"Forget Me Not"

So I finally got my hot little hands on a copy of WDC 715, and I am just about as pleased as punch. IF NOT MORE SO. The first pleasant surprise was that it's printed on very high-quality, glossy, acid-free paper--by far the best I've ever seen in a non-prestige-format comic book. I know I've groused in the past about Boom's books providing less value for money than Gemstone's did, but that complaint is inoperative with this issue, at least. I don't know if Boom is upping the quality specifically in honor of their new "classic" format, or whether they've been doing this a while; all I know is that the only other individual Boom issue I own (WDC700, for the metafictional Van Horn story) is of much lower quality. I hope they keep this up.
I'm not going to say anything just yet about "70th Heaven," the Jippes story that opens the book, because I plan on giving it its own entry in a little while. Suffice to say it's a fantastic story.

Following "70th Heaven," there's a Li'l Bad Wolf Story that somebody or other has anachronistically titled "Villain in a Half-Shell" (we do all get that that's a Ninja Turtles reference, right? Okay.). Who comes up with things like this?

Man...Li'l Bad Wolf. Have I mentioned before how much I despise this character? Have I used the word "quisling" to describe him?" Okay, then have I noted how much I likewise despise those smug, obnoxious pigs? Or how I find the idea of a kid whose father is ceaselessly trying to slaughter and devour his friends just creepy, even in a non-threateningly cartoony context? Or how, even disregarding all this, the concept is just way too limited--every story is "Wolf tries to eat pigs; fails;" I may not be the world's biggest MM fan (okay, no "may" about it), but at least that character has all sorts of story potential?

Have I noted all this in the past? Just checking. Notwithstanding all that, however, I actually liked this particular story, surprisingly enough--it's a crossover featuring Donald, who gets on my good side by being pushy and obnoxious towards the pigs; also, it has a great ending: L'il just wants to--as usual--"teach his pa a [completely anodyne] lesson" for trying to eat the pigs and subsequently Donald; however Donald, reacting rather more proportionally to the threat, actually attempts to kill him. Good stuff.

Then there's a Barks Junior Woodchucks story, "Life Savers." I already own the Strobl version several times over; here of course we get the Jippes remake, though no remake was ever going to make this five-page story less insubstantial. About the most I can say for it is that having the Jippes version slightly bumps up my Barks completion percentage on inducks. Hey, did you know that a few of these Woodchucks stories have never been reprinted in the US in any form (not counting the black and white CBL)? And several more only in really crappy quality in Gladstone's old digests? Some no-brainers for Boom right there.

UPDATE TO ABOVE: My mistake; David points out that I'm conflating the publication histories of the Wright/Strobl originals and the Jippes remakes. Still, there's at least ONE that's never been reprinted stateside, and I believe my point about some having been reprinted only in digest form stands.

And I think that's about it. A good issue, and I look forward to more of a similar quality.

…

Wait, am I forgetting something…? Maybe, but what could it be…?

That's right! I was using foreshadowing, motherfuckers! The last story here is the three-page "Forget Me Not," drawn--but not written--in 1989 by Don Rosa. Truthfully, this feels a little cheap; Boom clearly wanted to be able to brag that this issue has both Barks AND Rosa, so they chose one of the least significant stories from each of them, just 'cause they're short (ya know, guys, if you'd go back to the prestige format, you wouldn't have these problems...). Honestly, "Forget Me Not" is basically a one-page gage stretched out to three pages. There's some nice early Rosa art, but that's about all there is to it. The most significant thing about the story is that it features Rosa's one and only depiction of Clara Cluck (a marginal character who frequently appeared in Daisy Duck's Diary stories). BEHOLD:



…well? Do you feel edified?

(You'll note that, me not having scans of the new version, these are from the old one of inferior quality.)

In any case, Daisy has a dilemma:



OH NOES. I will say that I am amused by the shit-eating grins that both Donald and Gladstone are effecting in these portraits.



I also like Crafty Daisy--she's depicted as kind of dopey in this story, but that image could definitely come from a better one.

Anyway, long story short, she scrambles around trying to find someone to get her off the hook, but she can't, AND IT'S BECAUSE IT'S HER BIRTHDAY! HOLY CRUD!



Nice group shot, I guess, though I can't help but note that--in spite of the fact that Daisy had talked to him on the phone earlier on--Gus is nowhere to be seen. The main takeaway from this story: DAISY HATES GUS GOOSE. Well, either that or Grandma is a brutal slave-driver who refuses to let her own flesh and blood have time off for a party. Take your pick!

Did I just use an entry on "Forget Me Not" as a flimsy excuse to talk about WDC715? Well, just look at what percentage of the text here is actually devoted to the story itself, and tell me what the hell you think. If I haven't made it clear by now, I am very excited about Boom's future. Now if only they could be convinced to go back to prestige format for US and WDC (and, what the hell, DD also! And, for my mouse-loving friends, MM as well! Might as well wield whatever influence this blog can muster and go for broke!)...