Showing posts with label Walt Disney's Comics and Stories. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

Today in Comics History, February 14, Valentine's Day: Duck, out of luck, runs amok, thinks Gladstone Gander is an obnoxious #@%&*

from "[My Lucky Valentine]" in Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #150 (v.13 #6) (Dell, March 1953); script, pencils, inks and letters by Carl Barks; colors by Western Publishing Production Shop
(*Jerk.)

Today in Comics History, February 14, Valentine's Day: And this was why kids didn't find Mickey Mouse of the 1950s exciting...he became a domestic bachelor father.

Remember when Mickey Mouse used to leap over chasms, chase villains down in airplanes, and defend beleagured ranchers out west with his six-guns?...yeah, me either.

'Unca Mickey, guess what.' said Ferdie sadly. / 'What?' asked Mickey.' 'Chicken butt,' answered Morty, unhappily.

'Unca Mickey, guess what.' said Ferdie sadly. / 'What?' asked Mickey.' 'Chicken butt,' answered Morty, unhappily.

'Faoth an' begorrah, said Chief O'Hara. 'I'd come t'yer party, lads., biut I've got to be gettin' back to the 'Batman' set.'

"The Valentine Mystery" in Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #150 (v.13 #6) (Dell, March 1953); creators uncredited and unknown

Monday, February 06, 2023

Today in Comics History, February 6: Happy birthday, Mamie Van Doren!

Put on your 3-D glasses because it's time to salute Miss Mamie Van Doren on her birthday today! Mamie's the titular star of Untamed Youth and Girls Town (both spoofed on MST3K), High School Confidential, The Las Vegas Hillbillys (prequel to Hillbillys in a Haunted House), Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women, Sex Kittens Go to College (well, good for them!) and Francis Joins the WACS, but she didn't make many appearances in comic books, unless you count this amalgam gal in a dog-face world blend of her and Brigitte Bardot spotted in Duckburg among the race cars, lasers, and aeroplanes:

I think if you look closely, you'll see that's not really Mamie Van Doren in two very important ways.

I think if you look closely, you'll see that's not really Mamie Van Doren in two very important ways.

from "Sitting High" in Walt Disney's Comics and Stories v.21 #5 [#245] (Dell, February 1961); script, pencils, and inks by Carl Barks; colors by Western Publishing Production Shop; letters by Garé Barks
Happy birthday, Mamie van ~~Ducken~~ Doren!

Wednesday, March 01, 2017

Today in Comics History, March 1: Duck is amuck

Insert terrible, black-humored David Carradine joke here.

cover of Walt Disney's Comics and Stories v4 #6 [#42] (Dell, March 1944), pencils and inks by Walt Kelly

Sunday, June 02, 2013

Today in Comics History: Cereal company headquarters mysteriously burns to ground

On the bright side, they're all much more regular.

Donald Duck gag strip from Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #132 (September 1951), script by Bob Karp, pencils and inks by Al Taliaferro

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Today in Comics History, Wednesday the 10th: Donald Duck discovers he weighs less than Daffy Duck

You really ought to stop reading Texas schoolbooks, Donald.

from "The Crazy Quiz Show" in Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #99 (Dell, December 1948); script, pencils, inks and letters by Carl Barks

Monday, April 08, 2013

Today in Comics History, Monday the 8th: Donald Duck teaches himself to read Morse Code

And now, let's count the minutes until someone posts this panel on Wikipedia under the 'Watt Steam Engine' listing.

from "The Crazy Quiz Show" in Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #99 (Dell, December 1948); script, pencils, inks and letters by Carl Barks

Sunday, April 07, 2013

Today in Comics History: Donald Duck crams for his Senate Confirmation Hearings

Ah yes, I loved that sequel to 'Roots': 'Soil.'

Splash panel from "The Crazy Quiz Show" in Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #99 (December 1948); script, pencils, inks and letters by Carl Barks

Wednesday, October 03, 2012

Things in Comic Books That Are Not Other Things, Part 239

Donald Duck is Not Thor.

I bet there's an entire chapter in the Junior Woodchucks Handbook devoted to this situation.

Panel from "The Village Blacksmith" in Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #239 (August 1960),
script, pencils, and inks by Carl Barks; letters by Garé Barks

Next time on Things in Comic Books That Are Not Other Things: Daredevil is Not Little Lulu!

