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matt_zimmerAlso reviews for the season finale of Family Guy, the latest episodes of Bob's Burgers, and The Great North, the book Quotable Star Trek, and the comic collection TaleSpin: Flight Of The Sky-Raker And Other Stories: The Disney Afternoon Adventures Volume 2.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds "Hegemony, Part II"
Did Ortegas die or not? Biggest unanswered question.
Anson Mount's performance at the end by Batel's bedside was pretty freaking great. We rarely used to get stuff that realistic and great from the old Star Trek stuff. It felt like a real-person reaction.
Martin Quinn is a series regular. Not digging this early version of Scotty so far. He lacks guts.
It's been awhile since we've had a Star Trek Season Premiere with the teaser ending with "And now the conclusion". It is to the show's credit that they understand how big a moment that is.
I liked it. ****.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds "Wedding Bell Blues"
Officially making Trelane a Q is long overdue, but the fun thing is the "father and son" bit ties it back to Star Trek: Voyager. Making the dad John De Lancie ties into all sort of canon mischief, not just from The Original Series and The Next Generation.
I like Korby more than I probably should. That fact annoys me.
La'an teaching Spock to dance was great.
I'm glad Ortegas survived, but she clearly isn't out of the woods yet.
"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" is WHY the Kurtzman era is great, and I don't care what anyone else says. It's a proper wedding reception song, and Roddenberry and / or Berman would have had them playing Fur Elise or something like that. I wish Star Trek had always been this easy to believe in and enjoy. It's clearly not the big freaking ordeal the first five Star Trek shows made it out to be.
Scotty isn't much of a drinker. The canon is gonna have to fix that, I think.
I'm with Spock in thinking Sam's mustache looks terrible. I guess that's the joke, but it doesn't stop it being ugly.
I've missed this show and Star Trek in general. ****.
Family Guy "Twain's World"
I think that was terrible. I think that was the writers losing all of their convictions, giving up, and just trying to appeal to people who watch Joe Rogan.
Because Seth MacFarlane is a liberal I assumed he'd take the liberal young adult comedy field for himself. That what I would have done in his place. Instead the "Trump got reelected and we can all say Merry Christmas again," thing proves that MacFarlane is a fucking political coward. He could have really done some harsh contrarian comedy about the times we're in. Instead, he takes Trump being back as license to be a bigoted asshole again.
Not remotely the choice I would have made, and I think much less of him for it.
If this is not an outlier and this shit continues next season, I might be dropping the show. That's how pissed off tonight made me. 0.
Bob's Burgers "Don't Worry, Be Hoopy"
The Granny throw. I just love how little of a shit the coach gives about his job. I feel him very hard there.
Gene was even grosser than usual this episode, which is a statement. The marble thing made me want to toss the kid into a cement mixer.
For the record, BOB'S pep talk was MUCH worse and more damaging than Linda's. You expect Linda to say stupid shit. When Bob fumbles basically being a decent parent things have gone sideways.
6 year old Tina is cute, dammit. Okay, one more.
Every time Jimmy Junior opens his mouth I always wonder anew what Tina ever sees in this total zero. Girl can do and deserves better.
Teddy on the bleachers was funny. Teddy has been too absent recently.
I liked it. ***1/2.
The Great North "Heelraiser Adventure"
Mr. Galavkin is like the most fun teacher Judy could possibly have.
My favorite bit was Beef forbidding Wolf from doing the wrestling, and Wolf yelling he couldn't do that, and Beef curses because he was hoping he didn't know that.
For the record, that opening shows what Beef actually said was measured. Wolf is a fucking trainwreck in everything he says and does.
It was funny but Wolf is not as sympathetic as the show thinks I should view him as. ***1/2.
Quotable Star Trek by Jill Sherwin
I was disappointed. Not to say that the book doesn't deliver what it promises (all the best quotes of Star Trek up to the end of Deep Space Nine's Sixth Season and Voyager's Fourth). But because it reminded me that there are actually few clever lines on Star Trek I admire, and most of them are from Deep Space Nine, and about half of those are Garak's. I dunno, I wish Star Trek was a franchise with better dialogue while Sherwin was attempting this.
For a lot of this I am reminded of shit I HATED, specifically from TNG's "Symbiosis" and "The Bonding". I guess quotable Star Trek has nothing to do with GOOD Star Trek. If I had written this that would have been the bar. Of course the book would be a lot shorter, and while on some level that might be for the best, the truth is, as far as tie-in books go, this is a relatively FUN, fluffy one, and I get the need to pad out a book fans are actually gonna like and be able to shut off their brains for.
But I'm like Bernadette Anderson. I judge all the quips and one-liners by their merits, and unless you are getting Garak snarking about how awesome lying is, it's not Star Trek's best known quality.
The irony? Reading all this makes me realize the Kurtzman stuff is usually better at the quips. Okay, stipulated, Garak only showed up for an episode of Lower Decks, but if you take the pansexual tailor out of the equation it's true. It kind of frustrates me and makes me think this book needs a sequel / update.
