Walt Disney's Uncle Scrooge and Donald Duck: 'Return to Plain Awful'- The Don Rosa Library, Vol. 2

Don Rosa gets a lot of hate from Duck fans. But no matter how much a collector might despise his work, the harshest critic of Don Rosa is Rosa himself. And I just don't know why. 

Rosa is a disciple of the greatest Duck creator of them all, 'the good Duck artist' Carl Barks. And sure, you never want to exceed your hero. But while Don Rosa is no Carl Barks, I think it should be said that Carl Barks is no Don Rosa either!

The artist originally born as Keno Rosa has a style in the vein of Harvey Kurtzman with tiny little inclusions of hidden images and inside jokes- usually in the background. I absolutely love that. Each Duck story of Rosa's that I read, I feel like a detective trying to find all the Easter eggs hidden in every panel. Thank goodness Rosa wrote his own commentary situated at the end of this volume as sometimes, no matter how hard I try, I just can't find where he hid the word 'D.U.C.K.' in the art of the first page. (Note: you should also be on the lookout for hidden Mickey's and portraits of Barks throughout...)

In this volume we get to enjoy a number of adventures throughout Duckburg and the furthest reaches of the globe. The cover story sees Uncle Scrooge tagging along with his nephews to Plain Awful in hopes of securing the market on square chicken eggs. But he'll have to beat rival Glomgold Flintheart to Peru first! 

My favorite story has Scrooge declaring his money bin a sovereign nation. The headaches that come about with tariffs, passports and an invading army of Beagle Boys makes this story so relevant to today's headlines that you would swear that this story wasn't written over 35 years ago.

There's a couple of real hidden gems that I don't feel like Rosa gives himself enough credit for. First is a storyboard for a never published promotional comic highlighting Donald and his nephews' inaugural trip to Disney MGM Studios. As it's Rosa's only story to have Donald and Mickey interacting in the same universe, it's not to be missed! Then there's Rosa's only foray into the DuckTales realm. He only penned it and it's less than 8 pages, but this prehistoric time travel romp with Magica De Spell was so fun!

I needed this book as a bit of retail therapy and a pick-me-up after a very difficult weekend. I had a ball with this book. I laughed, I examined and I appreciated the artwork and I distressed. I just wish Don Rosa knew how much somebody appreciated his body of work. He's ton better than he gives himself credit for!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Dell Giant: Christmas in Disneyland #1

Instead of gifts from Santa, a little boy and girl ask Santa to take them on a magical trip to Disneyland in this 1957 Dell Giant. 

Santa obliges, telling the children an assortment of stories based on the various lands and rides throughout the park. The Carl Barks classic 'The Black Pearls of Tabu Yama' starts things off with Uncle Scrooge and his nephews marooned on a deserted island at Christmas. Chip n' Dale must rescue Jiminy Cricket from the clutches of Br'er Bear, who forces the wise insect to teach him how to become Santa Claus. Mickey and Goofy attempt to deliver a payload of gold to a group of miners before Christmas Eve. The L'il Bad Wolf thinks his papa is making him a snow blowing machine to help him in his snow shoveling business. And in the surprise of all surprises, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell attempt to rescue Santa Claus who has been kidnapped by the dastardly Captain Hook!

I was extremely excited about that Peter Pan story. The 1953 Disney classic plays into the story of how my wife and I met. I had no idea about the existence of this story. It was such a great read and I loved seeing the Tick-Tock Crocodile fly after getting sprinkled with pixie dust.

There were also several arts and crafts activities and a fun and games section in the back. Considering that this issue is nearly 70 years old and only 1 of those pages was torn out, probably by some child who had zero idea how collectible old comics would one day be, I consider myself very lucky. I paid less than $10 for this issue and if that page hadn't been missing, the book would probably have been priced out of my price range. 

On my wish list of Christmas comic books, I've got issue #38 of Gold Key's Walt Disney Comics Digest. The front invites readers to enjoy 'Christmas at Disneyland'. I have a feeling that the contents of this special are reprinted in that digest edition. I'm still keeping that book on my wish list. However, as I now own this book, in 99.% entirety, obtaining the Gold Key book is on the back burner for now.

Sure, this was a big ol' commercial for Disneyland which had opened less than 2 years prior in California. But the whole thing was jammed packed Christmas fun starring many of my favorite Disney characters and it's a treasured addition to my Christmas comic book collection!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Walt Disney's Comics and Stories: 75th Anniversary Special

This year is the 90th anniversary of the debut of that rascally Disney character Donald Duck. So when I saw this issue for sale, at a local coffee shop that sells comics, I thought that this was a tribute issue to Donald. Instead, this book from 2015, is an 75th anniversary salute to Walt Disney's Comics and Stories in all of it's various incarnations thanks to the license being passed through several publishers, including IDW, the latest and currently last company to produce the long anthology.

There are a total of 10 stories and shorts in this giant sized collection, split over a dozen segments. While Donald and his nephews kick off things in a story about a war of pranks amongst the ducks, Disney's brightest star Mickey Mouse stars in a 3-part story divided throughout the book. Titled 'Ridin' the Rails' from 1955, whomever did the restoration job on that story should have won an Eisner or other similar award. They made Mickey and Goofy and Grandma Duck look so modern and not from a 60 year old book. 

