“Ya still think it pays to fight dirty?” No bad guys can beat Walt Disney’s classic Mickey; no other “modest mouse” has seen more two-fisted action or outrageous comedy! And now our big-eared hero is back with more edge-of-your-seat adventures: traveling from Umbrellastan to Texas — and duking it out with villains like Dr. Vulter, Pegleg Pete, and malicious miser Eli Squinch!
Floyd Gottfredson, artist and writer of Mickey Mouse, turned the strip into a 100-proof cocktail of thrills, comedy, warmth, and cynicism. In this volume, you’ll saddle up for Gottfredson’s two most famous Wild West epics: a “Race for Riches” amid rockslides and rustlers, then a dead-shot showdown with the brutal “Bat Bandit!” Back home in Mouseton, the mayhem continues when Mickey, Donald, and Goofy run a crime-fighting newspaper — and face trouble with mobsters and speeding black sedans!
Lovingly restored from Disney’s proof sheets, High Noon at Inferno Gulch also includes more than 50 pages of rootin’-tootin’ supplementary features! You’ll enjoy rare behind-the-scenes art, vintage publicity material, and vivid commentary by a pistol-packin’ posse of seasoned Disney scholars, including a Foreword by Thomas Andrae and an appreciation by the late Bill Blackbeard.
Walt Disney often said that his studio’s success “all started with a Mouse.” Now it’s time to rediscover the wild, unforgettable personality behind the icon!
Arthur Floyd Gottfredson (1905-1986) was an American cartoonist. He is known for his defining work on the Mickey Mouse newspaper strip, which he drew from 1929 to 1975, and mostly plotted himself from 1929 to 1945. His impact on the character of Mickey Mouse is often compared to the one that cartoonist Carl Barks had on Donald Duck. Because of the large international circulation of his strips, reprinted for decades in some European countries like Italy and France, Gottfredson can be seen as one of the most influential cartoonists of the 20th century. Many groundbreaking comic book artists, like Carl Barks and Osamu Tezuka, declared to have been inspired by his work.
Floyd Gottfredson grew up in a Mormon family from Utah. He started drawing as a kid on doctor's advice, as a form of rehabilitation after a sever injury, which left his dominant arm partially disabled for life. After taking some cartooning correspondence courses, teenage Floyd secured a job as cartoonist for the Salt Lake City Telegram. At age 23, Floyd moved to California with his wife and family. He interviewed at the Disney Studios, hoping to land a position as a comic strip artist, but was hired as in-between animator instead. In that period writer Walt Disney and artist Ub Iwerks were starting a series of daily syndicated newspaper comic strips featuring Mickey Mouse, the character the two had created for animation the year before. A few months into the publication of the strips however, Iwerks left the Studios. Walt decided then to promote Gottfredson to the role of Mickey Mouse strip penciler, remembering his original request at the job interview. Not long after that, Disney left the entire process of creation of the strip to Gottfredson, who would eventually become head of a small 'comic strips department' within the Disney Studios. Up to 1955, Mickey's strips were 'continuity adventures': the strips were not just self-contained gags, but they composed long stories that would stretch in the newspapers for months. In this context, Gottfredson had to developed Mickey's personality way beyond his animation counterpart. He made him an adventurer and multi-tasking hero, putting him in all kind of settings and genre-parodies: thriller, sci-fi, urban comedy, adventure in exotic lands, war stories, western, and so on. Gottfredson scripted the stories on his own for a few years, only getting help for the inking part of the process. (Most notably by Al Taliaferro, who will become himself the main artist on the Silly Symphonies and Donald Duck syndicated strips.) Starting from around 1932, Gottfredson worked with various writers, mostly Ted Osbourne and Merril deMarris, who provided scripts for the strips, while Floyd retained the role of plotter and penciler. Starting from 1945, Gottfredson left all writing duties to writer Bill Wash. In 1955, by request of the Syndicate, Mickey Mouse strips stopped being continuous stories, and became self-contained gag. Gottfredson would remain in his role of strip artist for twenty more years, up to his retirement in 1975. Gottfredson died in 1986, with his achievements going mostly unknown to the larger American public (as his strips were technically all signed 'Walt Disney'). In 2006, twenty years after his death, Floyd Gottfredson was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards Hall of Fame.
