Walt Disney Comics and Stories: Donald and Mickey- Quest for the Faceplant

IDW presents a rather charming collection of comic stories starring Mickey Mouse, Donald and his family and other iconic characters from titles originally published previously all over the globe.

Obviously, Donald Duck is the star of this collection. The best two stories costar Donald's cousin Gladstone who's literally a lucky duck! Usually Gladstone and Donald are rivals. But in the opening story based on the cover, Gladstone teams with Donald to photograph a rare plant that's about to bloom for the first time in years. With Donald's photography equipment and Gladstone's luck, the pair seems to have the edge over the competition. That is until they meet up with another contestant out to win the large cash prize: Scrooge McDuck!

Donald then gets a chance at being lucky for once when his wish to be as blessed as cousin Gladstone is mysteriously granted. It's a classic episode of blunder, satire and screwball comedy when Donald's luck runs out unknowingly right before he's about to perform the most insane stunt ever imagined!

In the Mickey arena, there's a pair of mystery stories. One involves the Phantom Blot. The other, Peg Leg Pete. Both co-star Horace Horsecollar, which is kinda odd, since Goofy tends to be the sidekick in those stories. Instead, Goofy have been saved for an adorable story in which he creates a series of mysteries for Mickey to solve in order for the busy amateur sleuth to finally have an exciting day of fun.

Stories starring some of the more lesser known characters of the Disney Universe include the Big Bad Wolf and the Three Little Pigs, Bucky Bug and his insect friends, Brer Rabbit and his country-time enemies, and an adorable one-pager starring Chip n' Dale. Plus, there's plenty of fun with Donald's nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie, including an epic sized riverboat adventure starring a character called Garvey Gull. A brand-new character to me, the jury is still out as to whether I find this little guy to be charming or annoying.

The love for the international Disney comics keeps growing within me. I think I have Don Rosa to thank for that. But IDW should get a little bit of the credit as well.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Powerpuff Girls: The Bureau of Bad #1 (Family Comic Friday)

Welcome to another edition of Family Comic Friday. Today's selection is all about the bad guys in the first issue of IDW's The Powerpuff Girls: The Bureau of Bad. 

Many of the Powerpuff Girls biggest enemies have teamed up in hopes of bringing Bubbles, Buttercup, and Blossom down one and for all. But in order to do that, the likes of Mojo Jojo, Sadusa, and Butterfingers must decide who will lead them. They all can't be the head of the Bureau of Bad! 

So in order to determine who will be the leader of the Doom Room, each villain will recount how they came the closest to taking down the Powerpuff Girls. First up is Princess Morbucks' tale of how she started her own version of the Powerpuff Girls and reduced her enemies to 'nothing.'

This opening chapter of the Bureau of Bad reminds me of one of the greatest episodes of Batman: The Animated Series, 'Almost Got "Im.' In that story, all of Batman's greatest villains including the Joker, Two-Face, and Killer Croc recount how they all almost took down the Dark Knight. Having the Powerpuff Girls' enemies tell their version of events is pretty similar to that great episode and as someone who isn't really familiar with this franchise, I was pleasantly surprised with how good this first issue was!

Issue #1 is written by the team of Haley Mancini and Jake Goldman. The latter is a regular writer on the show. But it's Mancini who really sparked my interest as she is the voice of Princess Morbucks. Who better to delve into the psyche of the character than the actress who brings her to life? 

I'd be really interested to know if the actors behind some of the other characters who are members of the Bureau of Bad will be writing their alter-egos own stories. Unfortunately, upon further review on the IDW Publishing listings for issues #2 and 3, I don't think that's likely as only Mancini and Goldman are listed as the writers for those installments. 

As for the art, it looks pretty darn close to what the cartoon series looks like. Again, I'm no expert of the Powerpuff Girls. But, I think artist Philip Murphy did a very photo-realistic job. 

The Powerpuff Girls: The Bureau of Bad #1 was a very entertaining opening chapter. I think it's got a lot of potential. A perfect read for not just fans of the show but as this introduces readers to all of the baddies, this is a great starting point for newbies. 