For that matter I'd get updated versions of the Star Trek Encyclopedia and the Star Trek Chronology in a heartbeat. Could you even imagine what the Okudas would do with the Kurtzman stuff AND The Kelvin Timeline stuff? Holy shit! They'd be explaining away all of the plotholes and continuity snarls like it was their freaking job! Because, oh, yeah, it WAS! Star Trek REALLY needs to bring them back. They, along with Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens are the surviving behind-the-scenes Trek creators that ought to be brought back into the loop. Take my money, Pocket Books!
I mean, "Shut up, Wesley!" is one of Star Trek's most quotable lines (poor Wil Wheaton still has it shouted to him at airports) but it's pretty fucking galling to see it listed as such in print. But you know, the book wouldn't be complete without it. But it's still fucking depressing. Sheesh.
Also room for "Brain, brain, what is brain?" Seeing that in print made me realize this was the wrong franchise for this.
Unlike most Star Trek nonfiction books, it's an easy read. But I'm the nerd who enjoyed reading through the Encyclopedia and the Chronology cover to cover.
Have I admitted that elsewhere? A good question to ask me after me saying that is, "Are you actually insane, Matt?" Nah, the answer is I read The Silmarillion as a young adult. Cover to cover. Once you've done that, you have proven you can read anything. The Chronology and Encyclopedia were no sweat compared to that. I'm tempted to read through the entire Bible just for kicks, knowing I could do it, but I'm resisting the idea because I have the sneaking suspicion it would unfathomably depress me. But talk about what a brag that would be! And a great way to win online arguments with conservatives. But I sense it would emotionally wreck me, so nah.
You know what? For a fluffy Star Trek book, THIS one depressed me a bit. When it came to reading a light and fun Star Trek book, the Federation travel guide was WAY spiffier. ***.
TaleSpin: Flight Of The Sky-Raker And Other Stories: The Disney Afternoon Adventures Volume 2
I'm going through my Fantagraphics Disney Afternoon Collections. Probably my second favorite thing Fantagraphics puts out after The Don Rosa Library.
There are just SO many memorable stories I loved as a teenager here. It feels like reliving my childhood. And the stuff written by Bobbi JG Weiss can stand up to other notable non-Barks / Rosa Disney Comics creators like Romano Scarpa. Neither she nor her husband David Cody Weiss draw their own comics, but they are just as great as many of the Disney European writers and artists.
The best stories in the collection are unsurprisingly TaleSpin stories (the two-part "Flight Of The Sky-Raker" and "The Long Flight Home"). The Darkwing Duck story "Salad Daze" was utter crap, even by Darkwing Duck standards. And that weirdly beloved mediocre franchise actually had very few of those, and those it had were quite low. The Goof Troop story "God Dog Card" is also terrible, but that's kinda the whole brand. Collection Overall: ****.
TaleSpin "Flight Of The Sky-Raker"
I saw Bobbi JG Weiss' name in the table of contents and I knew it was gonna be good. You see a Disney Comic written by her or David Cody Weiss (or best yet, them both) it's gonna be good.
This is a two part story (that I am reviewing as one because that's how the Table Of Contents treats it.
The TaleSpin monthly comic only lasted 7 issues. And it was amazing. This was the first and second issues! SO glad to see stuff from that book FINALLY reprinted. I mean, I LIKE the Disney Adventures stuff, but there was something really cool about Disney Publishing's monthly comics in the early 1990's.
The whole trust thing felt sort of interesting for a Disney Comic and it's why Disney Comics in the 1990's tried new dramatic things. Some of it is clunky, but much of it is relatable and feels consistent with modern comics and TV shows. TaleSpin was ahead of its time on TV. I think that often describes the comics too.
I love Baloo asking how he was supposed to argue against Becky's reasoning. Even funnier was when Baloo tells Lily this isn't the time for an argument, she says she isn't arguing, she's telling. TaleSpin was a refreshing franchise, because although it did occasionally traffic in the unfortunate causal sexism of the era, it had some badass women characters anyways, so you forgive it a little.
One of the cool things about TaleSpin Comics (and this is also true for Chip 'N' Dale: Rescue Rangers Comics) is that unlike most Disney Comics, everything is on-model to the actual TV show. There is little distinctive artistic variation between the artists because they are essentially doing the Disney House-Style.
Most Disney artists have their own takes on things. The most well known "House Artists" are Vicar, and Carl Barks himself. He was known as the Good Duck Artist for a reason. I remember before DuckTales 2017 premiered, the promotional artwork was ugly and off-model (and frankly so was the show). Some ignorant fans speculated that it was to closer capture the spirit of Carl Barks. WRONG. Barks' whole deal is his art is indistinguishable from the classic cartoons. If the producers of DuckTales 2017 decided to make the characters randomly blocky and off-model, they didn't get that from Barks.
TaleSpin's stable artwork gives me similar pleasurable vibes. It's SO good!