As the look of Mickey slowly evolves into a more modern look it kinda makes me sad. I like older styled Mickey! But he’s become more of an adventurers so that’s fun. Plus Goofy has arrived (Dippy Dawg currently). And even a little (too little) Donald. Who gets his own excellent strip and leaves Mickey eventually. This was a fun read.
Loved this one. As per the previous volume, Fantagraphics presentation of the material is beautiful to behold. The art looks fantastic and the quality of the books themselves are high quality. The strips re-printed in this volume are some real top notch adventure comics that would surprise many. Mickey battles everything from bandits in the old west to corrupt politicians in the newspaper industry.
Marvel and DC comics would do well to read these and see how to do a real adventure comic where story, art and character all mesh and work together. Highly recommended.
High Noon at Inferno Gulch é o terceiro volume da coleção das tiras históricas de Mickey, escrito e desenhado por Floyd Gottfredson, publicada pela editora americana Fantagraphics Books – portanto, exatamente no original, em preto e branco e em inglês.
As histórias deste volume, com aventuras de janeiro de 1934 a janeiro de 1936:
1. The captive castaways 2. Pluto’s rival 3. The Bat Bandit of Inferno Gulch 4. Bobo the elephant 5. The sacred jewel 6. Pluto the racer 7. Editor-in-grief 8. Race for riches 9. The pirate submarine
Entre as melhores, estão estas:
“The Bat Bandit of Inferno Gulch” Mickey vai ao velho “Oeste”, um tema muito popular, na época, a era dos grandes filmes de “bangue-bangue”. Mas o melhor é o bandido: todo de preto, com uma capa com grandes asas de morcego! A ideia veio de um filme de 1930, The Bat whispers, em que um mascarado atende por O Morcego, assim como o bandido, nesta história. Alguns anos depois, em 1939, seria criado outro herói dos quadrinhos com capa de morcego, o Batman! Seu autor, Bob Kane, também disse ter sido inspirado pelo mesmo filme. Acontece que esta história de Mickey é de 1934, precedendo o Batman em cinco anos! Ainda, é o começo de uma galeria de vilões mais complexos enfrentados por Mickey. Um bandido todo vestido de preto?? Esta ideia depois evoluiria para um vilão clássico, dos mais interessantes oponentes de Mickey!
“Editor-in-grief” Mickey adquire um jornal diário. O tema é tirado de situações reais da América da época: Al Capone havia sido preso apenas três anos antes. O jornal de Mickey combate a corrupção instalada no governo municipal e na própria polícia, e acaba empastelado por isso. Os bandidos vendem “proteção” ao melhor estilo gangster e, claro, são chefiados por… João Bafo-de-Onça. Aprende-se algo sobre a redação, impressão e distribuição de jornais – ainda que nos anos 30! Donald, por exemplo, em um traço bem inicial, entra como jornaleiro, daqueles que vendiam o jornal nas ruas, e que não existem mais. Pateta é o fotógrafo!
“The pirate submarine” Um pouco de ficção científica e grande aventura moderna, com navios e submarinos, além do impossível submaéreo. Mickey atua novamente junto ao Coronel Orelha (no original, o Capitão Doberman), em missão oficial. Este papel de Mickey como agente envolvido em problemas internacionais seria cada vez mais usado a partir desta história. Com uma ilha secreta com uma cratera e uma entrada submarina, há uma referência óbvia às Vinte mil léguas submarinas de Júlio Verne. E um ditador brutal querendo dominar o mundo, lembra alguma coisa em 1935?
Cada volume traz uma série de histórias originalmente publicadas em tiras diárias de jornais, reproduzidas no mesmo tamanho e em preto e branco. Além de ser uma preciosidade para entusiastas e colecionadores, a série é também uma excelente fonte de informação sobre os primeiros tempos dos quadrinhos, a evolução dos personagens, do trabalho dos autores e mesmo sobre a sociedade da época, já distante cerca de 80 anos!
Como sempre, há os detalhes de época a serem observados, como câmara fotográfica, os telefones, as roupas, os chapéus, ótimos automóveis, táxis, aviões, motocicletas e postos de gasolina. E, ao final de “Race for riches”, Mickey faz aniversário e ganha um então moderníssimo aparelho de… rádio! Com válvulas!
