The Pertwillaby Papers
The Pertwillaby Papers is an adventure comic drawn by the famous Donald Duck artist Don Rosa in the 1970s. The comic is about the adventures of Lancelot "Lance" Pertwillaby and his friends and colleagues around the world....
, was called "Lost In (an alternative section of) the Andes", and was in no small part an homage
Homage
Homage is a show or demonstration of respect or dedication to someone or something, sometimes by simple declaration but often by some more oblique reference, artistic or poetic....
to a Barks story called (perhaps not surprisingly) Lost in the Andes!.
When Rosa began working with Gladstone Publishing
Gladstone Publishing
Gladstone Publishing was an American company that published Disney comics from 1986 to 1990 and from 1993 to 1998. The company had its origins as a subsidiary of "Another Rainbow", a company formed by Bruce Hamilton and Russ Cochran to publish the Carl Barks Library and produce limited edition...
, a publisher of Disney comics, he asked for and was granted permission to draw a Scrooge McDuck story. Rosa updated the plot for Lost In (an alternative section of) the Andes to feature Scrooge and his nephews instead of the original protagonist, and this story became Son of the Sun. He has since stated that the original conception of the story in his mind had always featured the Disney ducks, and that Son of the Sun is simply a return to the original conception.
The story met with widespread acclaim and was nominated for a Harvey Award
Harvey Award
The Harvey Awards, named for writer-artist Harvey Kurtzman and founded by Gary Groth, President of the publisher Fantagraphics, are given for achievement in comic books. The Harveys were created as part of a successor to the Kirby Awards which were discontinued after 1987.The Harvey Awards are...
, and immediately established Rosa as a major talent in writing and illustrating Scrooge McDuck.
Storyline
The opening panels of the story are set in the Duckburg museumMuseum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
, where Scrooge McDuck is opening a museum exhibit featuring the greatest wonders he has collected during his travels around the world (most of them direct tributes to classic Barks stories).
As Scrooge is bragging to his nephews, Donald Duck and Huey, Dewey and Louie (who know all of the details by heart, having been there for the original expeditions), Flintheart Glomgold
Flintheart Glomgold
Flintheart Glomgold is a fictional character in Disney comic books. Glomgold is one of Scrooge McDuck's main rivals, and also holds the title of being The Second Richest Duck in the World...
, who is about to open an exhibit of his own, overhears Scrooge, and shortly the conversation between the two duck tycoons turns into a bragging match as to who is the greatest adventurer and treasure-seeker. Scrooge challenges Glomgold to think of something he could find; Glomgold is momentarily nonplussed, then catches sight of Scrooge’s exhibit of Inca artifacts and points out that while Scrooge found the original gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
mines of the Incas, he never found the golden artifacts that had been extracted from the mines. Soon Scrooge and his nephews are off on a race with Glomgold to see who can find, and claim, the "greater Incan treasure."
The first clue comes as soon as Glomgold has left, as Donald picks up an Incan vase that was knocked over during the bragging match. They find a metal plaque baked inside, providing a map to a temple of Manco Capac
Manco Capac
Manco Cápac was the legendary first Sapa Inca of the Kingdom of Cusco and a figure of Inca mythology. There are several versions of his origin story, which connect him to the foundation of Cusco.- Inti legend :In one myth, Manco Cápac was a son of the sun god Inti and Mama Quilla, and brother of...
in the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
mountains. Unfortunately, Glomgold is listening outside.
Arriving at a village near Cuzco
Cusco
Cusco , often spelled Cuzco , is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region as well as the Cuzco Province. In 2007, the city had a population of 358,935 which was triple the figure of 20 years ago...
, Scrooge hires a plane to fly them to its location. The pilot of the plane turns out to be Glomgold, who relieves them of the plaque at gunpoint and then parachutes out. Scrooge tries to regain control of the plane and, in a comic episode, inadvertently rips out the belly of the plane while flying too low, dumping his nephews’ onto the valley floor, still in their seats. As the plane flies off, Glomgold approaches and informs the ducks that Scrooge has frightened away the porters he hired, so they will have to do.
A week later, Glomgold and his reluctant helpers reach a remote mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
, on the summit of which is the temple, built around a large volcanic fumarole
Fumarole
A fumarole is an opening in a planet's crust, often in the neighborhood of volcanoes, which emits steam and gases such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrochloric acid, and hydrogen sulfide. The steam is created when superheated water turns to steam as its pressure drops when it emerges from...
