IDW is doing the proverbial “Lord’s work” by bringing us these previously unavailable Disney stories with a brand new translation from their original Italian. Each issue of Walt Disney Showcase collects two different stories from one Disney mascot with each story handled by a different creative team. In the first three issues, we palled around with Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, and The Beagle Boys. Issue number four drops hard with two Goofy-filled stories that are weirder than anything you can imagine.
“A Pocket in Time” (from Italian Topolino 2478, 2003) and :Vacation Frustrations” (from Italian Topolino 2950, 2012) journey us into the zany, yet familiar, goings-on of the lovable Goof-man himself. Now, a simple story featuring our favorite chuckle-dog would have been good enough, but this juicy tale chronicles two members of the Goof-family: Goofy (regular) and Arizona Goof, his adventuring cousin derived most likely from Indiana Jones. That’s two Goofs for the price of one. In the comedy world, this is called a hat on a hat, but in the big wide world of Disney, this is called ideal. H’yuck!
I want to stress that these stories are weird, especially for Disney. It is hard to know what the expectation is going into a Disney comic book in 2018, especially one that was taken from a much earlier Italian Disney comic book. Either way, set your expectations to “whack.” These stories go to the end of the universe and back and showcase characters that you might not be familiar with. For example, have you ever heard of Eega Beeva? He is a time-traveling caveman with one giant toe per foot! If this excites you, then buy this book immediately, because Eega Beeva is all over “A Pocket in Time.”
I am particularly fond of “Vacation Frustrations.” The framing of this story heavily implies Goofy has a vlog and posts to it regularly. This is everything. This story also features a gorgeous parade of characters that showcases everyone from Mickey to, you guessed it, Clarabelle Cow. You are going to love Walt Disney Showcase if you want to get weird with a series whose presentation simply drips with nostalgia.
Creative Team: Augusto Macchetto (writer), Giorgio Salati (writer), Massimo De Vita (art), Stefano Intini, Travis and Nicole Seitler (letters)
Publisher: IDW
Click here to purchase.
