Book Review: Walt Disney’s Donald and Mickey in Metropolis and Faust by Francesco Artibani, Paolo Mottura, Carlo Chendi, and Luciano Bottaro

Fantagraphics continues their line of Disney adaptations of classic tales with this pairing of Metropolis and Faust. The comics are entirely archival and sourced from the vast vault of Italian Disney comics. In a first for the series, the source material for one story is a film, not a book. Also, the title is a bit misleading since the stars don’t team up, with a more appropriate description being Mickey in Metropolis and Donald in Faust.

The opening adaptation of Fritz Lang’s classic film finds Micktor Mouser exploring the futuristic wonders of Mousetropolis, a utopia powered by the labor of the lower class. Any attempts to negotiate for more favorable labor conditions are negated by evil inventor Ghostfang’s plan to replace workers with robots, starting with Minnie. It’s a surprisingly dark tale for a Disney adaptation, but artist Paolo Mottura’s artwork makes the story shine with kinetic staging and expert depth of field, making the metropolis feel energetic and expansive. This is the newest comic in the book, originally released in 2017, so if you have any familiarity with modern Mickey Mouse comics from Italy you likely know what to expect. Mottura’s super-exaggerated character expressions and tight framing even exceed the modern fluidity of Mickey superstar artist Casty, making for a visually rewarding trip through a bustling metropolis.

The shift to Donald and Faust for the remainder of the book is made all the more dramatic by the vastly different art style of Luciano Bottaro. Where Mottura’s Mickey is ultra modern, Bottaro’s Donald is a classic throwback to the era of Carl Barks. That makes sense, considering that the first portion of this Faust adaptation was released in 1958. Bottaro’s early work is eerily close to Barks, making this feel like a newly discovered tale by the master. But the book still has one more artistic surprise, since Bottaro continued the story over 40 years later, revealing the inevitable changes in his later style. In the book’s final act, his linework has lost a step, but is aided by his more robust staging, with panels feeling more lively and immersive.

The Faust story is also somewhat dark subject matter for a Disney comic, making it a suitable companion for Metropolis. Donald stars as the elderly Dr. Donaldus Faust, who makes a deal with the devil and Witch Hazel to regain his youth in return for brokering peace in a long-standing feud between Duke Scrooge MacDuich and the Beagle Barons. It’s a weighty story, taking up around 140 pages between its two parts, and while the plot seems to occasionally lose sight of the source, it’s an entertaining Duck tale made all the better by Bottaro’s classic pencils. 

Dark Horse also published multiple Disney literature adaptations a few years back, but their format left much to be desired, with only one roughly 80-page adaptation per small paperback book. While that footprint approximates the digest-sized original releases of the stories in Italy’s long-running Topolino comic, Fantagraphics is catering to collectors with these large hardcover releases. The new book weighs in at 224 pages in a roughly 8” x 11” format, providing a sturdy and stunning showcase for the artwork so that readers can fully appreciate it. Whether or not you’re a fan of the source material, the Disney adaptations are pure, unadulterated fun guaranteed to put a smile on the face of even the Scroogiest literati.