Darkwing Duck

• Title: Darkwing Duck Annual #1
• Comic Vine: link
• Writers: Ian Brill, Tad Stones
• Artists: James Silvani, Sabrina Alberghetti

What you usually want from an annual is an extra-sized adventure with something special enough to justify picking it up. BOOM!’s first annual for Darkwing Duck doesn’t disappoint.

The main story pits Darkwing Duck against Quackerjack who has decided to attack the toy company who drove him insane and started his life of crime. The villain is armed with an invention that transforms people into dolls meaning our hero will need all the help he can get – even from Quackerjack’s girlfriend?

Also included here is a short B-story about a criminal who uses a turtle to travel through time and a kind letter at the end of the comic to Darkwing fans everywhere, both written by the Darkwing Duck creator Tad Stones.

Not all annuals are worth picking up (in fact some I wouldn’t even use to line a birdcage), but this one delivers. The main story continues the wacky fun of the new series, and I got a kick at seeing the original creator of the show get dangerous one more time (if only for a few pages). Worth a look.

[BOOM!, $4.99]

• Title: Darkwing Duck #9
• Comic Vine: link
• Writer: Ian Brill
• Artist: James Silvani

After a brief meeting with an image consultant in an attempt to clean up his image after the army of Darkwings helped demolish large sections of St. Canard. Next up for our hero: an unlikely team-up with an agent of F.O.W.L.

Things must really be bleak if Steelbeak is willing to turn on his own criminal organization and befriend the duck who has thwarted his criminal enterprises for years. So what could be so awful, so unthinkable? F.O.W.L. has decided to use dark magic to bring forth… Duckthulhu!

Okay, I’ll grant you that this isn’t a great idea for a story, but I actually enjoyed Darkwing Duck and Steelbeak together on the same side, and the plot for this story arc (even if it makes me groan) does allow this to happen. It also gives us a chance for a harebrained scheme and the pair behind overwhelmed by an army of Eggmen.

Throw in the funny opening with the Duck Draper (which goes over as badly as you’d expect) as well as the reactions of both Gosalyn and Morgana Macawber to being taken for granted, and there’s more than enough here that’s worth a look.

[BOOM $3.99]

• Title: Darkwing Duck #8
• Comic Vine: link
• Writer: Ian Brill
• Artist: James Silvani

The conclusion of “The Crisis on Infinite Darkwings” is as crazy as it sounds as various versions of Darkwing Duck from every different parallel world (my favorite might be The Doctor Darkwing) band together to stop the “uber evil” of Paddyquack and the giant version of Negaduck from destroying St. Canard.

Taken from film, television, comics, and even (gasp!) classic literature, there’s a variety Darkwings adding the zaniness paying homage to everything from The Wizard of Oz to Davy Crockett. And, in true Darkwing style, all of his city saving antics only bring more people to distrust his intentions. I’m a little disappointed with the apparent end of Gosalyn‘s adventures in the Gizmoduck armor as “Gosmoduck,” but that’s really my only complaint.

Crazy fun all around, and once again the comic delivers with yet another very cool old school Batman-inspired variant cover (this one by Diego Jourdan).

[Boom $3.99]

• Title: Darkwing Duck #4
• Comic Vine: link

Darkwing Duck‘s return to crime-fighting continues in an issue filled to the brim with baddies (Megavolt, Bushroot, Quackerjack, The Liquidator, and Taurus Bulba), surprises (guard dogs riding guard flamingos, an appearance of the GizmoDuck armor under the the command of Gosalyn), action aplenty, and even a cameo by Scrooge McDuck and his three nephews.

All in all, not too shabby. Oh, and did I mention we finally get an appearance of NegaDuck, too? Darkwing and the gang save the day, but it appears more evil is lurking in the shadows. Worth a look.

[BOOM! $3.99]

• Title: Darkwing Duck #1
• Comic Vine: link
• Writer: Ian Brill
• Artist: James Silvani

Darkwing Duck is long retired, the city of St. Canard is now protected by overzealous robots known as Crimebots. Since shunning the public spotlight our hero has taken a job as a “Data Accounts Networking Officer” spending most of his time dealing principal calls concerning Gosalyn’s latest antics at school and daydreaming about his glory days when he fought a giant monster rabbits or when had his arm was transformed into a snake. Ah, those were the days.

Good first issue from the folks at BOOM! Studios setting up the world of Darkwing Duck and reminding us all why it needs a hero who quacks in the night. Ian Brill has captured the humor of the old cartoon and the art by James Silvani is near perfect. Definitely worth a look. In fact, response was so good BOOM! decided after one issue to forgo the initial concept of a four-issue mini-series and immediately green-lit Darkwing Duck as an ongoing monthly series. Hopefully the terror that flaps in the night will continue to do so for a very long time.

[BOOM! $3.99]