Stickers

You just never know when Disney comics will make an unexpected appearance among the vast sea of Disneyana material. I recently discovered a book of Disney stickers at a bargain outlet and flipped through the pages. To my great delight, inside the pages were several stickers from Gottfredson's Mickey Mouse comic strip! 

Now, only if the Disney Store will sell some more merchandise! 

The stickers, from memory, appear to draw from "Death Valley," "The Crazy Crime Wave," "The Boxing Champion," "Jungle Treasure," and "Editor-in-Grief."

If any Mousekeeter recognizes more strips, comment below! 

I would love to know what fan(s) in publishing gave us this treasure. 

P.S.: I recently saw another Disney sticker book in Walmart. It had more Mickey comic material but $27 was too high to justify the purchase for ten stickers.  

Ripples in Time (Part I)

Well, it has been a fun week - I use that term loosely. My primary computer's screen turned an ugly shade of fuchsia and pistachio leaving me to write this (delayed) review on a backup laptop. But, like Mickey Mouse in the Foreign Legion, I soldier on! 

Fantagraphics' second Mickey Mouse issue was recently released and its main story, Ripples in Time (Part I), features the Rhyming Man (yay!) as the main villain and time travel (eh) as the setting*. Joe Torcivia returns as the translator and dialogue man. Francesco Vacca wrote the story and Marco Mazzarello provided the artwork. The tale was originally published in Italy (shocker, with those names, I would have guessed Iceland!) in 2022 - so it is a fairly new tale. 

Vacca is a recently chronicler of Disney comics and this joint is his first American printing as well as his first time handling the Mouse. Are we seeing a new burgeoning new master of verse or witnessing some narrative doggerel? Let's find out! In Rhyme!

"The story starts not in Mouseton but where the Pharaohs play,

On the banks of the Nile down Egypt's way

First, we see a Pharaoh with a sense of humor

Causing all his advisors to rumor

How his joy in rigging buckets of honey

Is humorously right on the money!"

You see Minnie Mouse, too, right?

"When, suddenly who should appear in the air

But Minnie Mouse wearing a wig of blonde hair!*

Actually, no dear readers, this is Uma,

Who travels through time like a puma,

In search of history research, 

Watching events from a perch,

She receives an assignment from the head of T.O.O.T

And heads out in route"

I like villains who narrate out loud

"The scene then shifts to our rhyming villain,

Who sits in a library chilling, 

Over a specific book 

Of which he takes a nasty look

And carve out its pages in a literary killing."

Interesting how Vacca used Pete as a disposable villain

"We see our hero Mickey Mouse

Capture Peg-Leg Pete, that awful louse

With a flying tackle so apt 

He treated Pete like an opposing quarterback,

As he continues to enjoy his life

Mickey has a sense of growing strife

He fears he is being spied upon,

And the strange vibrations keep going on"

Gotta love how Mickey takes everything in stride. "End of the world? To the tunnels!"

"The Rhyming Man continue to narrate 

And his rhymes, while simple, are first rate!

Uma appears to Mickey and Goofy to explain the situation

Of course, the entire scenario causes quite the sensation!

She warns about the impending trigger event

Which our heroes must circumvent,

Least, the world to come

Should end up undone!"

"They navigate through Mouseton's ancient tunnels

Its twisting ways serve like a funnel

To where captured scientists are tied up with rope

Mickey, Goofy, and Uma are their last hope!

Mickey rushes at the Rhyming Man

Who continue his verse on command

He heads into the time machine

And quickly flees the scene."

2053: the year the Raiders finally win the Super Bowl!

"The scientists discover he has headed to the future

To rip apart the timestream like a torn suture 

What will heroes do?

Find out in March with part two!"

End verse

Not too much action happened in this installment but the pieces have been laid out nicely. Uma is a spunky character and slots nicely with Mickey and Goofy without overshadowing them, as Eurasia Toft (who I greatly like) occasionally does. The Rhyming Man always livens up the party with his witty verse and Torcivia does a great handling the rhymes. The villain's opening rhyme call backs to his first-ever couplet in "Atombrella and the Rhyming Man." The art is manageable. Mazzarello's portrayal of sweat weirds me out. 

And Joe, I saw the Murry Street inclusion!

The bimonthly calendar does sting when dealing with two part stories. I'm not a patient reader!

Mickey Mouse and the Amazing Lost Ocean

It is easy to become cynical about Disney comics, and really life in general. The comics have traveled an interesting path from saving the company's finances in the 1940s, to leading the industry in sales during the 1960s, to suffering a massive fall as Gold Key left the brand desiccate, to a resurgence under Gladstone, to a brief but impactful run with IDW, and now a marriage with Fantagraphics. Disney has been satisfied to par out the license despite owning Marvel - the preeminent comics company. 

Yet, if one steps back from the abyss, and objectively analyzes everything, you realize life isn't gloomy as your feelings think, and American Disney comics in 2026 are healthier than in previous decades. 

Perhaps, the current Mickey Mouse line isn't monthly and maybe never will be, but the banner has produced multiple hardcover collections, including publications of the Gleant one-shots. Those types of one-offs wouldn't have occurred in previous eras. Fortunately, they have been greenlighted and while the prices are hefty for a single story, the production and artwork are divine. 

The idea behind the line is granting elite European creators free access to operate in the Disney comics universe. Unshackled by typical guidelines and standards, the results have been awe-inspiring and unique. 

The series started with Mickey's Craziest Adventures - a pastiche concept revolving around "lost" 1960s Mickey and Donald comics purportedly being found with the caveat that several issues weren't uncovered. The overall gimmick mixed with interesting artwork didn't endear me to that volume, but the next story, "A Mysterious Melody" struck the right cord of character and narrative. I reviewed "Zombie Coffee" and greatly enjoyed the 1930s throwback. 

"Mickey Mouse and the Amazing Lost Ocean" arrived in early 2025 and ended up being surprisingly hard to obtain. It is currently out of stock on Fantagraphics and Amazon quickly ran out of copies. I hunted around and purchased came from Barnes & Noble. The sticker price of $24.99, combined with shipping costs, was high for 64 pages, but the artwork and story were well worth the acquisition and the numerous out of stock websites suggests others agreed. 

