Tralla La (1954)
Tralla La Review
Tralla La is a 1954 Disney comic book written and drawn by Carl Barks. It is one of the stronger Uncle Scrooge comics.
The titular story is the first of the two stories in this sixth Uncle Scrooge issue. Both stories here are excellent, but this was clearly the highlight of the comic. In it, Scrooge is tired of everybody asking him for money, so he goes to a place in Tibet where there is no money to rest, but only to inadvertently bring capitalism to that place and destroy it in the process. This was a fantastic commentary on how capitalism works and how easily societies can be transformed into that economic system.
But it’s also a story that is consistently funny, highly adventurous and featuring gorgeous artwork from Barks. He utilized the montane setting beautifully. The character work is also among his best yet in this story that humanized all of its characters, in particular the protagonist, but he still remained his stubborn and petty self amusingly so. It ends a bit abruptly, but otherwise it’s a masterpiece.
The second story involves Scrooge’s master plan to have Donald and his neighbor destroy their property, so that he can easily buy them. But the nephews are onto him and they get the better of him eventually. This is a story that was a bit rushed and short, but one that was so entertaining and funny throughout. Scrooge was ruthless and horrible here, but he was punished accordingly. It also includes the best use of Donald in these comics yet.
