Review: Darkwing Duck comic book, issue one

[brendala]

I've been eagerly anticipating this release and it was well worth the wait. I HIGHLY reccommend picking this up if you loved Darkwing, the Disney Afternoon, or just love good clean fun superhero stories (which are sadly rare now that "dark and gritty" is all the rage).



This comic picks up about a year after Drake Mallard hangs up his Darkwing costume, gets a civilian job, and cuts ties with Launchpad (we don't find out why he did all that in issue one, but I assume that's what the other 3 issues are for). The writing is very good and  the art is attractive and true to the designs in the cartoon. One of my main worries was that transplanting a very 90s show like Darkwing into 2010 would be jarring (since so much of the show's humor relied on pop culture gags and references to the campy superheros that still existed back then). But, aside from some jokes about Starbucks (or "Starducks") and illegally downloading music, the comic maintains a timeless feeling overall.

I like the idea of kicking this series off with a dramatic storyline instead of just picking up where the original left off. It gives the comic a strong start and it gives readers an incentive to keep buying to see what happens next (I know I'm DYING to find out why the hell Drake would cut Launchpad out of his and Gosalyn's lives when he was part of their family!).

I really hope this series sells tons of copies and convinces Disney to let Boom Comics adapt other Disney Afternoon shows (mainly the totally awesome and woefully underrated Talespin) or even pick up the Gargoyles series that SLG didn't know what to do with.

Comments

[ichiban-victory.livejournal.com]

From what I understand, the Gargoyles didn't stop because SLG didn't know what to do with it, but because Disney raised the fees for other companies to use its licenses. SLG couldn't/wouldn't cough up the cash, so their right to the Gargoyles license ended.

I was never much of a fan of Darkwing Duck (I didn't mind it, but it was never a favorite), but I'd hope that if this does well we'll see a revival of some of the Disney cartoons from the late 80s through the 90s.

(Somewhat on that note, while I worked at Disney I learned that Chip and Dale do rarely step out in their Rescue Rangers outfits -the company still has them in wardrobe- and people go crazy. Why Disney doesn't milk nostalgia for all its worth though, I'll never know. All I know for sure is that I treasure the small Dale in his Hawaiian shirt plush I got at Disneyland forever ago. Disney's cartoons used to be cool!)

[brendala.livejournal.com]

Is that what happened to Gargoyles? Aw, that sucks.

I've noticed that Chip and Dale are still marketed in their Rescue Ranger gear a lot. RR Chip and Dale pins are still available at Disneyland. And, as far as I know, the Gadget ride is still running in Toontown. It does seem odd that they held on to so many Rescue Ranger mascots, products, rides, etc yet they haven't done anything with the franchise.

Personally, I'm happier with Disney Afternoon comics than new seasons or remade TV series. I fear that new cartoons would be dumbed down and/or "modernized" to appeal to today's kids.
And a new cartoon would be weird for shows like Talespin where 90% of the voice actors are either too old or too dead to reprise their roles. Talespin without Ed Gilbert would just make me depressed.

[dqbunny.livejournal.com]

You know? Out of all the Disney Afternoon cartoons, I hated Chip n' Dale. They got on my nerves. My absolute favorites were Ducktales and Talespin followed by Darkwing Duck.

This comic looks like it's going to be great. I agree that I'd rather see these go the comic route than be watered down revivals.

[pharoah999.livejournal.com]

where did you find your copy?? i checked with the barnes in rancho and they said it was coming out in december??

[brendala.livejournal.com]

I got mine at a local comic shop (I'll PM you the address)