Disney Masters Vol. 1: Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: The Delta Dimension

Disney Masters #1

by Romano Scarpa

When Mickey’s town is hit by a blizzard of strange glowing snow, everyone thinks it’s a publicity stunt. But genius Dr. Einmug knows better: Pegleg Pete is on the loose with Einmug’s weather-control secrets! Only Mickey and Einmug’s mysterious companion ― the odd little Atomo Bleep-Bleep ― can save the day before a poison rainstorm wipes Mouseton off the map! Romano Scarpa (1927–2005) took over for Floyd Gottfreson and spun out decades’ worth of new Mickey action epics ― most of which have never been available in English! This volume also reunites Mickey, Atomo, and Pete for Scarpa’s “The Bleep-Bleep 15" and “The Fabulous Kingdom of Shan-Grilla," two internationally famous tales making their North American debut!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

208 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 9, 2018

About the author

Romano Scarpa was one of the most famous Italian creators of Disney comics.

Reviews

[Shadowdenizen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pre-Read: Confession time! I've always been a Ducks more than Mouse fan. (I'm getting the Carl Barks and Don Rosa compilations as they are released.) But I recall liking the previous Scarpa stories I read, and Fantagraphics has been a good steward of the Disney compilations, so figured I'd give this volume a chance!

Post-Read: Scarpa's stuff is as good as I remembered it to be! This was a fun, enjoyable read, and I'll have to give the mouse his due more in the future!

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm glad that Fantagraphics has started this series of Disney Masters reprints. Often, Disney comics are reduced to the works of Floyd Gottfredson's Mickey Mouse newspaper strips, Carl Barks' Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge comic books, and, more recently, Don Rosa's comic books featuring the Duck family. However, there are thousands of pages of Disney comics, most published outside the US and not in English, that represent some really great work on those characters, often inspired by those seminal artists.

This volume focuses on the work of Romano Scarpa, a major Italian Mickey Mouse artist. Featuring three stories produced in the mid to late 50s, these long adventures are clearly inspired by the work of Floyd Gottfredson. Fast-paced and exciting, they showcase Mickey as a two-fisted crimefighter, unhesitatingly leaping into action to combat the schemes of Pete, his arch-enemy. All three stories here feature Pete, which unfortunately gives three otherwise completely different stories a sort of samey quality.

Of the three stories, I felt The Delta Dimension and Kingdom of Shan-Grilla were the standouts. The former is a science fiction mystery, while the latter tells the tale of an expedition to a lost world reminiscent of Barks' long Duck stories. The middle story, the Bleep-Bleep 15, was fun enough, but I felt like it meandered a bit at the beginning, which is why, overall, I give this book three stars. I liked it, but it could have been that big better to earn that fourth star.

Disney purists will no doubt have some issues with some modern phrases in the translation. They made me raise an eyebrow as well, but not enough to harm my enjoyment of the stories. The reproduction of the art seems flawless; I imagine Disney keeps very good archives of their comics. The art itself is dynamic and animated, conveying a lot of the humor.

I grew up reading Disney comic books, so this series is right up my alley. It's a great presentation of some excellent material. I believe we have another volume of Scarpa Mickey stories coming up in a few months, and I'm excited to read those, now that my appetite has been whet.

[Nathan Dehoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first in the Disney Masters series showcases the work of one of the most prolific Italian writers and artists of Disney comics. Included are two stories featuring Atomo Bleep-Bleep, Scarpa's answer to Eega Beeva, a time traveler from the future who appeared in Floyd Gottfredson's Mickey comics. Atomo is actually a super-enlarged atom with a personality, a result of experiments by Dr. Einmug in the Delta Dimension. He also had a twin brother, Atomo Bloop-Bloop, who had a rebellious streak to contrast with Bleep-Bleep's friendly, studious attitude. The introduction story has Bloop-Bloop teaming up with Pete to alter reality, and Mickey and Bleep-Bleep have to stop them. When the atom turns against Pete, the villain shrinks him back down, but Bleep-Bleep remains as a supernaturally-powered sidekick for Mickey. The comic ends with an amusing sequence of Mickey and Pete in an extended fight scene that they have to keep interrupting for various reasons. Another story has Mickey visit the mystical city of Shan-Grilla, which is in a book and movie that the author based on a story from his grandfather that he thought was totally made up. Hey, isn't there already Tralla La in Uncle Scrooge comics? While Tralla La, like its namesake, is said to be in the Himalayas, however, Shan-Grilla appears to be in or near Alaska. This tale features another Scarpa creation, Pete's girlfriend Trudy Van Tubb. She was introduced in 1960, long before Goof Troop gave Pete a wife. In this comic, she follows Mickey because she's sure he'll eventually find Pete, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, showing a good amount of awareness on her part.

[Jeff Lewonczyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like many of the other reviewers, when it comes to Disney comics I'm more of a duck fan than a mouse fan, though I've long admired Floyd Gottfredson's Mickey strips. Scarpa is Gottfredson's Italian heir, and his stories have a briskness and verve that I really enjoy (though some of the anachronisms in the new English translation were a bit jarring). I was looking for a breezy distraction during a dark week, and these breezy sci-fi capers certainly did the trick.

[Lindsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really didn't care for this that much. I have really enjoyed the Uncle Scrooge and Donald Duck comics by Carl Barks and Don Rosa, so I thought I would give this a shot, but I found the stories lacking something. Maybe it was just the running theme of Atomo Bleep-Bleep and the Delta Dimension that didn't appeal to me. I wouldn't be opposed to trying a different volume of Scarpa's work.

[T.J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Old-fashioned fun and wacky adventures starring Mickey, Minnie, Pegleg Pete, and introducing Atomo Bleep Bleep from the Delta Dimension. The artwork is really expressive and dramatic, with bright and dynamic colors. The final story in this collection is like an Indiana Jones romp with Pete taking over the secret city of Shangri-la. It's up to Mickey to save the day, y'all!

[reveurdart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely. I needed a pick-me-up book and this did the trick. I'm more of a duck fan but I do love me some Mickey mysteries! The stories were all originally published in Italian in the 1950s and 1960s. I've always loved Scarpa's work, so this was a real treat.

[Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really classic Disney comic art of the 50s and 60s and the story is of the period as well. This it is dated but in a charming way. If you're looking for some really inventive comics this ain't that. Scarpa is good but no Gottfredson or Barks but is whimsical and fun.

[Historic Hummingbird · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lol I loved it! SO funny!