Archive
Uncle Scrooge #349
January 3, 2006
Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: The Doom Diamond and other stories
Will Scrooge’s newest acquisition spell the end of his fortune? Plus, the return of Launchpad McQuack!
Writers: Carl Barks; S. & U. Printz-Pahlson; David Gerstein; Wijo Koek; Donald D. Markstein; Kari Korhonen; Lars Jensen; Tony Isabella
Art: Carl Barks; Vicar; Mark DeJong & Daan Jippes; Kari Korhonen; Daniel Branca
Colors: Summer Hinton; Barry Grossman; Marie Javins; Egmont; Kneon Transitt
Letters: Willie Schubert; Susie Lee; Jon Babcock
Cover Art: Daan Jippes
Publisher: Gemstone Comics
This is a slightly up-and-down issue of Uncle Scrooge, with a few really good stories interspersed with one that isn’t so great. Fortunately, the good stories outnumber and outweigh the others, and that makes it easy to recommend the issue as a whole.
We start with “The Doom Diamond,” a late Carl Barks tale from 1967. While using some trained birds to rob Scrooge a pint of money at a time, the Beagle Boys learn that he will be taking an ocean voyage to pick up a massive diamond he just purchased. The crafty crooks find a way to glean all the information they need about Scrooge’s submarine and set up a trap. What neither Scrooge nor the Beagles know, however, is that the diamond they’re going to get is cursed.
This isn’t one of Barks’s greatest comics, but even a so-so Barks story is better than most anybody else’s work with these characters. It’s a solid story with a lot of strong gags to carry it through to the end.
“New Year’s Daze”, by S. & U. Printz-Pahlson with art by Vicar and dialogue by David Gerstein, is a surprise favorite for me. While preparing for a New Year’s Party at Scrooge’s cabin on Bear Mountain (site of the first-ever Uncle Scrooge story), Donald is forced to ride along with the disaster-prone pilot Launchpad McQuack. It’s rare to see a Ducktales character appear in any story aside from the reprints of that comic, and it’s even rarer to hear Launchpad reference his hero, Darkwing Duck, who (to my knowledge) has never crossed over to meet the Duckburg gang, except for the obvious link of having Launchpad as a sidekick. If this is a test run by Gemstone to see whether its readers would be open to new Ducktales or Darkwing Duck comics, for me at least, the answer is a definite yes. (Of course, I’m also the guy dying for resurgences of Spider-Ham and Captain Carrot. I’ve got a weird thing for funny animal superheroes.)
“Missing Money Mystery” by Wijo Koek, with art by Mark DeJong and Daan Jippes and dialogue by Donald D. Markstein is easily the weak link. As Scrooge tries to discern why the money his helicopter pilots are dropping onto his money bin isn’t making it to the vault, Magica DeSpell launches yet another attack to try to snare Scrooge’s number-one dime. This story doesn’t work for a few reasons. First of all, the dialogue is clunky, and there are certain pop culture references that simply don’t work coming out of the mouths of Disney characters. (And here I am referring specifically to Dewey Duck making a Paris Hilton joke – that utterly jolted me out of the story.) Second, the way the second panel of the story is drawn makes the solution to the mystery totally unfeasible, even in the realm of cartoon physics. It just doesn’t fit together.
“To Supply a Demand” by Kari Korhonen is a definite step up. This issue’s Gyro Gearloose story features the wacky inventor bemoaning his financial difficulties after a series of failed inventions leave him with empty pocketbooks. Scrooge, however, immediately sees practical uses for all of the so-called failures, and the money starts rolling in. Gyro soon finds himself overwhelmed by his new business, however, and he needs to find a way to renegotiate his contract before he’s left burnt out. Like last issue, this story works because it doesn’t rely on a haywire invention for comedy, but instead draws more on the characters of Gyro and Scrooge and how they interact with each other.
