Walt Disney Comics & Stories #184 (1956)

   I frankly have no idea which comic book I read first.

  With two older brothers and lots of cousins, comic books were always around, but I have no clear memories of them. I have vague memories of comics with Bugs Bunny, Tom and Jerry, the Road Runner and - of course - Donald Duck.

   It's possible (though unlikely) that this issue was one of those early "reads" - I really have no idea. (It was printed a few years before I actually starting reading.)

   I mean, comic books were everywhere when I was a kid. All my friends had some lying around, you could find them at the home of my Aunts and Uncles, my Grandparents, that summer camp we'd visit - they were almost impossible to get away from. 

   (Those were the days!)

   But now, at my (ahem) advanced age, it's difficult to remember those early titles. One of the problems is that the covers of all of those titles I listed usually had nothing to do with the interiors - so no help there.

   The Dell books also used a strange numbering system - for example, this issue has #184 on the cover - but the indicia says it's Vol. 16, No.  4. It confused me as a kid, and I'm not doing much better today.

     Despite being one of the older books in my collection, my copy is much more abused than the nice cover posted above (which I found online) - here's mine, which I picked up cheap at a convention somewhere.

   It was well worth whatever pittance I paid for it, even with only half a cover. The lead story is by the "Good Duck Artist," Carl Barks (or at least I'm pretty sure it's him). It's a classic "Donald tries to outwit his nephews" tale that's loaded with priceless gags. 

   There's also a Li'l Bad Wolf short, a Mickey and Goofy adventure and a story with Pluto, along with some one-page gags. All for a dime - what a deal!

   These were the stories that made for great comics, and launched more than a few of us onto a long life of reading and enjoying all kinds of comics!

   (But I'd still like to peek into the past and see which comic was first in line.)

Grade: A

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The Classics - Walt Disney's Comics and Stories (Vol. 20) #3

   One of the things older collectors like to do, when tracking down old reading copies at comics conventions, is find the comics thy read when they were very young.

   But I've long since accepted that it's just not going to happen - mostly because I can't remember what some of those issue were - especially the ones based on beloved cartoon characters.

   I read quite a few issues of Donald Duck, Bugs Bunny and their pals when i was a child - but the covers were generic and rarely connected to the story within, so it's tough to remember which ones I read.

   And the numbering systems are pretty wonky - you have to be a dedicated fan to sort out some of the systems.

   As an example, here's an issue of Walt Disney's Comics and Stories I picked up at a comics convention this summer.

   It's issue #3! But wait, it's Volume 20. Published in 1959 with a cover price listed as "Still 10¢," it's a terrific deal! It's in rough shape, but complete and perfectly readable. The cost: $1.

   It includes a funny story that places Donald (and his nephews) in a new position as a Night Watchman at a horrific wax museum. Disaster ensues as wax figures disappear - and a costume party springs up next door! Oh, and it's a Carl Barks story. There are no credits, but there's no mistaking the Duck Man.

   The second story stars Scamp, the son of Lady and the Tramp, as he gets into mischief with a couple of kittens next door. It's cute, and the art is lovely.

   The third story features Chip 'n' Dale (long before they became Rescue Rangers). They're freezing as winter moves in, so they go in search of warmer lodging.

   The final story is a Mickey Mouse adventure (co-starring Goofy), and what's most interesting to me is that it's a continued story! WDC&S carried these serials that would run for many months - I don't know that I ever saw a complete story run as a kid. But they kept them simple, and a paragraph at the beginning brings you up to speed quickly. They're ingenious! This time around, Mickey is trying to track Black Pete down to his secret lair, but is having no luck - but he has a plan! It's a fast and fun adventure.

   Toss in a one-page gag and a text story, and you have a lot of value for your dime (or dollar)! I don't think I read this one as a kid, but happily, these comics are still lots of fun for those of us who are just overgrown kids at heart.

Grade: A-

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Donald Duck #1

   It's great to see the Duck family (Uncle Scrooge and, of course, Donald Duck) back in print.

   I also like that the series is "double numbering" - the cover displays both #1 and #368 (if only more comics did this) - so the publisher, IDW, gets the "first issue" bragging rights, and longtime fans get the continuation of the original series.

   There are three stories included here, including: one that puts Donald in the role of a journalist who isn't really a journalist; one that has Donald ineptly trying to shoot a funny video (but who's the real patsy?); and Donald trying to tackle some DIY projects.

   The stories are fun, and the only mark against them is that the issue doesn't include any stories by Carl Barks or Don Rosa.

   But that's a minor quibble - the stories are high energy, with terrific art. Lots of fun for readers of all ages!

Grade: B+

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The Classics - Walt Disney's Donald in Mathmagic Land

Since I had two older brothers, when I was a kid, comic books were always around the house.

I have no idea which comic might have been the first one I read, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was a cartoon-based character like Bugs Bunny, the Road Runner, or one of the Disney characters.

The problem with those issues is that they didn't have specific covers (they were all generic and had nothing to do with the stories within) or issue numbers on the cover, so I only have vague memories of which issues I read.

This comic is one of the rare exceptions. I always like Donald Duck best of all the Disney cartoon characters (sorry, Mickey), though I don't remember which issues I read - with one exception. This one I distinctly remember reading. (Which is something of a surprise, since it wasn't created by the "Good Duck Artist" - Carl Barks.)

Walt Disney's Donald in Mathmagic Land was originally published in 1959 (according to the indicia), but this isn't the original issue I read. My copy had long ago vanished, so I picked up this one several years back at a comics convention (for the princely sum of three bucks).

The comic tackles the difficult task of making mathematics interesting and fun - and amazingly, it succeeds!

(By the way, I'm not sure if the comic was created before or after the animated version, though I assume the cartoon came first. Both were released in 1959, but the animated film would take longer to create.)

After being tricked out of money by Uncle Scrooge McDuck, Donald realizes he needs to learn more about math, and courtesy of an extended dream sequence, he gets the grand tour, and learns about the origins of numbers and the beginnings of geometry and algebra.

It manages to keep a sometimes-difficult subject interesting and accessible - I remember reading it over and over as a kid!

I wonder how many engineers and scientists got their first spark of inspiration from this comic? (I almost went into engineering myself, until I was scared off in college by a Calculus III class.)

It was a precursor of the Schoolhouse Rocks videos that ABC-TV ran during Saturday morning cartoons.

Education and entertainment wrapped in one package - it's a concept that's now as common as a walk down Sesame Street!

Grade: A

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