Some forgotten characters such as Little Hiawatha and Bucky Bug from Silly Symphonies, the Li'l Bad Wolf and the Three Little Pigs and Walt Kelly's World War II rapscallions, the Gremlins, all make appearances that fall under IDW's editorial trigger warning that some material in this book may be culturally insensitive but kept in the retrospective for historical purposes. Less offensively, there's visits by Scamp, the young son of Lady and the Tramp as well as a lesson on dinosaurs presented by Ludwig Von Drake!

But really this is a Donald Duck book because he appears in 3 stories. Along with the aforementioned opener, Donald is given the runaround by the antics of Chip and Dale before wrapping things up with Huey Dewey and Louie once more. In that story, the fellas take on Magica de Spell in a caper that doesn't even star Uncle Scrooge, even though the enchantress is trying to steal McDuck's singing flea! Even the variant cover stars Donald Duck. But where is Uncle Scrooge in all this? He's a WDCAS icon who made his very first appearance in any form in the pages of this series. He belongs here! At least Scrooge's creator Carl Barks is featured...

Be sure to read David Gerstein's article at the end of this issue. It dives into the history of the long running anthology and has some interesting in-depth info. So good, I'd love to read a book about the history of Disney comic books.

This 75th anniversary collection was a good read. But to not have Uncle Scrooge involved, other than his name in passing, seems a tad unforgivable. So I'm going to knock a couple of stars off of my rating. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

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.

Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: Darkenblot

Let's face it. Mickey Mouse is just too much of a goody-goody. Other than occasionally getting called out by girlfriend, Minnie, when he's trying to do right but his good intentions end calamitously, Mickey lacks the ability to be a bad guy like Donald Duck or Uncle Scrooge. That's why Mickey needs a perfect antagonist like the Phantom Blot!

The Blot is almost pure evil. No, not evil like a demon. He's just got zero redeeming qualities. Everything the villain does is for his own selfish gains. Truly, he's the antithesis of Mickey, unlike Peg Leg Pete, another Mickey Mouse foil, who does have the occasional soft spot. 

From the cover of this IDW collection of Mickey Mouse comics, one would think that Darkenblot is set in a gritty dystopian future like Akira or Blade Runner. Instead, this high tech story is set in the present day in a city designed to be everything ol' Walt Disney himself envisioned with the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow: EPCOT!

Avantegarde City is nearly 100% automated. Only the police force still uses humans as partners to robotic cops as a previous model was deemed to strict and abusive. Lately, the approved models have been acting up as well. Suddenly, an android version of the Phantom Blot begins terrorizing the city with electronic drones of his design. A visiting Mickey decides to stay in Avantgarde City to assist with the capture of this upgraded cyber villain calling himself the Darkenblot!

The Darkenblot story makes up probably 85% of this book. The remaining pages give readers a Mickey one-pager guest-starring Pluto, a Super Goof adventure in which the long-john donning hero takes on a mad scientist with a weather controlling machine and a yarn involving Horace Horsecollar. For those of you unfamiliar with Horace, despite looking more bovine, he really is a horse. Introduced in 1929, it's his girlfriend Clarabelle, Minnie Mouse's best friend, who is the more well known character. 

Despite my initial disappointment at Darkenblot not being set in the future, the story turned out to be really enjoyable. It lacked the formulaic traps that most Mickey Vs. Phantom Blot stories fall into. Perhaps because it's just Mickey to the rescue here. None of his beloved sidekicks like Goofy or Donald are available for comic relief. I kinda wish IDW had used one of the international covers. They present a more accurate feel of what the story was actually like instead of the American one which looks more cyberpunk.

The Super Goof story was silly.. uh, make that goofy. Horace's story was a delight, mostly if only for the unfamiliarity with the character. So I didn't know what to expect. And the one-pager, involving Pluto and an alley cat, was a delight that I re-read at least 3 times before moving on to the next story and I enjoyed it once more while writing this review.

I'm really becoming a fan of the international Disney comics. They're actually good! I want more!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Walt Disney's Mickey and Donald: The Big Fat Flat Blot Plot (Family Comic Friday)

Years ago, I wasn't a big fan of the IDW Disney books. While full of modern reprints compared to the classic works that comprised the Gladstone and Gemstone titles, the stories were from overseas; primarily from Italian and Danish publishers. The artwork was fantastic and clean. Just the English translations didn't have the right syntax. However, I believe I would like to amend my original view of these works.

I had read an early entry in IDW's run of Disney works. The publisher had the license from 2015 to 2020. I had gotten my hands on the company's first issue of Walt Disney's Comics and Stories. As with pilot episodes, things were a little rough. However, after reading this collection, which features IDW's first two issues of Donald and Mickey, you can tell that those early issue language barrier kinks have been worked out.

