Sonic Superstars and beyond. Sega makes up for lost time, part 5...

In the previous blogs I looked at Sonic Superstars, and the things that the developers at Sonic Team, and Arzest did great. I also talked about the technical and design choices that I think really hurt the game. While I played through it I was reminded of all the wonderful things that I enjoyed in the franchise. It very much felt like a continuation of the elements that made Sonic Mania work so well. The art direction, level, and enemy design fit in the classic 2D style, even though the models were in 3D. The introduction of a new character named Trip, plus using individual Chaos Emeralds to change the game play was inspired. When I struggled with some boss encounters it showed that there were cracks on the facade. Trying some encounters over and over lent me to discover what type of gamer I was. In the end I had a favorable opinion of the game that gave me a lot of insight into myself. It allowed me to realize that the Sonic series was one of the rare titles that was globally appealing for a number of reasons. The first thing that drew me to the franchise was the character himself.

I stated previously that I loved the art, and design behind the hero, and his friends. I never cared much for Knuckles though, but that was besides the point. I was a huge fan of the mascot style of character art. The cartoon star that created the movement was Pat Sullivan, and Otto Mesmer’s Felix the Cat. He debuted in 1919, almost a decade before Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, and Mickey Mouse. The large head, big expressive eyes, and animal features set a template that would be copied for the next century. The early US cartoon stars like Donald Duck, Bugs Bunny, or Flip the Frog wouldn’t have made it big without Felix. Sonic the Hedgehog, Tails the Fox, Knuckles the Echidna, Mighty the Armadillo, and Ray the Flying Squirrel all followed in the footsteps of Felix the Cat. They were descended from one of the greatest cartoon traditions the world had ever seen.

Although they were created by a Japanese team the Sonic art reflected my favorite form of American cartooning. The “rubber hose style of animation was the oldest form used in the US. The name was because the arms, and legs of these characters weren’t hinged as if they had bones. Instead they flexed like rubber hoses. Additionally the bodies on these characters were fluid. They could be pulled, stretched, and twisted like a rubber balloon. There was a sense of freedom in these cartoons that was liberating for artists. Although to be fair I was never good at drawing in a rubber hose format because my style was very rigid. It didn’t matter because I thought those early cartoon stars were so amazing. They could do the impossible, while still making their actions plausible. That tradition was rarely seen in modern cartoons, rare in video games, but not as rare in comic books.

The Mickey Mouse comics illustrated by Floyd Gottfredson in the 1930’s set a standard for adventure storytelling featuring cartoon mascots. His comics kept the animated icon alive outside of the movie theater. Mickey would hang out with his friends in some stories, having fun with the other Disney stars. Then he travel the globe on an international mystery for longer arcs. A decade later Carl Barks raised the bar in the Donald Duck, and more important, the Scrooge McDuck comics. Comic books were the perfect format for expanding on the animated shorts. We could get to see the characters develop a personality. The writers, and artists presented a universe that was much deeper than could ever be shown in a cartoon. For the longest time I assumed that these stories were for children until I actually sat down and started reading the collected volumes. I was not only amazed by the art, but by the storytelling. It worked on multiple levels There was action for the kids, great character development for teens, and mystery for the adults. They truly were books for all-ages.

Comic books in the USA were mainly superhero titles. Often mature in tone, and not really created for all-ages. However overseas the Disney comics were still popular with families, and even adults. They were an institution in Italy, where the Mickey comics (Topolino) had been in publication for over 90 years. I believe that they were the greatest run of all-ages comics ever published. Multiple generations were raised on stories that were every bit as good as those created in the USA. I would argue that the elite Disney cartoonists cut their teeth drawing on the pages of Topolino. The best of these stories were serialized and translated to multiple languages. I did a deep-dive on the Italian comics many years ago. The reason that I brought them up was because they were critical to keeping the characters popular. More than that they were important to spread the cartooning art form. You could only do so much in an animated short but the comics allowed the characters to live, and grow. They did more for audiences than the parent company did in the parks, television, or movie screens.

