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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