I've read a lot of Disney stuff lately. I've experienced having a beloved pet stolen and really needed some lighthearted things to read to help with the emotional toll of it all. An amazing assortment of comics starring the cast of characters from the House of Mouse have been such a mood lifter for me. As I review these books, I've done a ton of research on them and I've learned that even though the United States is considered the fore front of super hero comic books, our love of Disney comics is nothing compared to the rest of the world- especially Europe!

European Disney fans put us Yanks to shame. Now that I understand that those markets are actually leading the way instead of following in our footsteps (I know, that's such an arrogant American way to think), I appreciate these books so much more!

One way the international books overtook the American titles is their portrayal of Mickey Mouse and his eternal foil, the Phantom Blot. Mickey's creator, Walt Disney, made it virtually impossible for the mouse to be anything but a goody-goody. Why do you think Donald Duck was created? It was to be the bad boy when Walt mandated Mickey to be the saint! In the States, the Phantom Blot was merely a hooded thief who was constantly apprehended by Mickey Mouse. Mostly by shear dumb luck. Thankfully, the rest of the world hasn't been hindered by those domestic restrictions. 

With that freedom overseas, the Phantom Blot became a criminal mastermind that required a ton of pluck and a little bit of snarkiness on the part of Mickey Mouse to apprehend him. In the United States, Mickey would probably break down and beg for mercy on the Blot's part at a parole hearing. In Denmark, Mickey would jump on the parole board's table and proclaim,  "Are You Nuts???" 

In the title story, the Phantom Blot has figured out a way to reduce himself and his stolen loot to 2D thanks to some ingenuity. Eating this formulated candy, the Blot can go back and forth from 2D to 3D. Thanks pretty darn clever. But the villain points out that anything his flattens that is inorganic remains that way forever. You'd think after the first time you did this, you'd maybe stop stealing new stuff until you could figure out a way to change the booty back! However, I think the Blot just keeps doing it to get under the skin of both Mickey and the inept Mouseton Police Department. 

Mickey's other main foe, Peg Leg Pete, also makes an appearance in a super-sized story. Mickey and Goofy find a treasure map and take a job as a ship's mechanic and galley cook in hopes of getting close enough to search for it. Turns out that the captain of the boat is Pete and he's looking for the buried jewels as well!

Being a Donald and Mickey book, there's plenty of Duck to be had. The all-out war with his next door neighbor Jones erupts in a pair of stories. Donald also finds out what can go wrong for the entire city of Duckburg when he takes a day off from his hot dog stand. Lastly, Donald tries to find a job for a character named Princess Oona; a prehistoric ancestor that Gyro Gearloose brought into the present but can't seem to get back home!

Speaking of characters, this volume ends with a character called Eega Beeva. From the 1940s, but totally unfamiliar with me. Is he a highly evolved human from the year 4000? Is he an alien? Is he both? You decide! 

I really enjoyed this book. I feel that my original misgivings towards IDW's Disney run was a little premature. If I can find more of these on the cheap, I will definitely get them. Tons of fun for the whole family and pretty darn wholesome too!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Walt Disney Comics and Stories #556

A trio of stories from years gone by, helps to make this holiday season bright. 

The first adventure takes place in Duckburg. A surprise blizzard on Christmas Eve throws the city into chaos. Being unseasonably warm, none of the stores stocked up on sleds and skis which are suddenly in huge supply. Scrooge McDuck has promised to provide Duckburg with those needed supplies. However, his inventory is several towns over. With the snow piling up and travel options running thin, it's up to Donald and his nephews to save Christmas and bring those toys to Duckburg!

Up next is Silly Symphonies newspaper strip character Bucky Bug. It's Christmas Eve and the local metal-smith is stuck in bed with a bad back. His injury means that the holiday chimes won't be assembled in time for the Christmas festivities. But there is a plan B. The craftsman's son has the talents to install the bells. But he's gone travelling. So it's up to Bucky and his BFF Bo to find him before it's too late!

This issue wraps up in sunny, arid Arizona. Mickey and Goofy are on vacation when their jalopy breaks down. A dust up with the dastardly Pete draws Mickey into a plan to save a ranch from being lost in a lopsided bet against the big bully. Not one to let Pete get away with his antics, Mickey has become the newest ranch hand in a rodeo competition. Only Mickey doesn't have any experience in busting cattle and the contest is just a couple of days away!

It's not Christmas without at least 1 holiday story starring Uncle Scrooge and Donald. I'm not sure who crafted this story as the author and artist credits are unknown. It's not Carl Barks and the eyes are right for it to be Don Rosa. Regardless, the opening story was great. I just wish that the comedic twist to this story wasn't given away by the cover!

When I saw that Bucky Bug was one of the features in this issue, my heart jumped for joy. I just love those old school Christmas touches to these Disney holiday books. I finally learned why Bucky and friends always speak in rhymes. It's cause of Bucky being the star of Disney's Silly Symphonies strip. The rhyming is actually singing. Only there's no music notes to be seen.

I really wish that the Mickey and Goofy story was Christmas themed too. Maybe the pair went out west for Christmas to escape the bitter cold. It was a very exciting story and having Pete involved was the next best thing to be expected if you can't have the Phantom Blot as the antagonist. This is not the first issue I've come across where the capper isn't Christmas themed. Was it so hard for Gladstone and Disney to produce an all-holiday issue? At least I got my Uncle Scrooge and Bucky Bug!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars. 

Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #568

Great cover- but it's also a bit of a spoiler.

It's time once again for holiday fun with the cast of characters from Disney. This is issue stars my favorite Disney character, Uncle Scrooge. And in the cover story, Scrooge McDuck is in total Scrooge mode!

With just a couple of days until Christmas, Scrooge is singularly focused on one thing- salvaging the lost treasure from a sunken ship. To do this, Uncle Scrooge has drafted Donald and his nephews to captain a submarine. Huey, Dewey & Louie are afraid that Santa won't find them. But they find solace in that Donald mailed a letter to Santa on their behalf. Only Donald forgot to mail it. Uh-oh!

The second story stars a character called Bucky Bug. Based on the appearance of Buck and his friends, this story looks like it might be from the 1930s or 40s. It involves Bucky getting ready for a holiday event for the local children involving a visit from Santa. Unfortunately, the Santa suit is in disrepair and there's not an appropriate substitute suit to be found.

The last story wasn't Christmas themed. It was the first of a 5 part series involving a wondrous invention made by Mickey and his nephew Morty. This adventure was taken from a series of newspaper strips and was lots of fun. I only hate that I don't have the rest of the story!

The Uncle Scrooge story was great. The Bucky Bug story was heartwarming. But the level of rhyming in this story starting to get nauseating. I'm not kidding. At one point, the flow of the narrative was too fluid and I act felt a wave of vertigo. 

Featuring the talents of Carl Barks and William Van Horn, this was a recent find. Well worth the couple of bucks I spent for it. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Christmas Comic Posters

I could have bought and read this book 2 years ago. It sat on the graphic novel book shelf of my favorite comic book store all this time. The title threw me. I thought a poster book was just that- a collection of posters to hang on your wall. I certainly judged a book by it's cover!

What Christmas Comic Posters actually is is a collection of front page of select British Christmas comics offered to the public from roughly 1884 to 1941 Back when newsprint was the dominant source of news and entertainment, a variety of newspapers would offer weekly inserts of comics. Yearly, those inserts would get the yule tide treatment and be offered as a separate purchase to readers young and old. 

The papers used in this book are from the collection of Denis Gifford, who in 1991 was one of the leading authorities in British comics. Gifford also writes the little blurbs about the comics on the following page. And that's where we get the poster book name from. 

See in the UK, art books are designed with the attributing info on the back so that if someone really liked the image, they could remove the picture from the book without damaging information about the remaining images. I'm kinda okay with this idea. Only if you were intending for the pages to be removed, I would've opt with perforated paper!

The majority of the characters are relatively unknown to non-British citizens. There is a cameo of Charlie Chaplin. Beano and Dandy, which some American comic fans might know of, have entries in this book. But the addition I was most excited about was the inclusion of Mickey, Donald, Goofy and friends from a comic called Mickey Mouse Weekly. 

Now to talk about the elephant in the room. No- I am not talking about the actual elephant on this book's cover. But the cover does offer a hint to what I am going to discuss. Readers should keep in mind that this book is about humor and art from the pre-Civil rights era. During this time, a very popular toy in England was a doll called a Golliwog. Generally a black male with white rimmed eyes, giant red lips, frizzy hair and vintage clothing; the Golliwog was a kind of minstrel Ken doll. 

Today, the Golly as it is sometimes referred, is considered a very racist character. Even the name is offensive. Up until just a couple of minutes ago, I didn't even know that these toys had a name. So, I am not reporting on this information to be offensive. As with many of my reviews, I like to teach about the history of comics and pop culture along with give my opinion. And that's what I am doing here. 

If you wish to own a copy of this book, you should note that a image of the doll appears in roughly 80% of these holiday comics. It's not front and center mind you. You kinda have to do a 'Where's Waldo?' that search for them. But they are just one of several things considered out of date or 'cancellable' found in this book.

I thought the overall book was beautiful. The intricate detail on everything. They just don't make art like that these days. If you love the artwork of Richard Scarry, George Perez and Frank Quietly, you should enjoy this book. I only wish that Mr. Gifford would have focused a little more on the characters that star on the previous page instead of the publication history. Maybe even discuss that troubling history of some of the imagery included. Other than that, I enjoyed this book.

Yes, I know that there's a lot of outdated concepts here. Some sexist. Some racist. A few are topical to the day and jokes that just don't make sense to a 21st century Yank. And if you are wondering who that Father Christmas bloke is- that's Santa Claus, silly!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Mickey and Donald Christmas Parade #3 (2017)

Either I'm getting forgetful or I'm getting old. Either way, I had this comic in my 'to review' pile as a leftover from last year. Yet when I was flipping though it, this thing was brand-spanking new to me.

The main story stars my personal favorite- Uncle Scrooge! Magica De Spell has here eyes on McDuck's lucky dime and she hopes that under the guise of the holidays to make her wish come true. When her niece points out a loophole that Santa must obligate, Magica might finally get the one thing on her Christmas list!