The ending with the voice trick is not a surprise. Today. I think it was delightful in the early 1990's. Better yet, even though it's no longer a revolutionary twist, it still fits and feels all right. Even knowing it's coming, it doesn't feel old-fashioned or out-of-place.
What I like about the story is that Don Karnage is very cunning about the blueprints. He douses Lily in his swarthy charm, but seems to be paying attention to everything she says and does at the same time, and figuring out ways to use it to his advantage. I feel like a LOT of TaleSpin writers simply write Karnage as an oaf. While he DOES say and do stupid things, a lot of that bluster hides a secret wiliness that shouldn't be underestimated. Good TaleSpin writers like Weiss get there. Bad TaleSpin writers think he's a punchline and interchangeable with foes like the Beagle Boys. He's not, or at least he doesn't need to be.
The Weiss' are some of Disney Comics' most unsung heroes. Because they write scripts and don't do their own artwork. But if Disney were fairer, they'd give them their own Disney Masters book. They were the peak writers of Disney Comics in the 1990's. ****1/2.
Adventures Of The Gummi Bears "Your Bridges Are Hangin' Down"
This story is shady as hell. Not just for using modern devices in the medieval setting (which the show took great pains never to do) but by tasking Gruffi to guard the bridge in the first place.
A guard is literally one of the jobs a Gummi Bear is least suited for. Because the current crop of Bears near Dunwyn are all in hiding. That's the entire damn premise of the show. Cartoons in the 1980's were always built around big secrets, and that was Gummi Bears' bit. And the story is acting like it isn't even a factor, instead of the DEFINING factor.
The ending was dumb too.
The character stuff with Zummi and Gruffi was passable. A lot of dumb sight-gags are involved, but I liked Gruffi outright saying Zummi isn't a good magician. I feel like this is an opinion that ought to have been offered on the show itself once or twice.
Pretty lazy story. ***.
DuckTales "Dime After Dime"
I see a lot of DuckTales 2017's Lena in Magica's niece's friendship with Webby here. Both are relatively bad eggs who only switch sides upon realizing Webby truly cares for her. Webby cared for Lena in 2017 because she was naive. Here I think it's just because she's stupid.
The story is poorly written, and if the dialogue isn't completely atrocious that's the kindest thing I can say about it. It still stinks.
Crappy. **.
Goof Troop "Good Dog Card"
I like the bustling art, but truthfully there is NO freaking way I am EVER handing a story that introduces a character named Johnson J. Johnson a passing grade. One of the sadder elements of both Disney Comics later on, and The Disney Afternoon itself at the time, is how little time and effort Disney would put into things.
For Disney TV Animation, it was started as a response to how bad things were on Saturday morning from other studios in the mid-1980's. And yes, Gummi Bears WAS actually amazing, and a turning point for TV animation. But DuckTales was hit-or-miss, Chip 'N' Dale: Rescue Rangers was boring, and although TaleSpin was also amazing, I felt it was only amazing for flying totally under the radar. It was a perfect subversive storm of a TV cartoon for kids refusing to do anything a kids cartoon should have done. For Darkwing Duck, Goof Troop, and Bonkers, Disney's stated efforts to revitalize the industry just STOPPED. They were each by turns, poor in Darkwing's case, and dreadful when it came to Goof Troop and Bonkers. A couple of years later, Gargoyles was great, but Aladdin, Quack Pack, and Timon And Pumbaa were... not.
I don't like seeing mediocrity infect Disney Comics. I mean I KNOW a ton of it IS only passable, But Johnson J. Johnson, isn't actually passable. It's bad.
Not impressed by this and I think that even thinking Goof Troop is the worst Disney TV cartoon of all time. That doesn't mean the comics need to automatically suck. *.
Chip 'N' Dale: Rescue Rangers "For The Love Of Cheese"
As on-model on the Rescue Rangers comics are, the truth is they aren't as well-written as the TaleSpin ones.
Still, the monthly title tended to be better than the Disney Adventures stuff. This was issue 17, which is sneaky because the first 14 or so issues were weirdly serialized arcs and this wasn't.
I think they are gonna have to reprint those arcs eventually (and the Marv Wolfman DuckTales arc stuff), but I can see why that might seem a little daunting this early on.
Perhaps I'm being unfair. Maybe portraying the Rangers as dunces and sociopaths is simply because the writers have seen every episode of the show and are writing the characters properly.
Not MUCH of an excuse for the lousy script. But a bit of one.
I believe the comics original character Roquefort is a recurring baddie. Which is cool.
And yes, the artwork is amazing. ***1/2.
The Lion King's Timon And Pumbaa "Isle Of Kablooey!"
Amazing artwork. Crap story. *1/2.
DuckTales "Shake!"
The bad: It's not actually funny.
The good: It's just a single page wasted, so who even cares? **.
TaleSpin "It's A Plunderful Life!"
