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matt_zimmerAlso reviews for the latest episodes of MAD, DC Nation, and Teen Titans Go! as well as two book reviews for some more of the Fantagraphics Disney Comics treasuries, this time Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck.
MAD ""S" Cape From Planet Earth / The X-Mentalist"
Oh, how I loved "Bones or Castle" so. It was SO very insider TV. I've never seen Saturday Night Live or any similar adult comedy show (including Family Guy) do something this "insider baseball". Great stuff.
I also really love The X-Mentalist and all of the cop show parodies with the different mutants it spawned. But I must cry foul on one: Night Court (based on Nightcrawler) was a sitcom despite the title and premise (and aired way back in the 80's) and stuck out against all of the rest of the current procedural parodies. Not cool, MAD. Don't undercut your own premise for an easy pun. Just. Don't. ***1/2.
Teen Titans Go! "La Larva Armor"
SO much to love about this episode. My favorite thing is that Starfire has a diary labeled "Things I Love R-S". She REALLY loves Robin and Silkie.
Raven: "You don't have to say that EVERY time we go somewhere." Where was THIS Raven on the original series?
Didja see it? Didja see the cameo of Batman and Commisioner Gordon fishing and drinking brews? So THAT'S what Batman does on his day off.
The only problem with the episode was a pretty big one. The stuff with Silkie in Mexico was just NOT funny. And since it was not an insignificant part it lowers the grade a bit. But I still loved every other thing about the episode. Even the gross milk moustache contest. ****.
DC Nation
DC Nation Demonstrations: Wonder Woman's Lasso
Boy, do you ever get the impression that they make the demonstrations REALLY simple compared to what the hero does? Yeah, as impressive as it is, it is nowhere NEAR as precise as Diana's roping skills. **.
Tales Of Metropolis #1: Bizarro
Did the same people who designed Spectacular Spider-Man design the character designs here? Because the designs work MUCH better for comedy than drama. ****
ComicCon 2013
Am I the only person who wouldn't want to fight ANYONE in the DC Universe? I'd get my butt kicked and so would these people. *.
Farm League #5.
Best animals: Craniac and Solomon Bunny. The last one was so good it had to be fattening. ****.
Lego Batman: The Movie: DC Super Heroes Unite
Pretty good but nowhere NEAR as entertaining as the Lego Star Wars cartoons. Even though the tone was light there were far fewer actual jokes in the movie than the Star Wars spoofs. My favorite part was the very beginning with the main titles mimicking the Tim Burton movie in Lego right down to the director having the last name of Burton. Clever.
The music was the thing about the movie that impressed me the most. It was an orchestral score and as far as I know this is the first cartoon project to feature both Danny Elfman's Batman Theme and John Williams' Superman Theme in the same production. I thought that was really cool.
Even though there were fewer jokes the plot itself was actually tighter than the Star Wars specials. There were a couple of nice surprises including a classic Superman / Batrman swap. It was welcome to hear Clancy Brown voice Lex Luthor. I'm guessing no other DC Animated Universe actors voiced their characters because they weren't in the video game this was based on. I can live with it.
The main thing I didn't like was how mean Batman was to Robin. It wasn't even a running joke or anything it was just Batman being a jerk to a kid for no reason. I get why he doesn't like Superman. What on Earth has Robin done to earn his contempt?
I also didn't like how Luthor and Joker broke into the Batcave and didn't even TRY to find out Batman's identity. And that's a major plot hole too. What's to stop them from trying again? The Batcave is right under Wayne Manor after all and if Luthor and Joker weren't in such a rush they could have put it together (even though it was already tough to believe they didn't.) Still, it's a kids movie and a semi-paordy. The plot didn't need to be completely air-tight.
The was enjoyable but it wasn't perfect. ****.
Building Batman:
Nothing about this half hour toy commercial interested me. I would have liked to have seen a featurette on the actual movie. One cool thing I noticed: there were a couple of girls in the group of kids. When I grew up Lego advertised almost exclusively to boys which I think was probably pretty sexist. Quick question: one of the girls disappears halfway through the doc and doesn't return. Where did she go? *1/2.