A similar thing could be argued for comics based on video games. Comic books could take a relatively short game, and give readers a cinematic experience. Udon was known for the Capcom books they published. Street Fighter, Mega Man, and Vampire / Darkstalkers were just some of the titles they released. Audiences got to follow the main, and side characters across a variety of story arcs. They allowed audiences to learn the dynamics between the stars, and any new faces introduced. As a fan of the mascot titles I was happy to see Sonic in publication. Granted not every editor, writer, or artist understood the games. This was especially true for many of the oldest issues. It seemed that the creators liked to make up stuff as they went along. The quality of the first comics didn’t matter to fans because they made the blue blur relevant. Whether in manga from Japan, or comics from the UK, and USA, Sonic had developed an international following. The most recent US comics from IDW were by far the best Sonic had ever appeared in print. The writing was amazing, and the stories stayed true to the games. Best of all the various artists captured the spirit of cartooning. They made young fans understand why the character appealed to older audiences, just as much as the Topolino comics helped kids understand why Mickey Mouse was beloved by their parents.

The creators at IDW were also able to expand the Sonic comic books to include new faces that were interesting in their own right. For example Lanolin the Sheep, Whisper the Wolf, Tangle the Lemur, and Jewel the Beetle were citizens-turned-freedom fighters. Their story arcs, and contributions in the comics made them very memorable. They were adventurers, sometimes with a tragic past, all rising to meet the challenge. They complimented all of the established heroes, and added their own unique dynamic to the stories. For long-time fans like myself I thought that these were characters that would be amazing to follow in a game. More than anything the Sonic comic books managed to remind audiences that the universe covered in the game series was far more expansive, and serious than we sometimes thought. Sonic Team managed to create a world that seemed straightforward, and easy to digest. Sonic was the good guy, and Eggman was the bad guy. He kidnapped animals to power his robots. It was up to Sonic to set them free. The formula hadn’t changed much in over 30 years, yet the stakes had always been incredibly high. Without Sonic, and his friends, then there was nothing preventing Eggman from conquering the world.

The threat that Dr. Eggman presented was epic in scope. He didn’t just raise an army of minions, he created an entire armada of war machines. He had a fleet of flying warships, giant robots, autonomous factories, laser satellites, and space stations with enough power to take over a planet. The fight had to be taken to Eggman to prevent him from ruling the world. There was nothing easy about the threats that Sonic, and his friends faced in every encounter. At the same time the designers at Sonic Team didn’t want to make the game feel heavy-handed. Yes the characters were fighting against impossible odds, but at this world was also a cozy place to live. The studio made sure to show audiences what Sonic was trying to protect. Sega wanted to remind us that this world was a beautiful place filled with loving characters. There were friends that wanted to enjoy a picnic with our hero, or perhaps do some fishing with him. These gentle characters were set against a backdrop that was quite serious. Being the protector of the innocent was the heart of several IDW story arcs.

Sonic Team created different types of innocent creatures that Sonic, and his allies had to protect. In most games the animals trapped within the robots were the obvious ones. As the games evolved we were introduced to the Chao in Sonic Adventure, then the Wisps in Sonic Colors, and most recently the Koco in Sonic Frontiers. Those minor characters were adorable beyond description. However when you placed them within the context of the stories they were also tragic figures. Each of the characters had survived catastrophic trauma. An entire planet of Wisps were enslaved by Dr. Eggman for his cruel experiments. The Koco were the memories of the ancient aliens that brought the Chaos Emeralds to the planet. Sonic had to complete their memories, and reunite their ghosts so that they could have some closure. The Chao were the de-evolved descendants of those alien refugees. They were also nearly wiped out in a raid by the Echidnas a millennia ago. Even the cutest characters in the franchise were important to the story.

Felix the Cat started the tradition of cartoon mascots more than 100 years ago. Sonic the Hedgehog helped bring the art form to a new generation through video games. The creators at Sega, Sonic Team, and at IDW helped it evolve across multiple formats. Whether it was an animated short for social media, a live-action movie, or an award-winning comic book run. There was no doubt that cartoons were alive and well. The lore of the game series was already robust, and the comic books went much deeper than casual fans could have ever known. The characters they introduced in the past decade could still look cute, and universally appealing, but they had now grown to include shapeshifting assassins, psychic madmen, and even sentient AI. Heroes, and villains in the Sonic canon were colorful, memorable, and awe-inspiring. The games they were featured in evolved in unique ways. I’ll trace it out in the next blog. Until then I’d like to know if you have a favorite mascot character. Or if you even like cartoons at all. Tell me about it in the comments section. As always if you enjoyed this blog, and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Disney, the Italian Legacy, part 3 - A 1UP classic from July 12, 2011

In the previous blogs I had mentioned how some issues of Topolino came with gadgets, or toys for subscribers. Subscribers had to assemble the larger toys. The scale and attention to detail in some of the gadgets were amazing For example a catamaran for Paperino was about 8-inches long, actually floated and had a tiny electric motor to propel it forward. It had sails, a tiny canvas net and figure of Paperino could be removed. The on / off switch for the motor was activated by the steering wheel of the ship.

