Darkwing Duck (2010 Series) #12

May 31, 2011

Title: FOWL Disposition Part Four

Writer: Ian Brill
Art: James Silvani
Colorist: Lisa Moore
Letterer: Deron Bennett
Cover: James Silvani & Amy Mebberson
Editor: Christopher Burns           
Publisher: Boom! Studios/Kaboom!

With Duckthulhu rising, Darkwing Duck and his family must join forces with a mysterious double agent to save the world from F.O.W.L.’s most dastardly scheme of all time. This issue really delivers – lots of action and gags, yes, but some serious depth here as well. The scenes where DW sees a different world, a different possible world for himself and his family picks into the psyche of the characters in a way that lesser writers never attempt. What’s more, this issue brings us the fulfillment of a bit of dark foreshadowing from the last story arc, when it was hinted that Darkwing was going to lose somebody close to him. The way it happens, there were really only two candidates all along, and throughout the issue we feel like one or the other could fall at any time. Of course, this is still a Disney book – there’s a very good chance that the character in question will eventually return. That doesn’t diminish the real hopelessness and agony we see in Darkwing as he realizes just what his insistence on going it alone this time has cost him. He’s made a terrible mistake and it’s cost him dearly, and that’s way more than we expect from a book of this nature. And that, friends, is all to the good. Darkwing Duck is smart, funny, and action-packed. It’s the best book being published for young readers right now, and it’s one of the best superhero comics period.

Rating: 8/10

DuckTales (2011 Series) #1

May 31, 2011

Title: Rightful Owners Part 1: Many Happy Returns

Writer: Warren Spector
Art: Leonel Castellani, Jose Massaroli & Magic Eye Studios
Letterer: Deron Bennett
Cover: Leonel Castellani (Cover A); Jonathan Gray & Lisa Moore (Cover B)
Editor: Christopher Burns                           
Publisher: Boom! Studios/Kaboom!

With the Disney Afternoon experiencing a Renaissance at Kaboom!, the next logical property to give a book to is DuckTales, the one that kicked off the whole phenomenon in the 80s. In this first issue, writer Warren Spector brings back the characters with a sort of absurd new mission. Scrooge gives a tour of some of his prize trophies to the kids, prompting Webby to ask the question of why Scrooge has taken so many artifacts from people… and shouldn’t he give them back?

Aaaaaand, that’s where you’ve lost me.

Spector has the voices of the characters down, and the art team here is top notch. The book looks fantastic and the characters are as sharp as ever. But the basic premise here is irretrievably flawed. Webby’ s assertion that Scrooge has taken all of these artifacts like a common thief doesn’t hold up to the slightest scrutiny, which makes it even more ridiculous when he gets into a competition with John Rockerduck to give them back. For example, she brings up the matter of a peppermint-striped gem he got in a trade for actual candy with the chief of an old tribe. Webby says that he didn’t offer a fair deal, but that’s simply not true. If you look back at the episode of the cartoon this is based on, Scrooge does try to offer valuables for the gem, but the Chief isn’t interested. He wants the ultimate status symbol of his people, a big belly, and that’s where the candy trade comes in. Then there’s the case of the Eskimo family that allegedly struggled to make it through the winter when Scrooge dug up the famous Goose Egg Gold Nugget in the Klondike. This is a story that’s been told and re-told over and over again – it’s the Disney equivalent of the murder of Bruce Wayne’s parents – and not once have I ever seen a version of this story that featured a struggling Eskimo family that Scrooge beat to the punch. This is something Spector conjured up out of whole cloth that makes Scrooge seem like some sort of robber baron (which in itself doesn’t even work, since at the time he found the nugget Scrooge was dirt-poor). The only thing that Webby has even a small point about is the dinosaur egg that Scrooge took from its mother, although one could easily make the argument that, in the name of science, he should have taken both mother and egg rather than just the egg.

I love these characters and I love the art. I really want to love this comic book. But the very premise of the opening story arc is so fundamentally flawed that I find it impossible to recommend.