Lego Batman Jumps Into Action: A Stop-Motion Lego Batman Short:
This is actually more like a commercial than a short. ****.
Winning Shorts From The Lego DC Universe Super Heroes Video Contest:
Homemade stop-motion Lego Batman shorts. A couple of these are so good you'd swear a professional did them. Overall: ****1/2.
First Place: Lego Black Friday: Super clever and looks like it was made by a professional. *****.
Second Place: Lego Prison Brick-Out: Not quite as smooth. You could tell this was home-made. ***1/2.
Third Place: Lego Superman: Those special effects were nifty. ****.
Fourth Place: Plastic Justice: Pretty good. ***1/2.
Fifth Place: A Wicked Surprise: Funny one. I loved Alfred's Butler-Con and I was getting vibes from the Batman Beyond: Return Of The Joker flashback. The end was killer too. ****1/2.
Blu-Ray / DVD Menu: Nice music. ***1/2.
Walt Disney's Donald Duck: A Christmas For Shacktown By Carl Barks
Another great collection of Carl Barks stories from Fantagraphics Books.
My favorite stories in the volume are "The Gilded Man" (can you believe this is the first time I've read this famous story?), the sickening "Gladstone's Terrible Secret", and the black comedy "Statuesque Spendtrifts". Volume Overall: ****1/2.
"A Christmas For Shacktown"
Cute story but the ending left things a bit unresolved. Still, Scrooge DID deserve an unhappy ending for his behavior in the story. ****.
"The Big Bin On Killmotor Hill"
First appearance of the Money Bin and second ever appearance of the Beagle Boys (here wearing baseball caps). Barks retconned the Money Bin's history in later stories (it supposedly is brand new here but later stories have stated Scrooge has ALWAYS had it. Don Rosa was the one who took the idea of Scrooge's gruesome booby traps and really ran with it. ****.
"Gladstone's Usual Very Good Year"
Sometimes getting something isn't all it's cracked up to be. I have to marvel at how foolish Donald was here to think he could go up against Gladstone's luck in a raffle like that. In his defense this may have been an earlier story and Donald may not have yet learned his lesson but he seems to understand Gladstone's luck throughout the story and wastes money tempting fate anyways. ***.
"The Screaming Cowboy"
Silly story but despite it SEEMING predictable the ending was a bit different than how I thought it would go down. ***.
"Statuesque Spendthrifts"
The Maharajah of Howduyustan was one of my favorite Scrooge rivals as a kid. I love that this story proves that under the right circumstances Scrooge isn't afraid to go nuts with his money. It says a lot about his character that he is only willing to spend great amounts of money when it comes to his pride. *****.
"Rocket Wing Saves The Day"
Didn't much care for this. **.
"Gladstone's Terrible Secret"
I have to say the last panel with Donald asking the nephews "Any comments?" was surprising because it was so modern in its observational sensibility. I laughed hard at a line that could have come out of a Joss Whedon or Dwayne McDuffie script. The story is great too and I believe this is the first appearance of Gyro Gearloose. And Gladstone Gander is a truly disgusting character. I hate him almost as much as Carl Barks obviously does. *****.
"The Think Box Bollix"
This is Gyro's first main story and it's a good one. I like that the story plays with the notion of talking animals in a world where nothing BUT animals talk. A little bit meta and pokes a bit of fun at the funny animal trope. But I still can't figure out why Goofy can talk and Pluto can't. ****.
"Full-Service Windows": Clever. ****.
"Rigged-Up Rollers": Dumb. **1/2.
"The Golden Helment"
I dislike this story because the greed that gets into the hearts of practically every character including Donald and one of the nephews gives me the creeps. Maybe that was the point but I find it EXTREMELY out of character for Donald to maroon the nephews on an iceberg for ANY reason. That said, the artwork is beautiful and the climax is exciting. And the premise obviously set Don Rosa's imagination to work in the similar premise in the vastly superior His Majesty McDuck. ***.
"Awash In Success": The nephews are sure enterprising but this seems like the kind of exploitation Uncle Scrooge would do. **.