Topolino gadgets included firetrucks, snowmobiles, space ships, motorcycles, castles, dragons, pirate ships and even buildings. Each set was finely produced and was layered with detail and hidden surprises. Even the car gadgets were anything but typical.

The Phantom Blot was the major villain for Mickey Mouse in both US and Italian comics. He often was seen driving around in a mysterious black convertible with a dark blot over the license plate. The car (the Blackmobile or Blotmobile depending on the writer) that could be assembled with the issues of Topolino was a work of art.

The top of the car could be removed as well as the Phantom Blot figure that came with it. The gear shifter on the car triggered wings on the underside of the car to pop out. A button behind each tail fin of the car shot out red plastic taillight missiles. A button behind the driver dropped plastic oil slick cutouts from the trunk.

These gadgets were unavailable in toy stores, they could only be gotten through subscriptions to Topolino magazine. They helped build fans of the Disney name but also helped build a collectable market. One of the other publishers aware of this trend was De Agostini, also based in Italy. De Agostini held several publishing licenses in Italy, including those for Hokuto No Ken / Fist of the North Star and Dragon Ball. They released DVD sets and collectable plastic figures for many of their licenses.

For Disney fans De Agostini released the Disney Parade series. These were hard plastic figures based on characters featured in film and comic books. Figures that would be considered rare in the USA appeared in the lineup, such as a young Scrooge McDuck in his Klondike outfit, or Jose Carioca from Brazil.

The detail in each sculpt was amazing. The coloring and poses were spot on, as if the heroes and villains were taken right from the pages of the comics.

Look at how Magica DeSpell was ready to cast a hex on Scrooge or the flirty look from Brigitta MacBridge. Of course Scrooge seemed fixated on his true love. These figures were not available in stores or online. Collectors had to go to De Agostini kiosks in local malls to collect the figures, two of which were released every week over the course of several months. Imagine how patient fans were that collected a complete set of the 60 figures! Goofy or Pippo as he was known in Italy was given a werewolf alter-ego in the X Mickey comic series. De Agostini was catering the collection to Disney fans that were familiar with storylines featured within the pages of Topolino magazine and the offshoot publications. The white-furred Pipwolf was given the colors and proportions based on the comic but was still kept in scale with the icon that inspired him

The figures were about 4.5 inches on average and each one released was to scale with the rest of the series. Taller characters like Goofy or Mortimer Mouse were pushing 7 inches while shorter characters like Louie or Paperotto (young Donald) were just over 3 inches.

The Disney Parade figures were not all heroes however. Even villains like Rockerduck and the mad scientist Emil Eagle were presented in the set.

Legendary Disney animator Marc Davis would teach his students that a great character designs did not feature characters with blank stares, instead the artist would make it clear that they were living, thinking figures. In the case of the De Agostini sculpts audiences could clearly see that the characters were thinking. The frustration that Rockerduck held while he was chewing on his hat, or that Emil was in the middle of hatching a diabolical plan were apparent.

The female leads were not ignored in the collection either. Emily Quackfaster, the secretary for Scrooge and Daisy Duck also made for very interesting figures and poses.

Not many Disney fans in the US were familiar with Donald Duck’s neighbor Mr. Jones. Unless audiences had kept pace with the comics they would have missed out on some of Carl Barks most hilarious short stories. Donald and Neighbor Jones had been the worst of neighbors for almost 70 years, always trying to put the other person in their place. The two characters turned out to be evenly matched despite their size difference.

De Agostini allowed the long running feud to finally be recreated in 3D. The figure of Jones was practically daring Donald to take his best shot. Of course one of the Donald figures created by De Agostini was posed ready for a fight as well.

