First fucking panel and I'm already laughing.  I'm serious, I just started reading this thing, and the Dutch team on the first story in this issue, "Shiver Me Timbers!" has already landed a joke.  More importantly, the joke relies on spatial juxtaposition: it's the kind of suspense you can only build in comics by placing different images and words on the page in particular places.  Obviously comedic timing is a temporal matter too and can thus be achieved in animated/live comedy; but, achieving that kind of timing by just laying things out carefully on the page... man, that's good comics. The one-page stories in these things are great too.  Like last issue, this issue of Uncle Scrooge is essentially a mini Uncle Scrooge anthology: it contains three stories, two of which are longer-form, and one of which is a one-page gag.  The one-page gags are essentially a really well-framed joke about Scrooge's infamous frugality done in a slightly more cartoony style than the other more polished stories.  They're pretty much a guaranteed laugh if you find Scrooge funny at all.

The second long-form story also comes out of the Netherlands and features twice the quacking avarice with the addition of Scrooge's arch-nemesis Flintheart Glomgold (because Scrooge McDuck is not Scottish enough of a name).  The story from this Dutch team is decades newer (I believe these were first published at the beginning of this decade) than the 20th century stories contained in Uncle Scrooge #1.  But this just goes to prove my point: these stories have a vintage feel but a completely timeless eye towards humor.  The gag on the second panel of the fourth page of "Meteor Rights" is one of the funnies jokes I've heard in a while.  It just taps the absurdity of how filthy rich these guys are in combination with how ridiculous the plot of this issue is.

I guess the thing I like most is you don't get a break from the humor and it comes at you from multiple angles which you don't expect.  As soon as the aforementioned gag ends on page 4, we cut over to Donald chasing his nephews around with a branch for eating all of his "Fig-Newmans."  And as if the abrupt transition weren't enough, Scrooge cuts in with some considerations that border on fourth-wall-breakery.  The ability to effectively call back to these jokes really pushes this comic over the edge: it is pure fun, worthy of formal consideration.

Add in the fact that you just can't get these stories anywhere else unless you're scouring Dutch comic bins (and can read Dutch) and this is just a great little project IDW's got going on.

Score: 5/5

Uncle Scrooge #2 Writers: Various Artists: Various Publisher: IDW Publishing Price: $3.99 Release Date: 5/13/15 Format: Ongoing; Print/Digital