I noticed the different art style and beautiful colors and rechecked the table of contents. Romano Scarpa drew this! Amazing! The blended colors are simply gorgeous, and I imagine were quite breathtaking for that era of comics too.
As much as I love Bobbi JG Weiss, she messed up a couple of times in the script. I get the villain in disguise thing is a "classic" Disney trope, but it doesn't remotely make it either believable or acceptable.
Also, her currency rates are messed up. 15 grand in the late 1930's for a cargo delivery? Insane! And of dictionaries? Even in 2025 that would be nuts. And the reward for goods that clearly don't cost as much is 25 grand? The math don't add up here, Bobbi.
Still, that is one gorgeous story to look at. Even neater is Scarpa sticks VERY close to TaleSpin House Style. He tends to add his own flair in Duck and Mouse stories, but he keeps things very on-model here. ****.
Darkwing Duck "Salad Daze!"
I also find unless John Blair Moore does the art, Darkwing Duck comics always look very bland. The same gripe can be leveled at all DuckTales comics not drawn by William Van Horn.
The script is lousy too. First off, there is absolutely no reason for Darkwing to disbelieve Launchpad about the killer vegetables, especially since one of his rogues is plant-based and has already pulled this exact same trick in every episode he appeared in (and that's what's going on now).
Secondly, Bushroot is NOT a lethal villain out to kill Darkwing. He's not even a villain really. He's a criminal by circumstance. On the show we are always made to feel sympathy for him simply because he's a bit kind-hearted despite being on the wrong side of the law.
Did I just compliment the Darkwing Duck cartoon for having nuance? I guess I just did. Crazy day. Especially since I guess I only realized this after seeing Bushroot done WRONG. In fairness, I never imagined it would be too hard to do Bushroot RIGHT. But you can tell how lazy the writers are here by doing this. He actually calls his underlings "Fools!" which is NOT the type of thing Bushroot would ever do. Bushroot actually LOVES his plants. His entire shtick is that he treats them better than people (mostly because they treat HIM better than other people do). Talking about missing the entire point of the character.
I fart in this comic's general direction. *1/2.
Adventures Of The Gummi Bears "Duke Igthorn's Bridge"
Usually when it comes to Deux Ex Machinas, they are forgivable if the notion is at LEAST set-up. Even if it's just a clue. The water goddesses at the end here? What da frak?
I liked the bit at the beginning of the Troll Bridge, which Duke Igthorn ruins because Iggy is why we aren't allowed to have nice things. Good opening gag though.
David Gerstein did the lettering? That's unexpected.
Decent but that is a super dumb (and unfair) ending. ***.
TaleSpin "The Long Flight Home"
Amazing story. Despite being the last issue before the title was unceremoniously canceled, it's amazing for giving us Kit Cloudkicker's legit backstory that the show stubbornly refused to either acknowledge or remember past the Pilot. Kit is an orphan. He has no parents. He joined the Sky Pirates for awhile. These are all facts that the show found itself glossing over past the Pilot because the themes might be a little traumatizing for sprogs on a recurring basis.
But a comic story by Bobbi JG Weiss, who is clearly as big of a fan of the show as anything? Oh, my yes. Let's do that.
My one real complaint is the framing adventure of them being captured on that island is simply not strong enough compared to the flashbacks and Kit's reunion with the hobos. It ends in a very paint by numbers fashion (not usually a Weiss problem) and frankly I think the subject matter of plantation slavers is pretty inappropriate for kids anyways. I understand why the resolution had no complications in it (this is NOT an issue you ever want to confuse) but that's probably why Weiss should have chosen a different adventure to begin with.
But honestly, the story is a pure pleasure, especially for fans of TaleSpin. There aren't a TON of comics based on TV shows or movies that I would consider a pleasurably read for fans of the Parent Show. But yeah, this issue qualifies. Because Bobbi JG Weiss is probably the biggest TaleSpin fan there is.
Fun Fact: Did you know Don Rosa wrote two episodes? They were good ones too, and that fact still astounds me!
The ending being the dude was just on vacation at first glance seems sort of underwhelming. But I actually think that's kind of the point. Kit thinks the entire world is out to get him, and part of him accepting his new life is to understand the status quo is normalcy, rather than fragile. As a twist ending it leaves a lot to be desired. As a teaching moment for a character who needed it? It really resonates.
I loved this back in the day and I still do. ****1/2.
Darkwing Duck "Vogue's Gallery"
Huh. Bobbi JG Weiss scripted a Darkwing Duck story for Disney Adventures, so for once it's not terrible. Even more impressive, the non-John Blair Moore artwork doesn't actually suck. Not bad! ****.
TaleSpin "Catch Of The Day"
They didn't forget to print the back-up story from the final TaleSpin issue. It's only two underwhelming pages long, but that's the actual reason it would have been unforgivable to skip it. ***.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds "Hegemony, Part II"
Did Ortegas die or not? Biggest unanswered question.
Anson Mount's performance at the end by Batel's bedside was pretty freaking great. We rarely used to get stuff that realistic and great from the old Star Trek stuff. It felt like a real-person reaction.