The story was written by Denis-Pierre Filippi and illustrated by Silvio Camboni (Gregory and the Gargoyles) and translation/dialogue was handled by Jonathan H. Gray. 

The idea revolves around Doctor Einmung, instead of leaving Earth after the incident in "Island in the Sky," decides to share his discoveries. Of course, his noblesse oblige backfires (otherwise, there is no plot!) and the modern Earth becomes a beautifully, ravaged steampunk world. Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy scavenge rare fuel while fighting villains like Steampunk Pete. 

I love Disney comics!

Does the story live up to the intriguing concept and title? Let's dive in and find out! 

The tale starts with this prologue, "The Great North Mediokan Mountain Range, 17 years after The Great War." Mickey is a WW1 veteran, as seen by "The Barnyard Battle" and the heavy summary lays a firm gravity for the story's stakes. 

Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy (a most useful third wheel) are searching for a freighter frozen beneath the ice containing 400 pounds of corallite. Mickey prepares to diving into the freezing waters while Minnie frets over his impending journey. The character touches are nicely done. Mickey is the recklessly adventurer, Minnie is the optimistic but lays down the law when needed, and Goofy is, well, a bit more mechanically sound than usual. 

Look at this artwork!

The main mouse drives into the water and see an absolutely gorgeous illustration of the undersea utopia. The artwork is absolutely breathtaking. I want to see this story animated. 

Mickey is working on the ship when Steampunk Pete arrives in his oversized Hindenberg. Pete unreleases his jumbo-sized grappling hooks (only $99.99) and swipes the ship. Minnie and Goofy can't reach Mickey on the radio and understandably fear the worst. Of course, Mickey isn't dying in the prologue (or any chapter) and pops to the surface with a fuel tank. 

The action leaps off the page

Unfortunately, back at the set of Waterworld, the trio discovers the tank only contained a 1/4 pound of corallite. Pete arrives in his blimp to brag about harvesting 40 pounds. Minnie has a funny meta line about "Don't give trills attention. It's what they want."

Goofy, befitting his increased savviness, reveals he salvaged a brainwave guidance transmitter and they decide to finish their robo-diver to enter a tech competition. 

Chapter One begins with Mickey testing the robo-diver, which works as a virtual reality simulator, similar to the movie Avatar. Pete has the same tech and ambushes Mickey's robo-diver, and in the resulting confrontation, both fall into a trench. Minnie disconnects Mickey to fool Pete and the trio sails away. 

The steampunk aesthetic shines through

They try again at 4 a.m. and discover that Pete, like all good villains, has spying henchmen. The robo-diver pulls up a granite cube with the letter E on it. 

Chapter Two starts with the trio visiting Doctor Einmug at his floating lab. Professor Portis is also present sporting a smug look. They present the cub to the good doctor but he dismisses it as a stupid piece of granite and reveals its retrieval was a test. Cryptic scientists are basically the Riddler. 

Einmug's role harkens back to his first appearance

Einmug offers the trio the choice of leaving with the reward or putting their skills towards the good of mankind. He needs the robo-diver to neutralize a lost weapon and prevent the Great War from resuming. (Not sure why he is worried, he has five years before WW2 starts.) The trio talk it over while Goofy worries about how his tea was served (Goofy's love of tea is a running gag). I would take the cash up front and that is why I am not on a game show or Mickey Mouse. 

They hook Mickey up to the machine and he heads into the depths. He dives into some beautiful illustrations when suddenly everything goes pitch black and the book gives the reader a magnificent splash page.

1930s!

Chapter Three opens with Goofy watching Mickey awaken from his slumber. He walks out of a treehouse to find clouds with sharks and a world of water. I must say, that I hope Mickey's uttering of "Great Gigasqueak" never becomes commonplace. 

I want that treehouse!

Mickey starts to drown but Minnie arrives and hands him a breather originally seen in the Phantom Menace and so ends a short but dramatic chapter. 

Chapter Four has Mickey enraged and curious about how the ocean got lost in the sky. Pete walks in and Mickey is ready to throw down with the villain but Minnie, playing the role of the UN, intervenes and explains the situation. 

Einmug lied about the situation, hired Pete to hack the robo-diver, and manipulated the trio as part of his plan to obtain corallite - a rare power source but essential to his technology. Everything went haywire when Einmug thinned the sea around the corallite with his invention that causes water to lose its gravity. Pete managed to free himself but Mickey remained trapped. Portis made his play (shocker!) and accused Einmug and company of disrupting the government lab. Goofy, Minnie, and a surprisingly unselfish Pete saw an opening, grabbed Mickey, and ran as the planetary disaster raged around them. 

The page shakes with drama!

And here is the whammer: they have been fugitives for five years! Good thing, they are functionally immoral! 

Of course, everything has gone wrong during the last five years (if it went right, no story!) and Portis seized control. (I assume he defeated and executed the Phantom Blot and Doctor Vulture off-panel) Our heroes have a plan to reverse everything and it doesn't involve an Infinity Gauntlet (a little cross-country promotion for ya!). They are going to reverse restore the water's gravity and creating a new energy source from the new moss growing everywhere (electric cars won't be happy). 

Mickey, despite sleeping for FIVE YEARS, is ready to spring into action and that is why we love him. 

Chapter Five has the gang making progress on their inventions when the hideout's lookouts discover three of Portis' sentries approaching. The X-Wings (sorry, Portis' sentries, but they really do look like X-Wings. Don't believe me? Read the book!) approach and the heroes decide to pull a Rebel Alliance on Hoth and perform a fighting evaluation. Pete's weapons shoot down Luke Skywalker and friends, but the cameras pick up two mice, a large cat, and a lanky dog. Pyrrhic Victory confirmed. 

Explosions!

The quartet flees through the jungle, and to repeat myself, this story is PERFECT for animation. Mickey and Minnie share a brief romantic moment which is ruined by Goofy's comedy. The fixes are completed for the polarity-reverser, setting the stage for the climax. 