Then Mickey and Minnie run afoul of the Beagle Boys. Donald tries to find a Christmas Tree for girlfriend Minnie and Uncle Scrooge finally allows for his money bin to get decorated by the holidays.

I do remember the Donald and Daisy story. But it was a reprint from the 1950s. I've probably read it in one of my dozens of other Disney holiday books. Or alas- I really am getting old and my memory is turning selective. 

Hopefully not...

A holiday special sure to warm you heart on a cold winter's night!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #579

It's all about Disney in Day 6 of my Thanksgiving reads. Unfortunately, Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #579 isn't 100% Thanksgiving. 

There's 3 stories in this issue. Of the non-Thanksgiving tales we have the son of the Big Bad Wolf having to going on a 3 Little Pig hunt with his pop and Mickey & Goofy playing engineers against some train robbers. The L'il Bad Wolf story was lots of fun. It had a lot of big idea fails like you'd seen in a Road Runner & Coyote cartoon. But something was off with the Mickey & Goofy story. I'm wondering if it was originally printed in a foreign Disney Comic because the syntax in those translated issues are often wonky and the dialogue in this story definitely had some awkward moments.

Let's head to the Thanksgiving adventure now. Just like on the cover, Donald is on the hunt for a wild turkey in full Pilgrim regalia. The reason- he refuses to pay 70 cents per pound for the seasonal bird at his local butcher. (Obviously this was a story from the 40s or 50s cause I couldn't tell you the last time I was able to buy whole turkeys that freakin' cheap!) 

Anyways, with Pilgrim Donald on the hunt, it's the perfect time for Huey, Dewey & Louie to play some tricks on their uncle. But when a turkey actually shows up, it's big, bad and mean (as all turkeys are) and ready for a fight.

Disney is a good go to for holiday comic reads. There's not a ton of Thanksgiving themed comics out there. So for this book to only be a partial Turkey Day issue, I'm not complaining. And L'il Bad Wolf was a laugh riot, as usual. But that Mickey & Goofy story was hard to read. Even the punchline last panel was terrible. It alone is why I am deducting a few points in my rating. 

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #567

Day 3 of my Thanksgiving reads stars Donald and Mickey! 

In the first story- 'Turkey Shoot', Donald's nephews win a turkey in a raffle. Only the turkey is alive and they don't want their new pet to become Thanksgiving dinner. So Donald enters a turkey shoot in hopes of winning another bird to feast on. Only the charity sponsoring the event have fixed it so nobody can possibly win! 

Then we visit the woods to spend Thanksgiving with the L'il Bad Wolf and his Pop. The Big Bad Wolf is tired of having beans for Turkey Day. So he does the unthinkable and actually does an honest day's work; attempting to earn his own bird! Only the other residents in the forest seem to think that the Wolf's legitimate feast has been stolen!

Lastly, Mickey is ready for his Turkey Day feast. But this bird has grown big and mean over the year and it's fighting back! Watch as Mickey tries to off a Tom Turkey and get pulverized a being of pure evil!

(Sorry- I have a mortal fear of turkeys... Maybe I got a little bit biased. But I doubt it! Turkeys are mean!)

There's a fourth story in this issue. It wasn't seasonal. But it was funny. Based on Goofy's series of educational videos from the 1940s, the anthropomorphic dog takes readers on a tour of the history of shoes. 

This issue features works from Carl Barks and William Van Horn. Full of classic Disney charm. This is the House of Mouse I remember as a kid. And I loved every panel of it! Though I do think it a little weird that a family of ducks want to eat turkey for Thanksgiving...

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Walt Disney's Comics #673

As I'm wrapping up my Halloween reads, I go to another one of my favorite go-tos for safe spooks. Just about any comic book by Disney is a great read. But the collective works of masters such as Don Rosa, Carl Barks and Paul Murry are considered some of the best when they A) star Donald Duck or one of his Duckburg kin and B) take place during the holidays. This issue of Walt Disney's Comics has both!

William Van Horn returns to illustrate the issue's cover. It features a Donald classic by Van Horn called 'Kids Play' in which the duck takes one a job to paint a haunted house. Only Donald doesn't know about the house's history. So, as he's doing a great job, his nephews decide to put the scare onto him. Only, there might actually be a haunt in this haunted house whose out to spook Huey, Dewey, and Louie.

Then we've got Lady and the Tramp's l'il boy Scamp going to play hide and seek with some friends in a haunted house. In another classic, The Three Little Pigs inherit a broom factory in which the Old Witch from Snow White(?- that's what she looks like!); who really seems to have her eyes on what with the factories' precious inventory. And in a two-parter, Donald Duck has been assigned as a concierge at a hotel in Transylvania! And he's actually really good at it! Naturally, that success doesn't work out when his boss surprise visits in order inspect Donald's progress. 

Okay- none of these stories take place during Halloween. But with the inclusion of ghosts, witches and monster vacationers, this is a perfect read for a cool Halloween time night. But at least these stories are more suited for this time of year than the all-new two-parter that fills the rest of this 64-page beauty. 