Martin Quinn is a series regular. Not digging this early version of Scotty so far. He lacks guts.
It's been awhile since we've had a Star Trek Season Premiere with the teaser ending with "And now the conclusion". It is to the show's credit that they understand how big a moment that is.
I liked it. ****.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds "Wedding Bell Blues"
Officially making Trelane a Q is long overdue, but the fun thing is the "father and son" bit ties it back to Star Trek: Voyager. Making the dad John De Lancie ties into all sort of canon mischief, not just from The Original Series and The Next Generation.
I like Korby more than I probably should. That fact annoys me.
La'an teaching Spock to dance was great.
I'm glad Ortegas survived, but she clearly isn't out of the woods yet.
"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" is WHY the Kurtzman era is great, and I don't care what anyone else says. It's a proper wedding reception song, and Roddenberry and / or Berman would have had them playing Fur Elise or something like that. I wish Star Trek had always been this easy to believe in and enjoy. It's clearly not the big freaking ordeal the first five Star Trek shows made it out to be.
Scotty isn't much of a drinker. The canon is gonna have to fix that, I think.
I'm with Spock in thinking Sam's mustache looks terrible. I guess that's the joke, but it doesn't stop it being ugly.
I've missed this show and Star Trek in general. ****.
Family Guy "Twain's World"
I think that was terrible. I think that was the writers losing all of their convictions, giving up, and just trying to appeal to people who watch Joe Rogan.
Because Seth MacFarlane is a liberal I assumed he'd take the liberal young adult comedy field for himself. That what I would have done in his place. Instead the "Trump got reelected and we can all say Merry Christmas again," thing proves that MacFarlane is a fucking political coward. He could have really done some harsh contrarian comedy about the times we're in. Instead, he takes Trump being back as license to be a bigoted asshole again.
Not remotely the choice I would have made, and I think much less of him for it.
If this is not an outlier and this shit continues next season, I might be dropping the show. That's how pissed off tonight made me. 0.
Bob's Burgers "Don't Worry, Be Hoopy"
The Granny throw. I just love how little of a shit the coach gives about his job. I feel him very hard there.
Gene was even grosser than usual this episode, which is a statement. The marble thing made me want to toss the kid into a cement mixer.
For the record, BOB'S pep talk was MUCH worse and more damaging than Linda's. You expect Linda to say stupid shit. When Bob fumbles basically being a decent parent things have gone sideways.
6 year old Tina is cute, dammit. Okay, one more.
Every time Jimmy Junior opens his mouth I always wonder anew what Tina ever sees in this total zero. Girl can do and deserves better.
Teddy on the bleachers was funny. Teddy has been too absent recently.
I liked it. ***1/2.
The Great North "Heelraiser Adventure"
Mr. Galavkin is like the most fun teacher Judy could possibly have.
My favorite bit was Beef forbidding Wolf from doing the wrestling, and Wolf yelling he couldn't do that, and Beef curses because he was hoping he didn't know that.
For the record, that opening shows what Beef actually said was measured. Wolf is a fucking trainwreck in everything he says and does.
It was funny but Wolf is not as sympathetic as the show thinks I should view him as. ***1/2.
Quotable Star Trek by Jill Sherwin
I was disappointed. Not to say that the book doesn't deliver what it promises (all the best quotes of Star Trek up to the end of Deep Space Nine's Sixth Season and Voyager's Fourth). But because it reminded me that there are actually few clever lines on Star Trek I admire, and most of them are from Deep Space Nine, and about half of those are Garak's. I dunno, I wish Star Trek was a franchise with better dialogue while Sherwin was attempting this.
For a lot of this I am reminded of shit I HATED, specifically from TNG's "Symbiosis" and "The Bonding". I guess quotable Star Trek has nothing to do with GOOD Star Trek. If I had written this that would have been the bar. Of course the book would be a lot shorter, and while on some level that might be for the best, the truth is, as far as tie-in books go, this is a relatively FUN, fluffy one, and I get the need to pad out a book fans are actually gonna like and be able to shut off their brains for.
But I'm like Bernadette Anderson. I judge all the quips and one-liners by their merits, and unless you are getting Garak snarking about how awesome lying is, it's not Star Trek's best known quality.
The irony? Reading all this makes me realize the Kurtzman stuff is usually better at the quips. Okay, stipulated, Garak only showed up for an episode of Lower Decks, but if you take the pansexual tailor out of the equation it's true. It kind of frustrates me and makes me think this book needs a sequel / update.
For that matter I'd get updated versions of the Star Trek Encyclopedia and the Star Trek Chronology in a heartbeat. Could you even imagine what the Okudas would do with the Kurtzman stuff AND The Kelvin Timeline stuff? Holy shit! They'd be explaining away all of the plotholes and continuity snarls like it was their freaking job! Because, oh, yeah, it WAS! Star Trek REALLY needs to bring them back. They, along with Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens are the surviving behind-the-scenes Trek creators that ought to be brought back into the loop. Take my money, Pocket Books!
