September 18, 2020 September 18, 2020 piratesteven
Disney Masters Vol 5: The Phantom Blot's Double Mystery Review
Disney Masters Vol. 5: Mickey Mouse: The Phantom Blot's Double Mystery
Mickey and Goofy battle the fiendish Phantom Blot in an action-packed collection of comics classics!
Mickey's diabolical arch-enemy―the Phantom Blot―is on the loose! But when Mickey, Goofy, and Chief O'Hara set out to stop his crime spree, there's something they don't know: The Blot has Mickey hypnotized―and as good and evil clash in a spooky old house, our hero is unknowingly doing the bad guy's bidding! Also in this anthology of Scarpa's best, Mickey goes on a wild sea adventure in "The Eternal Flame of Kalhoa"―and Scrooge McDuck facing down his old flame, Brigitta MacBridge, in "The Last Balaboo!" Full-color illustrations throughout.
Disney Masters Vol. 5: Mickey Mouse: The Phantom Blot's Double Mystery was released by Fantagraphics on 10/9/18.
This edition of the Disney Masters series is 187 pages, and it includes stories that were originally published in Italy and appear in English for the first time in this book. This volume's featured Disney Master is artist, Romano Scarpa.
A short biography on Romano Scarpa is included at the back of this volume.
Disney Masters Vol. 5: Mickey Mouse: The Phantom Blot's Double Mystery is available in hardcover and Kindle\Comixology versions. A link to buy this book can be found at the end of this review.
There are 3 stories included in Disney Masters Vol. 5:
The Phantom Blot's Double Mystery
The Last Balaboo (Uncle Scrooge)
The Eternal Flame of Kalhoa
The Phantom Blot is back for revenge on his arch nemesis Mickey Mouse. He has recently escaped from jail to frame Mickey Mouse for crimes including murder with the help of hypnosis making Mickey under the Phantom Blot's command. The Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland has a cameo in this story when his hat shop is robbed. What was stolen? The Mad Hatter's hat of course. The Phantom Blot has some new tricks up his sleeve including making himself appear invisible. This story is the Phantom Blot's return to comics since his first appearance 16 years prior in the Floyd Gottfredson comic strip Mickey Mouse Outwits the Phantom Blot from 1939. The Phantom Blot is as maniacal and sinister as ever as his evil plot is to get Mickey Mouse in the electric chair.
Scrooge McDuck gets the word Balaboo stuck in his head. When Brigitta MacBrdige chases Scrooge down to ask him what gift should she expect from him for her birthday, Scrooge replies that he will buy her a Balaboo hat. He thinks that he pulled a fast one on her, but Balaboo is not just a funny word that Scrooge made up. The Junior Woodchuck Guidebook states that a Balaboo is a small fur bearing animal native to the island of Borneo. Scrooge, Donald, Huey, Dewey, and Louie are off to Borneo in search of The Last Balaboo. I love the Brigitta MacBrdige character, and I hope to read more International Disney Duck stories that feature her.
Legend tells that a Mayan Queen named Kalhoa transformed herself into a flame as a sign of fury for being exiled by her people for making her bored and lonely. Mickey's new sailer roommates, O'Gally and O'Bully, take him on an adventure to find The Eternal Flame of Kalhoa.
Phantom Blot comic stories are so good. The character really has no limit to what he would do to get his revenge on Mickey Mouse. It was great to be able to read The Phantom Blot's Double Mystery to educate myself on some of the Phantom Blot's background before he makes his DuckTales (2017) debut next week. The Scrooge McDuck story included in this volume was also funny and entertaining. the featured Italian artist, Romano Scarpa, is featured in many of Fantagraphics' Disney Masters series volumes. It was great to see more of his work since I am becoming a bigger fan of his work from reading through the Disney Masters library.
You can purchase Disney Masters Vol. 5 at the link below:
You May also be interested the Disney Masters Box Set that includes Vol. 5 and Vol. 6:
Disney Masters Collector's Box Set #3 (Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse & Donald Duck): Vols. 5 & 6
The Phantom Blot saga will continue next year when Fantagraphics releases the highly anticipated Disney Masters Vol. 15: Mickey Mouse: New Adventures of the Phantom Blot. That volume can be preordered at the link below.
Phantom Blot
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