(hence, the plaque’s description, the “life breath” of Manco Capac). Glomgold enters the temple’s treasure chamber and is beside himself with glee to discover an enormous store of golden Inca artifacts. Then Scrooge appears, calmly informing Glomgold that he crash-landed the plane on the mountaintop several days ago, and has already filed his claim on the gold using the plane’s radio.
It seems the Scrooge has won, but Huey, Dewey, and Louie are confused about one thing: the plaque makes reference to an Incan “treasure” being moved to the temple, but it actually predates the time of the conquistadors, which is naturally when the gold would have been moved there. Realizing there must be another Incan treasure in the temple, Glomgold investigates further and discovers the “Eye” of Manco Capac: an enormous, disc-shaped sunburst festooned with enormous gemstones. Since Scrooge claimed the gold, and not the temple, and there’s no gold on the sunburst, that makes it Glomgold’s.
As Scrooge and Glomgold begin to argue about whose treasure is of greater value, Glomgold begins taking it down from its wall mounting, but it falls and rolls down the temple steps and into the fumarole. It wedges into the hole convex side down, creating a perfect seal. As the volcanic
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
gas
Gas
Gas is one of the three classical states of matter . Near absolute zero, a substance exists as a solid. As heat is added to this substance it melts into a liquid at its melting point , boils into a gas at its boiling point, and if heated high enough would enter a plasma state in which the electrons...
es build up an enormous pressure, Scrooge notices that the back of the sunburst is sheathed in gold, starting another furious argument between him and Glomgold, and causing them to wedge the sunburst down even more firmly. Before the others can stop them, the pressure mounts and (in a spectacular panel) the entire mountaintop, temple and all, is blown into the sky like a cork from a bottle. The ducks are able to use a tapestry
Tapestry
Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven on a vertical loom, however it can also be woven on a floor loom as well. It is composed of two sets of interlaced threads, those running parallel to the length and those parallel to the width ; the warp threads are set up under tension on a...
as a makeshift parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
before the temple lands squarely in a nearly bottomless volcanic lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
, next to the village they originally started from. The massive splash
Splash
Splash may refer to:* Splash , sudden disturbances on the surface of water* Splash, in erosion, is the detachment and airborne movement of small soil particles caused by the impact of raindrops on soils-Computing:...
of water irrigates the villagers’ crop fields, relieving them from the effects of recent drought
Drought
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
.
All of the treasure is now completely irretrievable. As the dispirited ducks begin their journey back to civilization, Scrooge is seen emerging from the village and mentions that he has agreed to build a pumping station
Pumping station
Pumping stations are facilities including pumps and equipment for pumping fluids from one place to another. They are used for a variety of infrastructure systems, such as the supply of water to canals, the drainage of low-lying land, and the removal of sewage to processing sites.A pumping station...
for the village so that they will never be troubled by drought again. Glomgold scorns Scrooge's generosity, until Scrooge reveals that that in return, the villagers have agreed to sell him the lake for one peso
Peso
The word peso was the name of a coin that originated in Spain and became of immense importance internationally...
- which makes Scrooge the rightful owner of both the temple and all of the treasure inside it. Even though he cannot retrieve it, Scrooge is now the clear legal owner of all of the treasure - and thus the winner of the contest.
Relation to Barks’s works
The story is notable for its clear homage to many Barks stories, featuring a search for lost treasure, a set of improbable clues that must be deciphered in order to retrieve it, and a series of unpredictable twists and turns en route to the retrieval of said treasure, all classic elements of Barks' Scrooge McDuck stories.However, Rosa also softened the character of Scrooge somewhat from Barks’s version, making him a deliberate contrast to Glomgold’s evil and sneakiness. In previous Barks stories (notably "Voodoo Hoodoo") Scrooge has sometimes been portrayed as an unscrupulous robber baron
Robber baron
A robber baron or robber knight was an unscrupulous and despotic nobility of the medieval period in Europe, for example, Berlichingen. It has slightly different meanings in different countries. In modern US parlance, the term is also used to describe unscrupulous industrialists...
