Creative Team: Ian Brill (W), Leonel Castellani (A)
Boom!, ongoing, starts in December
Sometimes some crimes go slipping through the cracks but Boom! Studios is bringing back the gumshoes who can pick up the slack. Boom! struck gold with Darkwing Duck and now they are taking a chance on another of the Disney afternoon lineup with Chip ’n Dale Rescue Rangers. I could not be more excited about this.
When I was little I had a Chip 'n Dale themed birthday party. I’m sure I saw every episode multiple times. I was in love with this show. It’s probably one of the reasons I am so in love with detective fiction. I also loved this show because the girl on the team was smart and unique and not just some sort of token female. It was easily my favorite show on TV.
The series is being written by the same writer as the Darkwing Duck comic. So far I have been impressed with the voice and the story in that comic, so I look forward to seeing what he can do here. We have three sample covers from the artist, and I must say that the style seems just about perfect.
The story is being crafted so that readers new to the characters can fall in love with them and those of us who are already familiar with them can fall in love all over again. If you enjoyed the Disney afternoon lineup you should give this one a look, because the success of Rescue Rangers could pave the way for such titles as TailSpin, Gummi Bears, or Goof Troop in the future.
So stayed tuned and check in in December when we are reminded that there is no case too big and no case too small for the Rescue Rangers!
I almost feel I don’t need to be making an article about this series. When it was announced that Boom! Studios would be releasing a 4 issue miniseries starring DW called “The Duck Knight Returns” the internet exploded. This seems to be one of those “duh” projects that everyone was waiting for. It sort of seems like an excuse to print money, since, let’s face it, I love Darkwing Duck and so do you.
What’s more, the buzz surrounding this project has been so intense that it has been upgraded from miniseries to ongoing BEFORE the first issue has even hit stores. This decision was made based on the preorder numbers from issue one alone. So the buzz is already that insane. I’ve never heard of anything like this before, so it’s pretty exciting.
The comic is set about a year after the end of the TV series and a lot has changed. Drake Mallard has given up being Darkwing and St. Canard is under the control of a nefarious corporation. And of course when evil rears its ugly head, it’s time to get dangerous once again (I never get tired of saying that). The story promises to feature a selection of Darkwing’s fantastic rouges gallery in the first arc with more to come later.
Based on interviews with the writer Ian Brill and artist James Silvani it seems like there is a lot of love for this project. With so much buzz I’m sure there is an unbelievable amount of pressure to please the fans. A lot of eyes are on this project but they seem to be confident that they can deliver the terror that flaps in the night every month. They’re working hard to “make sure the comic has the same feel of anarchic fun of the TV series, while still presenting a whole new adventure in the life of Darkwing.”
It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost 20 years since the show first aired. If the buzz continues to grow like this maybe Disney will finally release the third season of the TV show on DVD. Here’s hoping that this will help introduce a whole new generation to the wonders of Darkwing Duck. If you know a kid who would love this (and honestly who wouldn’t?) you should pick them up a copy when you go buy yours.
The first issue (available for preview) hits June 16th, so better watch out you bad boys!