"Stable Prices": Math is fun. ****.
"Houseboat Holiday"
I didn't much care for this story because the nephews were too dumb. They're Junior Woodchucks, for Pete's sake! **.
"Gemstone Hunters"
Fair. But I'm getting really sick of Gladstone. ***.
"The Gilded Man"
I love the ending to this tale which seems to be three stories in one. The first part is Donald taking up stamp collecting, the second is the search for the Gilded Man, and the third is the race home to find the letter. What I loved about the end was that for once Donald's decency was rewarded. True, Gladstone never gets a comeuppance for his behavior. But it's Donald's fundamental honesty throughout the story that ties the moral together. Great story. ****1/2.
"Armored Rescue": Silly gag strip with nice artwork. ***1/2.
"Crafty Corner": Donald is NOT as dumb as he looks. ****1/2.
"Spending Money"
What I like about this story is how uncomfortable Scrooge is throughout it. He simply cannot enjoy himself even when ostensibly having "fun" if it means spending money. Donald is a MASTER of wasting money and completely in his element. Yes, it backfired but not for a lack of effort. ****.
"Teeing Off": Lame. *1/2.
"Christmas Kiss": I don't understand this gag strip. Why wouldn't Daisy want to kiss Donald? He's her boyfriend and he's done nothing wrong and is in fact acting romantic. I just don't get this joke at al. *.
"Proejecting Desires": Say what you will about the nephews' greed here: they certainly are clever. ***1/2.
Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse "House Of The Seven Haunts" By Floyd Gottfredson
Great collection of stories that I hungrily devoured. I'm almost sad we're going to have to wait a year for another daily strip collection (because the upcoming The Call Of The Wild will be collecting color Sunday strips). This volume had a bunch of great stories in it.
It starts off with "Oscar the Ostrich" who is quite a lovable pest. Then "Mickey Mouse Joins The Foreign Legion" in a great story that I actually prefer the censored version of. "The Seven Ghosts" gives Donald Duck his biggest role ever on the strip and the looooooooonnnnnnng "Monarch Of Medioka" was a little too on the nose in its political satire. So much so that it caused the Mickey strip to be banned in several countries.
But for my money the big draw of the book is "Island In The Sky", which is in the top five greatest Mickey stories of all time, and along with "Mickey Mouse Outwits The Phantom Blot", (which will come out in a later volume), one of Gottfredson's personal favorites. It's easy to see why: it introduces the breakout character of Dr. Einmug who was SO popular that you're astounded to realize Gottfredson only used him once.
Best stories in the volume are "Mickey Mouse Joins The Foreign Legion", "The Seven Ghosts", and "Island In The Sky". The worst story is "In Search Of Jungle Treasure" and it is SO bad, and SO offensive, that it's almost amusing in a trainwreck sort of way. It's hard to believe it was done by the same guy who did "The Seven Ghosts" or "Island In The Sky". Collection Overall: ****1/2.
"Oscar The Ostrich"
I think the thing I love about this story the most is that Gottfredson keeps an exact running tab of how much Mickey's debts are throughout the story. Sure, he didn't quite have Mickey pay off the EXACT amount (by slyly making the pet shop owner admit to the debt) but the math was pretty consistant at all times. Oscar is cute too. The story is the first one where Dippy Dawg becomes Goofy and he has a MUCH nicer personality here although by the end he's reverting a bit to his jerkish Dippy persona. ****.
"Mickey Mouse Joins The Foreign Legion"
Outside of Mickey in blackface (a truly reprenhensible scene) there is nothing in this story I don't like. Great thrills and chills and my favorite scene was Pete trying to convince himself how much he hated Mickey after he saved his life. Loved the spooky opening too where the Secret Service test Mickey's mettle. Great story. ****1/2.