I mean, "Shut up, Wesley!" is one of Star Trek's most quotable lines (poor Wil Wheaton still has it shouted to him at airports) but it's pretty fucking galling to see it listed as such in print. But you know, the book wouldn't be complete without it. But it's still fucking depressing. Sheesh.
Also room for "Brain, brain, what is brain?" Seeing that in print made me realize this was the wrong franchise for this.
Unlike most Star Trek nonfiction books, it's an easy read. But I'm the nerd who enjoyed reading through the Encyclopedia and the Chronology cover to cover.
Have I admitted that elsewhere? A good question to ask me after me saying that is, "Are you actually insane, Matt?" Nah, the answer is I read The Silmarillion as a young adult. Cover to cover. Once you've done that, you have proven you can read anything. The Chronology and Encyclopedia were no sweat compared to that. I'm tempted to read through the entire Bible just for kicks, knowing I could do it, but I'm resisting the idea because I have the sneaking suspicion it would unfathomably depress me. But talk about what a brag that would be! And a great way to win online arguments with conservatives. But I sense it would emotionally wreck me, so nah.
You know what? For a fluffy Star Trek book, THIS one depressed me a bit. When it came to reading a light and fun Star Trek book, the Federation travel guide was WAY spiffier. ***.
TaleSpin: Flight Of The Sky-Raker And Other Stories: The Disney Afternoon Adventures Volume 2
I'm going through my Fantagraphics Disney Afternoon Collections. Probably my second favorite thing Fantagraphics puts out after The Don Rosa Library.
There are just SO many memorable stories I loved as a teenager here. It feels like reliving my childhood. And the stuff written by Bobbi JG Weiss can stand up to other notable non-Barks / Rosa Disney Comics creators like Romano Scarpa. Neither she nor her husband David Cody Weiss draw their own comics, but they are just as great as many of the Disney European writers and artists.
The best stories in the collection are unsurprisingly TaleSpin stories (the two-part "Flight Of The Sky-Raker" and "The Long Flight Home"). The Darkwing Duck story "Salad Daze" was utter crap, even by Darkwing Duck standards. And that weirdly beloved mediocre franchise actually had very few of those, and those it had were quite low. The Goof Troop story "God Dog Card" is also terrible, but that's kinda the whole brand. Collection Overall: ****.
TaleSpin "Flight Of The Sky-Raker"
I saw Bobbi JG Weiss' name in the table of contents and I knew it was gonna be good. You see a Disney Comic written by her or David Cody Weiss (or best yet, them both) it's gonna be good.
This is a two part story (that I am reviewing as one because that's how the Table Of Contents treats it.
The TaleSpin monthly comic only lasted 7 issues. And it was amazing. This was the first and second issues! SO glad to see stuff from that book FINALLY reprinted. I mean, I LIKE the Disney Adventures stuff, but there was something really cool about Disney Publishing's monthly comics in the early 1990's.
The whole trust thing felt sort of interesting for a Disney Comic and it's why Disney Comics in the 1990's tried new dramatic things. Some of it is clunky, but much of it is relatable and feels consistent with modern comics and TV shows. TaleSpin was ahead of its time on TV. I think that often describes the comics too.
I love Baloo asking how he was supposed to argue against Becky's reasoning. Even funnier was when Baloo tells Lily this isn't the time for an argument, she says she isn't arguing, she's telling. TaleSpin was a refreshing franchise, because although it did occasionally traffic in the unfortunate causal sexism of the era, it had some badass women characters anyways, so you forgive it a little.
One of the cool things about TaleSpin Comics (and this is also true for Chip 'N' Dale: Rescue Rangers Comics) is that unlike most Disney Comics, everything is on-model to the actual TV show. There is little distinctive artistic variation between the artists because they are essentially doing the Disney House-Style.
Most Disney artists have their own takes on things. The most well known "House Artists" are Vicar, and Carl Barks himself. He was known as the Good Duck Artist for a reason. I remember before DuckTales 2017 premiered, the promotional artwork was ugly and off-model (and frankly so was the show). Some ignorant fans speculated that it was to closer capture the spirit of Carl Barks. WRONG. Barks' whole deal is his art is indistinguishable from the classic cartoons. If the producers of DuckTales 2017 decided to make the characters randomly blocky and off-model, they didn't get that from Barks.
TaleSpin's stable artwork gives me similar pleasurable vibes. It's SO good!
The ending with the voice trick is not a surprise. Today. I think it was delightful in the early 1990's. Better yet, even though it's no longer a revolutionary twist, it still fits and feels all right. Even knowing it's coming, it doesn't feel old-fashioned or out-of-place.
