The Universal Solvent (comics)

"The Universal Solvent"
Don Rosa's cover for the German publication of the story.
Story code	D 94066
Story	Don Rosa
Ink	Don Rosa
Hero	Scrooge McDuck
Pages	24
Layout	4 rows per page
Appearances	Scrooge McDuck Donald Duck Huey, Dewey and Louie Gyro Gearloose Little Helper Gus Goose
First publication	1995

"The Universal Solvent" is a 1995 Donald Duck story by Don Rosa. The story was inspired by the novel A Journey to the Center of the Earth and was based on a Pertwillaby Papers adventure titled Vortex. It was also likely a partial sequel of the classic Carl Barks story, "Land Beneath the Ground!". Don Rosa wrote two sequels to this story, called "The Black Knight" and "The Black Knight Glorps Again".

Gyro Gearloose has invented a "universal solvent", a thick, black liquid capable of instantly dissolving anything except diamonds, with it then transforming the dissolved matter into super high dense dust. Gyro then gives the Universal Solvent (referred to as "Omnisolve") kept in a diamond jar and an Omnisolve beach umbrella. Scrooge McDuck buys the solvent from him, intending on using it in mining, in order to gain the super pure diamonds located in the outer core of the Earth. However, in his enthusiasm, Scrooge carelessly pours the solvent directly onto the ground, where it begins to make solid shaft all the way down to the centre of the Earth (due to the Omnisolve creating a super-strong and dense lining on the sides of the shaft wall.)

After Huey, Dewey and Louie explain the potentially catastrophic impact of this act - it would eventually lead to the Earth's destruction by destroying the planet's electromagnetic field and causing the Earth to be bombarded with radioactive solar winds - Scrooge, Donald and the boys go on a quest down the shaft to retrieve the solvent.