Even after Carl Barks retired the talented Don Rosa kept the two battling in comics. Don ensured that new generations of Disney comic fans would never forget the bitter rivalry. Neighbor Jones did not come up as often in the pages of Topolino but De Agostini knew that collectors throughout Europe would be happy to see and pick up the figure.

It seemed that almost every character that had appeared in a Disney animated short or on the comic book pages got the Disney Parade treatment. Moby Duck and Fethry Duck made for two very whimsical figures and fit very well with the rest of the collection.

The Disney Parade set was so popular among collectors that De Agostini decided to follow up with a sort of deluxe edition of their figures. The newer ones would be in a larger scale, ceramic and painted with greater detail and fidelity.

The new edition of figures was dubbed the Disney Collection and the sizes now averaged around 6 inches. To distinguish them from the Disney Parade series the new figures were much heavier and placed on larger silver stands. These figures were also made with a smaller run, making them more collectable.

Not all of the characters featured in the Disney Parade made it into the Disney Collection. Those figures that did were given new poses and additional material. Some figures created for the Collection were not featured in the Parade series. The next blog will highlight my favorite figure and try to explain why these collectables were important to the community. As always if you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Disney, the Italian Legacy, part 2 - A 1UP classic from July 11, 2011

The Italians were noteworthy not solely for creating new interpretations of classic characters like Paperinik and Paperotto, but also for diverging from USA Disney canon. For example, in the USA the character of John D. Rockerduck was introduced once by Carl Barks into the Uncle Scrooge adventure the Boat Busters to help push along a plot. Rockerduck was a fellow business tycoon and he challenged McDuck to a race to find out who sold the better gasoline. Donald Duck won the race on behalf of Scrooge but was unfortunately using Rockerduck’s gasoline. In the USA the character would not be seen again save for a cameo in a “Life and Times” story by Don Rosa. Most Disney fans in the USA would recognize that Flintheart Glomgold was the older character, meant to be business rival and mortal enemy of Scrooge McDuck. Yet even Scrooge McDuck was also once meant as a one-shot character in the Bark’s universe. It was not until the character was revisited and fleshed out that he became a comic icon. In Italy and in other European stories John Rockerduck would be brought back and fleshed out as well.

Rockerduck instead of Glomgold would take a starring role against Scrooge. The design and appearance of the character was in fact meant to balance out Scrooge more than Glomgold. Visually Rockerduck’s suit, hat, tie, glasses and sideburns were more contemporary than Scrooge’s. Rockerduck was a brash younger tycoon that did not seem to value his wealth in the same way as McDuck. His fortune was handed down by his father Howard Rockerduck, a self-made business man that helped mentor a young Scrooge decades earlier. John Rockerduck had a different approach to his business empire than Scrooge did. He believed that it took spending money in order to make money, whereas Scrooge was a notorious hoarder and penny pincher. In the comics the ducks rarely got along and were constantly getting into fights while trying to prove who was the superior businessman.

To settle things in fumetti both ducks often had a wager, this part of canon was preserved from the original Barks story. The bet was rarely over money but instead prestige in the clubs for which both ducks were members of. The loser for most of the contests had to eat their own hat. Rockerduck was often presented chewing on the brim of his bowler hat, if not for the contest bet then because he was completely fed up with Scrooge.

As if one powerful tycoon rival was not enough for the pages of Topolino, a second was added shortly after Rockerduck. The Italian Marco Rota added Brigitta MacBridge to canon in 1960. Similarly to Rockerduck and Scrooge she was originally introduced to help push along a single story. She turned out to be a memorable character and would return again and again to drive Scrooge mad.

In canon she was an old acquaintance of Scrooge and was absolutely crazy about him. She was also good friends with Daisy Duck and would often cross paths with Donald and his uncle. She was convinced that the two were meant to be together. As a self made business tycoon she was clearly not in it for Scrooge’s money either.

Brigitta would often hatch a plot to try to get Scrooge to confess his feelings for her, or worse, to trick him into getting married. This character seemed to balance out the Rockerduck dynamic. Both were constantly trying to undo Scrooge for their own gain. Both had enormous fortunes so that they could keep up with Scrooge no matter where he went or what business he got into. Brigitta’s appearances were thankfully more comedic than dramatic though.

Yet many western audiences were not fans of the Brigitta character, or even aware of her. Scrooge had a female rival years before Brigitta, someone that was not falling over Scrooge at every instance but instead his equal, not in a monetary sense but in personality. Italians would have to ignore one of Carl Bark’s greatest creations, Goldie O’Gilt aka Glittering Goldie, in order for Brigitta to be his main female lead.