Fleeing through the woods

Chapter Six starts with Mickey having an idea about using Goofy as bait (don't interrupt romantic moments, Goof!) and the sentries spring the trap and are eliminated. They take the broken X-Wing and re-install it with their tech. Mickey takes control of the machine and flies full Anakin Skywalker into the superstorm. 

Reworking the tech

Portis, reaching the realization of all great villains that henchmen will always fail and you must do it yourself, jumps into his TIE Fighter and prepares to go absolute Darth Vader. He mutters a great line, "I have to do everything myself." 

Portis is about to snipe Mickey when Pete, playing the role of Han Solo, saves the day by sniping Portis from the ground like the Australian artillery shot down the Red Baron. Mickey saves the day by reengaging the rain's gravity, sending Portis' plane plunging to the ground. 

The Epilogue sees Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy explaining how the world will return in normal soon enough. (I can't imagine the transition will be easy but Marvel never really explained how the reverse snap worked either.) They discover Pete pulled a Long John Silvers and stole the data. Except Goofy anticipated that and replaced the data on the stolen clip with viruses and ET for Atari. They all laugh as Portis sits in his submerged ship working on his revenge plan for the sequel. 

Back to normal, sort of.

Mickey Mouse and the Amazing Lost Ocean delivers epic action, genuine thrills, immaculate artwork, and raises questions about the limits of scientific endeavor. It uses the new-aged Pete, who is generally portrayed as a frenemy, to its best work. I am not generally a fan of that dynamic; I prefer the outright villainous Pete, but this story handles the concept by invoking the greater good angle. 

Find a copy and enjoy! 

Two Ears Up

The Next Issue: Mickey Mouse #332 features a familiar foe/who has caused the Mouse much woe!

The Phantom Blot's Double Revenge

Happy 124th Birthday to Walt Disney! Without his imagination and drive, this review would not exist. 

The return of a monthly, well, bimonthly Mickey Mouse comic has been the most welcome news of 2025. Fantagraphics' entry into the arena has me feeling positive about the future. Since Marvel seemingly has no desire to launch Disney comics outside of cosplaying one-shots, let Fantagraphics and its excellent history of hardcover success restore Mickey to his comic glory. IDW's Mickey Mouse venture petered out after 21 issues and three Timeless Tales volumes. For a short-lived run, it accomplished plenty of important goals, introducing important characters and stories (i.e. Darkenblot), and firmly establishing Casty as one of the major Mickey Mouse creators of the 21st century. 

It makes good business and creative sense that Fantagraphics would launch their #1 issue (legacy #331) with a Casty tale in the headlining position with a Gottfredson Sunday and a frivolous Super Goof tale adding cherries to the sundae. Did Casty's story deliver a home run on Fantagraphics' first at-bat? Let's find out!

What a cover to celebrate Mickey's return! The artwork is exquisite with the right touch of foreboding mystery. The arcane lettering screams horror movie thrills. 

The Phantom Blot's Double Revenge or for my Italian readers, Topolino e il duplicatrone, is one of Casty's earliest works dating back to November 2005. 20 years later, it finally received an American printing. Casty scripted the story with Roberto Vian drawing. Veteran wordsmith Joe Torcivia handled the translation and dialogue with his usual superb flair. 

The tale begins with Mickey and Goofy competing to see who can find the largest mushroom and fish. Those two certainly live on the edge! They both land prized examples but also find multiple duplications. They shrug the situation off as luck but the presence of rare woodpeckers suggests something chicanery is afoot. 

The next day Mickey and Goofy are having a BBQ, and yes, Goofy is cooking. For the sake of the plot, there is no incident. Goofy's neighbor, wonderfully named Mooch McPooch, (seriously, what parent wanted to doom their child) wonders over and devours their food. He apparently reappears twice and Mickey exhibits some understandable frustration at his utter lack of manners. Mickey thinks he has twin brothers but the hungry, hungry hippo claims to be an only child. 

Mickey, having lost his appetite, strolls downtown with Goofy and sees a series of duplicates roaming Mouseton, causing accidents and breaking up marriages! Sensing a possible case, Mickey heads to the police station to get his fixing by seeing Chief O'Hara and discovers there are THREE chiefs. It turns out the Phantom Blot has developed a cloning device and will only restore singularity if the city hands over a million dollars. There is a nice bit where the Blot demands the money be placed in a phone booth and O'Hara lampshades their possible existence in our cell phone era. 

Chief O'Hara decides to lay a trap and let's face it, while clever, this plan won't work. 1. It is too early in the story. 2. He isn't Mickey. A bunch of Blots appear, as our heroes realize he must have duplicated himself, and Mickey, in a rather naive comment, trusts GOOFY to stay and guard the money. Holy cheese! 

Of course, a random stranger (three guesses as to his real identity) walks up and asks what is amiss? Goofy spills the beans faster than Lightning McQueen about the situation. The stranger asks if he could use the phone booth to call his father to lock the doors. The Blot (shocker!) walks away with the dough and says to "give Mouseton's finest a million thanks." Mickey returns to hear the bad news and realizes who the stranger was. 

The next day, the duo returns to the police station with Goofy still burned up about being tricked (he must be mad all the time!). The O'Hara duplicates have vanished but now there are three Detective Caseys (one was enough) and the Blot has extended his blackmail game. C'mon, O'Hara, this is Police 101! If you give a master criminal a million dollars, he will want another million to go with it!

Mickey and Goofy ponder the situation and the mouse realizes the funky situation with the mushrooms and fishes might be a connection while discovering said items have disappeared! The duo heads back to the lake and discover an old castle and, I kid you not, the Blotmobile.

I love Mickey Mouse comics!

Mickey and Goofy investigate (it is only trespassing if you are a villain) and come across the Blot. Vian's Blot has these marvelous eyes and he feels very animated. Great stuff. 

The Blot stalls and offers to surrender saying he doesn't stand a chance in a 2-on-1 fight. He shows them his magnificent machine which is actually his home cooling system. I could see Goofy falling for that gag but Mickey? Anyhow, the distraction gives the Blot time to duplicate himself and gives the reader a fun and chaotic fight. 

Mickey is cornered but saved when another Blot knocks the threatening Phantom. Turns out, it was Goofy in disguise obtaining revenge for the earlier prank. 

