Uncle Scrooge #13

Another day and another addition to my comic collection. Although I have been focusing on Silver Age comics by Jack Kirby, I still keep my hand in on other types of old comics. Today I got a copy of UNCLE SCROOGE #13. This book straddles the line between the Golden Age of comics and the Silver Age. Technically speaking, it's (barely) a Silver Age book. But it's classic Golden Age Disney.

I got this issue at a good price on Ebay. However, the seller is a novice and has absolutely no idea how to ship a collectible comic. The package arrived ravaged and bent. But the book is relatively unscathed from the damage, but only by some miracle. All it takes to keep this from happening is to add some sturdy cardboard. It doesn't add to the cost of shipping and only takes a few minutes. I'll know to steer clear of that seller in the future.

When I was a kid, this was one of my favorite Barks Duck stories. It features Uncle Scrooge, Donald, and the nephews as they go below the crust of the Earth when Uncle Scrooge becomes paranoid about earthquakes. Below, they discover a vast cavern of immense proportions and are introduced to some of the most clever creatures of Barks' imagination: The Terries and the Fermies. These roly-poly creatures are the cause of most of the earthquakes on the planet as they engage in duels much like those of Bighorn sheep. They smash into one another, thus causing earthquakes.

A great story ensues as Scrooge and the lads try to extricate themselves from the world of the Terries and the Fermies. When I was a kid this story was probably my favorite of all of the brilliant Barks yarns. It's nice to have the original (March 1956) in my possession once again.

My copy of UNCLE SCROOGE #13.

How one tells a Fermie from a Terrie.

Two interesting things about this back cover: First of all, that Dell (and Disney) thought it important to include what amounts to a very short story on the back cover. They did this often in those days. Often Dell kids comics had a clever little joke of a tale on the back cover. Second is that Dell Pledge to Parents. This was in the worst part of the anti-comics paranoia being generated by the likes of John L. Goldwater (owner of Archie Comics) and the equally slimy asshole, Frederic Wertham (SEDUCTION OF THE INNOCENT). Dell wanted the parents to know that their comics were wholesome and safe!