What I like about the story is that Don Karnage is very cunning about the blueprints. He douses Lily in his swarthy charm, but seems to be paying attention to everything she says and does at the same time, and figuring out ways to use it to his advantage. I feel like a LOT of TaleSpin writers simply write Karnage as an oaf. While he DOES say and do stupid things, a lot of that bluster hides a secret wiliness that shouldn't be underestimated. Good TaleSpin writers like Weiss get there. Bad TaleSpin writers think he's a punchline and interchangeable with foes like the Beagle Boys. He's not, or at least he doesn't need to be.
The Weiss' are some of Disney Comics' most unsung heroes. Because they write scripts and don't do their own artwork. But if Disney were fairer, they'd give them their own Disney Masters book. They were the peak writers of Disney Comics in the 1990's. ****1/2.
Adventures Of The Gummi Bears "Your Bridges Are Hangin' Down"
This story is shady as hell. Not just for using modern devices in the medieval setting (which the show took great pains never to do) but by tasking Gruffi to guard the bridge in the first place.
A guard is literally one of the jobs a Gummi Bear is least suited for. Because the current crop of Bears near Dunwyn are all in hiding. That's the entire damn premise of the show. Cartoons in the 1980's were always built around big secrets, and that was Gummi Bears' bit. And the story is acting like it isn't even a factor, instead of the DEFINING factor.
The ending was dumb too.
The character stuff with Zummi and Gruffi was passable. A lot of dumb sight-gags are involved, but I liked Gruffi outright saying Zummi isn't a good magician. I feel like this is an opinion that ought to have been offered on the show itself once or twice.
Pretty lazy story. ***.
DuckTales "Dime After Dime"
I see a lot of DuckTales 2017's Lena in Magica's niece's friendship with Webby here. Both are relatively bad eggs who only switch sides upon realizing Webby truly cares for her. Webby cared for Lena in 2017 because she was naive. Here I think it's just because she's stupid.
The story is poorly written, and if the dialogue isn't completely atrocious that's the kindest thing I can say about it. It still stinks.
Crappy. **.
Goof Troop "Good Dog Card"
I like the bustling art, but truthfully there is NO freaking way I am EVER handing a story that introduces a character named Johnson J. Johnson a passing grade. One of the sadder elements of both Disney Comics later on, and The Disney Afternoon itself at the time, is how little time and effort Disney would put into things.
For Disney TV Animation, it was started as a response to how bad things were on Saturday morning from other studios in the mid-1980's. And yes, Gummi Bears WAS actually amazing, and a turning point for TV animation. But DuckTales was hit-or-miss, Chip 'N' Dale: Rescue Rangers was boring, and although TaleSpin was also amazing, I felt it was only amazing for flying totally under the radar. It was a perfect subversive storm of a TV cartoon for kids refusing to do anything a kids cartoon should have done. For Darkwing Duck, Goof Troop, and Bonkers, Disney's stated efforts to revitalize the industry just STOPPED. They were each by turns, poor in Darkwing's case, and dreadful when it came to Goof Troop and Bonkers. A couple of years later, Gargoyles was great, but Aladdin, Quack Pack, and Timon And Pumbaa were... not.
I don't like seeing mediocrity infect Disney Comics. I mean I KNOW a ton of it IS only passable, But Johnson J. Johnson, isn't actually passable. It's bad.
Not impressed by this and I think that even thinking Goof Troop is the worst Disney TV cartoon of all time. That doesn't mean the comics need to automatically suck. *.
Chip 'N' Dale: Rescue Rangers "For The Love Of Cheese"
As on-model on the Rescue Rangers comics are, the truth is they aren't as well-written as the TaleSpin ones.
Still, the monthly title tended to be better than the Disney Adventures stuff. This was issue 17, which is sneaky because the first 14 or so issues were weirdly serialized arcs and this wasn't.
I think they are gonna have to reprint those arcs eventually (and the Marv Wolfman DuckTales arc stuff), but I can see why that might seem a little daunting this early on.
Perhaps I'm being unfair. Maybe portraying the Rangers as dunces and sociopaths is simply because the writers have seen every episode of the show and are writing the characters properly.
Not MUCH of an excuse for the lousy script. But a bit of one.
I believe the comics original character Roquefort is a recurring baddie. Which is cool.
And yes, the artwork is amazing. ***1/2.
The Lion King's Timon And Pumbaa "Isle Of Kablooey!"
Amazing artwork. Crap story. *1/2.
DuckTales "Shake!"
The bad: It's not actually funny.
The good: It's just a single page wasted, so who even cares? **.
TaleSpin "It's A Plunderful Life!"
I noticed the different art style and beautiful colors and rechecked the table of contents. Romano Scarpa drew this! Amazing! The blended colors are simply gorgeous, and I imagine were quite breathtaking for that era of comics too.
As much as I love Bobbi JG Weiss, she messed up a couple of times in the script. I get the villain in disguise thing is a "classic" Disney trope, but it doesn't remotely make it either believable or acceptable.
Also, her currency rates are messed up. 15 grand in the late 1930's for a cargo delivery? Insane! And of dictionaries? Even in 2025 that would be nuts. And the reward for goods that clearly don't cost as much is 25 grand? The math don't add up here, Bobbi.