O'Hara and Casey show up after the danger is over to receive the explanations for the police reports. The Blot's cloning machine was flawed with all duplications fizzing out after 24 hours, thus preventing him from duplicating money and requiring the ransom bit. 

I do have to say why couldn't the Blot just duplicate and spend quickly? And it is kind of terrifying to think of the possibilities of mayhem? What happened if one of the clones disappeared while flying a plane? Aw, I am overthinking a fun Silver Age plot. 

Mickey, Goofy, and O'Hara head to the Blot's cell to gloat and realize that they captured a clone and not the genuine article. The situation does lead to this dastardly clever line by O'Hara, as written by Torcivia, "Patience, Lad! I can always rely on Mickey Mouse to outwit the Phantom Blot!" Beautiful! 

I wouldn't place the story among Casty's best. It is a fun jaunt with some clever twists but the stakes are rather low. However, you can feel Casty figuring what works best with the characters. It is a solid story to reopen Mickey's endeavors into the single issue arena. 

Two ears up! 

Next issue: Mickey Mouse faces a foe/who has caused him much woe/with his clever phrases/and plots that amaze/no one else can/but the Rhyming Man!

What If? Mickey and Friends Became the Fantastic Four

It is a strange time to be an American Disney comics fan. Notice I didn't say bad. Because it isn't bad. FantaGraphics continues to produce deftly done hardcovers with its Disney Masters branding, along with special one-off translations. A fan can't claim we are wandering the Wasteland, forever seeking a small cup of water. Yet, we do lack the monthly publications of the Gladstone, Gemstone, and IDW eras - however, recent news says that will shortly change. Instead, we are given lots of peculiar Disney-Marvel crossovers. Like today's story, which dares to explore what would happen if Mickey Mouse and friends became the Fantastic Four? 

If you have been paying attention to Disney Comics in America (and anyone reading this blog has), then this kind of cross-pollution is nothing new. Marvel has been casting Donald Duck as Wolverine and Iron Man, Goofy as Spider-Man (Max could play the role), and Minnie as Miss Marvel. Oh, they have also done two separate Uncle Scrooge stories, where, guess what? They let Scrooge be Scrooge! With a helping of multiverse shenanigans because normal stories are too radical! 

It has taken this long for Marvel to mine the Disney comics tradition. There was some hope at the time of Disney's purchase of Marvel that the company would publish Disney comics. Rumor had it that Marvel simply was uninterested. After all, they already cornered the market on comics for kids. Since Disney uses Marvel and Pixar as its "boys" brands and hasn't prioritized comics since the Berlin Wall came tumbling down, the opportunity passed. 

Mickey Mouse and Friends, as a brand, currently exists in a weird place. The preschool shows continue with great success, and ShopDisney routinely releases new adult apparel. It feels as if Disney expects people to become Mouse fans at age three and then rediscover their childhood love as a paycheck-drawing adult. I shouldn't complain too much. After all, the current era still beats the Sixties and Seventies drought when Mickey, outside of an amazing disco album and lending his name to the Studio's Christmas Carol adaptation, essentially became a theme park curator. As someone who grew up with Mouseworks, House of Mouse, the excellent Three Musketeers movie, and more, it does feel like Mickey's presence has reverted to corporate icon. 

Firstly, the art for this story rocks. Lorenzo Pastrovicchio endows the scenes with frantic energy. It fits with the whole superhero style. 

The story opens with the Fantastic Four already established in Duckburg. Each character is busy hanging out when a flaming 4 appears in the sky. Minnie, playing the role of the Invisible Woman, disappears on Clarabelle, Donald, representing the Thing, throws aside his laundry. Goofy, as the Human Torch, helps Horace before his smoking exit, and Mickey, as Mr. Fantastic, doesn't appear until he saves Goofy after he burns out. 

Minnie fits as the Invisible Woman, and Donald is close enough as the Thing, but Mickey is not the arrogant Mr. Fantastic, nor is Goofy the cocksure Human Torch. Perfect parallels are rare, even in the Italian tradition of Grand Parodies, but the differential stands out. 

After the team reunites, we are given the backstory on how they gained those fantastic powers! While Gyro Gearloose works in his lab, Mickey and friends are at the amusement park, where Donald and Goofy serve as the third and fourth wheels. 

They board a space ride where cosmic rays from Gyro's antenna strike the wildly flying machine. The ride vehicle flies into Grandma Duck's pumpkin patch. For those interested, Mickey refers to her as Grandma Duck. I know that thing matters to some. 

As they try to remove the ship from her pumpkin patch, the Great Pumpkin does not make a long-awaited crossover debut; each of their powers activates. Goofy's power is the last to burst forth, and he takes the concept of INTERNAL COMBUSTION much more smoothly than most! They immediately decide to form a team and fight crime and not travel the world in a circus. No Dumbo crossover for you!

They realize a bunch of earthquakes are happening and set forth to give the readers an amazing splash page! 

Arriving at the hole, a three-headed monster (the Hydra?) pops out! Mickey turns into a slingshot and, with his teammates' help, vanquishes the beast, but on the ricochet, accidentally sends Donald and Minnie hurling away. Another earthquake sends Mickey and Goofy falling into the ground, where, after a few hours, they awake to meet the Underminer Mole Pete! 

There is some great dialogue where Mickey asks why Pete is going all San Francisco earthquake on Duckburg, and Pete answers, "Glad you asked! I'm tired of telling this story to my subjects!" I enjoy it when a story lampshades clunky exposition. 

Pete discovered an abandoned lab, fell into a hole, and used his radio to control the underground denizens. Silver Age comic tomfoolery at its finest! Because Pete tamed the monsters, the Terryferminas crowned him as their ruler, and they resumed causing earthquakes. But he isn't a popular ruler, as they complain about having to listen to his endless, rerun stories. 

Minnie and Donald arrive during Pete's monologuing, but Mole Pete isn't worried. He reverses the song, and the monsters return to fight! The Terryfermians decide that if Pete wins, they will have to listen to his stories forever and promptly change sides. It is like the Israelites and the Golden Calf! 