Goldie was a rival for Scrooge during his formative years in the Yukon. Over several seasons of hardship the two would grow to respect each other and more important to develop feelings for the other. Unfortunately both were too proud and stubborn to ever admit to those feelings. Scrooge left the Yukon behind and seemingly his heart as well. In flashbacks Scrooge would think fondly of his time spent up north. Goldie would always consider Scrooge the one that got away. This interesting dynamic left audiences wanting for closure to a relationship half a century in the making.

Adding superhero alter egos to established characters and creating new relationships within the canon were some of the major contributions by the Italians. One of the more controversial elements featured in the pages of Topolino, the inclusion of firearms in some of the stories, would have been a hard sell to American audiences, especially licensors and Disney stock holders. Many in the US would have never imagined seeing an icon like Mickey Mouse handling a weapon, let alone be threatened by one in a comic or cartoon.

Yet guns had appeared for decades in Disney comics in the US and even animation. For example when Glittering Goldie wasn’t flirting with Scrooge she was shooting him with a shotgun. This happened in both the cartoon and comic books.

This revelation was not to say that weapons were commonplace in fumetti or other European Disney comics. If and when they showed up they fit the form of the story and certain mature themes. Paperino for example had an alter ego as a spy. In addition to being Paperinik Donald also had the responsibility as a spy for his country, known to fans as Double Duck. In the Double Duck (DD) stories sometimes a villain showed up carrying a weapon, sometimes DD had to also carry one along with his tuxedo ala James Bond. Very rarely did these comics have shoot outs and never were any of the characters depicted as getting shot or injured during the battles. The violence of the weapon was implied rather than shown. A gun served as a tool to intimidate not as an excuse by artists to draw graphic violence.

Boom Studios actually published the DD stories in the US and did not censor out the guns as most had expected them to. Many in the west could not imagine an icon being threatened with a firearm but the precedence was set in the earliest Disney short films. Donald was once threatened with a gun by Mickey Mouse in the 1942 film the Symphony Hour. Not to mention the time Donald Duck tried to commit suicide by handgun in the 1943 film the Old Army Game or that Daisy Duck tried to do the same in 1947’s Donald’s Dilemma.

Disney Studios once used firearms in their animated projects and comics only now they seemed to shy away from any form or actual or implied violence. Topolino also used firearms but they certainly never put them flush to the temples of the icons as if they were in any real danger.

If Topolino and fumetti in general were geared only towards children then the writers and artists would certainly never have presented any weapons in the stories. At the same time they would never have produced as many memorable stories and adventures because of their audience. They would not have advanced the art of cartooning or showed how Disney comics could be written for every age.

These were a few examples of the creative risks that the Italians took in the pages of Topolino. These were things that would not have been allowed if the comic were limited to a specific audience.

There was a major difference between how Disney was perceived and marketed in the USA versus Italy, or for that matter the rest of the world. Topolino was family entertainment. The comics and anthologies could be enjoyed by both kids and adults. Best of all the fumetti brought the characters to life. The Disney cartoon icons as well as original characters were featured in ongoing stories. These were certainly not reprints for aged collectors but living, breathing volumes. Not every Disney comic published in Europe was approached in the same way.

In Germany for example the anthologies featuring the Disney characters could be picked up in local bookstores. These simple 4-color books featured reprints or stories, most meant for kids with very little done in production value. Colors bled into each other and no sort of cleanup was done to enhance the original art. These issues were stale and formulaic when compared to the work featured in the fumetti.

Other European countries did not settle for reprints. They were as passionate about the Disney comics and cartoons as anywhere else in the world. For example Donald Duck cartoons were viewed on Christmas Eve in Sweden as a tradition. Additionally fellow game writer Audun Sorlie mentioned how most stores in Scandinavia did not have a few Disney comics but instead had entire racks filled with the books.

These countries would develop new stories and art for the Disney books. However unlike the Italians the writers and artists from Northern European countries tried very little to deviate from the art and storytelling elements established in early comics. They would go so far as to look for artists that could draw in the same style as the classic Disney cartoonists. Of these artists none was better than Amsterdam's own Daan Jippes. Daan was an exceptional artist that could emulate the styles of the American masters, including Floyd Gottfredson and Carl Barks.

