WDG#1

[Mikko Henri Juhani Aittola]

Hi folks!

I just finished reading the first issue of Walt Disney Giant, the 
youngest addition to Galdstone-line of publications. The first story
is Don Rosa's latest (And I really mean LATEST - coded 'D 95044A' the
story sees its first public appearance in AMERICAN comic book, instead of
some scandinavian mag. Usually the 'new' stories in Gladstone's books are
about two years old.) called '$CROOGE McDUCK in HEARTS of the YUKON'. The
story gets us back to $crooge's past, to Dawson in January 1898. All
24-pages are PACKED with adventure, gags and puns with a little romantic
drama thrown in.  

Ahh, I really loved the story. As my local comic-book retailer said
when I picked up the book: 'How can Rosa top himself everytime?'
Brilliant! Thanks Don for QUALITY work. (People, just buy it.)

The cover-paper didn't bother me. I'm used to it. (Finnish Donald
Duck is in same format, but with only 32 pages.) But I'm really disappointed
that we must decide between glossy-cover-bad-interior and 
poor-cover-good-interior -paper quality. I would vote for glossy cover
with good interior paper-quality, whatever the price.

Don, how did Gladstone get this story so soon from Egmont? Was this only 
a special one-of-a-kind deal or is there plans to continue like this in 
the future? 

The issue also features 4-page article by Geoffrey Blum, called 'Dawson:  
Imagination's Doorway' it adds to the Rosa's adventure fairly well. 
THOUGH, I have to disagree with his view to Rosa's take on $crooge in 
Dawson. Blum writes: 'Rosa comes at these characters from the other end 
of timeline. For him young $crooge is a man of the Nineties - the 1990s, 
that is: tough, street smart, and battling alone against a hostile 
world.' --- 'We have moved into the realm of the modern superhero comic.'
 
Well, I *GUESS* Geoffrey Blum isn't very familiar
with IMAGE's latest superhero offerings...

Second story is 'Three Little Pigs in The Mounties' (FC 218) by Chase 
Craig and Gil Turner. A quite nice 12-pager all in all.  

My opinion about 'continued in the next issue...'-stories / WDC&S 601-----> :

I'm very much used to it and like it. BUT our scandinavian Donald Duck 
is a WEEKLY-book.  I think it's WAY too long time to wait two months for 
the 2nd chapter of the story.  I can manage a week... 
   

 /Mikko