"The Seven Ghosts"
You know, normally I'd complain that because of this story we were subjected to so many boring Paul Murray Scooy-Doo type mysteries in the 60's but no, this story is WAY out of Murray's league. Even if Murray copied the idea that there are ALWAYS scientific explanations for ghosts and that all would-be spooks are really disguised crooks, the concept shares little else in common with Murray's snoozefests. For one thing there is an actual mystery here with rational enough explanations. For another, the climax is action-packed and exciting. And third, it's actually FUNNY! You know, like a funnybook is SUPPOSED to be. Really this may have started a rotten trend in Mickey Mouse comics but that's just because none of the writers who came later were HALF the storytellers Gottfredson was. *****.
"Island In The Sky"
Rightfully considered a classic. I had forgotten how darn funny it is too. It really is a VERY clever story with no easy answers. Mickey DOESN'T get the formula in the end and the reader is led to believe that is probably for the best. Even with the best of intentions Mickey and Captain Doberman shouldn't be trusted with something that powerful. The science is a little wacky but that's what makes it fun. And Dr. Einmug is such a classic character that it's a shame Gottfredson never brought him back. But as the forward to the story noted, Gottfredson was such a confident and superlative storyteller that he resisted the temptation to bring back one of his most beloved characters for a sequel or sequels that would lessen his initial impact. Keno Don Rosa would probably disagree with taking that tack but it sure is impressive to think about. *****.
"In Search Of Jungle Treasure"
So patently offensive it's almost funny. Almost. Well, the gorrillas hugging Mickey and the gang were cute but everything else was pretty much appalling. This story does make a good point: why doesn't Pete ever kill Mickey when he has the chance? Weird. This sucked. *.
"Monarch Of Medioka"
The most controversial Mickey comic of all time seems SO tame by today's standards and isn't in the same league of offensiveness as the jungle cannibal stories Gottfredson would trot out every other year. The political satire IS a bit biting and spot-on but I would think any person with common sense would realize that censoring such a mild critique of monarchies such as this will only lead to MORE people reading it and giving it more weight. Sometimes I think people back then needed more to do with their lives and then I remember that it's not much better in America today. Note: this is Gottfredson's longest serial of all time and it's a ripping good yarn. The gag at the end of the throne having been switched was pure genius and something so audacious that only Gottfredson could have come up with it. ****.
"The Mystery Of Freefer Hall" by Don Markstein and Cesar Ferioli
GREAT story and sequel to The Seven Ghosts. I loved that Donald showed up and all of the characters were in their classic Gottfredson character designs. I think the ending was a bit of a cop-out but I enjoyed the story up until that point. I am also really glad that the writers finally seemed to have found a good balance between Mickey and Donald being in the same story and making Donald a grump instead of an idiot. Good story. ****.
MAD ""S" Cape From Planet Earth / The X-Mentalist"
Oh, how I loved "Bones or Castle" so. It was SO very insider TV. I've never seen Saturday Night Live or any similar adult comedy show (including Family Guy) do something this "insider baseball". Great stuff.
I also really love The X-Mentalist and all of the cop show parodies with the different mutants it spawned. But I must cry foul on one: Night Court (based on Nightcrawler) was a sitcom despite the title and premise (and aired way back in the 80's) and stuck out against all of the rest of the current procedural parodies. Not cool, MAD. Don't undercut your own premise for an easy pun. Just. Don't. ***1/2.
Teen Titans Go! "La Larva Armor"
SO much to love about this episode. My favorite thing is that Starfire has a diary labeled "Things I Love R-S". She REALLY loves Robin and Silkie.
Raven: "You don't have to say that EVERY time we go somewhere." Where was THIS Raven on the original series?
Didja see it? Didja see the cameo of Batman and Commisioner Gordon fishing and drinking brews? So THAT'S what Batman does on his day off.
The only problem with the episode was a pretty big one. The stuff with Silkie in Mexico was just NOT funny. And since it was not an insignificant part it lowers the grade a bit. But I still loved every other thing about the episode. Even the gross milk moustache contest. ****.
DC Nation
DC Nation Demonstrations: Wonder Woman's Lasso
Boy, do you ever get the impression that they make the demonstrations REALLY simple compared to what the hero does? Yeah, as impressive as it is, it is nowhere NEAR as precise as Diana's roping skills. **.
