July 2006 Disney Comics Previews

[Jonathan H. Gray]

>
>Carl Barks' Greatest DuckTales Stories Vol. 2 ($10.95 TPB, 144 pages): This
>second volume includes "Giant Robot Robbers," "The Golden Fleecing," "The
>Horseradish Story," "The Status Seeker," "Tralla-La" and more!

You know, the more I think about this, the more I like the idea of this book 
a lot. My introduction to the Disney comics world as was many many others 
whom I know) was through Ducktales, so when i saw the original stories they 
were based on such as "Land beneath the Ground/Earthquack" I was pretty much 
shocked at the jarring differences (Donald in place of Launchpad, a much 
less elegant looking bin, a differently designed Glomgold, a raven that was 
not Magica DeSpell's younger brother. Its nice to see the original material 
finally put into context next to the obviously different Ducktales 
"adaptations". For anyone on the Gemstone staff, I take it that commentary 
on changes made to the episodes in relation to the actual stories will also 
be in the book?

>
>Donald Duck Adventures #19 ($7.95 manga format TPB, 128 pages): Fan 
>favorites
>Pat and Carol McGreal answer a desperate Scrooge's question: "Where's the 
>Bin
>Been?" Then, when Donald swallows Scrooge's Old Number One Dime, the
>desperate miser must take a fantastic voyage "Inside Donald Duck." Both 
>stories are
>drawn by Flemming Andersen, another fan favorite!

How long has Fleming Andersen been working on Disney comics? I've kind of 
warmed up to his style as of recent (he's kind of replaced Ben Verhagen in 
the niche artist department ^_^). We in the states have never seen his work 
until the recent gemstone run, thats why I was curious.

>Donald Duck and Friends #341 ($2.95, 32 pages): In Carl Barks' "High Wire
>Daredevils," Donald sets out to tightrope-walk across Niagara Falls! Then, 
>in Vic
>Lockman's and Tony Strobl's vintage long adventure "Og's Iron Bed," the 
>Ducks
>battle Emil Eagle and ancient warriors during a nerve-wracking trip back in
>time!

This conflicts me. Ever since the Disney Comics run "reintroduced" him I 
have absolutely LOVED Emil Eagle though I could do without the super evil 
scientific mastermind schtick (thats what we have the Ecks brothers for). 
The evil inventor role works better in terms of character, but can often 
have a lame execution which makes him more appealing in more villian roles 
that dont take him overboard. Plus theres always the confusion as to just 
who's villian is he - he was introduced as a foil for Gyro, migrated to 
being a side Donald villian in the Strobl era stories, and eventually seemed 
to migrate to Mickey Mouse (which is where I first saw him but there I'm 
biased). IMO theres a good character and lots of potential beneath Emil 
Eagle but he's one of those characters you have to do just right or else he 
comes out lame. I'm curious to see how this earlier story handles him but 
I'm also not fond of this era of Tony Strobl/Vic Lockman's work either, so 
we'll see....

Out of curiosity, please say he'll be colored brown in this appearance. I 
saw him in one early book that had him colored pink and looked darn near 
naked/weird and another that colored him white and made him look like some 
kind of creepy furry version of Simon Bar Sinister from underdog. :P

>Mickey Mouse and Friends #291 ($2.95, 32 pages): Crooked lawyer Sylvester
>Shyster wants to steal a diamond mirror worth millions, and Mickey's the 
>only guy
>who can stop him! Unfortunately, Mickey's mind has been scrambled by a
>hypnotic staff that's also in Shyster's possession. It's "Flip Mickey," a 
>new long
>adventure by Stefan Petrucha and Noel Van Horn! Then, in "The Old 
>Switcheroo,"
>by Pat and Carol McGreal, Mickey trades brains with the Phantom Blot!

It's nice to see Sylvester Shyster used more often considering his classic 
status in relation to Mickey. :)

HOWEVER - is it just me or does the Blot come off as being watered down in 
stories like these? For someone who's supposed to be a criminal genius and 
the penultimate classic character Disney villian (at least that is how I 
have seen him in the BEST stories that use him) its almost like stories like 
these just kind of make him look a little lame which is a travesty.


>Walt Disney Treasures: Disney Comics -- 75 Years of Innovation ($12.99 TPB,
>160 pages): If you like the DVD limited series, you'll love this trade
>paperback tie-in: a 160-page tribute to milestones in Disney history! We've 
>got Mice
>by Floyd Gottfredson ("Mickey Mouse Music") and Romano Scarpa ("AKA 
>Cormorant
>Number Twelve"); Ducks by Al Taliaferro (the uncut "Donald's Nephews"), 
>Carl
>Barks ("Race to the South Seas") and Don Rosa! Also included are Paul 
>Murry's
>Brer Rabbit and Renato Canini's Jose Carioca; Dutch "Donaldism" by Daan 
>Jippes
>and Mau Heymans; Egmont creators Vicar, Daniel Branca, Byron Erickson, 
>Cesar
>Ferioli and more!


DROOL.

>Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #671 ($6.95 prestige format book, 64 
>pages):
>In "Zenith," Donald and cat-faced felon Woimly Filcher struggle to beat one
>another to the top of a mountain. Next, in part two of Floyd Gottfredson's
>classic "Love Trouble," the rivalry between Mickey and Monty takes a new 
>twist
>with the arrival of a new flame for Mickey: Millicent Van Gilt-Mouse! 
>Finally,
>Donald and Scrooge reach their "Final Refuel" in the exciting climax of our
>Formula One mini-series.

Wait - Millicent Mouse? Then who is Madeline Mouse? or did I confuse two 
different characters?

Jonathan Gray