He was so good at emulating the Barks style that he was contracted to redraw stories written but not illustrated by Barks from the 1970's into new collections for the 1990's. Daan Jippes was considered a master of modern comics alongside the US's Don Rosa and Italy's Giorgio Cavazzano. The preference by the Scandinavians for classic characters and little deviation from the Barks canon meant that many of their comics progressed very little, as if they were stuck in a time loop. The Italians had a different perspective, while they respected the work of the early artists they pushed forward into new territory.

Even if the parent company in the USA had not released any new comics or animation featuring the Disney characters in decades they were all still fresh in the pages of the fumetti. Disney in Italy managed to keep the mascots relevant by allowing them to grow within the pages of Topolino. They were willing to introduce new characters and re-imagine classic characters equally. They enticed new collectors by offering toy sets with subscriptions and held onto long-time fans by maintaining a high level of quality in art and storytelling. In the USA most cartoon comics were labeled and marketed towards children specifically. The US publishers did not go out of their way to appeal to diverse audiences or interests. Nor did they offer any toys or figures featuring rare mascots. As such the Disney comic market in the US was nowhere near as big as it was in Europe.

As any business analyst could tell you the best and most successful forms of Disney entertainment were family oriented rather than obsessively kid-friendly. This distinction between entertainment for children and entertainment for families was too often missed by studios, not solely Disney. Mistaking comics and even videogames as a medium for children instead of for families did nothing to help promote the titles. Producing little content in print and toy form for fans and followers above the age of 10 also hurt the brand in the USA. This lack of connection with audiences and the lack of any new content featuring the icons was stifling. The Italian contribution to making the Disney name relevant was not limited to comics either. The next blog will explore how publishers were able to help keep the mascots fresh with collectibles. As always if you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Where Mickey Mouse and friends are still alive and well - A 1UP classic from October 26, 2012

What is it about Topolio that makes the Disney characters accessible and relevant to audiences? A major part of it is having a monthly series dedicated to all of the characters written and drawn by some of the best creators in Europe. The publisher actually has a series of books dedicated to specific characters, trade paperbacks and even special hardcover editions for collectors. Like Marvel and DC in the US there are Topolino comics written for a very diverse audience. Unlike the comic book publishers in the USA the Topolino readers never feel left out because they missed a major event or story arc like Civil War or the New 52. The Disney characters are all familiar and although they might be set in the far future or fantasy setting audiences accept the story and situations at face value. They might be wizards in one story and then martial arts masters a month later, audiences never ask how or why this happened they simply enjoy the story.

Comic books in the US are rooted in nonstop action, with sometimes violent or even frightening encounters for the heroes. Some of the Topolino stories keep pace with the Western traditions and place the Disney characters in peril month after month without creating a backlash from the community. Nowhere is this seen more than in the adventures of Double Duck. Casting Donald Duck as a super spy enables the character to be given a cadre of gadgets, and in rare cases a gun as well. He is sometimes joined by femme fatale Kay K while going on adventures that would make James Bond jealous.

By making a familiar Disney character an action star it instantly makes Donald more appealing and accessible to adolescent audiences. Every genre explored in the pages of Topolino shows readers that the Disney characters can fill any role and be written for any age. Classic stories like Romeo and Juliet, Dr. Faustus and the Three Musketeers have all worked when cast with Disney mascots. The stories and characters do not have to be "dumbed down" for children, and in fact younger readers may be offended if they do not see their favorite characters act like real heroes in the face of adversity.

It might sound obvious that Disney in the US should follow the Italians if they want to make the mascots more relevant to audiences. The US would actually have a hard time localizing Topolino or even following the template. Topolino has been in publication for almost 80 years. In that time it has never dumbed down the writing or reduced the roles for and of the characters. If anything Topolino has actually done more for the personalities of the Disney mascots than the parent company has in the past 25 years. Unfortunately some people they could never, ever, accept a universe where the mascots handled firearms. The old comic books published in the US and even some of the old cartoons used to feature the characters as cops, robbers, soldiers and western heroes. They were allowed to have shoot outs so long as nobody got hurt or no blood was ever shown. This was how a cartoon like GI Joe got on the air during the 80's.