Rating: 5/10

Mickey Mouse and Friends #297

November 21, 2009

Mickey Mouse and Friends #297 (Boom! Kids)
By Stefano Ambrosio, Marco Gervasio, Saida Temofonte & Marco Mazzarello

Mickey and his friends enter the Great Sorcery Tournament, hoping to win back the lost Diamagic from Pete and his Beagle pals. While the early rounds are tough enough on their own, the boys find that not having a Diamagic of their own may present an inescapable obstacle. To be honest, Mickey Mouse has always been my least favorite of the classic Disney comics. Mickey isn’t that funny a character by himself, so he only works when paired off with funnier characters or placed in an adventure story. This is a noble effort at both, but it isn’t engaging me as much as the other three books. Once the magic story spins off into its own series in a few months, I may like the book more, but that really depends on what replaces this story. As it is, it’s okay, but just okay.
Rating: 7/10

Darkwing Duck (2010 Series) #10

April 17, 2011

Title: F.O.W.L. Disposition

Writer: Ian Brill
Art: James Silvani
Colorist: Lisa Moore
Letterer: Deron Bennett
Cover: James Silvani & Amy Mebberson
Editor: Christopher Burns           
Publisher: Boom! Studios

Forced to team up with his old foe, Steelbeak, Darkwing Duck is on the run from F.O.W.L., which is trying to resurrect the ancient force of evil known as Duckthulhu. As they try to escape, Launchpad McQuack and Morgana manage to track down F.O.W.L.’s operation to some of the simplest people in town, while Gosalyn and Honker set out to track down the villains’s home on their own. Ian Brill is bringing some pretty big ideas into this, and I don’t just mean the H.P. Lovecraft pastiche he’s got going on. He’s mixing up the character dynamics a bit, with Darkwing and Steelbeak forced together, and Launchpad and Morgana working as a team. James Silvani does some of his best work on this issue, with lots of little visual easter eggs, including references to assorted other Disney cartoons and movies, plus a few movies and characters far out of Disney’s wheelhouse. The book ends on a heck of a cliffhanger, as it usually does. Brill and Silvani are a fantastic team, and they’re doing some of the best work Disney comics have ever seen.

Rating: 8/10

Donald Duck and Friends #348

December 5, 2009

Donald Duck and Friends #348 (Boom! Kids)
By Fausto Vitaliano, Marco Bosco, Alessandro Freccero, Vitale Mangiatordi, Saida Temofonte & Magic Eye Studios

Donald Duck is reintroduced to his secret life as a secret agent, and his first mission should be simple enough: retrieve a briefcase from the 35th floor of a skyscraper. And he’s got plenty of awesome spy gear too, like… um… a cell phone. With enough juice to make one phone call. As Donald realizes this operation isn’t exactly MI6, Double Duck springs back into action. Donald is one of the few Disney characters that works as a comedic lead and as an adventure hero, and this story marries the two genres wonderfully. It’s funny and exciting, with great artwork and coloring. This comic legitimately has the whole package. Out of the classic Disney relaunches we’ve seen so far, this is easily the best.
Rating: 8/10

Muppet Robin Hood #1

June 29, 2009
Muppet Robin Hood #1 (Boom! Kids)
By Tim Beedle, Armand Villavert Jr. & Shelli Paroline

The Boom!/Disney deal has produced some darn good comics so far, including The Muppet Show and a pair of Pixar properties. This second Muppet comic isn’t quite as good as the first, but it’s still strong. Following in the footsteps of films like Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island, Tim Beedle casts the Muppets as Robin Hood, his Merry Men, and the villainous Sheriff of Nottingham for this production. Both the writing and art are good, but not great. The story flows well, but a lot of the jokes feel a bit overdone (there’s a gag with Sam the Eagle almost word-for-word pulled from Christmas Carol). The artwork is technically more on-model than the other comic, but it’s a little stiff. It reminds me of how Muppets in use always look more lifelike than still photos of the Muppets. But lest it sound like I didn’t like this book, there is a lot of good stuff here as well — a lot of really funny jokes with Kermit and Robin, unexpected casting with Little John and Will Scarlet, a great bit with the Swedish Chef and Lew Zeland, and so on. This is a good book, and Muppet fans will definitely enjoy it. There’s just a little room for improvement, that’s all.
Rating: 7/10

Incorruptible #1

December 19, 2009
Incorruptible #1 (Boom! Studios)
By Mark Waid, Jean Diaz & John Cassaday

