Bringing ‘Here in Duckburg’ to an End…Sorta

Hey folks, I wanted to take a moment to let you know that I’m closing shop on Here in Duckburg in order to switch gears a little. I originally started up the blog a couple of years ago to talk comics, with an emphasis on Disney comics, Usagi Yojimbo, and other interests of mine. I had a great time posting about all of this, and won’t completely stop posting about it as I plan to keep covering Usagi, Disney, Independent books and creators, and several others over at my Follow That Raven blog spot. There I plan to combine my interests in comics with my interest in speculative fiction, where I hope things will mesh pretty well and I can talk about books and comics together, streamlining things a bit. Duckburg will remain there for all intents and purposes.

I wanted to thank everyone that’s visited for stopping by, and for all of your support of the site. I hope you’ll make the jump over to Follow That Raven if you’ve enjoyed your time here and that I’ll be talking to you soon!

Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers from Boom! Studios

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, outside of a number of quality hardcover reprint editions of classic Donald, Scrooge, and Mickey material (that I’ve had to purchase online for the added discount given the hefty price tags) I’ve been underwhelmed with the monthly Disney comics featuring the classic Disney characters as interpreted by modern creators that Boom! Studios has been putting out. I hate to say that, but I just haven’t had the same kind of enthusiasm for these new stories that I did for the new(er) material that Gemstone was releasing alongside the classic reprints month in and month out.

That said, I have to admit that I was really glad to hear that Boom! was bringing back Duck Tales in the pages of Uncle Scrooge and was surprised when they later announced that a Darkwing Duck mini (now an ongoing series) was in the works as well and was being written by Ian Brill (a huge fan of the original animated source material). That was enough to impress me, but then this weekend they went and announced a new Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers ongoing and I could do nothing but smile. I grew up loving that classic Disney animation block and with creators at the helm that are exciting about returning to each of these characters, coupled with the quality artwork that has followed in the previews, I think its safe to say that I’ll be giving these a try in the collected format and that if they impress as much as I’m hoping they will — that I’ll happily say some good words about them here to offset some of my criticism of other aspects of the line.

Debuting in 1989, Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers re-imagined Disney’s long-running chipmunk troublemakers as a detective duo, joined by a couple of mice — cheese-loving adventurer Monterey Jack and spunky inventor Gadget — and a surprisingly helpful housefly named Zipper. The show was one of Disney’s many syndicated animated hits of that era; running for 65 episodes, spawning a couple of NES games and getting 19 issues of a comic from Disney’s short-lived comic book publishing division. Twenty years later, BOOM! Studios is following up on the success of their Darkwing Duck comic and debuting a new Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers ongoing series this December, from Darkwing writer Ian Brill and with Leonel Castellani (Super Hero Squad) on art. Newsarama contacted Brill to find out if there’s still no case too big, no case too small.

You can read the rest of the interview here. And be on the lookout for Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers this December.

Francavilla and “Skeleton Cases” in Detective Comics

I’m going to have to watch this one closely to see how DC collects the Commissioner Gordon back-up feature, “Skeleton Cases” because I definitely don’t want to miss this. Francesco Francavilla’s Toth-esque art immediately blew me away when I stumbled upon it in the pages of The Black Coat ~ 2006 and I’ve been following his work closely ever since over on Pulp Sunday from week to week. He’s one of the most creative talents in comics, and teaming up with writer Scott Snyder, I reckon this is going to be a heck of a fun ride. Can’t wait to make space on my book shelf for this one.

More on Detective Comics: Skeleton Cases from Francesco via The Source:

I have been a fan of everything Batman since… ever! I’ve also been a fan as of late of the terrific storytelling of that talented fella known as Scott Snyder, so you can imagine my reaction when I got the invitation to be part of this run of DETECTIVE COMICS. I pinched myself, then asked my wife to pinch me, and only then did I realize it was real. All I can say is–can’t wait to start on this! I read Scott’s script and… you guys are in for a treat!

Look for it this November!

Help Yoshinori Ono Create a New Darkstalkers Game!

“I am desperate to make this game!” – Yoshinori Ono

You may have heard of Yoshinori Ono, he’s the man responsible for pushing and producing Capcom’s Street Fighter and most recently the wildly successful Street Fighter IV. Pick an interview and you’ll witness the passion he carries for these games and characters — a drive that has led him to create the most critically acclaimed fighting games around.