Tales Of Metropolis #1: Bizarro
Did the same people who designed Spectacular Spider-Man design the character designs here? Because the designs work MUCH better for comedy than drama. ****
ComicCon 2013
Am I the only person who wouldn't want to fight ANYONE in the DC Universe? I'd get my butt kicked and so would these people. *.
Farm League #5.
Best animals: Craniac and Solomon Bunny. The last one was so good it had to be fattening. ****.
Lego Batman: The Movie: DC Super Heroes Unite
Pretty good but nowhere NEAR as entertaining as the Lego Star Wars cartoons. Even though the tone was light there were far fewer actual jokes in the movie than the Star Wars spoofs. My favorite part was the very beginning with the main titles mimicking the Tim Burton movie in Lego right down to the director having the last name of Burton. Clever.
The music was the thing about the movie that impressed me the most. It was an orchestral score and as far as I know this is the first cartoon project to feature both Danny Elfman's Batman Theme and John Williams' Superman Theme in the same production. I thought that was really cool.
Even though there were fewer jokes the plot itself was actually tighter than the Star Wars specials. There were a couple of nice surprises including a classic Superman / Batrman swap. It was welcome to hear Clancy Brown voice Lex Luthor. I'm guessing no other DC Animated Universe actors voiced their characters because they weren't in the video game this was based on. I can live with it.
The main thing I didn't like was how mean Batman was to Robin. It wasn't even a running joke or anything it was just Batman being a jerk to a kid for no reason. I get why he doesn't like Superman. What on Earth has Robin done to earn his contempt?
I also didn't like how Luthor and Joker broke into the Batcave and didn't even TRY to find out Batman's identity. And that's a major plot hole too. What's to stop them from trying again? The Batcave is right under Wayne Manor after all and if Luthor and Joker weren't in such a rush they could have put it together (even though it was already tough to believe they didn't.) Still, it's a kids movie and a semi-paordy. The plot didn't need to be completely air-tight.
The was enjoyable but it wasn't perfect. ****.
Building Batman:
Nothing about this half hour toy commercial interested me. I would have liked to have seen a featurette on the actual movie. One cool thing I noticed: there were a couple of girls in the group of kids. When I grew up Lego advertised almost exclusively to boys which I think was probably pretty sexist. Quick question: one of the girls disappears halfway through the doc and doesn't return. Where did she go? *1/2.
Lego Batman Jumps Into Action: A Stop-Motion Lego Batman Short:
This is actually more like a commercial than a short. ****.
Winning Shorts From The Lego DC Universe Super Heroes Video Contest:
Homemade stop-motion Lego Batman shorts. A couple of these are so good you'd swear a professional did them. Overall: ****1/2.
First Place: Lego Black Friday: Super clever and looks like it was made by a professional. *****.
Second Place: Lego Prison Brick-Out: Not quite as smooth. You could tell this was home-made. ***1/2.
Third Place: Lego Superman: Those special effects were nifty. ****.
Fourth Place: Plastic Justice: Pretty good. ***1/2.
Fifth Place: A Wicked Surprise: Funny one. I loved Alfred's Butler-Con and I was getting vibes from the Batman Beyond: Return Of The Joker flashback. The end was killer too. ****1/2.
Blu-Ray / DVD Menu: Nice music. ***1/2.
Walt Disney's Donald Duck: A Christmas For Shacktown By Carl Barks
Another great collection of Carl Barks stories from Fantagraphics Books.
My favorite stories in the volume are "The Gilded Man" (can you believe this is the first time I've read this famous story?), the sickening "Gladstone's Terrible Secret", and the black comedy "Statuesque Spendtrifts". Volume Overall: ****1/2.
"A Christmas For Shacktown"
Cute story but the ending left things a bit unresolved. Still, Scrooge DID deserve an unhappy ending for his behavior in the story. ****.
"The Big Bin On Killmotor Hill"
First appearance of the Money Bin and second ever appearance of the Beagle Boys (here wearing baseball caps). Barks retconned the Money Bin's history in later stories (it supposedly is brand new here but later stories have stated Scrooge has ALWAYS had it. Don Rosa was the one who took the idea of Scrooge's gruesome booby traps and really ran with it. ****.