'Dimes Are Forever' starring Uncle Scrooge and Donald and the Mickey and Goofy adventure 'A Kidnapping in Yubet' are two stand alone stories that make up the 7-part Orb Saga. I like that you could read the stories without really missing anything. And the presence of Magica De Spell and The Phantom Blot were classic touches. However, I don't think the pair do anything to read add to the Halloween ambiance that was established by the other reads. But that's okay as they were both really good stories. 

I had a lot of fun with this one. With a little something for everyone, this is spooky Disney fun for the whole family- without the nightmares!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Dell Giants #26

The cover is touted as 'Walt Disney's Christmas Parade'* and the entire amount of over sized content does not disappoint. I didn't count pages. But I would estimate that this was either an 86 or 100-pager. Every story was Christmas themed from a team-up with Pluto and Grandma Duck against those tricky crows from Dumbo to a Goofy and Mickey caper involving a ton of stuffed moose heads. Then Donald and his nephews learn about Christmas in other lands from friends Tinkerbell, Jiminy Cricket and others. Uncle Scrooge gets in over his head in anticipation for a winter ball thanks to his desire to save money... Man- it was just an awesome issue from 1959. 

I was lucky to find this issue is really decent shape. There's a bunch of games and puzzles. A page to color. And no less than 3 opportunities to cut up this beauty with do-it-yourself holiday crafts. But other than a small nick on a corner on the front cover, there's not a page missing or fun page filled in. 

True, the pages have yellowed some. But the colors inside are vibrant. Especially the yellows! Those hues look almost like the printers used highlighters, those yellows are that full and bright.

The only thing that might have aged poorly was the Br'er Rabbit story. The cultural value of the Uncle Remus stories, especially in regards to the Disney film, Song of the South, has warranted a lengthy debate over whether such stories should be cancelled. If this issue was reprinted today, there's a very good chance that the Br'er Rabbit tale might have been censored if not omitted all together. I thought it was a charming story about a Americanized version of the classic trickster god character seen in stories about Loki and Anansi otherwise But yes, I did wonder if it was wrong of me to enjoy it or not.

As a whole, this was a timeless collection of Christmas stories. The art was crisp and clean. The jokes were fresh and plots delightful. This Christmas Parade was a welcomed diversion from a holiday season that was anything but normal. And heck yes- I'd read the entire thing again from cover to cover!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

* Despite what the cover says, this was a part of the Dell Giants series. Leaving off that 'S' can make database searches quite difficult as I learned the hard way. 

Walt Disney Comics and Stories #546

This issue isn't 100% Thanksgiving. In fact, only one story takes place during the start of the holiday season. But considering how rare it is to find a Turkey Day story compared to a Christmas or a Halloween, I was thrilled none-the-less about this holiday feast for the brain and eyes.

In the main story, Donald and the rest of the men of Duckburg are challenged by Daisy and her women's club to be like the original pilgrims and Indians and forage for the materials of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. The winner who provides the most food will get to have dinner with the feast's queen. Naturally, that'll be Daisy. Thus, it's Donald vs his scheming cousin Gladstone, who just manages to have the best of luck.

On hand for the rest of this special double-sized issue are several short stories starring a slew of Disney superstars including Lady and the Tramp's son Scamp, Winnie the Pooh and Walt Kelly's Gremlins. There's also a deluxe story starring Mickey and Goofy on the hunt for a rare stamp. Rounding things out is a rather unusual story. It stars Grandma Duck, Daisy and the dastardly Peg Leg Pete, who seems to have both limbs. But that's not the odd part. What is strange is that Jaq and Gus from Cinderella also star in this tale. So does that mean that the adventures of Donald's family take place at the same time as Cinderella? If so; why is Duckburg more technologically advanced than the realm of Prince Charming?

I really enjoyed this fun comic, even if only 10 pages (and the cover) were devoted to Thanksgiving. Okay, the holiday story was predictable. But I enjoyed reading it on the night of Thanksgiving. It was a nice opener to my 2020 holiday comic reading season.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Classic Toys from a Madman's Youth: Advent 2019 Day 9

I made an executive decision for today's Advent. See, I've been working on this Advent for several weeks, researching and drafting ideas. I had another toy planned for today. But a recent review I posted on this blog inspired me to make a change. 

A couple of days ago, I reviewed Disney A Christmas Carol Starring Scrooge McDuck. It was a recent birthday gift from my wife. As I was reviewing the graphic novel from Dark Horse, I remembered a much beloved set of toys that I got over the 1984 holiday season. I'm talking about Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Minnie and ole' Scrooge himself- all in stuffed animal form!

If you read that review, you'll know that I was a huge fan of Mickey's Christmas Carol. It debuted in theaters; to which I remember going to see it with my mom at the old Cameron Village movie theater in Raleigh, NC. You might also recall that in one of my previous Advent posts, I recalled that unlike today's almost instantaneous release of films on home media formats, it could take a couple of years for movies to come out on VHS in the 80s.