The two sides team to crush the monsters, and Mole Pete decides to burrow out, but an invisible Minnie trips him up (is this mimicking the original comic?), and Mickey wraps him up. 

The surface dwellers reach detente with the Terryfermains, and the team departs in the Fantasticar as the story ends. 

It is a fun little tale. I assume the story is largely following the original Fantastic Four script. I have never read a Fantastic Four comic, though I know enough of each character's personality and power. It is nothing groundbreaking, but an enjoyable romp. Two ears up!

My biggest question is this: What is the endgame, pun intended, for these What If stories? The Disney company has been pushing IPs across all its sectors. Everything seems designed to maximize profits. Theme park rides have to be based on a movie or show. Endless remakes are paraded across the screen and Disney+, and the animated schedule is filled with multiple sequels. 

The What Ifs are fine for an occasional break or a halftime show, but please let Mickey be Mickey and Donald be Donald. Both characters' best stories reside in the comic sphere. They just do. The Sorcerer's Apprentice segment and the Brave Little Tailor short are magnificent, but their storylines pale to Mickey's determination and isolation in "Joins the Foreign Legion" or his grappling with nuclear power in "Island in the Sky." During Mickey's 90th birthday, fan art bloomed, and most of his "hats" were typical: Steamboat Willie, the Sorcerer's Hat, the Mousekeeter ears, etc. A whole fan base is largely unaware of his amazing work in the comics. 

What if Mickey and Friends were themselves?

Mickey Outwits the Phantom Blot (Children's Book Version)

It is one thing to adapt lesser stories or write new adventures for the Mouse, but distilling the most famous and arguably greatest Mickey story into a children’s book requires some stones. Yet, Lee Nordling’s edition of “Blot” perfectly represents Gottfredson’s finest moment.

A little history lesson first. Back in the early 1990s, the Disney company realized that Mickey was turning into an icon that didn't do anything and plotted a series of campaigns designed to return the Mouse to his action-packed roots. Thus, "The Perils of Mickey" branding was born. Drawing upon several of Gottfredson's serials, a vast array of merchandise was heaped upon the public. A surplus of goods can be found on eBay. 

(Jim Korkis' great article: https://www.mouseplanet.com/12763/The_Perils_of_Mickey_Mouse)

                                                         (1930s Mickey was the best, Mousekeeters!)

The success of the campaign is debatable. It, unfortunately, didn't launch a Mickey TV series, but it raised some awareness of a Mickey with more than a cheerful smile and an easy-going attitude. Beyond the "Perils" scene, a series of children's books were launched around the same timeframe. The writers and artists weren't fly-by-the-night journeymen. The series landed one Disney Legend in Floyd Norman and noted comic figure, Lee Nordling. The investment in quality paid off as we will see here. 

The artwork screams atmosphere. The Blot retains the foreboding menace that characterized his debut story. His mannerisms in stalking haven’t been equaled by any other family media except the ghosts in Scooby-Doo Where Are You. And those monsters had the blessing of animation and music to enhance their horror. The Blot had no soundtrack, just Floyd’s artwork. Nordling keeps the atmosphere of a grim affair intact.

To expand the Scooby Doo parallel, the story's opening scene has the Blot’s shadow creeping along the wall like the Phantom Shadow. Now this adaptation was written decades after the Scooby episode came out. Perhaps, Nordling was influenced. The Blot certainly moves like a Scooby villain, a lurking specter seeking to corral our hero.

                                                                (A touch of similarity, no?)

In the original version, Mickey doesn’t have a personal stake in the outcome. He is hired to track down the camera-smashing culprit by the police commission. In this rendition, Mickey’s shattered camera launches his quest for justice. I do love how overdramatic the narration is about the crime. Mickey hadn’t even taken a single photo yet but the loss of the camera fills him with rage! 

So the Mouse heads to the police station and Chief O’Hara (who, as of the book’s creation, was still waiting for his animated debut with Mickey) explains about the crazy crimes of cracked cameras.

Since Idol was on hiatus, Mickey decides to take the case. O’Hara hands him a pristine camera to study. While on the way home, the Blot appears to follow Mickey. He swipes the camera, breaks it, leaves the item behind, and disappears. The artwork is impressive. The Blot’s cloak blends perfectly with the puddles.

The next day Mickey reads the paper (not the Daily Wardrum*, just the Daily). It turns out that more cameras were broken and there was a jewel theft in Japan. To Mickey, the description of the mysterious thief sounds like the Blot. (That is profiling, Mickey.).

* OGs will understand this reference. 

Mickey hits the docks and stores trying to track down information on the cameras. While at Sam’s Camera Shop, he runs into the Blot (you think the police would have been stationed there!) and is captured. The story is full of choice descriptions, but this one takes the cake, “but he was soon tied up tighter than one of Minnie’s birthday presents.”

The Phantom Blot takes Mickey to an abandoned warehouse. Now anyone who has read the original story knows it is deathtrap time. And this method of death was to be by hanging. This story slightly bowdlerizes it. The setup with the heights and framework is kept the same but this time if Mickey falls asleep he won’t be left with a broken neck but buried in wet cement. Fer gosh sakes, that is brutal. Sleep well, Mousekeeters!

His escape is kept virtually the same. Mickey uses the nail to break free and swing to safety. He heads back to the police station and compares notes with O’Hara. They realize that only one camera remains from the original shipment. O’Hara reveals he purchased the final camera to replace his grandson’s broken one. The Blot appears and steals the camera while leaving behind a three-dimensional photo of one. The photograph clicks the final piece for Mickey.

The next day, he and O’Hara head to the museum to see the Faith Diamond (an obvious parody of the Hope Diamond, Mousekeeters). O’Hara is confused about what the Blot plans to do, but Mickey has it figured out. 

He sees a bearded man moving towards the diamond and immediately tackles the man. Mickey demands the diamond which confuses everyone. The diamond is still on the stand, after all. Performing a legally dubious search and seizure, Mickey reaches into the unmasked Blot’s pocket and pulls out the goods.

