Grandpa Beagle, also known as Blackheart Beagle, is the grandfather, founder, and sometimes leader of the Beagle Boys. He first appeared in the Carl Barks stories The Fantastic River Race (as Blackheart Beagle) and The Money Well (as Grandpa Beagle).
History[]
The older generation of Beagle Boys in Barks' The Fantastic River Race.
In Scrooge's flashback in The Fantastic River Race, Blackheart Beagle looks very similar to his children and his present-day grandkids, albeit with a long, twirly mustache, a black and blue uniform, and sailor hat. In The Money Well, Grandpa Beagle appears as an elderly Beagle Boy with the number 186-802.
In Italy, Grandpa Beagle became a recurring character, starting of in 1962 when Rodolfo Cimino depicted him as the Beagle Boys' leader, in the comic Zio Paperone caporale d'assalto. In Italian stories, Grandpa Beagle's plate/tag has the word "Grazia" instead of a prison number. According to the story Racconti d'evasione - La fuga della vergogna, Grandpa was attempting the most daring and smart escape from the highly secure penitentiary of Sing-Sing-Sing, but having to play the part of the good prisoner to earn trust in the guards, he was released for good behavior just the day before he could act his master plan, much to his humiliation, earning said plate (and to add insult to injury, his cellmate would steal his plan and become famous for it). Sometimes he is portrayed in the same physical shape as his grandkids, most of the time he's thinner than them, and he's always holding a smoking pipe.
Whereas Blackheart and Grandpa Beagle were two separate characters in the works of their creator Carl Barks, they were the same person in Don Rosa’s work. Under Rosa, Blackheart is Scrooge’s oldest nemesis, and one of the greatest villains in Duckburg, even capable to assemble an alliance of Scrooge McDuck's enemies in the 1997 story A Little Something Special.
Trivia[]
- Just like John D. Rockerduck, Grandpa Beagle was used only once by his creator, Carl Barks, but became popular in Italian comics.
- Barks did not intend for Blackheart Beagle from The Fantastic River Race and Grandpa Beagle from The Money Well to be one and the same character when creating the characters. For unknown reasons, Don Rosa depicted them as the same character in The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck.
- In some European productions, such as his character profile poster in the German Micky Maus Magazin, Grandpa Beagle was said to be the Beagle Boys' father rather than their grandfather.
- Brazilian writers depict him as a respected semi-retired crook who sometimes gives advice to the Beagle Boys.
- In the 2017 DuckTales continuity, a Character named Grandpappy Beagle is presumably based on Grandpa Beagle who also shares the same nickname as him in the comics.
Gallery[]
