Walt Disney’s Goofy “Super Goof and the Strange Case of Dr. Syclocks” collects stories from Super Goof #1-6 plus select later issues of different titles, which debuted from 1965 to 1978. It opens with an essay by Joe Torcivia, “Third Time’s the Super Charm!,” about the different origins of Goofy’s superhero alter ego. The book concludes with a biography about artist Paul Murray, who drew all the stories that were written by various authors credited in the Table of Contents.
Buy Walt Disney’s Goofy: Super Goof and the Strange Case of Dr. SyclocksRegarding Super Goof’s origins, in “All’s Well That Ends Awful” from Donald Duck #102, Goofy states his powers come from the cape he wears, which was invented by Gyro Gearloose. Starting with “The Thief of Zanipar,” Goofy inexplicably gets his powers from the peanuts/goobers he grows in his backyard, lasting for a different duration as determined by the authors.
In “Thief…,” Goofy follows Clarabelle Cow to a strange land thanks to his correct premonition that she would run into trouble with the titular character (who resembles Mickey Mouse’s nemesis Pete though never named) who wants to kidnap her for her cooking skills. She is kidnapped again in “Super Goof Meets Super Thief,” an international affair that sees London’s Big Bim stolen and Italy’s Leaning Tower of Pizza put on the Moon. Super Goof is helped by Donald’s three nephews and later encounters individual nephews in two different single-page gags, identified only by the color of their hats.
In “The Vanishing Zoo,” Goofy and Mickey combat the Beagle Boys when animals go missing. They reteam in the titular story which leads them to the home of Gepetto, the toy maker who made Pinocchio. The third time they work a case in this book is a Mickey Mouse story titled “The Secret Key Mystery,” which features a brief appearance of Super Goof as Mickey and Goofy work to stop the Blot’s plan.
“The Twister Resisters” is a story that sees him turn his young nephew Gilbert into Super Gilbert in the hope that it will turn him from smart to super smart. Gilbert returns in “A Clean Sweep” and “The Case of the Flying Umbrella.” Super Goof switches places with (the copyright avoiding) Barzan of the Jungle in “The Giant Windoola Jade” to battle the River Rogues, whose outfits resemble the Beagle Boys.
The stories are fun, mostly silly capers that need a hero or two to defeat the bad guys. Goofy’s sweet nature makes up for his goofiness, which is why he is a good choice as a main character. Paul Murry’s art is a real standout. The colors boldly leap off the page so kudos to the reproduction work by the Fantagraphics team. The panels are packed with great details from the characters’ expressive faces and bodies that reveal emotion and action to the details of various locations around and off the world. Six short stories that appeared in Walt Disney Comics Digest have a different layouts with thin vertical quadrangles rather than the traditional horizontal panels of squares and rectangles.
Although not listed as Volume 1 of a series, Super Goof and the Strange Case of Dr. Syclocks will make readers hope there will be more collected adventures of Goofy and/or Super Goof.
