Sunday, January 1, 2012

COMIC BLOG: Darkwing Duck

Guest blogger and my wife Ana Bruja-Khayos
                                   


In 1991 the Disney Channel introduce one of their most memorable characters called Darkwing Duck.  A cape crusader who roams the city of St. Canard, protecting its citizens from super villeins such as Nega Duck, Taurus Bulba, and The Liquidator just to mention a few.  Unlike your traditional heroes, this hero had no super powers, but he had wits, and ego to boot, a gas gun that double as a gateling gun, and a purple suite that constantly had characters in the city questioning Darkings fashion sense.  In total the show aired from 1991 to around 1995 with 65 episodes in season 01, 13 episodes in season 02, and 13 episodes in season 03 (IMDB    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101076/). 

If you were a big  fan of the show, you remember that the show ended leaving us wanting more.  Sadly Disney did not approve for a fourth season and the fans were left with out Darkwing Duck for almost 15 years.  The company re-introduced the show to a new generation of children through Toon Disney and realized the show still had some appeal with both their younger viewers but also the parents that grew watching Darkwing Duck along with some of their other show such as Chip n Dale Rescue Rangers, Bonkers and Goof Troop. With such a golden opportunity, they revived the "The terror that Flaps in the night" in comic book format published by Kaboom! publishing.

The company has done the distribution of both traditional comics and then converting them into graphic novels. As of now there are four graphic novels that compile 16 books.  

1) Disney's Darkwing Duck:  The Duck Knight Returns 1-4




                  
2) Disney's Drakwing Duck:  Crisis on infinite Darkwings 5-8
                                                      
3) Disney's Darkwing Duck:  F.O.W.L. Disposition 9-12
                                                     
4) Disney's Darkwing Duck:  Campaign Carnage 13-16
                                                    
While the books have the same spark of the TV series, it's not a book I would start someone with if they have never seen the show. It literally picks up where the show left off but one year in the future. The story it self is just as fun as the show with a more aggressive story line. You will get re introduced to the main characters and at times you will see a merge between Darkwing Duck and Duck Tales characters like Scrooge McDuck with the nephews making special appearances.  The books art work at times seems very flat, but the full page spreads are just fantastic.  A major treat you'll find as you are reading through the panels are the hidden gems of other Disney properties hidden in the background that makes you remember other shows, movies, or secondary characters you haven't seen in a long time. 

In the end of each book there is a small section dedicated to display the comic book covers, variant comic book covers, at times thumbnails sketches of the characters, and occasionally you will get a sneak peak at some of the Rescue Rangers graphic novel. 

All in all this graphic novel series is just buckets of fun and it will leave you wanting more. I give this book 4.5 out of 5.  

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