And apparently he’d love to revisit the Darkstalkers franchise, Capcom’s quirky 2D fighting games featuring their zany take on familiar monster conventions. The only problem is that the ‘higher-ups’ want to make sure that there’s demand for the game, particularly here in the U.S., before giving him the go ahead. And that’s where we come in. On any given day there are several hundred people reading the blog (and I appreciate all that take the time to stop by and visit) so if even one of  you good folks can take a moment of your day to help show your support for a new Darkstalkers game then the time I took to type this up was more than worth it.

You can do that by visiting Capcom’s official blog and posting on the “Ask Capcom” forum and tell them sincerely about your interest in the game. Capcom is one of the few video game companies that takes an awful lot of their time hanging out and shooting the breeze with their fans, as well as listening to their praise, concerns and criticisms, so its likely that someone will see your post and it will be one more indicator that we would like to see a new Darkstalkers game. One additional person voicing their opinion in the affirmative would be a big help. Three to four hundred doing so would be huge.

Thanks for considering it, and hopefully I’ll have some good news to report in the months and years to come about the game!

Batman: Arkham Asylum Sequel Get’s a Title

Well that’ll get the blood boiling — in a good way. Batman: Arkham Asylum was one of the most entertaining games I’ve ever played (I still can’t get enough of the extra detective mode challenges) so it’s an understatement to say that “I can’t wait” for…Batman: Arkham City!

Here’s the official press release:

You’ve played the first game. You’ve seen the teaser trailers. Now we’ve got a title for the most highly anticipated video game sequel in years.

Today, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment announced BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY as the title for the follow-up to the award winning and critically acclaimed videogame BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM.

The game, which will be available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC next fall and developed by Rocksteady Studios, expands upon the gritty, atmospheric scenery and characterization that catapulted BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM to the forefront. It is set in a sequestered section of Gotham City that has become the home for the criminally insane. Players are introduced to a brand new story that bring together an ensemble cast of characters and villains from the Batman universe, as well as enhanced gameplay features that build upon the ultra-realistic Dark Knight experience that fans enjoyed with BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM.

Dragon Quest Adventure Log: 7/31 DQ Sampling Event

I don’t often get a chance to participate in some of the interesting comic and gaming events that go on here in the North Texas area, and normally I’m alright with that, but as you’re probably well aware of by now the Dragon Quest series holds a special place in my heart and it just so happened that a local Gamestop was participating in one of the Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies (DS) “Sampling Events” that took place Saturday 7/31.

These events were set up so that you could take your copy of the game to the designated area and download a special map that Nintendo was offering (a dungeon adding extra content to the game) as well as “tag” other Dragon Quest players and download any extra dungeons that they had unlocked in their play through the game. You could also link up with the worlds other fans were playing in and battle with each other to gain more experience, loot, etc. (I didn’t have the time to try this but others were definitely having fun battling together). It was really cool to be able to participate in something like this and I ended up with ~ 5 extra maps for my effort, including the official one Nintendo offered.

But that wasn’t all that was great about spending ~ an hour checking out the DQ event. In addition, Nintendo and Square-Enix provided some Dragon Quest goodies for the fans that attended. The first handful were given a classic blue slime t-shirt (happy to say that I was one of them) and most were awarded a DQIX poster, sticker sheet and introduction booklet for coming. I didn’t expect anything like that and really appreciate Nintendo and Square-Enix’ extra effort in setting this up. I’ll proudly be adding these items to my Dragon Quest collection (which I’ll definitely have to show you guys at some point) and keeping an eye on any future events like this that I may be able to participate in. And anything that will allow me to enjoy more time with the game, like those 5 extra maps, is that much more icing on an already fantastic cake.

Fantagraphics to Publish Gottfredson’s Mickey Strips

We’re always looking for great Disney comic strip news here at the blog, and the news that Fantagraphics will be reprinting Floyd Gottfredson’s black & white Mickey Mouse strips in their entirety is among the best that I can bring your way:

Fantagraphics Books announced this afternoon from Comic-Con International, via Twitter, that it has partnered with Disney to publish the complete Mickey Mouse comic strips by Floyd Gottfredson, the cartoonist renowned for his defining work on the character. He is to Mickey Mouse comics what Carl Barks is to Donald Duck comics. Gottfredson was 24 years old when he was assigned to the fledgling Mickey Mouse strip in 1930, and continued to work on it for the next 45 years. During his long tenure, he introduced such characters as the miserly Eli Squinch, Mickey’s nephews Morty and Ferdie Fieldmouse, Chief O’Hara and the Phantom Blot. Gottfredson retired in 1975, and passed away in 1986 at age 81.