Still, that is one gorgeous story to look at. Even neater is Scarpa sticks VERY close to TaleSpin House Style. He tends to add his own flair in Duck and Mouse stories, but he keeps things very on-model here. ****.
Darkwing Duck "Salad Daze!"
I also find unless John Blair Moore does the art, Darkwing Duck comics always look very bland. The same gripe can be leveled at all DuckTales comics not drawn by William Van Horn.
The script is lousy too. First off, there is absolutely no reason for Darkwing to disbelieve Launchpad about the killer vegetables, especially since one of his rogues is plant-based and has already pulled this exact same trick in every episode he appeared in (and that's what's going on now).
Secondly, Bushroot is NOT a lethal villain out to kill Darkwing. He's not even a villain really. He's a criminal by circumstance. On the show we are always made to feel sympathy for him simply because he's a bit kind-hearted despite being on the wrong side of the law.
Did I just compliment the Darkwing Duck cartoon for having nuance? I guess I just did. Crazy day. Especially since I guess I only realized this after seeing Bushroot done WRONG. In fairness, I never imagined it would be too hard to do Bushroot RIGHT. But you can tell how lazy the writers are here by doing this. He actually calls his underlings "Fools!" which is NOT the type of thing Bushroot would ever do. Bushroot actually LOVES his plants. His entire shtick is that he treats them better than people (mostly because they treat HIM better than other people do). Talking about missing the entire point of the character.
I fart in this comic's general direction. *1/2.
Adventures Of The Gummi Bears "Duke Igthorn's Bridge"
Usually when it comes to Deux Ex Machinas, they are forgivable if the notion is at LEAST set-up. Even if it's just a clue. The water goddesses at the end here? What da frak?
I liked the bit at the beginning of the Troll Bridge, which Duke Igthorn ruins because Iggy is why we aren't allowed to have nice things. Good opening gag though.
David Gerstein did the lettering? That's unexpected.
Decent but that is a super dumb (and unfair) ending. ***.
TaleSpin "The Long Flight Home"
Amazing story. Despite being the last issue before the title was unceremoniously canceled, it's amazing for giving us Kit Cloudkicker's legit backstory that the show stubbornly refused to either acknowledge or remember past the Pilot. Kit is an orphan. He has no parents. He joined the Sky Pirates for awhile. These are all facts that the show found itself glossing over past the Pilot because the themes might be a little traumatizing for sprogs on a recurring basis.
But a comic story by Bobbi JG Weiss, who is clearly as big of a fan of the show as anything? Oh, my yes. Let's do that.
My one real complaint is the framing adventure of them being captured on that island is simply not strong enough compared to the flashbacks and Kit's reunion with the hobos. It ends in a very paint by numbers fashion (not usually a Weiss problem) and frankly I think the subject matter of plantation slavers is pretty inappropriate for kids anyways. I understand why the resolution had no complications in it (this is NOT an issue you ever want to confuse) but that's probably why Weiss should have chosen a different adventure to begin with.
But honestly, the story is a pure pleasure, especially for fans of TaleSpin. There aren't a TON of comics based on TV shows or movies that I would consider a pleasurably read for fans of the Parent Show. But yeah, this issue qualifies. Because Bobbi JG Weiss is probably the biggest TaleSpin fan there is.
Fun Fact: Did you know Don Rosa wrote two episodes? They were good ones too, and that fact still astounds me!
The ending being the dude was just on vacation at first glance seems sort of underwhelming. But I actually think that's kind of the point. Kit thinks the entire world is out to get him, and part of him accepting his new life is to understand the status quo is normalcy, rather than fragile. As a twist ending it leaves a lot to be desired. As a teaching moment for a character who needed it? It really resonates.
I loved this back in the day and I still do. ****1/2.
Darkwing Duck "Vogue's Gallery"
Huh. Bobbi JG Weiss scripted a Darkwing Duck story for Disney Adventures, so for once it's not terrible. Even more impressive, the non-John Blair Moore artwork doesn't actually suck. Not bad! ****.
TaleSpin "Catch Of The Day"
They didn't forget to print the back-up story from the final TaleSpin issue. It's only two underwhelming pages long, but that's the actual reason it would have been unforgivable to skip it. ***.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-19 12:44 am (UTC)I have less patience for it now, even for boredom sake. I mean, why sit through that? Why repeatedly take away almost a half hour of my limited time for something I know will be tragically unfunny?
Even in the prime period where Seth was semi-involved with the crew, you’d hear him in commentaries boasting “Well, we take jabs at the right... and our primary audience just so happens to be on the right...”
The conversation sorta always ended there. FG was sorta bound for either foam-brained centrism or the out of style liberalism that’s bitter about being denied the right to be racist for money.
no subject
Date: 2025-07-19 01:01 pm (UTC)But yeah, I have always found the show's politics incredibly weak. Any true insights it offers are rare but most of the politics are like "Creationists are r*****ed, der her."