Recently, the Polish market has started to fill up with exclusive editions of comics about Disney ducks, thanks to the Egmont publishing house. The reader from the Vistula River has the opportunity to learn about many classic stories, so beloved by many Polish kaczkofans. This, in turn, gives us the opportunity to compare some of the characters that were presented by the two masters - Don Rose and Carl Barks - including the vicious Scrooge opponent Granit Forsant.
But let’s start from the beginning
The character of Scrooge McDuck was invented by Carl Barks and her debut took place in 1949 in the comic book Big Bear, which showed the nephew’s first meeting with his wealthy uncle. The greedy Scot was so liked by readers that already in 1952 he had his own series, and the duck universe grew larger with each new issue. And so four years later Barks brought to life Granit Forsant in the comic book O Kawałek Sznurka (Kaczogród Carl Barks: 1956).
Forsant granite is a reflection of the Scrooge, even though it inhabits a completely different continent – Africa. Like Donald’s uncle, he is of Scottish origin, emphasized by his characteristic clothes, and also very economical and greedy, and holds the title of the world’s second richest duck – which is why he often wants to take away this “honor” from his American rival. Well, the only thing that sets them apart is that Scrooge can be sneaky, but nevertheless never cheats, which cannot be said about Forsant.
It happens that Granit is sometimes confused with another duck multibillionaire – John Kwakerfeller. In fact, the former is a bad copy of McDuck, because it presents us with an alternative history – namely, what would happen if the Scrooge had no family and suppressed all “human” reflexes. On the other hand, Kwakerfeller, who made his debut in the 1960s, is a businessman who, having never experienced hard work, enjoys luxury and is wasteful.
Nevertheless, let’s focus on how Forsant is portrayed in Master Barks and his apprentice Rosa.
How a bad clone is born
The genesis of the same character can be presented in different ways. The creator of Granit is certainly Carl Barks. It is in the picture story from 1956 entitled O Piece of Sznurkawe have shown McKwacz finding out from the newspapers that he is no longer the richest creature on Earth. The lost prestige forces the multimillionaire to discover the truth whether there really is someone richer. This brings him to South Africa, to the Granit Forsant treasury. The first meeting of these two characters is a real confrontation, ending in a draw. The decisive task of finding out who has the greater wealth is verifying which of them has the greater spool of string. During this quest, we can see for ourselves that both Granite and Scrooge are inclined to cheat, are almost two drops of water, but the latter can rely on his family to uphold his morals and unwavering reputation as an honest businessman.
In turn, Barks’ student and spiritual heir – Don Rosa, presented the meeting of these two drakes in a completely different way. In his outstanding work – The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck, we have the opportunity to learn that in the 1880s Donald’s uncle saves Granit from oppression in Africa, and then he is robbed by him. After many adventures, Scrooge manages to find his pseudo-friend and arrest him.
Interestingly, in her comic, Rosa makes the Scottish Duck not learn the name of his opponent. It was a special procedure to justify the fact that in the story of the Barks of the Duck, the billionaire does not remember meeting Forsant, who is as old as McDuck. In this way, we can see how these two cartoonists try to take care of every plot detail and create one common canon for the story of the duck universe.
Duck uneven
The genesis is not the only difference between the two cartoonists. To some extent, the presentation is also completely different. The forger in the Barks comics wears a black coat, and, like the Scrooge, sideburns, leggings and rimless eyeglasses. In addition, it has a characteristic Scottish hat and, like McDuck, a chick. Except that his is a bit curved. The African Duck lacks a distinct item of clothing that could directly testify to its wealth, which in the case of Scrooge is a top hat.
In Rosa’s comics, which show us the rivalry between Donald’s ancient uncle and Granit, it can be seen that the pompom on the Granita cap is red, not blue, although there are of course exceptions (see The Last Ruler of El Dorado “Comics from Duckgarden : Scrooge ” vol. 3, ed. 2001). In addition, the opponent’s stick of McKwacz is “polished”.
In Don Rosa’s comics, Granit is portrayed as one of Scrooge’s most resourceful, ruthless and charismatic rivals. He does not hesitate to intimidate or directly use various types of weapons to endanger the life of a Scrooge. Besides, as Rosa himself admits, Forsant is one of his favorite characters, which is why he has included him in many of his comics, which cannot be said for Barks, who devoted only three stories to the duck Bur.
Whose Granite is Better?
It is definitely hard to say which version of the McKwacz opponent is better. If it weren’t for Barks, this character would most likely never have been born. In turn, it was Don Rosa who refined many details, making that next to the series Duck Tales, it was his comics that promoted this character in pop culture. Regardless of whether you like the original version or the later one, it is worth forming your own opinion and familiarizing yourself with the new comic books published by Egmont: Wujek Sknerus i Kaczor Donald vol. 1 and Kaczogród Carl Barks vol. 5, in whose main stories are about Granite Forsant. I heartily encourage you to read.