Fantagraphics will begin releasing the collections in May 2011.

The Rocketeer Anthology

If you’re a Rocketeer fan, it just doesn’t come much better than the news that came out of SDCC this week! I know I’ve been waiting, what, 20-years for an announcement like this to come along, and I’m pretty much beside myself after stumbling across the news. And hopefully, it’s just the beginning:

Even as IDW Publishing debuted “Rocketeer: The Artist’s Edition” at Comic-Con International in San Diego, an oversized book that reproduces creator Dave Stevens’ linework for the entire series, the publisher also announced that next year it will publish a four-issue anthology series of new Rocketeer stories. Covers will be painted by Alex Ross, and each issue will include three tales by some of comics’ top talent. CBR News spoke with editor Scott Dunbier about the upcoming title.

And with talent like Mike Allred, Bill Willingham, Bruce Timm, Darwyn Cooke, Alex Ross and other industry legends attached this is a no-brainer through and through. Though in the case that’s not enough to draw you in, perhaps the news that all the effort that goes into the project will benefit a very worth cause will be further incentive:

The return of Stevens’ classic hero and the talent involved might make “The Rocketeer” an enticing comic, but buying each issue will also contribute to a worthy cause. ‘Dave Stevens died at the age of 52 after battling leukemia for a number of years. One of the things that was very important to Dave’s mother, Carolyn, was that this be a book where a portion of the profits would go directly to Hairy Cell Leukemia research’, Dunbier said. ‘That’s something that we, with the estate, are making happen, and with the cooperation of the creators involved, as well.’

There’s little else I can do to voice my excitement than to quote good ‘ol Cliff himself: “I like it!”

Dragon Quest IX (DS) Adventure Log #1

Let’s see, I’ve had Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies for a little over a week now, and I’m happy to report that — for me — it’s more than living up to all the expectations I had placed on it as a huge fan of the series, and as a big fan of Level 5’s work (who worked on one of my all-time favorites, Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King for the PS2). I’ve been hard pressed to put it down since unwrapping it last week and any time I can catch a few uninterrupted minutes of free time on a break or what not I try to fire it up.

As for where I am in the game for anyone that’s playing: I just reached Cap’n Max Meddlin’, “swashbucklin’, seafarin’ collector of only the miniest o’ medals” at Dourbridge and am leveling up in the fields and caves nearby before tackling the next boss. My party consists of the a minstrel (the silent hero) who I named Roto after the original DQ warrior, a green haired female warrior named Lyn, a blue haired female thief named Natasha, and a priest named T’ Challa. Most are hovering around Lv. 24 and I’m having an awful lot of fun upgrading their weapons and armor just as the creators knew we would.

Someone recently described the Dragon Quest series as something of a ‘game you play as a vacation from games’ and I have to agree wholeheartedly with that summation. The DQ games are always a return to fun, a joy to play and chock full of charm. With all the new features, it’s still a series that unapologetically revels in what has worked so well for it for over 20 years now and I couldn’t be happier.

Chris Samnee & Thor, the Mighty Avenger

I’ve been following Chris Samnee’s art since stumbling upon it in the pages of Marvel’s Agents of Atlas and on Comic Twart (where he, Francesco Francavilla, Evan “Doc” Shaner, and others devote their efforts to creating a scene surrounding a particular character each week) and I can say without reservation that he’s easily one of the most promising artists working in the field of comics today. The guy can draw anything, and do it very, very well.

It’s certainly not difficult to see the Alex Toth influence in his work (it appears Samnee has taken some of Toth’s most important artistic advice to heart in terms of simplifying the image, isolating the key elements, etc. ) and if he keeps this up — with high profile assignments like Thor, the Mighty Avenger — he’s going to end up influencing countless numbers of up and coming artists. There’s pretty much no way around it, and I couldn’t welcome it more.

Anyhow, definitely don’t miss Samnee’s art in Thor, the Mighty Avenger, which is  in stores now.