Public perception of how the characters can be used may be the biggest obstacle in making them relevant in the US. Purists would never imagine an acceptable story in which Mickey or his friends handled a gun. In fact purists would never imagine seeing the character have much of a personality at all. Mickey and his friends should never have too strong of a range of emotions. They should be constantly smiling and ever happy to many in the USA. Topolino has never dumbed down the characters or turned them into simplistic babysitters. Over the decades the comics have tackled a diversity of subjects and have never steered clear of even controversial ideas.

For example over the past decade some extremist fans of European football / soccer leagues had been the focus of sports media. Some clubs tolerated racist chants and iconography at matches. In a way to address this the comics talked about how friendships could be formed despite the differences of color. The books not only spoke out against racism they also let families know that they should speak up against discrimination. By aligning themselves with a progressive stance Disney was instilling very important values to their younger readers and earning the respect of older fans. Currently Topolino is running an anti-bully campaign. The stories teach ways to identify bullies and how to deal with them and what happens to people that are victims of bullying. The issues are able to communicate these ideas to young readers because the universe has many young characters they can identify with. Grade school characters Huey, Dewey, Louie and the slightly older Morty and Ferdie are very rarely seen in the US but are commonplace in Italy.

The comics in Italy go through a range of topics while managing to entertain as well. In one month they may have Donald Duck jumping out of an exploding helicopter and in the next he might be planting a tree in his backyard and teaching his nephews about conservation. Those that can get past the shock of seeing guns in the hands of cartoon icons would see that the books are not only well illustrated but also well written. Audiences identify with the mascot characters because they are written with distinct personalities. They are allowed to explore different genres and entertain readers at every level. Most important the comics are released month after month without exception. Movies and television shows may come and go but there was never a point where the Italians were without the Disney characters in print. Disney in the US could learn the importance of diligence from their overseas counterparts. As always if you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Mickey Mouse, Vampire Hunter! A 1UP Classic...

Good Monday morning my friends. I hope all is well on your side of town. To my friends on the East Coast, take care and I hope the hurricane loses steam quickly. Last week I was talking about how fans in the US were finding it harder to relate to the Disney mascot characters. Certainly the fans knew who they were and were familiar with their body of work, however they were also aware that they had not appeared in a new comic or cartoon in quite a long time. The most recognizable characters; Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy and Pluto appeared regularly on a show targeted for toddlers in the US. The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse held little interest to the older fans. Worse yet, the programming on the Disney and Disney XD channels did not feature any of the mascot cartoons either. When the Topolino comics overseas wanted to broaden their appeal they would introduce a new arc that made use of a bold storyline and was complimented with some fantastic art. One of the more recent entries fits in perfectly on Halloween week.

Dracula di Bram Topker was a retelling of the Dracula story by Bram Stoker. In this version the main players were all replaced by Disney characters. Mickey is playing Jonathan Ratker instead of Jonathan Harker. Instead of Professor Abraham Helsing the vampire hunter was played by Pippo Van Helsing (Pippo is the name of Goofy in Italy). Dracula was played by the Phantom Blot.

The writer, color artist team of Bruno Enna and Fabio Celoni did a fantastic version of the horror classic. The veteran artists did an amazing job at creating a gothic comic book style out of cartoon characters that would have made Mike Mignola (of Hellboy fame) proud.

The art was dazzling. The Italian cartoonists had been mentored by the Disney Academy. It is an art school set up by their publishing parents.

Those familiar with the story would find it kind of macabre yet interesting that Minnie Mouse and Clarabell Cow take on the roles of Mina and Lucy.

The violence was more implied than shown, same with the scares, even with that said it is doubtful that the story may ever be localized in the US given the subject matter.

It is truly a shame that more people in the US never get to see these comics. They have no idea how great the Disney comics and characters could be.

The friends and rivals to Mickey truly shine when creators are allowed to place them in wonderful stories. Month to month the readers of Topolino are reminded why Mickey is not only a friendly face but also synonymous with courage, loyalty and bravery. In the US that realization is slowly happening. Warren Spector and the group at Junction Point are steadily making Disney take notice of who Mickey is and what Mickey could be when faced with adversity. We'll look a little closer at the roots of Epic Mickey in the next blog. Until then see if you can track down a comic book shop that carries the recent comics by Boom Studios as well as the hardcover reprints of classic Disney stories by Fantagraphics. If you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!