In the Fall of 1984, the fast food company Hardee's ran a promotion to coincide with the long-awaited release of Mickey's Christmas Carol on home video. For a period of 5 weeks, you could go to Hardee's and get one of 5 plush figures based off of the characters from the animated film. 

(I think you could have also bought the movie at the restaurant. But I am not certain on that.)

I remember each Friday night after we visited my grandparents after school, we'd stop at the drive-thru of the Hardee's near our house. My mom would order a Pepsi for her and a stuffed Disney character for me. 

I loved those guys. I remember putting them out on display for the Christmas season for many years. Uncle Scrooge wore his purple nightshirt and cap. Mickey, Minnie and Donald were in Victorian era garb. Goofy was decked out like an English gentlemen. The only problem is that I really thought Goofy was colored blue like a ghost. But apparently, I remembered that wrong. I guess I got that mixed up with later beanbag versions of these guys released by Disney in the 90s. 

Oh well... I still have fond memories of them. 

Needless to say, the promotion was a success for Hardee's. There was at least one or maybe two more runs of plush Disney. Characters such as Dumbo, Pinnochio and Bambi were sold in the years to come. I collected those too. But the first wave was and always shall be my favorite!

As my Advent present for you today, I thought I would share with you the commercial for the plush dolls from all the way back in 1984. If they inspire you to go out and grab a set for yourself, may I recommend eBay? 

Enjoy!

Mickey and Donald's Christmas Parade 2019

Mickey's holiday shopping is in your control in this Family Comic Friday review of Mickey and Donald's Christmas Parade 2019!

Mickey and Donald's Christmas Parade 2019
Written by Massimo Marconi, Carlo Panaro, Various
Art by Massimo De Vita, Various
Published by IDW Publishing
Retail: $6.99

IDW and Disney gives fans a special treat in the opening story of this 2019 holiday special. Mickey has lost the Christmas presents he bought for his girlfriend Minnie. As he hunts for the missing gift, you, the reader, will get to guide Mickey's trek through town. Will he go back to the toy store for a replacement stuffed reindeer? Or will Mickey follow some clues to get behind the mystery of just who stole Minnie's Christmas gift? It's all up to you to decide how Mickey will navigate Mouseton on Christmas Eve!

There's a total of 8 all-new (to American readers) Christmas themed stories starring some of your favorite Disney characters. Most of these Christmas carols are 1-2 page gags involving Donald Duck and family. However, along with the Mickey Choose-Your-Own-Adventure tale, this book includes a holiday-themed romp starring Uncle Scrooge and a caper starring Peg-Leg Pete!

In the Uncle Scrooge account, McDuck competes with a rival business man for an important merger. Both Scrooge and is competitor think that the way to seal the deal is by purchasing the hottest toy on the market for the son of their potential new business partner. On this holiday hunt, both Scrooge and his contender will learn that being rich is nothing compared to eager parents looking for toys for their little ones!

The Peg-leg Pete narrative is rather interesting. The enemy of Mickey and Goofy is not in the Christmas spirit. Instead of being generous, Pete is looking to rip-off busy patrons shopping for holiday treasures. Will the festive season of giving wear down this Grinch?

I loved the Choose-Your-Own-Adventures story. this type of yarn in which you control the actions of the characters is relatively new to comics. Mostly, because it's really hard to execute such storylines very well. But writer Massimo Marconi manages to pull it off with varying degrees of satisfying endings! Reading all of the possible outcomes is a must!

The Scrooge story was a modern classic. It had a Carl Barks feel to it. The Peg-Leg Pete piece would up being heartwarming in that classic Disney manner. But if I could have gotten another story like that Mickey Mouse feature, that would have been awesome! It really was that good!

Disney knows how to do Christmas perfectly and it shows here. True, the stories are from Italy. But they all translated very well and capture that holiday spirit in such a timeless manner, that you will not notice any cross-cultural differences! And honestly, why should you?! This book is 100% Christmas and that's really all that matters.

Mickey and Donald's Christmas Parade 2019 debuted in print and digital formats on December 4th, 2019.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Mickey's Craziest Adventures

The unique premise of this 2017 offering from IDW Publishing is that a pair of cartoonists discovered a lost Disney Comic at a flea market. When originally published in 1965, the comic was deemed too wild for readers and lost for decades in the Disney Archives. Here Mickey and Donald team-up to retrieve Uncle Scrooge's money which has been stolen by arch fiends Peg-Leg Pete and the Beagle Boys!

I really enjoyed this unique graphic novel. The story is 'recreated' from old and damaged comics. It's also incomplete meaning that there's jumps in time throughout the tale. Plus the pages have scenes torn out or littered with moisture damage and mold. There's even a coffee ring stain on one page!

Created by French cartoonists Lewis Trondheim and Nicolas Keramidas, I read this 50-page over-sized graphic novel in one whirlwind sitting. It's filled with all of your favorite Disney characters including Donald's nephews, Pluto and Gyro Gearloose. 

Since IDW Publishing obtained the rights around 2015 to publish comics based on Disney's most popular properties, I've been a little critical. While I have enjoyed just about everything IDW has put out Disney, I have wondered why the publisher has only been releasing never-before-seen reprints from across the globe. My demands were finally answered in this publication. While Mickey's Craziest Adventures is by two French creators, and from a rumored 'lost' comic, this is an all-new story! 