This all-ages comic book retails for $3.99. It debuted in stores on November 29th in comic book shops nationwide.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Rom Vs Transformers: Shining Knight #1

An Outcast Amongst Peers

Set 200 years in the past, Rom Vs.Transformers: Shining Armor is IDW’s latest entry in the Hasbro Universe. It tells the story of Stardrive, the first Cybertronian to become a knight in the Solstar Order. Encouraged by the Rom, the greatest Space Knight of them all, Stardrive rises to the ranks of cadet. But her journey isn’t easy. Even though she’s been raised with other Galadorians, Stardrive is subject to the same prejudices and fears as her fellow Cybertronians are.

The blood-thirsty Dire Wraiths are the mortal foes of the Space Knights. Yet it turns out that the Transformers, due to their reputations are genocidal killing machines, are hated by all intergalactic species. What will happen when Stardrive finally meets a Transformer face-to-face? Will she serve the order of the Space Knights as she’s been trained? Or will she succumb to the spark of bloodlust that resides in every Decepticon?

A Superior Crossover

John Barber and Cristos Gage do a fantastic job with this opening salvo in the war between Space Knight and Transformer. Unlike most crossovers, the duo actually focused on story. Stardrive’s journey from being rescued by Rom from a destroyed shuttle craft to joining his side as a fellow Space Knight is one of the best issues I’ve read all year!

The artwork by Alex Milne was equally amazing. It’s been a very long time since I have seen Transformers looking so sleek and polished in comics. The Dire Wraiths has never been illustrated so hideously. Or at least since the Bill Mantlo era at Marvel. And Rom- what can I say?! I’ve haven’t seen him look so spiffy since the day I unwrapped an action figure of him for my third birthday!

The past year has been chopped full of Hasbro Universe crossovers such as Revolution and sister title Revolutionaries. I’ve read them both. The pair of titles are good but they were missing passion in the storytelling. I wasn’t 100% caught up in what’s going on in the regular Rom and Transformers books to understand everything going on here. But I loved everything I read in this 32-pager opening chapter. If you are looking for an epic title to really dive into the mythos of what IDW and Hasbro is trying to accomplish in a shared universe of your favorite childhood memories- this is the title to start with!

A 2017 must read!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Superman: The Silver Age Dailies 1959-1961 (Volume 1)

  A part of the Library of American Comics series, this volume collects the complete 1959-61 run of Superman stories that appeared in newspapers nationwide. Most of the Superman stories that ran in the funny pages were recycled from comics that were published months earlier. For those who may collect the DC editions that reprint the stories from Action Comics and Superman, it's more than likely that you already have almost all of these tales in your collection. 
      Only the first story- Earth's Super-Idiot is an original adventure. Although some elements of the yarn were borrowed from a story printed in Superman #135 (The Trio of Steel.) I know for sure that I've read a couple of these adventures before such as the 'Superman of the Future' and 'The Mad Woman of Metropolis' in their original form.
      In order to build interest and assist readers who may have forgotten what happened the day prior, the last panel of one strip is often repeated in the first panel of the next. This repetition gets a little old but it's not the worst thing in the world. It still makes for a fun read of silver age fables starring the Man of Steel. 
       One thing that is a little confusing is the numbering of the stories. This is volume one of Superman: The Silver Age Dailies. Yet, the first epic is numbered at Episode 107. The publisher, IDW, is also reissuing the older tales from the Golden Age. But that numbering is starting at Episode 1. As there's only that first volume available, it may be a little while before IDW gets to Episode 106.
        The Silver Age Dailies, Volume 1 features artwork from some of the most legendary Superman artists of the era. Wayne Boring, Stan Kaye, and Curt Swan all craft some amazing images of the Man of Tomorrow along with Jimmy Olsen, Perry White, and Lois Lane. (In my opinion, the Curt Swan stories are the best drawn.) Every episode is written by Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel and some are quite good. But the allure and wonder of these Superman tales are all thanks in very large part to editor Mort Weisinger. 
         Weisinger would bring mock-ups of ideas to the kids in his neighborhood and let them decide the next adventure of the Man of Steel. The idea was a huge, if not a tad far-fetched success. However, it's one reason why the Silver Age sagas of the Last Son of Krypton are still popular with fans today.
          An enjoyable chronicle of Silver Age Superman in which I hope to obtain further volumes in the series. Being an oblong book and very heavy, it's a little unwieldy- especially when trying to read it in bed. I recommend a desk or recliner when reading.

     Worth Consuming!
  
      Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.