Written by Ian Brill
Drawn by James Silvani
SC, 24pgs, FC, SRP: $3.99
COVER A: Magic Eye Studios
COVER B: James SilvaniYou demanded it. And BOOM! Studios delivers. Don’t miss the long-awaited, much requested return of your favorite, Darkwing Duck. Once St. Canard’s greatest protector, Darkwing Duck was known the world over as ‘The Terror That Flaps In The Night.’ Now, mysteriously, DW has not been seen or heard from in well over a year — and St. Canard finds that evil is once again on the rise. But when a nefarious plan threatens everyone, Darkwing Duck knows it’s time for the Duck Knight to return! ‘Let’s Get Dangerous!’ with Disney and BOOM! Studios as one of Disney’s most beloved characters makes a comeback in his own not-to-be-missed original ongoing series!
Click behind the cut for my thoughts on the first issue of The Duck Knight’s returns.
Do you ever get strong feelings of nostalgia for the shows that you used to watch as a kid. We on this website have experienced that before, such as when David reviewed the first issue of Fraggle Rock. While we don’t want to let nostalgia get the better of us when making impartial reviews as “elite” members of the press, one can’t help but get excited when a book revives an element of our childhood.
Such is the case with the first issue of Ian Brill, James Silvani, and BOOM! Studios’ revival of Darkwing Duck.
Now, without getting too much of a nostalgic fool about it, let’s break the issue down. Picking up some time after where the series has ended, Darkwing Duck has become irrelevant due to advances in technology and law enforcement, with all the villains going underground. Mallard now works for the same company everyone else works for. With new robotic beings patrolling the streets, there is no room for Darkwing Duck and Launch Pad to dish out high quality vigilante justice. This leaves Mallard in a funk… until a series of unfortunate events lead to the possible reintroduction of Darkwing Duck, as well as the return of some familiar faces to the scene.
Right off the bat, I’d like to point you in the direction of one of the big opening scenes:
I think this captures what you can expect from the comic in a nutshell. For those who are fans of Darkwing Duck, the immediate sense that this is exactly like the cartoon will set in as you begin to read. It captures the feel and the humor of the show, as well as the look quite perfectly. While the duo behind the title have not (to my knowledge/research) worked on the show themselves, they bring forth an excellent representation of the source material, much to my delight as the reader. The artwork shines and looks like it was brought straight from the television and onto the page, and the hilarious and tongue-in-cheek superhero parody present in the original cartoon is readily available.
One thing that I should point out – don’t go in expecting any kind of straight up parody of Frank Miller. I know that I, to some extent, definitely expected that, and I’d actually pleasantly say that I was wrong in doing so. In fact, outside of the variant and inside cover as well as the title, there really is no thematic connection to that work at all. As humorous as it may be to see a buffed out and old version of Darkwing, it doesn’t seem appropriate. The comic really wants to further where the series left off, and provide entertainment to both old and new fans alike. This is very much it’s own being, and I prefer it that way.
In all honesty, this bodes well for both BOOM!’s content as well as the future of the series. While I do not know how long the book plans to run for (edit/update: I’ve been informed that it will be an on-going), I for one look forward to the future of the book. It’s a funny and fresh start, and one that definitely warrants watching for the future. If you’re a fan of DW, don’t miss out on this opportunity to rekindle that old flame, as this is definitely the “kids comic” you’re going to want to get your hands on.
Final Verdict: 8.3 – Buy