It turns out that the Blot planned to use the 3-D photograph to trick everyone into thinking the diamond was still there while he made his getaway. He needed the special 3D camera to pull off his heist, but he lost the camera in the shipment. Thus, he had to check every available camera. In a great twist of the original tale, the Blot is locked up in his costume fully masked. While in the original ending, his unmasking is the conclusion. By the way, his mustache in the original version resembles Walt’s and mine!

                                (Gotta love how the Blot isn't unmasked in jail but Mickey is holding his supposed real face.)

“Outwits the Phantom Blot” has stood the time for a reason. The atmosphere was terrific, the villain lurked, and the mystery was amazing. Despite being a version for grade school children, the original chills and sense of adventure still shine through. Mickey remains the determined hero and the Phantom Blot stands resolute as the master thief. You can tell that Lee Nordling knew his craft and respected what Gottfredson and Maris created. 

Two Ears Up!

The World To Come

 

                                                        (I want this page as a poster. Epic)

I will be completely honest (well, I always strive for honesty), it will be extremely difficult to remain objective about this story. “The World to Come” holds a special place in my Mickey Mouse comic fandom. It was the first non-Gottfredson story that I ever read. It informed me that there was life beyond Gottfredson. That my Mouse comic experience wasn’t going to cease when the Floyd Gottfredson Library concluded.

A little background about the story and its English publication. It ranks #79 (as of August 2022) on INDUCKS. Casty wrote the tale in 2008 with Mazzon aiding on inking. Boom Comics first printed the tale back in 2010. The translation and dialogue for this edition was handled by a trio: Jonathan Gary, David Gerstein, and Francesco Spreafico.

It was recently reprinted in the latest Disney Masters book: Trapped in the Shadow Dimension. (I heartily recommend the purchase). The same trio is listed on INDUCKS as performing the dialogue but there is a twist.

David Gerstein’s comments as published on the Facebook page The Disney Comics Fan Group:

“The book's main backup story, "The World to Come," was originally Casty's first publication here, serialized in several 2010 issues of WDCS. But the translation—by Francesco Spreafico, Jonathan H. Gray, and myself, approved by Casty—was heavily altered by Boom upper management at the last minute, sometimes in ways that distorted it.

This new edition uses our original translation as written, restoring our intent.

(It also adds a few revisions from Casty, so that Dr. Gunther Gutenabend is no longer Americanized as the more traditional inventor character Doc Static; we all thought that was a good idea in 2010, but Casty today prefers that he be a separate character.)”

Now comes the question: which translation proves superior? Both have their strong points. Yes, Disney comics are not The Divine Comedy, but shouldn’t the wishes of the original author be respected? Casty approved the original script in 2010, the one ready for printing before the Boom upper management altered it. His satisfaction regarding that original script works for me. Often the debate over translation becomes too heated regarding Disney comics. But I think it is important to remember that the comics are 1. In a fragile state in America. 2. The translation team cares deeply about the stories. They are not looking to change everything but to ensure a faithful translation that speaks to the local market.

Another key difference in the stories resides in the Illusitania royal family. (By the way, observant eyes will notice Medioka borders the country to the east.). In the BOOM edition, Crown Prince Nikolai is the son and the brother of King Kontinento and Princess Silvy. For the Fantagraphics printing, Nikolai is rendered the nephew of the king and consequently he and Silvy are cousins. I assume that the latter familial relationships were present in the original Italian edition. If true, I prefer the original intent being translated, but I do believe that the betrayal does come across stronger when it is father/son and brother/sister.

Also, I asked the question on the Feathery Society which received little discussion, but the robots and the general plot seem inspired by the 2004 movie Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.

With all background information neatly handled, time for the tale itself.

The story starts in the frigid Antarctica where two scientists patiently await the word for launch. They are visited by three suspicious hired guns and a striking fellow in noble grab. A little persuading yields the desired password and the name of Dr. Gunther Gutenabend. The two scientists then beat a hasty retreat into the winter wilderness. The code is handed to the leader, and in response he rhymes! (Spoiler alert: It is the Rhyming Man!)

This was the Rhyming Man’s first major appearance since his debut in “The Atombrella and the Rhyming Man.” And in his case, his portrayal is stronger here than the first showing. Unlike “Atombrella” his presence arrives from the start and lingers over the whole tale. In that story, the Rhyming Man suddenly appears halfway through and lampshades his appearance with his rhyme of “And now there comes upon the scene/a master spy, well bred but mean.” I have the theory that  eccentric writer Bill Walsh during the serial’s run abruptly conjured up the character from the vasty deep of his mind and injected him into the story. It works but it did chop the story into two distinct halves while “World to Come” stays consistent from start to finish.

Additionally, his status in “World to Come” differs from his kingpin position in “Atombrella.” There, he served as the main villain with two memorable henchmen. Here, he appears first as the main guy, is later revealed to be working with Crown Prince Nikolai, but is really plotting his own agenda. No room for henchmen when you are supposedly playing the role of the henchman. Of course, the robotic guards are the main henchmen for both Nikolai and the Rhyming Man, but they are no Machine Gun Myrtle!

After that exciting introduction, the story goes to Minnie helping the good doctor write his memoirs. The writing process is broken up by the modern day Ezra Pound’s appearance. Doctor G tears out a page from a book, hands it to Minnie, tells her to run, and then takes a sleeping powder to prevent a G-rated interrogation. Poe playing the role of C. Auguste Dupin (usually handled by Mickey) puts together that a fugitive has the information he seeks. (The Quackintosh gag in the BOOM version is replaced with Facebeak. A superior pun.)

Seeking help, Minnie heads to Goofy’s house. Just kidding. She, of course, rushes to Mickey’s abode and explains how she heard the villain speaking in rhyme. (Another BOOM/Fantagraphics difference regarding the in-text citation: BOOM mentions the Atombrella story. FG uses a rhyme to hint at the foe’s identity. Once again, a superior decision.) They find the address on the paper and head into the desert.

At the abandoned warehouse, the only present information is a giant number 4 painted everywhere. Rather than assume it was the abandoned hideout of the Fantastic Four, Minnie types in the code into a numerical pad inadvertently awakening a giant robot. The metal monstrosity grabs Minnie and announces its destination of Central America. Mickey gives chase but the robot flies away. To compound his trouble, agents show up and arrest him.

