Darkwing Duck #7 // Review
There’s a museum known as the Hall of Heroes. Somewhere in the museum beyond, exhibits dedicated to Quack Man and Ms. Mallard and the Sidekick Symposium rest in a space dedicated to the Justice Ducks. Buried beyond sections devoted to Gizmoduck and Morgana Macawber and Stegmutt are areas of the museum devoted to the only two heroes who have actually shown up to view the museum. And...honestly, they’re both kind of upset about it in Darkwing Duck #7. Writer Amanda Deibert writes the first part of a multi-part story with artist/colorist Carlo Lauro. It’s a weird little mutation of heroism that is not without its charm.
Naturally, Darkwing Duck thinks that it’s a museum entirely dedicated to himself. So, he IS a little upset when it turns out that there are honestly a LOT of other heroes being honored at the museum. Layouts for such things being what they are, it’s totally understandable that major figures would tend to rest pretty far back in the museum just to make certain that patrons would be encouraged to walk through less-popular heroes to get to the bigger names. What isn’t understandable is precisely what a little mysterious figure is doing in the museum...and why it is that a rather important compass has gone missing.
Deibert makes the tour of the museum the entire substance of the story. Which is kind of interesting. It's kind of a fun approach. The central conflict of the story sneaks into the frame ever so briefly in the middle of the comic book and doesn't become all that apparent until the end. The museum may not be entirely focused on the title character, but the comic book is, and it makes sure that he is the center of everything. Much of the appeal of the character is the appeal of the comic book. Any appeal there might be in anything else clings precariously to his cape.
Lauro continues to find a very solid connection between the old cel-animated cartoon and a very contemporary comic book. And the artist might be tempted to embellish the style a little bit. Add a little depth and shading here. Add a little additional detail there. For the most part, though, Lauro is remarkably true to the visuals of the old cel-animated cartoon. Lauro’s coloring might be a little bit more detailed and high definition than what would have been found on newsprint in a comic book shop in the early 1990s, but for the most part, the comic book is once again a very faithful adaptation of the cartoon.
It's remarkable how short-lived the original cartoon was. The three-season series was largely a series of one-shot episodes. The patience given to a single issue of the comic book series feels roughly equivalent to a 22-minute episode of the series. So it feels a little bit indulgent to have a multi-part story for the comic book. Really, though...the fact that the series has been off the air for over thirty years makes ANY further exploration of the character feel at least a bit indulgent.
