Despite having no formal training as an artist other than a degree in civil engineering, Rosa’s pages are beautiful and detailed, with his characters possessing a slapstick weight to them that makes every single gag land beautifully, coupled with an incredible knack for building amazing story premises that deliver as the foundation for both comedy and adventure. He also has an impressive knack for character work, especially in stories that are nominally meant to always return their characters to the status quo by the end of each adventure. They’re always instantly and engagingly defined, and in the case of Life and Times, seeing Scrooge’s fall from the hope and optimism of youth to this adulthood as a bitter, jaded industrialist before ultimately ending up as an isolated, lonely recluse is one of the best character pieces I’ve ever read.
Don’t worry, though: The story ends with Scrooge meeting Donald and the Nephews just in time for his first appearance — taking him right back to that same status quo that fans already know and love.
via Why Don Rosa Is One Of Comics’ Greatest Living Creators.