He is taken to a hideaway in the mountainside and is subjected to an ineffective interrogation. Which is interrupted by Mr. Eega Beeva himself! Yes, everyone’s favorite pspeaking man of the future is here. He saves Mickey from the screwball agents and explains they are at A.B.R.O.A.D. Which stands for American Bureau of Really Outlandish and Astonishing Developments.

Eega Beeva gives Mickey the rundown on how things work at A.B.R.O.A.D while throwing in a Scooby Doo reference and shows off the Chekhov's Gun of the Hypnoswirl. After this explanation, it is time for the Exposition Briefing. If Casty has one pattern, it is often dropping lengthy paragraphs of pseudo history/science into the story. Sometimes this works (This story for example. The backstory takes two pages), other times like in “Fire Eye of Atlantis” it derails the energy. One note: the satellite is mentioned as going up in 1983. We missed out on a 1984 reference. Which is interesting since we will receive one later.

As Eega and Mickey browses the archives, Minnie, and the robot land in the rainforest. She attempts to make a run for it but is captured by T.S. Eliot and his forces. Mickey receives a text message in rhyme telling him to come to the roof. He and Eega race to the roof to encounter a callback!

In an awesome line which made me geek out like a four-year-old seeing her favorite Disney princess (No judgment. I did the same when meeting Elsa. She is just so cool.), E.E. Cummings reintroduces himself to Mickey and Eega.

The line: the same one he used to make his introduction in the “Atombrella”: “And now there comes upon the scene/a master spy, well bred but mean.”

Turns out, it is a hologram of Mr. John Milton. Mickey tells him to forget about obtaining the passcode. But Edmund Spencer reveals via wide shot that he has Minnie and if Mickey wants to see her again, he needs to handle over the passcode. During this dispute, Eega studies the background of the hologram and says he knows where the villain is.

They ask the head honchos of A.B.R.O.A.D. for mission permission. The leaders explain that they can’t intervene because Illusitania like Switzerland, Andorra, and Sealand are beloved by everyone and King Kontinento II has more Nobel Prizes than Gandhi. Mickey and Eega, knowing how evil male Sylvia Plath can be, decide to embrace the Dirty Harry mindset and go rogue. The A.B.O.R.A.D. leaders eavesdropping provide a delightful bit of political commentary. If Mickey and Eega depart on their own, they can deny any involvement and the problem will be solved! If it works for the CIA....

So, our duo suits up with Mickey rocking some stud pilot googles. He wears the same googles on my Mickey Mouse shower curtains. (The only piece of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse merchandise I will ever own. I pretend the curtains are based off “Island in the Sky”). And it is time for another script change. The guard in charge of plane security (receiving word to let them pass) tacks on weirdo in his response to Eega Beeva’s Hypnoswirl. He doesn’t use the insult in the BOOM version. Either way, Mickey and Eega thinks the hokey tactic works. Just like defensive coaches think the prevent defense is genius! Amidst some wonderful sight gags, they find the Disposable Duoseater and take off to save the world.

Meanwhile in North Macedonia Illusitania, protestors are calling for a new government. This being the Disney version of the Balkans, they are peacefully calling for new government and not threatening violent revolution. Prince Nikolai, displaying true villainy, drugs his uncle, King Kontinento’s chamomile tea. (Chamomile tea is sacred.). Nikolai keeps his uncle in bed and out of the loop and pulling a SPECTRE holds a meeting with his advisors. They explain how the building of buildings (that is a Mickey Mouse short reference for you mousewise folks) is progressing but the citizens are not pleased by the destruction of the tourist attracting natural habitats.

As the meeting concludes, Philip Sidney arrives with Minnie Mouse. Nikolai is happy with a hostage but is not pleased that his hired gun reports no robots founded. Which, of course, is a falsehood. Minnie is not pleased either. Chaucer lied! Hostage taking and thievery are sins enough but lying is too far!

Mickey and Eega land in Illusitania to discover construction unions! Yes, there is more building than downtown Orlando! Fortunately, some folky civilians explain how the crown prince is responsible for the modernization. But any disagreement is censored as the newspapers and the billboards showcase the cult of Big Brother Nikolai.

(One quibble. In the newspaper, the Rhyming Man appears in the background of a photo. Why would he allow himself to be photographed? I can see Nikolai in his ruling arrogance not caring but the Rhyming Man is a spy at heart. It is not as if the story needed a reason to reveal him as the villain. Mickey and Eega already know his involvement.)

Mickey and Eega decide to break into the castle. Eega pulls a chainsaw out of his pants (what an example for the children. He and Stitch are role models!) only to be immediately seen by Princess Silvy. Mickey tries the Hypnoswirl. It doesn’t work but Eega Beeva provides a pair of glasses to the nearly blind princess. She explains how she is supposed to be the heir to the throne (Salic Law disagrees) but Nikolai convinced King Daddy that she should be the captain of the royal guard instead. Mickey tells her to look outside the walls and forgot about guarding the royal gardens. She discovers that Nikolai has been reconstructing downtown Manhattan.

Sufficiently alarmed, Silvy takes the heroes to meet with the king. Mickey mentions the World to Come protocol and the king believes him because he was the one who planned the mission! Which means it is time for a flashback! The King relates how Gunther Gutenabend and a team of scientists created a formula to create an utopia on Earth. But the data needed for the project took too long to process and most of the scientists gave up on the dream. (Hey, I waited 20 years for a Pittsburgh Pirates winning season. They could have waited for a world-changing utopia.)

As Mickey tells the King that one of the denumerization robots has been activated, Silvy trips over a cord and the heroes follow it up the stairs to a model city. Which leads to the one change in dialogue that I lament being changed.

Boom Edition:

Mickey: “Huh. But where are we?”

Silvy: “Nikolai’s playroom! From when he was a boy!”

Mickey: “Who’s playing in it now?”

Nikolai: “Still me!”

Fantagraphics Edition:

Mickey: “Huh. But where are we?”

Silvy: “Nikolai’s playroom! From when he was a boy!”

