Walt Disney's Donald Duck: Duck Avenger Strikes Again

Disney Masters #8

by Romano Scarpa, Carl Barks

Donald Duck has a secret identity in this collection of short comics stories - the infamous super-anti-hero, Duck Avenger!
When Uncle Scrooge, to promote his wax museum, sends a robot double of Duck Avenger flying past Donald's house, Donald's secret is threatened! Can our hero use his high-tech Avenger gadgets to allay suspicion - or will hyper-lucky Gladstone Gander make things even worse? (Oh, yes, you know he will!) And, in "Ellsworth's Ornery Orphan," Mickey tells the distant desert tale of his mynah bird pal, Ellsworth - and a showdown with dread pirate Mozambeak! Then, a money-scented perfume sends Brigitta MacBridge and Scrooge to the isle of Bananaland in "The Other Golden Helmet" - Scarpa's one-and-only collaboration with Duck artist supreme Carl Barks! First time in English!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction

184 pages, Hardcover

Published June 18, 2019

About the author

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

Reviews

[Sha · Rating 3 out of 5]

17 Oct 2020

Story 1: Scrooge's wax museum isn't doing well so he installs a Duck Avenger statue after stirring up avenger controversy. Donald is understandably furious. The story's kinda basic and it makes Donald (perpetually broke) to be a bit more generous with money than he usually is. On the other hand, the Gladstone scenes at the end were hilarious. (3 stars)

Story 2: Ellsworth the mynah narrates the story about his time in the foreign legion. I really don't give a solitary fuck about Ellsworth. But this story, ft. found family was surprisingly sweet? (3 stars)

Story 3: Can I take the time to say I absolutely loathe the idea of Brigitta (man-crazy, will do anything for Scrooge, and doesn't even have the decency to be a gold digger) as a character? Especially since there was this one story where she meets Goldie and Goldie is old so she gives Brigitta her blessing? Gross. Let us kill this trope of the woman being so infatuated by a man who doesn't care for her that her actions revolve entirely around him.

The story was fairly fun apart from you know- the existence and history of Brigitta (who I don't hate- let me be clear; I hate that she was written that way which is an important distinction). Plenty of good gags and everything. The economics and technology though, somehow makes less sense than usual. You're telling me that Scrooge McDuck wants to be separated from his money? Come on dude. Don't break his old heart. (3 stars)

Gen Notes:
1. I'm just a complete sucker for all instances of Donald calling the boys things like "infants" or "microbes" or "amoebas" I find it both adorable and hilarious.

[Norman Cook · Rating 2 out of 5]

When you're used to the depth of storytelling of Carl Barks, anything else seems pale by comparison. Scarpa is considered one of the top Italian Disney artists, but I found these stories to be simply told and simply drawn, definitely aimed at a young audience. The first story about Donald's superhero alter ego, Duck Avenger, doesn't work for me because Donald is shown alternately a lazy goof and a competent hero. Barks constantly manipulated Donald's personality, but in separate stories, not within stories. One of the tales in this volume includes an idea Barks gave to Scarpa, but it's a very small part of a longer, silly story of how Uncle Scrooge is first coerced into engagement by his scheming girlfriend using perfume that smells like money then forced to rescue her from a race of banana-worshiping natives who live under the ocean.

[Nicholas Driscoll · Rating 2 out of 5]

Again, exploring other Duck creators, and again was pretty disappointed. I like Darkwing Duck--not so much the Duck Avenger. The story struck me as being incredibly stupid--and the backup stories didn't really capture my imagination, either, though it was interesting to see a new duck character who was trying to court Scrooge and who Carl Barks had a hand in creating.

[Tim Field · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m glad that Fantagraphics is reprinting the classic European Disney comics artists so I’ll finally get a chance to sample some of their best works. I’m sad that I derive so little enjoyment from most of their stories. Romano Scarpa’s art is fairly pedestrian in this volume, the stories are bland and he swipes too much of Carl Barks’ art in various panels.