Disney has produced two high-calibre video games starring Mickey Mouse and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit: Disney Epic Mickey and Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two. In preparation for the games, Disney created “Tales of the Wasteland: The Disney Epic Mickey Prequels.” These include eight shorts introducing the Wasteland where forgotten comic stars have gone to live. To round out characters such as Oswald, Ortensia, and Horace Horsecollar, they have also created animatronic versions of Goofy and Donald Duck. All but one of the shorts and both graphic novels were written by the impressive Peter David (The Incredible Hulk, Star Trek novels).
Buy Disney Epic Mickey: The Comics CollectionThere are three sections titled “The Disney Epic Mickey Cast I, II, and III” written by Luca Boschi. The first section is an overview of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. The rights to Oswald were lost for several decades to Universal and the comics and video games were created to bring him back into the Disney fold with several top-tier properties. In Part II, we learn about Oswald’s girlfriend, Ortensia the cat (with whom he has 420, yes 420, children). Also introduced is Peg Leg Pete who has been around long enough to have had a few scrapes with Oswald. In Part III, the focus is on the Gremlins. Usually they are annoying little fellas gumming up the works, but in Epic Mickey they are always friendly and helpful, and manage much of the electronics in Wasteland. For the trivia minded: the word “Gremlins” was created by the British R.A.F. and comes from the Old English for trouble, “greme”, combined with Fremlin’s, a brand of beer. This is the sort of interesting tidbit you pick up when you pick up a Fantagraphics book.
The two graphic novels at 64- and 48-pages long, are the bulk of the collection. First, let’s just say that having played the games before (and this reviewer has) in no way mars the writing and artistic creativity of the graphic novels. This collection is an adjunct endeavor that grows the Disney property while bringing many interesting characters out of the vault. In Disney Epic Mickey the graphic novel, Mickey ends up in the Wasteland because of a disaster with thinner that has destroyed vast sections of the Wasteland and Mickey and Oswald (though with much consternation from Oswald) are forced to work together to solve the disaster. The sinister Mad Doctor is also around causing mayhem: he needs a heart, a cartoon heart, to accomplish his nefarious goals. In the second graphic novel, Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, Oswald and Mickey must join forces again in part against the Mad Doctor, Pete’s Animatronic Dragon, and the return of Peg Leg Pete. The Gremlins are back with Ortensia, and animatronic Donald and Goofy have larger roles to play.
Also included are a Foreword by David Gerstein, an introduction by game designer Warren Spector, and “Warren Spector: Disney Fan,” an interview conducted by Luca Boschi. Fans of the games will be pleased with all the new content in the introductory material and two complete graphic novels (this is the first publication of Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two in North America) while those who are unfamiliar are simply gifted yet another great Disney yarn.
