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Reviews and commentary by Tony Isabella
"America's Most Beloved Comic-Book Writer & Columnist"
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TONY'S ONLINE TIPS
for Friday, February 8, 2008
The Dreaded Deadline Doom is on the ropes. A few more days of guest reviews and it'll be sucking canvas.
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UNCLE SCROOGE Guest review by Tony Collett
Walt Disney's Uncle Scrooge #369 [Gemstone; $7.99] is the subject of this guest review. Gemstone is the latest publisher to try their luck at Disney comics. Although Disney comics are very popular in other countries, they haven't done as well in this country. From what I've seen in this issue, and from what I've seen and heard about those overseas publications, not to mention the ones "made in the USA" it's a shame.
Let's look at the contents story-by-story.
"Healers of the Andes." Story by Anja Barten, Paul Hoogma, Frank Jonker and Remco Polman. Art by Mau Heymans. Dialogue by David Gerstein.
The story begins with Uncle Scrooge suffering a cramp from counting his money. He is offered a free sample of medicine that causes another symptom, which would lead me to believe he didn't see the commercial listing all the possible side effects for the Tycoon Tonic he took. He finds he has to buy more medicine from the manufacturer that cause another another symptom, ending up with Scrooge blue. Literally. While Scrooge suffers from this drug manufacturer's dream come true, his nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie, looking for help raising funds for the Junior Woodchucks, find an entry about the now-vanished Hincan Indians finding a cure-all for similar ailments. They along with Donald Duck go off in search of the lost tribe. Meanwhile, the drug maker Argus McSwine gets wind of this, hires the Beagle Boys to find the Hincans, and off we go on another adventure.
According to the credits, this is the first time the story has appeared in the United States. It continues in the tradition of Carl Barks, with the nephews extracting a promise from Scrooge to help the poor and the Woodchucks in exchange for their assistance. It's a good adventure story in 24 pages.
Next is "Back In Time For A Dime," a "DuckTales" story by Don Rosa with art by Cosme Quarttieri and Robert Bat.
Magica DeSpell is after Scrooge's number one dime, this time using a time wand to send his mansion back 60 million years. This is a four-page story, but complete without rushing or compacting of story, actually giving readers more of a story than the Big Two's continued sprawling sagas. Even a chapter of those doesn't feel as complete as this tale.
Then there's "Saga of the Debit and Credit Ledger." Story and Art by Tony Strobl from an Australian edition of Walt Disney's Comics and Stories.
Donald and the nephews are on a boat salvage expedition with Uncle Scrooge tagging along as an observer. He's keeping tabs on Donald's actions using debits and credits, as he has his nephew in mind for an executive position. At 10 pages, this interesting tale shows how an employee anxious to curry favor isn't as beneficial as you would think.
Then there's another new to this country tale: "Sub Sub Zero." Story by Daniel Branca and Wanda Gattino. Art by Daniel Branca. Dialogue by David Gerstein.
Uncle Scrooge is having to contend with twin woes: he's losing his ships in a certain part of the world while vying with fellow skinflint Flintheart Glomgold in a stamp collection competition in which they tied the previous last year Although this is another adventure story and a shorter 14-page one, it seemed more rote and not as captivating as "Healers." However, I liked how both problems ended up coming together in the story.
The finale is "Faulty Fortune" by Carl Barks. Scrooge and Donald are having breakfast when Scrooge finds a deed for a square inch of land in panhandle country in his box of cereal.
I don't know how many Tipsters out there know of a similar promotion run as a tie in with the "Sgt. Preston of the Yukon" TV show and which offered a square inch of land in Alaska. I always found that interesting. That's one answer to the question of where writers get their ideas: what they find interesting in life serves as a springboard for a story.
Of course, Scrooge with an eye for possible riches tracks down his plot to find a hole a prairie dog dug up, with oil on the dog's feet. The race is on to buy up as many boxes of cereal as possible and to find the oil. It's a solid eight-page story, again packing more satisfaction than a multi-part crossover superhero slugfest.
The issue closes up with David Gerstein's "DuckTales: 20 Years Quacking," a single-page text piece outlining Scrooge's history in animation, particularly in the DuckTales series. Interesting piece with information I didn't know about before.
The $7.99 cover price will cause sticker shock in some people, who are of "I remember when they cost a dime" a mind set without considering how other items have gone up in price. Again, it would be hoped potential customers would look past the price and see the value offered in publications such as this. This is an issue more at home on a bookcase shelf than a stack of comics, even bagged and boarded up.
I'm giving Walt Disney's Uncle Scrooge #369 four "Guest Tonys" out of five.
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TONY POLLS
Forget "Super Tuesday" and the lame Republicans and Democrats! This week's "Tony Polls" cover the important races!
Which Marvel Party candidate would be your choice to run for President of the United States?
Which DC Comics Party candidate would be your choice to run for President of the United States?
Which Comic Strip Party candidate would be your choice to run for President of the United States?
Which All Others Party candidate would be your choice to run for President of the United States?
You can cast your votes at:
www.worldfamouscomics.com/tony/poll
The polls will remain open until sometime after midnight on Tuesday, February 12.
Following that, the top 3-5 candidates in each race will vie for their party's nomination.
Then, the week after that, the candidates from each party will run against each other for the highest office in the silly, strange land that is the "Tony Polls."
All candidates have been judged eligible to serve should they win. So don't bug me about their ages or criminal status.
The state of our comicdom is strong!
God bless America!
Thanks for spending a part of your day with me. I'll be back soon with more stuff.
Tony Isabella
<< 02/07/2008 | 02/08/2008 | 02/11/2008 >>
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THE "TONY" SCALE
ZERO: Burn your money before buying any comic receiving this rating. It doesn't *necessarily* mean there's absolutely nothing of value here - though it *could* - but whatever value it might possess shrinks into insignificance before its overall awfulness.
ONE: Buy something else. Maybe I found something which wasn't completely dreadful in the item, but not enough for me to recommend it when there are better comics available. I only want what's best for you, my children.
TWO: Basic judgment call. I found some value, but not enough to recommend it. My review should give you enough info to decide if you want to take a chance on it. Are you feeling lucky today, punk? Well, are you?
THREE: This denotes something I find perfectly respectable. There are better books out there, but I wouldn't regret buying this item. Based on my review, you should be able to determine if it's of interest to you. Let the Force guide you.
FOUR: I recommend anything earning this rating. Unless you don't like the genre, subject matter, or past work of the creators, I believe you'll enjoy this item. Isn't it uncanny how I can look right into your soul that way?
FIVE: Anything getting this rating is among the best comicdom has to offer. You should buy/read this, even if the genre/subject matter doesn't appeal to you. It's for your own good. Me, I live for comics and books this good...but not in a pathetic "Comic-Book Guy" sort of way.
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