Além das tiras, há quase 30 páginas de material de alta qualidade: prefácio, apresentação de cada história, análises e artigos de especialistas, e mais extras como páginas alternativas, capas de outros países, histórias de outros artistas, etc.
Parte desta resenha se repete em outras da mesma série, por serem muitos volumes, de modo que os leitores podem eventualmente encontrar um ou outro, e não os demais. Cada uma, porém, tem detalhes específicos.
A Fantagraphics vem publicando duas séries de quadrinhos históricos Disney: a dos patos de Carl Barks (Donald, Tio Patinhas, etc.) e a do Mickey de Floyd Gottfredson. Desta, já foram publicados dez volumes, com mais dois em preparação, com cerca de 280 páginas. Todos podem ser encontrados isoladamente ou em caixas com dois volumes cada uma. A segunda caixa traz os volumes 3 e 4.
Existe outra coleção do Mickey histórico sendo publicada pela Editora Abril, um projeto original da Itália, que apresenta as histórias de Mickey traduzidas e colorizadas.
Referências
> Autores (variando por história) - - Roteiro e arte: Floyd Gottfredson - - Roteiro: Merril de Maris e Ted Osborne - - Arte: Ted Thwaites > Publicação original nos EUA (tiras diárias em jornais): 1934 a 1936. Nesta coleção, 2012. > Formato horizontal, grande, aproximadamente 27 x 22 cm, capa dura, em preto e branco (páginas extras em cores)
Coleções históricas Disney sendo publicadas
As diversas coleções históricas Disney atualmente existente podem ser encontradas na Amazon brasileira. As da Abril, integralmente, as da Fantagraphics, pelo menos em parte. Algumas em volumes individuais ou em caixas. Verifique sempre a disponibilidade.
Está indicado o primeiro volume de cada coleção. Neste volume, procure minha resenha, na qual estão listados os volumes e caixas publicados, com links para cada um.
1. “Os Anos de Ouro de Mickey” Em português, tradução de original italiano, a cores, Editora Abril > Mickey na ilha misteriosa *** R
2. “Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse by Floyd Gottfredson” Em inglês, em preto e branco, Fantagraphics (EUA) > Race to Death Valley] *** R
3. “The Complete Carl Barks Disney Library” Em inglês, em cores, em formato maior (aproximadamente 19 x 26 cm), Fantagraphics (EUA) > Christmas on Bear Mountain*** R
4. “Coleção Carl Barks defintiva” Em português, tradução da coleção da Fantagraphics, em cores, em formato reduzido (aproximadamente 16 x 24 cm), Editora Abril > Perdidos nos Andes *** R
*** R – Álbum já resenhado por mim. Para ler minha resenha, role a página do livro até que ela apareça.
A mix of high adventure and silly comedy, this book was a big trip through memory lane for me. I had forgotten some of these stories, others I’d never read. Save the essays until after reading the comics though—they spoil the stories pretty severely. I loved the extra Duck comic at the end too
More great Mickey Mouse adventures. Gottfredson's got a real skill for wedding humour and adventure/action, and for managing usually to have each strip offer a self-contained (more or less) sequence with punch line while also contributing to the ongoing narrative--harder than it looks. The bonus materials aren't as interesting this time out. It' sinteresting, for isntance, to see an Italian donald Duck sequence form the 1930s translated and printed as an example of something influenced by Gottfredson, but the story itself (Donald goes to Mars) is not a stand-out, and the Gottfredson connections seem tangential. Nevertheless, this book is gold for fans of Disney and/or fans of classic comic strips.
Still four stars... but it's a weak four stars. Compared to the first two volumes most of the stories just aren't that great. Whenever Mickey has to take care of an animal or make it #1 in some race it's usually very pedestrian. And unfortunately there are too many of that type of plots inside this collection.
However, the last story, "The Pirate Submarine" is a real highlight (and a childhood favourite of mine) and a sign for things to come. Because this is where, if I remember correctly, the Mickey Mouse strip really hits its stride.
Gottfredson's Mouse is a far, far cry from the Mickey of current: this one takes on a pirate ship, hunts for gold, fights gangsters in his hometown and laughs when said gangsters shoot up his newspaper building with tommy guns.
I'm not sure what else needs to be said to make it clear these volumes are awesome.
Three good storylines in this one--Bat Bandit, Editor-in-Grief, and Pirate Submarine--plus the usual selection of archival material and historical essays.