This is the latest of the Fantagraphics hardcover collections of reprinted Disney comics based on the block of cartoons that they would run every afternoon, usually from 3:00 to 5:00. For me, growing up, these were my primary afterschool viewing, at least until Batman: The Animated Series began to air. Gummi Bears, Talespin, Goof Troop, and Chip n’ Dale’s Rescue Rangers all originated in this block of programming.
Buy Ducktales: Treasure of the Lost Lamp and Other StoriesMy personal favorite show was Darkwing Duck. He’s a suburban Shadow whose crime-fighting skills were almost as good as his ego told them they were. However, the popular favorite and the proof of concept for the Disney Afternoon was clearly Ducktales. That’s the series featured in this collection.
Ducktales is about the adventures of Scrooge McDuck and his grand-nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie. While these nephews are familiar from Donald Duck cartoons of the ’30s, they actually originated in a Sunday newspaper strip. Similarly, Scrooge McDuck was created by comics writer Carl Barks in 1947. The tone and adventuring spirit of Ducktales is largely borrowed from Barks. He wrote duck comics for decades, albeit anonymously at the time. All Disney comics were attributed to Walt Disney, but astute readers could pick out Barks’ stories from the other writers and artists. They were the “Good Duck Books.”
In Ducktales, the trio are joined by Webby Vanderquack (a girl duck their age), Launchpad McQuack (a pilot who later becomes Darkwing Duck’s sidekick), and a host of characters. Some are original and some are sourced in the Barks’ comics. The opening story in this comic book collection is an adaptation of the Ducktales theatrical feature, Treasure of the Lost Lamp.
Scrooge has been obsessed with finding the lost treasure of Collie Baba. Little does he know an ancient and evil wizard, Merlock, has the same goal, and has an infiltrator in Scrooge’s work camp. When Scrooge finds the treasure (working with the bevy of children that always share in his life-threatening adventures) it is swiftly stolen from under his nose… except for a worthless looking lamp.
Of course, the lamp has a genie, only discovered later by the boys and Webby. The twist is the genie, despite being thousands of years old, is just a kid like them. He doesn’t want to be cooped up in a lamp giving wishes. He wants to live.
But Merlock wants that power for himself. Hijinks and double-crosses ensue. It’s an enjoyable, if rather predictable, adventure. The movie was not a success and put the kibosh on further theatrical Ducktales releases. But the comic is fun, and looks great, as do all the stories in these books.
Though several artists work on the various adaptations, they are clearly working hard to stay in the Disney Afternoon style. Which doesn’t mean they’re boring – the compositions are dynamic and all of the characters look great.
There are 12 stories in this book – some are one- or two-page gags, some are a little longer. Besides the title feature, there are two bigger stories: Darkwing Duck‘s “Watts the Problem” at 30 pages, and Talespin‘s “The Gates of Shambala,” topping out at nearly 60. “Watts” is a fun story about Megavolt being turned into pure energy and propagating himself through TV broadcasts.
But “The Gates of Shambala” is, I think, the real standout amongst these stories. Talespin is probably the least likely of shows Disney could have made in the ’80s. Its premise is a cross of ’30s adventures movies and Cheers, starring characters from The Jungle Book. Baloo is a bush pilot working in small cargo company in a fantasy location that seems to be the Caribbean and the Asian Islands, with the Arctic circle a short plane ride away.
Baloo has a semi-adopted sidekick, Kit Cloudkicker, and takes orders from Becky Cunningham, a brown bear with an MBA. Usually, their nemesis is the tiger Shere Khan. However, in this story Khan introduces them to his old friend Lucius, a lion who needs a pilot and some explorers to help him find what might be a myth: the city of Shambala.
The story takes on the usual machinations and capers of a Talespin episode. The ridiculous air pirate Don Karnage gets himself involved at some point. The various twists typical to pulp stories occur: lost cities, terrifying death traps, and life or death situations. What sets it apart is the character of Lucius. He’s Shere Khan’s friend, so you expect him to have some double-cross in mind. But instead, he turns out to be a real spiritual seeker, unsatisfied with his commercial success and searching for something deeper in life. It’s still just a 48-page comic story with animals flying around in old planes. However, it strikes a deeper chord than any Disney Adventures comic would have ever been required to.
This issue, like several comics in this collection and in several of the stories in this Fantagraphics series, was written by Bobbi JG Weiss. This sixth volume of The Disney Afternoon Adventures keeps to the same level of quality as the earlier collections I’ve reviewed. The reprints are sourced from various Disney comics from the late ’80s to the ’90s. They’re fun nostalgia for old people like me who grew up with this stuff. I think they’re good comics for kids. And in every one, I’ve found a standout story of high quality, like “The Gates of Shambala” here. Also, it’s worth it to note the cover art is taken from the poster art for Treasure of the Lost Lamp which was illustrated by the great recently departed Drew Struzan.