Sunday, August 12, 2012

The Official Comic Book Panels of the Day of the 2012 Olympics: Closing Ceremonies

There's a type of Carl Barks Donald Duck story commonly termed "the brittle mastery of Donald Duck," in which every~~man~~duck Donald initially shows incredible and astounding skill at some profession or occupation, only to have the entire situation collapse in on him in a Rube Goldbergesque slapstick finish, leaving him to give up his work (or, sometimes, to be chased right out of town). Barks's story in Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #188 (unofficially titled "The Olympic Hopeful") is no such brittle mastery—Donald shows no skill at any competitive sports right from the beginning! Like "The Olympian Torch Bearer" in WDC&S #286, Mister Duck's grand dreams of glory are doomed from the start. But this story, unlike the other, carries with it a message and a gentle ending that exemplifies the spirit of the Olympics and should be taken to heart by every athlete: man, woman, or fowl.

Duckburg is holding competitions to send its athletes to the Olympics, and you-know-who wants in on that:

'Right here in River City!'

Panels from "The Olympic Hopeful" in Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #188 (May 1956), script, pencils, and inks by Carl Barks

His first attempt, at the 100 meter dash, looks promising when his more athletic competitor is held out of the race:

Donald is actually faster because he's not wearing any pants.

Donald is actually faster because he's not wearing any pants.

But even with that advantage, Donald doesn't exactly have the eye of the tiger. or even the feet of the tall mouse. Looks like he didn't eat his Wheaties this morning!

This could be a commercial for Scotch packing tape!

This could be a commercial for Scotch packing tape!

Take two: another competition, another potential competitor taken out of the race in a humorous way (he's struck oil on his land and decides to retire immediately from athletics). Does Donald have a chance in this event? Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...no.

AIEEE THE TONGUE

By now you've gotten the rhythm of the story, and Barks doesn't disappoint. Another event, another potential Olympian disqualified (his schoolmarm arrives to announce he can't compete until he learns his A-B-Cs). And yet again, in an unopposed field, can Donald triumph? Nope.

Well, if there's anything we've learned from comics, this has cured him of his amnesia.

Well, if there's anything we've learned from comics, this has cured him of his amnesia.

He's certainly not making any fans among the judges...

And Donald Duck wins the gold in the pincushion category!

...or the onwatching crowd!

The crowd is getting ugly! Also, they don't like Donald!

Everyone has given up on Donald by the last event, the 1500 meter run.

Donald spent the whole fifty minutes of his therapy the following week working through the humiliation.

Donald spent the whole fifty minutes of his therapy the following week working through the humiliation.

Everyone, that is, except for those rhyming-named sons of fun, Huey, Dewey, and Louis! Go, Donald, go!

And over to the west, Piglet is floating past in an umbrella...

And over to the west, Piglet is floating past in an umbrella...

So no athlete from Duckburg will go onto represent that little Calisota town in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, and what's more, Donald is now (or, more accurately, once again) the laughing-stock of all. Except for three Donald fans who show their appreciation and respect for his athletic attempts:

Awwwwwwwwwwwwww.

Man, you've gotta hand it to them...those Junior Woodchucks know the true meaning of sportsmanship. As this Olympics draws to an end, so many we all! Even if we wear pants.

Saturday, August 04, 2012

The Official Same Story, Different Cover of the 2012 Olympics: Say, do I smell roasting duck?

Left: Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #286 (July 1964), pencils by Tony Strobl, inks by Larry Mayer
Right: Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #535 (December 1988), pencils and inks by Daan Jippes

(Click picture to Prometheusize)

Say, did you read my post this week showing off some the excellent Carl Barks panels inside these covers? No? What are you waiting for?

And, just for fun, here's another totally different Donald Duck Olympic torchbearer comic book cover. Huey, Dewey, and Louis are for once being helpful on this one.

He's on his way to the Uncle Scrooge's to visit him in his bin of flammable dollar bills.

He's on his way to the Uncle Scrooge's to visit him in his bin of flammable dollar bills.

Cover of Donald Duck Adventures #28 (September 1992), pencils and inks by Jim Franzen, colors by Jo Meugniot

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

The Reason Why Donald Duck Was the Only Eligible Athlete to Carry the Olympic Torch in Duckburg

If you came to this post first, it actually begins here.

Corn! Nature's inedible candy!

Panels from "The Olympian Torch Bearer" in Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #286 (July 1964), script, pencils, and inks by Carl Barks, colors by Western Publishing Production Shop, letters by Garé Barks