Uncle Scrooge Halloween Ashcan 2007

From the random stack of unread comics.

Title: Walt Disney's Uncle Scrooge (Uncle Scrooge Halloween Ashcan 2007)
Date: 2007
Publisher: Gemstone Publishing
Writer:Carl Barks
Artist: Carl Barks
Colorist: Colleen Winkler, Susan Daigle-Leach
Editor: Leonard (John) Clark, Sue Kolberg

Technically the title of this is simply Walt Disney's Uncle Scrooge, with nothing to distinguish it from any other book featuring that character. I'm calling it "Uncle Scrooge Halloween Ashcan 2007" for clarification. This is a full-color ashcan-format Halloween-themed freebie that reprints a pair of classic Carl Barks Disney comics.

First up is "Hound of the Whiskervilles", a parody of the classic Sherlock Holmes mystery featuring Scrooge, Donald Duck, and the three nephew ducks. Scrooge is trying to get accepted in high society, so he travels to Scotland, hoping a bit of genealogy is just the trick to establish his upper-class bloodline for the aristocratic types back home. With Donald and crew in tow, he encounters the legendary hound that haunted the moors in the days of his ancestors.

There are a couple of fun plot twists in this story, and it was generally pretty entertaining.

The second story features Gyro Gearloose, who decides create his own new life form from the basic chemicals of life after being inspired by a showing of the film "Krankenstein". He creates an egg and speculates on what might hatch from it after placing it in the care of an eager chicken.

This story war more of an extended gag strip, with a lot of setup for a single punchline at the end, which was okay, but not especially satisfying. I did like Gyro's imagined creatures, though.

Rating: 6.5/10

Donald Duck Adventures #16

I didn't get much at the recent Granite State Comicon. I was running my table and never had a chance to do much shopping. My son did pick up this as a freebie from a dealer who had a box of free comics for kids.

Title: Donald Duck Adventures
Issue: #16
Date: 1991
Publisher: Disney
Artist: Vicar
Editor: Len Wein

Two stories. First up, incompetent meteorologist Donald gets assigned to a remote weather station on a mountain in South America. He's convinced it's an important assignment, when really the weather bureau is just looking for a way to get rid of him. The nephews tag along for fun.

But the fun turns perilous when a giant roc bird (straight out of the Tales of the Arabian Nights, or possibly from the D&D First Edition Monster Manual) makes off with the entire weather station shack for use as nest-building materials, with Donald and his nephews inside!

The second story has Donald getting into the house-painting business. The house is haunted, of course, and the nephews can't wait to sneak in and play some ghostly pranks. But in the end, they're the ones getting spooked.

Both stories were fast-paced, and fun without ever feeling like they were talking down to the audience. There were plenty of plot twists, and a nice balance with the Donald Duck character. He wins some and he loses some here.

This was nothing groundbreaking, but it was some good fun that really is enjoyable by kids and adults.

Rating: 7/10