The Boom Kids division of Boom Studios continues its use of the Disney characters in yet another series which features the classic Disney crew. This time, they aren’t in wizard uniforms, they are in super hero union suits as Donald Duck and friends take off in Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories #699!
Scrooge McDuck is enjoying a peaceful evening at home in Duckburg reviewing his financial statements when suddenly his television beings to change channels at an alarming rate. Peering outside of his vault-like home, he spies the Beagle Boys attempting to use a remote control device to open the door to his secured mansion. With a push of a button, McDuck turns the tables on his would be burglars and his security systems leave them standing before McDuck and his blunderbuss! Much to the Beagel Boy’s chagrin, they discover that the device they where using was not a security disarming tool, or a freeze ray, but a common remote control. As McDuck prepares to pull a leaver to dispose of the bumbling crooks, the building suddenly begins to shake violently! The entire mansion/vault has been transported to tropical jungle by that evil genius Emil Eagle and his associates, The Sinister Seven! But, it’s not McDuck’s money that the nefarious bad-guys are searching for (although I can bet they wouldn’t turn it down) but something else. No, not McDuck’s Number 1 Dime, but the stand on which it rests. It seems that the unassuming stand is actually the Ultrapod-1, the first piece in the Ultramachine, which will aid the villains in WORLD DOMINATION!
<Queue: Diabolical Laughter>
Meanwhile, at the home of Mickey Mouse, Mickey’s friend from the future, Eega Beeva is putting the finishing touches on his scale model of Duckburg (which only took him around an hour to complete) and is contemplating his next model. As Mickey asks if he has any information on the disappearance on McDuck and his money bin (Eega is from the future after all) the door bell begins to ring insistently. In walks Eeva Beeva’s golden assistant, Lyth, and she has dire news. The Ultradetector has been stolen from the Science Lab. This means that someone has discovered that Eega hid the Ultradetector in the past, and they intend to hunt down the pieces and use it. Piling into Mickey’s car, they race off to an undisclosed location. Lyth tells Eeva that emergency procedures have been activated, to which Eeva replies, “Then it won’t be long until our heroes get their packages.â€Â Curiouser and Curiouser.
Donald Duck, in his guise as the Duck Avenger, is flying above the city in his car, searching for clues to his uncle’s disappearance. Arriving at his home, a postal delivery boy has brought him a package. Inside, there is a note addressed to the Duck Avenger, a map, and a suit. Luckily, Daisy, Donald’s girlfriend, calls him to cancel their date for the afternoon, leaving Donald free to check out this new development. Unbeknownst to him though, Daisy also received a package with a letter addressed to her Super Daisy persona. Across town, packages where also received by Cousin Fethry (The Red Bat) and Goofy (Super Goof). Just a note, despite Goofy getting a new suit, he still appears in his red flannel Super Goof outfit. Even a few people who do not know they have super powers yet such as Gus Goose and Gladstone Gander, receive invitations, suits and maps.
Now let’s catch up with Mickey, Eega and Lyth. They have arrived at their destination, the foreboding mansion known as Villa Rosa, the ex-headquarters of the thief Phantomius. As Eega and Lyth take Mickey on a tour of the headquarters and fill him in on some of their plan, the heroes begin to arrive. As the Duck Avenger and Super Daisy begin to fight (they don’t recognize each other), Red Bat tried to sell outdoor garden igloos, and Super Goog just stands around being, well, Goofy, Eega Beeva and his assistant come out to greet the heroes.
What happened to the other two heroes? What is the Untramachine? Who are the Sinister Seven and what is Emil Eagle’s villainous plot? Will the heroes arrive in time to save Scrooge? You have to wait until the next installment of Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories to find out!
This issue, like the previous title reviewed, was originally printed in Italy by the Italian branch of Walt Disney, and they both have a different flair than you would have expected from the traditional American published Disney title. That’s fine, because it fits the style of Boom Kids perfectly. The story itself is by Giorgio Salatiamy and Riccardo Sacchi. While it is a Disney style story, it is very cool to see how they are interpreted as superheroes. The use of established hero personas, as opposed to creating new ones, is great. The Duck Avenger has a history, and I used to have some Super Goof comics as a kid. It is great to see those characters again.
The art is excellent as well. While the Mickey Mouse and Friends title has a more traditional animation look to it, the art in this book, by Ettore Gula, Roberta Micheli and Stefano Turconi, has a slight modern edge to it. There are more edges as opposed to curves, and it gives the characters a little more “modern†look. Again, great art all around.
When you mention Disney and comics in the same breath to an American audience, you often get a roll of the eyes and a sarcastic comment. When I asked about last weeks release at my LCS, one of the patrons felt compelled to comment, “You actually read that kiddy stuff?†That is one of the great misconceptions about these Disney comics. Yes, they are lighter hearted than your average comic. Yes, you can give them to a child and not worry about inappropriate content. Yes, they do feature characters such as Mickey and Donald and Goofy. So what?
What bothers me is that fans of a medium that have tried so hard to be accepted by the “serious†literati and “adults†(Comics Aren’t Just For Kids!) have no problem passing judgment on a whole slew of titles simply because they are not violent or deal with adult themes or they have some preconceived notion of them. You know what, I feel that people need a break every once in a while. Step away from the depressing news, step away from the blood thirsty vigilantes and the sex driven storylines and gore out the wazoo and read a book that will simply make you laugh. Not everything has to be so “grown-up.â€Â I’m giving Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories #699 4.5 out of 5 stars worth of good clean fun.