"Mickey Mystery" stories

[Arne H. Juul]

H.W. Fluks writes:

 > EIN FALL FUER MICKY Nr. 19 (German comic, "Mickey Mystery")
 > 
 > These comics (digest-sized, with stories on 3 rows) were discussed
 > on the mailing list before.
 > Number 19 contains two stories, D 94011 ("The ring of the jewel thieves")
 > and D 93557 ("Scandal at the film festival"). What a disappointment!
 > Even the Dutch mystery stories, with Basil from Baker Street, are
 > much better!

With respect, I have to disagree.  When I first saw these I was very
negative to them.  The concept (Mickey as trenchcoat detective, Minnie
as television talk-show host, very italian drawing style) put me off.
Mostly because it's so different from how we're used to seeing Mickey
(any version), but also because it seems a 'cheap' setting which
invites shallow stories.

However, I have since become very positive to the series.  The last
issue (number 19) wasn't anything special, but I didn't think it was
particularly bad, either.

I'm not sure what all my reasons are for liking these stories, but
here are some possible factors:

 - High degree of internal consistency:  I find that the 'anything
goes' approach is all too often used both in Disney and other
Comics.  This is a good reason to like Don Rosa and Neil Gaiman, too :-)
The "Mickey Mystery" series is consistent in character, style and plot
(even if there's no "continuity").

 - "Realism" (mostly drawing style): This Mousetown has dirty back
alleys, dark shadows, Mickey eating junk food etc.  The best story so
far (which I have at home, but I'll try to bring it and write a bit
more about it later) is very strong on this point.  Like Don Rosa's
"realistic" Duckburg (ref. "The Duck that Fell to Earth") this
appeals to me, but maybe not to others.  In this "film noire" setting
the Trenchcoat Mickey doesn't seem so out of place.  Also note that
Goofy does not appear - the comical element is more sporadical and
mostly darker than in 'normal' Disney comics.

 - Not always black-and-white: The villains doesn't necessarily look
like obvious villains. Also there are "normal" people that may do
wrongs (and go to jail) without being "villains" in the comic-book sense.

 - Working plots: Not always spectacular, they are a great deal better
than most Disney plots.  Again, I'll have to bring some of my copies
and try to analyse them more carefully.

There's no accounting for taste, of course, but I was so surprised at
liking these stories that I've tried to analyse mine a bit.

Yours,

  - Arne H. Juul