, while Glomgold has been portrayed as remarkably similar to Scrooge in many ways, such as his thrift
Thrift
Thrift may refer to:* A savings and loan association in the United States* Restrained or disciplined spending habits* Apache Thrift a remote procedure call framework developed at Facebook for "scalable cross-language services development"....
. Rosa’s version manages to be both shrewd and generous, finding ways to make a profit that do plenty of good to local communities. The fact that his generosity
Generosity
Generosity is the habit of giving freely without expecting anything in return. It can involve offering time, assets or talents to aid someone in need...
allows him to triumph over Glomgold in this story shows the qualities that elevate Scrooge to a hero
Hero
A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
instead of just a rich eccentric.
Visual cues
The museum exhibit contains a line of mementoes from classic Barks adventures featuring Scrooge:- A 1916 quarter (from "City Under The Sea”)
- The Crown of Genghis KhanGenghis KhanGenghis Khan , born Temujin and occasionally known by his temple name Taizu , was the founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his death....
- The Golden FleeceGolden FleeceIn Greek mythology, the Golden Fleece is the fleece of the gold-haired winged ram, which can be procured in Colchis. It figures in the tale of Jason and his band of Argonauts, who set out on a quest by order of King Pelias for the fleece in order to place Jason rightfully on the throne of Iolcus...
(from "The Golden FleecingThe Golden FleecingThe Golden Fleecing is a Scrooge McDuck comic book story from 1955, written and drawn by Carl Barks. It's about Scrooge who wants the Golden Fleece to make a jacket.-Storyline:...
") - A collection of Inca artifacts (from "The Prize of Pizarro")
- The Philosopher's StonePhilosopher's stoneThe philosopher's stone is a legendary alchemical substance said to be capable of turning base metals into gold or silver. It was also sometimes believed to be an elixir of life, useful for rejuvenation and possibly for achieving immortality. For many centuries, it was the most sought-after goal...
(from "The Fabulous Philosopher's StoneThe Fabulous Philosopher's StoneThe Fabulous Philosopher's Stone is an Uncle Scrooge comics story written and drawn by Carl Barks in October 1954. The story was first published in 1955.-Plot:...
") - A Candy Striped Ruby (from "The Status Seeker")
Story cues
- In the museum, Donald says he is tired of Scrooge and Glomgold's repeated contests to see which of them is the richest duck in the world ("The Second-Richest DuckThe Second-Richest DuckThe Second-Richest Duck is an Uncle Scrooge comic book story written and illustrated by Carl Barks in February 1956. It features the first appearance of Flintheart Glomgold.-Plot:...
"; "The Money ChampThe Money ChampThe Money Champ was originally published in Uncle Scrooge #27 in September, 1959 and is the second of three stories of Carl Barks where Flintheart Glomgold appears.-Plot:...
"); Glomgold blithely says that, regardless of what those contests might say, he has always been the champion. However, this story marks a new direction in the Scrooge-Glomgold rivalry, in which they make bets over hunting treasure rather than comparing their wealth. - The old South American man who advises both Scrooge and Glomgold originally appeared in Barks’s story "Lost in the AndesLost in the AndesLost in the Andes! is a Donald Duck story written by Carl Barks in April 1949. Donald and his nephews go to South America to find the mythical chickens that lay "square eggs" .- Plot :...
", along with his signature line, "These AmericanosUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
are crazy!" - A hidden reference is made to the theory of Norwegian ethnographer and adventurer Thor HeyerdahlThor HeyerdahlThor Heyerdahl was a Norwegian ethnographer and adventurer with a background in zoology and geography. He became notable for his Kon-Tiki expedition, in which he sailed by raft from South America to the Tuamotu Islands...
and his Kon Tiki expedition: The lake Titicaca, central in the story of "The Son of the Sun", is the lake where Heyerdahl (inspired by local folklore) assumed that native Americans traveled on balsa rafts westwards from the American continent to form the origin of the population of PolynesiaPolynesiaPolynesia is a subregion of Oceania, made up of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are termed Polynesians and they share many similar traits including language, culture and beliefs...
. When Glomgold and Scrooge uncovers the treasure called "the eye of Manco Capac" in "The Son of the Sun" they find it lined with black pearls from Polynesia. This is actually in contradiction to Heyerdahl's theory since it would require migration to have taken place in the opposite direction, i.e. from Polynesia to America.