"Gladstone's Usual Very Good Year"
Sometimes getting something isn't all it's cracked up to be. I have to marvel at how foolish Donald was here to think he could go up against Gladstone's luck in a raffle like that. In his defense this may have been an earlier story and Donald may not have yet learned his lesson but he seems to understand Gladstone's luck throughout the story and wastes money tempting fate anyways. ***.
"The Screaming Cowboy"
Silly story but despite it SEEMING predictable the ending was a bit different than how I thought it would go down. ***.
"Statuesque Spendthrifts"
The Maharajah of Howduyustan was one of my favorite Scrooge rivals as a kid. I love that this story proves that under the right circumstances Scrooge isn't afraid to go nuts with his money. It says a lot about his character that he is only willing to spend great amounts of money when it comes to his pride. *****.
"Rocket Wing Saves The Day"
Didn't much care for this. **.
"Gladstone's Terrible Secret"
I have to say the last panel with Donald asking the nephews "Any comments?" was surprising because it was so modern in its observational sensibility. I laughed hard at a line that could have come out of a Joss Whedon or Dwayne McDuffie script. The story is great too and I believe this is the first appearance of Gyro Gearloose. And Gladstone Gander is a truly disgusting character. I hate him almost as much as Carl Barks obviously does. *****.
"The Think Box Bollix"
This is Gyro's first main story and it's a good one. I like that the story plays with the notion of talking animals in a world where nothing BUT animals talk. A little bit meta and pokes a bit of fun at the funny animal trope. But I still can't figure out why Goofy can talk and Pluto can't. ****.
"Full-Service Windows": Clever. ****.
"Rigged-Up Rollers": Dumb. **1/2.
"The Golden Helment"
I dislike this story because the greed that gets into the hearts of practically every character including Donald and one of the nephews gives me the creeps. Maybe that was the point but I find it EXTREMELY out of character for Donald to maroon the nephews on an iceberg for ANY reason. That said, the artwork is beautiful and the climax is exciting. And the premise obviously set Don Rosa's imagination to work in the similar premise in the vastly superior His Majesty McDuck. ***.
"Awash In Success": The nephews are sure enterprising but this seems like the kind of exploitation Uncle Scrooge would do. **.
"Stable Prices": Math is fun. ****.
"Houseboat Holiday"
I didn't much care for this story because the nephews were too dumb. They're Junior Woodchucks, for Pete's sake! **.
"Gemstone Hunters"
Fair. But I'm getting really sick of Gladstone. ***.
"The Gilded Man"
I love the ending to this tale which seems to be three stories in one. The first part is Donald taking up stamp collecting, the second is the search for the Gilded Man, and the third is the race home to find the letter. What I loved about the end was that for once Donald's decency was rewarded. True, Gladstone never gets a comeuppance for his behavior. But it's Donald's fundamental honesty throughout the story that ties the moral together. Great story. ****1/2.
"Armored Rescue": Silly gag strip with nice artwork. ***1/2.
"Crafty Corner": Donald is NOT as dumb as he looks. ****1/2.
"Spending Money"
What I like about this story is how uncomfortable Scrooge is throughout it. He simply cannot enjoy himself even when ostensibly having "fun" if it means spending money. Donald is a MASTER of wasting money and completely in his element. Yes, it backfired but not for a lack of effort. ****.
"Teeing Off": Lame. *1/2.
"Christmas Kiss": I don't understand this gag strip. Why wouldn't Daisy want to kiss Donald? He's her boyfriend and he's done nothing wrong and is in fact acting romantic. I just don't get this joke at al. *.
"Proejecting Desires": Say what you will about the nephews' greed here: they certainly are clever. ***1/2.
Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse "House Of The Seven Haunts" By Floyd Gottfredson
Great collection of stories that I hungrily devoured. I'm almost sad we're going to have to wait a year for another daily strip collection (because the upcoming The Call Of The Wild will be collecting color Sunday strips). This volume had a bunch of great stories in it.
