Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories #720

June 30, 2011

Title: The Treasure of Marco Topo Part Two & Of Mice and Manners

Writers: Romano Scarpa, Ted Osborne
Translation: David Gerstein, Joe Torcivia
Pencils: Romano Scarpa, Floyd Gottfredson
Inks: Ted Thwaites
Colorist: Egmont, Digikore Studios
Letterer: David Gerstein
Cover: Casty
Editor: Christopher Meyer         
Publisher: Boom! Studios/kaboom!

The two-art Treasure of Marco Topo comes to a conclusion this issue (having started in Mickey Mouse #309. Mickey is leading a group of friends and foes, including Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Uncle Scrooge, Brigitta MacBridge, Peg-Leg Pete and Trudy Van Tubb off to Italy, hoping to find the treasure left behind by Mickey’s ancestor. Unbeknownst to Mickey, his most vicious foe, the Phantom Blot, is also hot on his trail.

Like I mentioned in the Mickey Mouse #309 review, this still feels like an odd sort of team for Mickey. Pete and Trudy are oddballs, but justified in that Marco Topo’s prophecy said that friends and foes alike would be joining in. Scrooge and Brigitta seem less logical, but at least serve a purpose in the story (if only for comedic purposes). All in all, though, Romana Scarpa delivered on a good little treasure hunt story, which is the kind of thing that Mickey and company really do well.

We also get a two-page back-up, “Of Mice and Manners” culled from Mickey’s old newspaper strip. It’s basically Mickey trying to teach Pluto etiquette and failing in a comedic fashion. Funny, but not amazing.

This was an okay little issue. Not the best of Mickey’s adventures, but a good one, and I’ll take that.

Rating: 7/10

Exiles (2001 Series) #58

January 21, 2005

Quick Rating: Good
Title: Taking on Tanaraq

With their teammate possessed by a demon, the Exiles make a desperate ploy to save her life!

Writer: Tony Bedard
Art: Mizuki Sakakibara
Colors: JC
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Editor: Mike Marts
Cover Art: Mizuki Sakakibara
Publisher: Marvel Comics

Last issue, Heather Hudson succumbed to the power of the beast inside of her. Tanaraq, the demon who bartered to give her her power, has decided to ride along with the Exiles until he finds a way home. Unless he can find another way home first.

Desperate to prevent him from destroying a world, the Exiles make a desperate move against him – and at the same time, expose some of their own fears. This is a decent issue. If there’s any problem with it, it’s a lack of build-up. The Tanaraq angle came up basically out of the blue last issue, and it is resolved quickly.

On the plus side, there’s a lot of fun in this issue, seeing the interaction of some of the smartest villains in the Marvel Universe. Bedard even manages to work in a little comedy in these scenes. We also get a bit of development – or at least discussion – about the recurring subplot of the series, namely whether or not the team can really trust the mysterious Timebroker that propels them along on their missions. When you get down to it, though, the only thing that really changed over the last few issue’s is Heather’s status with the team, and it’s a bit far for such a relatively minor change.

Mizuki Sakakibara handles the art chores on this issue, and as usual, does a great job. Her handling of Tanaraq and the less-human members of the team, like Beak, is consistently impressive. And of course, seeing the all-star villain lineup is a treat.

I keep sitting on the edge of my seat, waiting for Bedard to shove this issue just over the lip from being decent to being really good. He keeps teetering over that edge, and he’s been there for a long time now. A slight push could make this a great comic… I just find myself consistently waiting for it to come.

Rating: 7/10

The Losers #10

March 20, 2004

Quick Rating: Average
Title: Island Life Part Two

The Losers close in on their latest target, and we get more dirt on Max.

Writer: Andy Diggle
Art: Jock
Colors: Lee Loughridge
Letters: Clem Robins
Editor: Will Dennis
Cover Art: Jock
Publisher: DC Comics/Vertigo

After a fairly entertaining start to this story arc, Andy Diggle gets back to the stuff that makes this title less appealing to me. Conspiracy theory, black ops and some action. To make matters worse, the conspiracy we’re faced with in this issue is pretty stale and overdone. It would have been possible to fit in more clichés, but he would have had to employ either John F. Kennedy or Area 51.

To his credit, Andy Diggle does work in a scene that fills us in on the background of the title. That’s something this book has needed to grab new readers — he wisely uses a “briefing” scene that works perfectly in the context of the book and it helps to bring everybody up-to-date. The problem is, even though we get more of a sense of who the characters are, there’s nothing here that makes us particularly care about any of them. Even in a conspiracy/action comic like this, if you don’t care about the characters you’re pretty much treading water at best.

The action, as I’ve often found with this series, is the best of the title. Diggle writes a good fight scene and Jock draws one. Considering the generally shady nature of this book, both in terms of story and artwork, it would be very easy to get lost in darkness and lose the visual sense of progression, but Jock keeps it clean enough to follow and Lee Loughridge does spot-on colors that set each scene off and never dominates anything.

Overall, though, this book will appeal to its core audience that shares its rather cynical philosophy and alienate others. That’s how I’ve felt about it from the beginning, and I don’t expect it to change.

Rating: 5/10