Mark Waid has put out one of the most inventive superhero comics in years with Irredeemable, the story of the world’s greatest hero gone bad. Now, with Incorruptible, we see the flip side of the story. Max Damage was number one on the most wanted list before the Plutonian went bad, but now he sets out to thwart his own gang and save a few lives in the process. What could have caused this major baddie to decide to play for the side of angels? This promises to be an intriguing book. While Max’s journey is the mirror of the Plutonian’s, that doesn’t mean it will be the same. After all, it’s a lot easier for a hero to convince the world he’s gone bad than for a villain to convince the world he wants to be a good guy now. Max is a bit of a cipher in this first issue, but we view him through his young accomplice, Jailbait, and through the cop that’s been after him for a long time, giving us a pretty balanced picture. The explanation for his transformation is solid, but I suspect there’s more we haven’t heard yet. Either way, this book worked for me, very well.
Rating: 8/10

Uncle Scrooge #400

February 5, 2011

Title: The Man Who Drew Ducks

Writer: Rudy Salvagnini
Pencils: Giorgio Vacazzano
Translation & Letters: David Gerstein
Cover: Don Rosa & Andrew Dalhouse
Editor: Christopher Burns
Publisher: Boom! Kids

Boom! Kids really put together a fantastic package for the 400^th issue of Uncle Scrooge, starting with “The Man Who Drew Ducks.” In this wonderfully, weirdly bizarre meta-story, a young reporter shows up to interview a kindly old artist named Carl, who is one of the few people with permission to paint pictures of the world’s richest man, Scrooge McDuck. If you’re not getting it, I’ll lay it out for you  — Carl Barks was the man who created Scrooge and much of the rest of the “Duck” universe. In his retirement, he was one of the few people officially licensed to create works of art featuring the Disney characters semi-independent of the company. This story is part biography for Barks, part biography for Scrooge, and one of the strangest comics you’ll ever read. But it’s quiet, sweet, and utterly brilliant. It’s a magnificent tribute to one of the greatest comic book creators of all time.

Title: Obsession
Writer: Byron Erickson
Art: Daan Jippes
Letters: David Gerstein

In “Obsession,” the focus shifts to one of Scrooge’s most nefarious enemies, Magica DeSpell. For years, Magica has been desperate to get her hands on Scrooge’s #1 dime to create the Midas Amulet, giving her the power to turn anything in to gold. Magica finds a loophole this issue that allows her to create the amulet without Scrooge’s dime – a dream come true, right? But when a villain of Magica’s caliber finally gets what she wants, what does she has left? This story is fantastic, a flawless dissection of Magica’s mind that still has plenty of room for comedy beats and lovely artwork.

The issue wraps up with three one-pagers by Carl Barks himself. These short stories were never intended to be sweeping works of brilliance, just quick gags to fill up the comic, and they do their job. Funny stories that put a capper on an anniversary issue that’s well worth the cover price.

Rating: 10/10

Irredeemable #4

July 2, 2009

Irredeemable #4 (Boom! Studios)
By Mark Waid, Peter Krause & John Cassaday

The Plutonian turns his attention to the United Nations this issue, and when the assembled delegates don’t tell him what he wants to hear, he decides to take his aggression out on the country of a dishonest diplomat. Qubit launches a rescue attempt, but as has become the norm with the Plutonian, that proves to be more difficult than he imagined. This isn’t just a story about a hero falling apart, this is about the crumbling of an entire world, and it’s as intense as it gets. In fact, it may be a bit too instense. The book is really high-octane, with no moments to really stop and get to know the characters. I’m enjoying this book a lot, but it’s easier to focus on the stakes for people we know than it is to focus on the entire world. Hopefully we’ll slow down soon, at least for an issue or two. Peter Krause‘s artwork remains top-notch. He’s got a lot of great designs, does wonderful facial expressions, and tells the story perfectly. A good issue all around, but there’s room for improvement.
Rating: 8/10

Donald Duck and Friends #347

November 7, 2009

Donald Duck and Friends #347 (Boom! Kids)
By Fausto Vitaliano & Andrea Freccero

In part one of “Double Duck,” Donald gets in trouble with Daisy for — once again — falling asleep on their date. As if she isn’t mad enough, when they get outside Donald finds his car booted and marked for a ticket he doesn’t even remember getting. As he investigates his vehicular troubles, a stranger appears with a startling revelation… Donald Duck has had his memory erased. He’s really a secret agent — and he’s needed to once again save the world. This issue really is a lot of fun. This is the kind of story where the Disney characters work very well, starting at the usual status quo and then quickly whipping them into a fantastic adventure that goes outside of their comfort zone. Out of the four classic Disney relaunches, this may be my favorite thus far.
Rating: 8/10