I hope we'll see more of such a thing from IDW. I also hope that there will be even more crazy adventures of Mickey by Trondheim and Keramidas. This was so much fun to read. Classic-style Disney with just a slight 2010 edge to it! 

IDW- act quick and get Trondheim and Keramidas back to that flea market! I am sure there's more undiscovered Disney comics in need of finding!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars. 

Mickey and Donald Christmas Parade #4 (2018)

An adorable collection of stories starring Mickey, Donald and more of your favorite Disney characters. 

Highlights include:

• While doing some last minute Christmas shopping, Mickey finds a magic coat that starts spitting out tens and twenties.
• Donald challenges his nephews to the ultimate snow ball fight.
• It's Christmas Eve and the Beagle Boys escape from prison once again. Instead of downtown Duckburg, the crooks wind up in Wonderland!

I really, really enjoyed the Wonderland story. I just recently finished reading IDW's Disney's Christmas Classics which is comprised of dozens of rare holiday crossover stories involving Peter Pan, Snow White and many more favorites. Alice and her Wonderland cronies were not a part of that amazing series. So, this was a fun treat, especially as Alice is one of my two all-time favorite Disney films.

Once again all of the stories are taken from Disney comic mags from across the globe. The artwork is classic and very visually stunning. And I think that the translators of these stories from their original language into English are getting better. I saw one awkward misstep but overall, the language barrier and lost in translation factors in previous IDW Disney specials is getting few and far between.

One thing I noticed and if any of my readers can explain this curiosity, I would appreciate it. I've noticed that dogs are the dominant species in these stories. I am not talking Pluto, walking on all fours dogs. I mean Goofy on only two legs pups. I'm going to say that these characters are beagles as the all look like the Beagle Boys. With exception of main characters, like Uncle Scrooge or Daisy, all of the minor characters are dogs. Why is that?

A very fun Christmas special that was a trip back to the classic days of Disney. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Walt Disney's Donald and Mickey Comics #1

Writers: Kari Korhonen, Andrea 'Casty' Castellan, Frank Jonker
Artists: Daniel Branca, Lorenzo Pastrovicchio, Bas Haymans
Covers: Andrea Freccero, Ronda Pattison
Translation: Justin H. Gray
Published by IDW

When is Disney going to loosen the reigns and let IDW make all-new comics about their most iconic characters? When IDW announced the release of a new volume of Walt Disney’s Donald and Mickey Comics, I had assumed that the new series would be filled with all-new material! But there’s not even 1 new story in this book!

IDW obtained the license to Disney’s line-up of comics in 2015. Since then, there hasn’t been anything new released by the publisher. Then over the summer, an exception was made with the new Ducktales series that corresponds with the reboot due next month on Disney XD. Deep down I was convinced that the new Ducktales series was a sign that IDW was now given free reign to create their own stories with Mickey and the gang. That’s why I volunteered to review this comic. Yet, once again as with the relaunch of 2015’s Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories, I was sorely disappointed.

The new quarterly Donald and Mickey Comics offers three adventures. All three stories were originally published around the globe and are making their debut in the USA. The first story, The Saucerer’s a Menace is Danish story from 2005 starring Donald. Here, Donald crafts a secret hot dog sauce that all the residents of Duckburg are crazy over. But when Donald decides to take a sick day, it turns out that his fair city can’t function without his amazing wieners.

The middle story features Mickey and Goofy and their legendary foil, the Mysterious Blot! Italy’s The Big Fat Flat Blot Plot has detective Mickey and the chief of police stymied as the Blot has found a way to make himself disappear while committing a number of crimes. This story was quite interesting of note as this marks the first time I’ve ever read a Blot story in which the villains face is revealed. I’m sure it’s happened before, but it’s not a common occurrence in Disney books.

The last story is from Holland. It’s another Donald feature called Yard Wars. Huey, Dewey, and Louie are tired of Uncle Donald fighting constantly with next door neighbor Mr. Jones. So they arrange for the pair to appear on a reality show in hopes of patching things up. Only the cure is worse than the disease as Donald and Mr. Jones’ appearance on Yard Wars has made them a town spectacle.

When it comes to this trio of stories, I have nothing but praise for the artwork. It’s some of the best renderings of Mickey and Donald this side of Carl Banks’ impressive portfolio of Disney Comics. It’s the translation of these stories that really bugs me.

For example, there’s a scene where Donald is serving a hot dog to a customer. In it he asks “Want some of my special sauce on your dog?” That panel brought out the fifth grader in me with talk of special sauces going on weiners. But it’s that type of double entendre that fills this comic that makes me would if it’s merely an innocent mistake. OR is this like when somebody deliberately drew a penis on the priest in 1989’s The Little Mermaid?

I really do not mind that IDW is digging into Disney’s worldwide vault of Disney Comics. But if they are going to continue with the license, they really need to fix the English interpretations of those works. Plus, it wouldn’t kill anyone if there was just 1 new story per issue!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.