It starts off with "Oscar the Ostrich" who is quite a lovable pest. Then "Mickey Mouse Joins The Foreign Legion" in a great story that I actually prefer the censored version of. "The Seven Ghosts" gives Donald Duck his biggest role ever on the strip and the looooooooonnnnnnng "Monarch Of Medioka" was a little too on the nose in its political satire. So much so that it caused the Mickey strip to be banned in several countries.
But for my money the big draw of the book is "Island In The Sky", which is in the top five greatest Mickey stories of all time, and along with "Mickey Mouse Outwits The Phantom Blot", (which will come out in a later volume), one of Gottfredson's personal favorites. It's easy to see why: it introduces the breakout character of Dr. Einmug who was SO popular that you're astounded to realize Gottfredson only used him once.
Best stories in the volume are "Mickey Mouse Joins The Foreign Legion", "The Seven Ghosts", and "Island In The Sky". The worst story is "In Search Of Jungle Treasure" and it is SO bad, and SO offensive, that it's almost amusing in a trainwreck sort of way. It's hard to believe it was done by the same guy who did "The Seven Ghosts" or "Island In The Sky". Collection Overall: ****1/2.
"Oscar The Ostrich"
I think the thing I love about this story the most is that Gottfredson keeps an exact running tab of how much Mickey's debts are throughout the story. Sure, he didn't quite have Mickey pay off the EXACT amount (by slyly making the pet shop owner admit to the debt) but the math was pretty consistant at all times. Oscar is cute too. The story is the first one where Dippy Dawg becomes Goofy and he has a MUCH nicer personality here although by the end he's reverting a bit to his jerkish Dippy persona. ****.
"Mickey Mouse Joins The Foreign Legion"
Outside of Mickey in blackface (a truly reprenhensible scene) there is nothing in this story I don't like. Great thrills and chills and my favorite scene was Pete trying to convince himself how much he hated Mickey after he saved his life. Loved the spooky opening too where the Secret Service test Mickey's mettle. Great story. ****1/2.
"The Seven Ghosts"
You know, normally I'd complain that because of this story we were subjected to so many boring Paul Murray Scooy-Doo type mysteries in the 60's but no, this story is WAY out of Murray's league. Even if Murray copied the idea that there are ALWAYS scientific explanations for ghosts and that all would-be spooks are really disguised crooks, the concept shares little else in common with Murray's snoozefests. For one thing there is an actual mystery here with rational enough explanations. For another, the climax is action-packed and exciting. And third, it's actually FUNNY! You know, like a funnybook is SUPPOSED to be. Really this may have started a rotten trend in Mickey Mouse comics but that's just because none of the writers who came later were HALF the storytellers Gottfredson was. *****.
"Island In The Sky"
Rightfully considered a classic. I had forgotten how darn funny it is too. It really is a VERY clever story with no easy answers. Mickey DOESN'T get the formula in the end and the reader is led to believe that is probably for the best. Even with the best of intentions Mickey and Captain Doberman shouldn't be trusted with something that powerful. The science is a little wacky but that's what makes it fun. And Dr. Einmug is such a classic character that it's a shame Gottfredson never brought him back. But as the forward to the story noted, Gottfredson was such a confident and superlative storyteller that he resisted the temptation to bring back one of his most beloved characters for a sequel or sequels that would lessen his initial impact. Keno Don Rosa would probably disagree with taking that tack but it sure is impressive to think about. *****.
"In Search Of Jungle Treasure"
So patently offensive it's almost funny. Almost. Well, the gorrillas hugging Mickey and the gang were cute but everything else was pretty much appalling. This story does make a good point: why doesn't Pete ever kill Mickey when he has the chance? Weird. This sucked. *.
"Monarch Of Medioka"
The most controversial Mickey comic of all time seems SO tame by today's standards and isn't in the same league of offensiveness as the jungle cannibal stories Gottfredson would trot out every other year. The political satire IS a bit biting and spot-on but I would think any person with common sense would realize that censoring such a mild critique of monarchies such as this will only lead to MORE people reading it and giving it more weight. Sometimes I think people back then needed more to do with their lives and then I remember that it's not much better in America today. Note: this is Gottfredson's longest serial of all time and it's a ripping good yarn. The gag at the end of the throne having been switched was pure genius and something so audacious that only Gottfredson could have come up with it. ****.