Mickey: “Is this a model of Europe?”

Nikolai: “Indeed, it is!”

I just loved the hammy response in the BOOM version. It sounded like something a 1960s comic villain would say. It fit Nikolai’s floppy, melodramatic character.

Dialogue changes aside, Nikolai reveals his Bond villain plan to take over the world and build roads and factories across every bit of nature. (NPS employees will be out of work!). Mickey and company are not taken by this plan to eliminate Fort Wilderness nor am I. Fedora wearing Robert Frost reveals himself with a captive Minnie and brokers a trade with Mickey: Minnie for the code. After the transaction, Minnie, quite awesomely, immediately rats out that John Donne already found all four giants.

Nonplussed, the real Big Bad of the tale rants how he will use the World to Come formula to cause floods and quakes to become the new world leader. Nikolai calls for his robotic guards only to discover that Dante has reprogrammed them for his benefit and chortles about it using a Mickey Mouse Club reference! He flies away retaking Minnie as hostage. Minnie hilariously says, “Again?!”

Mickey calls for the Duoplane and they give chase. But the ground opens to reveal a massive airship. (“The Mail Pilot,” anyone?) as the triumphant rhymer takes to the skies and showing some 1950s traits puts Minnie to work in the kitchen! Not to fear, Mickey and Eega are still chasing in the Duoplane.

The setup: a rhyming villain in a sleek airship is fighting a mouse and a man of the future in a Duoplane to prevent manmade natural disasters.

Oh boy, do I love Mickey Mouse comics!

Petrarch is well-prepared and has plenty of anti-aircraft guns to repel the Duoplane. A couple of hits are scored, and it appeared that the most profitable character in Disney history is cosigned to the watery depths. (Sell your stock now!) The villain takes pleasure in Minnie’s grief, and I am disappointed that he didn’t take time to utter a mocking ode about Mickey’s demise!

Of course, the duo didn’t die. They camouflaged their movements with the plane crash and are now on the roof. It is decided that Eega goes to stop the bad guy while Mickey saves Minnie. Mickey asks if there is a weapon in Eega’s magic pocket, but the only useful item is a bumbershoot (what happened to the chainsaw?). Ralph Emerson prepares to activate the robots only to discover that Eega is jamming the communications! (Should have placed guards by the antenna!)

Meanwhile, Mickey races down the corridor and utters a reference that excites every 95-year-old and diehard Disney shorts fan by saying, “Oh, to hear my little Minnie’s Yoo-Hoo.” At the same time, Thoreau appears to growl and howl like the cannibals just as Minnie sideswipes him with the kitchen door. Of course, this angers Bertran de Born (now wearing Napoleon style headwear) who decides to engage Mickey in a sword versus bumbershoot duel. Minnie has a fine moment where she finishes a rhyme while simultaneously spraying lime juice into the villain’s eye.

The mice head to the roof because custom dictates all airship climaxes must end on top. Mickey and Minnie tumble into a precarious situation clinging to a rope only one sword swipe away from a Disney Villain death. But help arrives as Yeats (English majors will understand the connection) has his sword shot to pieces (should have aimed lower) by the King and Silvy who arrive in a green plane followed by the royal guard. Wordsworth responds by sending out his robotic air force.

It just hit me that Casty borrows the same format for the ending of “Darkenblot”: a human force versus robotic enemies.

As the X-Wings and droid fighters duke it out in the air, Mickey and Minnie are rescued by Eega Beeva who stole borrowed Kipling’s aircraft. Eega revealed that he tampered with the airship’s engines, so a big-time explosion is incoming. But Wilfred Owen is seen heading over the top to fix the signal antenna. The flying fortress plunges into the water and the heroes assume that their foe has gone to Davy Jones’ locker (body checking isn’t allowed in fiction otherwise sequels would be hard to come by) but a grasping hand suggests otherwise.

Thus, the day has been saved, the heroic trio receive keys to the city (clever financial maneuver there to avoid paying out reward money), Doctor Gutenabend and friends arrive, Silvy is restored to the line of succession, and Nikolai receives a similar punishment as Prince John and friends in the 1973 Robin Hood movie.

Minnie and Silvy propose finishing the World to Come program, but the King and the professors wisely decide no. They are not gods or masters of the world. Mickey ends the Fantagraphics printing by saying toots (isn’t that more of a Donald to Daisy term of endearment?) after Minnie says something about pretty smart for a small human. The BOOM edition concludes with Minnie talking about how the world is already what it is supposed to be, and Mickey agrees.

Is the story worthy of the high ranking on INDUCKS? Absolutely. It touches upon complex themes and respect that complexity. The relationship between Mickey and Minnie, often taken for granted or ignored in other stories, drives much of the narrative and the climax. Mickey’s main motivation through the much of the comic is about retrieving Minnie. He doesn’t hesitate at all to exchange the code for her.

Especially sincere and unique is the environment message.

Now I am an Eagle Scout and, in the Boy Scouts, one of the biggest messages is environmental stewardship. We are taught Leave No Trace and to always clear up a campsite. I have picked up more litter than a garbage truck. But I can’t stomach most environmental narratives in media. They are generally poorly written, contain one-note villains, and anvilicious. Captain Planet was the worst offender. “The World to Come” skips those flaws. The scientists aren’t portrayed as always correct but tragically misguided in their assumptions. But they are also not mad chemists seeking to dominate the world. They are just people who got caught up in their dreams. We should live in harmony with the Earth and not seek to remake it in our image.

Regardless of what printing you pick up, (I recommend the Shadow Dimension volume. You will receive three great Casty stories while the BOOM book gives you “Peg Leg Pete and the Alien Band” (forgettable) and previews of other Disney comics (insignificant).), you are reading one of the finest Mickey Mouse stories around.

When I think of Mickey Mouse comics, the terms: action, epic, heart, drama, emotion, and inspiration readily come to mind. This story has all those ingredients blended in a tight narrative. Whenever the future holds in our world to come, this story will remain a testament to stewardship, hope, and how great Mickey Mouse comics can be!

Two Ears Up!

(Editor's Note: Entry was revised to clarify comments on script.)