It’s been 90 years of Donald Duck, if you can believe it (and I don’t know why you wouldn’t). Since his debut in the 1934 Silly Symphonies short “The Little Wise Hen”, Donald has been a premiere character for the Walt Disney company, often surpassing the Mouse as the most popular character in animated shorts and comic books.
Alberto Savini’s Donald Duck: Magic and Mayhem bills itself as “The 90th Anniversary Adventure”, though nothing much about it keys into any sense of celebration or retrospective. It’s a fairly straightforward modern comic about magic, apps, and Monkey’s Paw-style reversals of fortune. Rather than celebrate Donald’s long career in cartoons and comics, it celebrates Donald’s key character traits.
Fantagraphics
The framing is as modern as can be. After burning his house down (yikes), Donald scans a magical QR code while taking a selfie of his tragic circumstances; that QR code immediately downloads a mysterious app to his phone. The app is, of course, somehow a magical genie. The tech bros have gone too far.
This framing sets us up for five unconnected tales of Duck luck, touching on all sorts of classic Donald paradigms: superheroing, treasure-hunting, and domestic troubles.
Throughout five chapters, Donald wishes his life to be easier in some small way, and in some major way, this inconveniences not only Donald but all of Duckburg. In one chapter, Donald, hoping to be given a new car, wishes to be famous; it’s not the most direct way to get a new car, but it is Donald Duck logic. This leads to Donald’s superhero avatar, the Duck Avenger, becoming so famous that Donald finds it hard to accomplish anything beyond managing his fame.
Fantagraphics
His solution? To wish that all his friends were superheroes, as well. The chaos is overwhelming.
As with all his wishes, Donald ultimately must wish to reverse his previous wishes. These become a sort of teachable moment for Donald, though of course we know he can never change. The narrative formula becomes well-trodden – Donald’s wishes and lessons become routinely predictable, even if their zany circumstances never are.
Savini’s cartooning is a delight. The book is packed not only with surprisingly animated ducks, but with a lush and lived-in Duckburg. Everyone from Gyro Gearloose and Uncle Scrooge to Daisy and Cousin Fethry make appearances, ensuring that Donald’s life feels full and populated.
Donald Duck: Magic and Mayhem is a delightful time, likely to become some child’s favorite comic book. It never approaches the heights of the great Duck comics, but it’s no slouch: funny, vibrant, and immaculately crafted.
You must be logged in to post a comment.