Finally we have Scrooge and Donald in “Tougher Than the Toughies” by Lars Jensen and Daniel Branca, with dialogue by Tony Isabella. When Scrooge takes Donald to Dawson City to relive his days as a Sourdough miner, he runs into his cousins Douglas and Whitewater, who are planning to enter a competition to see who has what it takes to be a real Sourdough. Never ones to back down from a challenge, Scrooge and Donald enter as well, and the two teams of ducks engage in a series of amusing challenges with amusing results. This is a dandy little story I enjoyed quite a bit.
Rating: 8/10
Recent Reviews: September 21 & 28 Releases
I’m just realizing I neglected to do a “recent reviews” post last Tuesday. It was a busy day, sorry about that. So here are my recent reviews from CXPulp.com for the past two weeks, including a lot of New 52 and several other goodies.
- All-Star Western (2011) #1
- Avengers Academy #19
- Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #7
- Batman (2011) #1
- Blue Beetle (2011) #1
- Captain Atom (2011) #1
- Darkwing Duck (2010) #16
- DC Universe Presents #1
- Doctor Who (2011) #9
- Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz #1
- Fables #109
- FF #9
- Ghostbusters (2011) #1
- Green Lantern Corps (2011) #1
- Green Lantern: New Guardians #1
- The Guild: Clara #1
- Justice League Dark #1
- Legion of Super-Heroes (2011) #1
- Nightwing (2011) #1
- The Red Wing #3
- Star Trek (2011) #1
- Supergirl (2011) #1
- Superman (2011) #1
- Teen Titans (2011) #1
- Voodoo (2011) #1
- Witch Doctor #3
- X-Men: Schism #4
Recent Reviews: August 17 Releases
So what’d I review over at CX Pulp in the last seven days? Here’s the list…
- Avengers Academy #18
- Batman #713
- Darkwing Duck #15
- DC Retroactive: Batman-The 90s #1
- DC Retroactive: The Flash-The 90s #1
- DC Retroactive: Wonder Woman-The 90s #1
- Fables #108
- Fear Itself: Fearsome Four #3
- Flashpoint: Abin Sur-The Green Lantern #3
- Flashpoint: Wonder Woman and the Furies #3
- Green Lantern Corps #63
- Justice League of America #60
- Power Girl #27
- Superboy #11
- Tiny Titans #43
- The Walking Dead #88
- X-Men: Schism #3
Recent Reviews: July 20 Releases
So today I’m back from a lovely wedding for some friends in Maine, followed by an excruciating 23-hour ordeal of trying to get the hell home despite US Airways’ best efforts to prevent that from happening. Unfortunately, I was a bit tired today and didn’t get to knock out the last few reviews for the July 20 releases. But here are the comics I reviewed over at CX Pulp before I left for Maine.
Recent Reviews: June 15 Releases
Hey, look, I remembered! Here’s my roundup of the June 15 comics I reviewed over at CX Pulp!
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
Darkwing Duck (2010 Series) #10
April 17, 201
1
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
Darkwing Duck (2010 Series) #5
November 15, 2010
Title: Crisis on Infinite Darkwings Part One
Writer: Ian Brill
Art: James Silvani
Colorist: Andrew Dalhouse
Letterer: Deron Bennett
Cover: James Silvani
Editor: Christopher Burns
Publisher: Boom! Studios
Now that he’s back in St. Canard, Darkwing Duck is once again the talk of the town. As he basks in the adoration of the populace, though, his arch-nemesis Negaduck has joined forces with the insidious witch, Magica DeSpell, to kidnap the Darkwing Ducks of various alternate realities and force them upon the city. As the town begins to approach Darkwing overload, the original seeks out a long-lost friend.
The continuity Ian Brill is bringing to this series is very impressive. He isn’t content to just tell quick, one-off tales off the masked mallard that come with a reset button at the end, he’s actually building his story. Gosalyn still has Gizmoduck’s armor, Launchpad is in charge of Quackwerks, and the former crimefighting robots are now taking care of the mundane tasks of the city. The villains’ scheme is a little specious, but it’s crazy enough that… well, I’ve got to use a cliché here… crazy enough that it just might work, at least as far as the story is concerned. By the end of this issue we’ve hit a dandy little twist that sets up the rest of the arc very well, and the character who returns this issue is more than welcome.