"The Mystery Of Freefer Hall" by Don Markstein and Cesar Ferioli
GREAT story and sequel to The Seven Ghosts. I loved that Donald showed up and all of the characters were in their classic Gottfredson character designs. I think the ending was a bit of a cop-out but I enjoyed the story up until that point. I am also really glad that the writers finally seemed to have found a good balance between Mickey and Donald being in the same story and making Donald a grump instead of an idiot. Good story. ****.
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Date: 2013-06-12 07:46 am (UTC)Raven is the only character I'm enjoying on this show so far. It was neat they are including Batman in this permutation of TT. But yeah, the soap opera bit was a failure.
Weapons tests are laughable and cheesy at this point.
Tales of Metropolis
No, that was Walter Gatus on SSM. But Gatus did do character design on the GL: First Flight DTV. Will Patrick did the directing/storyboarding/design etc. for the ToM short. He was part of the same duo that did those Animal Man shorts. Patrick was from the MAD animated series and he did some minor storyboard work clean up on GL:TAS.
Farm League 5
The villains not going with Craniac's plan was hilarious.
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Date: 2013-06-12 07:15 pm (UTC)Tales Of Metropolis:
Thank you for the information.
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Date: 2013-06-13 03:24 am (UTC)Tales of Metropolis: You're welcome, Matt. Sorry for sporadically coming and posting on LJ . Been busy with real world problems the past few months.
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Date: 2013-06-13 09:51 am (UTC)No pronlem. Anything you want to talk about?
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Date: 2013-06-14 08:32 am (UTC)Not really. Just shitty relatives.
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Date: 2013-06-14 02:26 pm (UTC)Sorry to hear about that. I hate fighting with my family. I can relate.
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Date: 2013-06-14 11:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-06-15 01:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-06-15 06:42 pm (UTC)Teen Titans Go! "La Larva Armor" - Sight gags are great, and I'm too easily amused, I laugh every time I see Silkie. I have since the first series. Princess Silkie Soft is probably my favorite moment from this show. I'm going to disagree with you on Raven, she had a LOT of snark in the original series.
DC Nation Demonstrations: Wonder Woman's Lasso - Well, it's not like they can have her fight a supervillain trying to kill her, but I get what you're saying. Still waiting for the Wonder Woman's bracelets where someone is shooting and the person has to deflect the bullets.
ComicCon 2013 - The only person I'd fight would be Jimmy Olsen because he's the only one I'd stand a chance against. Maybe the Ventriloquist if he didn't have any guns.
Farm League #5 - The villains were really imaginative and creative.
"Island In The Sky" - Why is Dr. Einmug so classic? What's his deal?
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Date: 2013-06-15 08:22 pm (UTC)Teen Titans Go!: True enough about Raven but with this Raven it's ALL about the snark. Not as many layers as before.
DC Natio Demonstrations: I like the way you think.
ComicCon: Jimmy Olsen is a good choice. Ventriloquist is too dangerous for me to even THINK of screwing with. Because even if he doesn't have a gun when I beat him up Scarface will have one later.
Island In The Sky: He's a mad scientist with a goofy Germanesque accent who created a way for vehicles and buildings to float in the sky. It's one of Gottfredson's best stories and I think Einmug is so admired because he is the one who teaches MICKEY the moral and not the other way around. Gottfredson only used him the once despite how beloved he was although other comic book writers DID return to him decades later.
Have you seen Lego Batman yet?
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Date: 2013-06-17 01:02 am (UTC)ComicCon: Well, if you're thinking in the long run, sure. I was just thinking I'd hop into the DC Universe, kick Ventriloquist in the shins, and then hop back into my universe.
Island In The Sky: That sounds cool.
I'm waiting until after I spend whatever I'm spending at Comic Con to make sure I have money to buy Lego Batman, Rise of the Technovore, and Superman Unbound.
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Date: 2013-06-17 12:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-06-23 06:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-06-23 12:46 pm (UTC)