Walt Disney's Christmas Parade #2

This Christmas season, I read not one but two Walt Disney's Christmas Parades. This one published in 1989 was released by Gladstone. (The whole Gemstone/ Gladstone publication history is quite confusing and subject to another time.) Anyways, the second volume was actually a step up from the holiday fun of the first edition.

   This time around all of the stories occurred during the Christmas season. However, not every story was all that great. Bucky Bug returned in this treasury and even though his story did involve the holidays, it was extremely corny. I'm just not a fan of that character, plus his vintage style just seems a little culturally insensitive to me. I cannot put my finger on it, but it's like the character is based on the Al Jolson minstrel stereotype or Chaplin's Little Tramp but less dignified.

    Speaking of racial stereotypes, there is a Lil Bad Wolf story in this book that contains characters from "Song of the South", as well as some redneck forest animals and the Seven Dwarfs for some reason. I have a feeling that the inclusion of Brer Bear and Brer Fox probably wouldn't fly if it was reprinted today in anything but omnibus form. Even then, I'm sure Disney would include some sort of disclaimer about racism and differing attitudes in the 50s and 60s (when these stories were originally published) at the beginning of the volume. But this story was reprinted in 1989, and while it probably seemed harmless then, it smacks of the racial tensions plaguing our nations currently in New York and Missouri.

      The biggest thing going for this book are the tales based on the characters of Duckburg. Along with several cute one-page gags, Donald and Uncle Scrooge compete in one story to provide Huey, Dewey, and Louie with a real working steam shovel for Christmas after Donald forgets to mail their letter to Santa. Then the nephew and uncle duo return with Donald hypnotizing Scrooge into giving him all the gifts from the '12 Days of Christmas' but somehow, Scrooge decides to bestow these gifts on a mean mutt guarding an old lady's mansion.

      My favorite story starred Mickey Mouse and Goofy. Here, they help a friend harvest some Christmas trees and end up in the clutches of some poachers. There's a lot of laughs and some actual gun fighting as both Mickey and his nemesis Pete both carry rifles and fire at each other often. I never seen Mickey so bad-as...oops, sorry kids.

     Once again, another Disney holiday comic that I got for pennies on the dollar.

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.