Along with a sharp, entertaining script by Brill we’ve got fantastic artwork by James Silvani. The different Darkwings we’re treated to this issue are a lot of fun, with bizarre designs and goofy activities that fit each of them very nicely.
I’m still loving this book. It’s without a doubt Boom!’s best of the Disney line.
Rating: 8/10
Darkwing Duck (2010 Series) #4
October 11, 2010
Title: The Duck Knight Returns Part Four
Writer: Ian Brill
Art: James Silvani
Colorist: Andrew Dalhouse
Letterer: Deron Bennett
Cover: Sabrina Alberghetti & Mike Cossin
Editor: Christopher Burns
Publisher: Boom! Studios
Darkwing Duck has been captured by Taurus Bulba, one of the biggest bads there is, and the brains behind the Quackwerks empire. With Darkwing and the rest of the villains out of his way, he’s poised to take over St. Canard for good, unless a surprise from an old friend in Duckburg can save the day.
To call this issue awesome perhaps the understatement of the year. Ian Brill has not only reinvigorated Darkwing Duck and the world of St. Canard, but given new life to the entire “animated” Disney Universe. The interaction between Darkwing’s world and that of one of the other shows helps things feel so much more cohesive, almost like the Marvel or DC Universes, rather than the very loose “universe” these shows have traditionally occupied. The characters themselves are as fleshed-out and exciting as they’ve ever been, and the fact that there’s more to come makes it all even better. Every single hand that this comic passed through went above and beyond, making it one of the most entertaining, exciting comic books of the year. Thank you, Boom! Studios, for giving us a great return to one of the great Disney characters of all time. Now let’s sit back and wait for next issue…
Rating: 9/10
Darkwing Duck (2010 Series) #2
July 30, 2010
Writer: Ian Brill
Art: James Silvani
Colorist: Andrew Dalhouse
Letterer: Deron Bennett
Cover: James Silvani
Editor: Aaron Sparrow
Publisher: Boom! Kids
In the second part of “The Duck Knight Returns,” four of the former Fearsome Five have reunited, planning revenge on the most insidious jailers that have ever raised a finger against them – their gainful employers. St. Canard under the protection of Quackwerks has been tough for everyone. But as the villains regroup, so does Darkwing Duck.
Ian Brill has given the Masked Mallard a great return in his first two issues. He’s got every little character beat down perfectly, from his quips to his masterful introductions to the prolific use of alliteration as the duck investigates. Gosalyn and Launchpad, each making sort of a return to action of their own, help to flesh out the story nicely. We’ve got two groups of characters here, two groups of old friends (or at least associates in the villains’ case) who haven’t been around each other much lately, and those moments of reunion are just as much fun for the reader as they are for the characters themselves. They’re getting back together with each other, and with us.
The mystery is getting better as well. The villains have a decided prejudice against one of their former compatriots and the company that’s made St. Canard oh-so-safe in the time since the TV series ended. If there’s any real problem with the story – and this is a minor one, I assure you – it’s that we don’t really have any feeling like we’ve made progress with that mystery yet. Of course, it’s entirely possible that the clues just haven’t been obvious, and when the reveal is made, it will make perfect sense. It’s really hard to judge a mystery story halfway through.
James Silvani, the artist on this series, has spot-on nailed all of the characters in this book. Any one of them could have stepped right off the television screen. In a book like this one, having the characters so perfectly on-model is almost vital. The comic book has to feel like it’s picking up where the TV show left off, and bringing back those characters visually is just as big a part of that as getting the characterization right.
This book has completely sold me on the Brill/Silvani team. These were obviously guys to bring back Darkwing Duck, and they’re doing it in style.
Rating: 9/10
The Back Issue Bin 