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.
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