Darkwing Duck #1 is the first issue of the Darkwing Duck comic book published by Joe Books.
Summary[]
"Orange is the New Purple - Part 1"[]
Written by: | Aaron Sparrow |
Penciled by: | James Silvani |
Lettered by: | Andworld Design |
Colored by: | Andrew Dalhouse |
Spoiler warning! This article contains plot details about a newly-released episode or product. |
The new series opens on Dip Dopson reporting the start of St. Canard's annual Main Street Lit-Up Electrical Parade. He sees the parade's first float making its way down Quackenbush Tunnel and then notes that it is coming in rather quickly. As it turns out, Megavolt has hijacked the float, intending to "free" the "enslaved floats" of the parade. Fortunately, Darkwing and Launchpad are also on the float, with the latter trying to steer it despite that he doesn't actually have a driver's license. As Darkwing battles Megavolt, Launchpad notes to him that the nearby fountain is lit up, which gives the Duck Knight an idea. Shooting a grappling hook to a nearby street sign, he orders Launchpad to make a hard right turn, crashing the float into the fountain and shorting out Megavolt long enough for the cops to arrive. Darkwing feels pretty good about this, boasting that nothing could ruin his mood now...
...And then we cut to a while later, where we see that Drake is stuck attending a barbecue dinner at the Muddlefoots' house. Gosalyn thanks her dad for agreeing to this and reminds him that it's a great way to keep his identity secret. Binkie comes up to Drake, showing concern that Gosalyn doesn't have a female role model, and is about to ask him whatever happened to Morgana, but Drake quickly changes the subject, pointing out that Tank is about to toss Honker like a lawn dart again. Gosalyn promptly ties up Tank, and Drake yells at her to untie him this instant. Later, inside the Muddlefoots' house, Drake scolds her, reminding her that they are the guests here. Herb then plops down on the couch with them, telling Drake he has seven seasons of Cluck Dynasty saved on his DVR that they're about to sit through. Drake discreetly gives Tank ten dollars to go disconnect the power.
Meanwhile, as Megavolt is being loaded into a paddy wagon, one of the cops carting him in asks the other why the electric rodent is still wearing his chest plate. The distracted guard takes a look and is then knocked unconscious by his so-called coworker. The mallet-wielding "cop" then removes his helmet, revealing himself to Megavolt.
Later, Darkwing, Gosalyn, and Launchpad meet with J. Gander Hooter on board the former Quackwerks satellite, which has now been refitted as a "first response" staging area against both domestic and extraterrestrial threats. Hooter has picked Darkwing to oversee the facility, despite Agent Gryzlikoff's doubts. Hooter introduces Darkwing to Desiree Bell, who will be assisting him, but the introductions are cut off by Launchpad and Gosalyn using the station's defense lasers to shoot asteroids, thinking that they're playing Space Kefuffle IV: Wormholes of Kremblex. Furious at this, Gryzlikoff makes them leave through the airlock.
The next morning, Gosalyn informs Drake that he still needs to sign the permission slip for her class's field trip to the opening of St. Canard's new Maximum Security Prison for the Criminally Crafty. Drake is peeved that he, as Darkwing, was not invited to the ceremony, since he caught every criminal imprisoned there. After Gosalyn leaves, Launchpad asks Drake if he wants to go to the aeronautics museum, but Drake orders his sidekick to fire up the Thunderquack, because they're also visiting the new prison.
At the new penitentiary, Warden Dullerd is showing Gosalyn's class around. Honker thinks that it might not be a good idea for them to be touring the place, while Mortimer (who is still doing community service for his misdeeds as Cat-Tankerous) expresses that he's just glad to be out of the house for a while. The warden brings the kids into the "General Population" area, where the students (and the readers) are shown that each villain is kept in a specially modified cell that nullifies their respective powers, all the while Gosalyn, Honker, and Mortimer comment on the ones they pass by. (In this sequence, we see the cells inhabited by Liquidator, Isis Vanderchill, Camille Chameleon, Cement Head, Muckduck, One-Shot, and Bushroot, as well as an empty one previously inhabited by Fluffy, who has been moved to solitary confinement.) Dullerd then suddenly has to cut the tour short because "their final guest" has arrived and he has to give the press conference about the prison's opening.
As Megavolt is brought in, Warden Dullerd gives his speech opening the new escape-proof prison, saying that with the last super-powered villain locked up here, St. Canard should be safe for the future. But just then, the guard bringing Megavolt in removes his uniform, revealing himself to be Negaduck, having inexplicably returned to his original form after being turned into molecules in his last (canon) appearance. As he takes out all the guards and scares off most of the people attending the press conference, Gosalyn tells her classmates to run for the exits, but then notices that Mortimer is missing.
Darkwing soon shows up, making his usual entrance only to get cut off by Negaduck smashing him with his mallet. Before Darkwing can recover from that, Negaduck jabs a giant pin into Megavolt's chest plate, causing a big electrical surge. He then exposits to Darkwing that the facility goes into lockdown if it registers an attack like the electrical one he just set off. The prison promptly does that, locking Darkwing and Gosalyn inside, and to make matters worse, Negaduck presses a button that unlocks the cells of all the criminals. As Darkwing is surrounded by all the villains, Negaduck gloats that they're going to give him thirty minutes to escape, after which they will come after him.
Notes[]
- The Main Street Lit-Up Electrical Parade is an obvious reference to the Main Street Electrical Parade.
- The street sign that Darkwing latches on to is an intersection between Stones Street and Zaslove Avenue, named after Tad Stones and Alan Zaslove.
- Launchpad's bucket list of things to crash was originally supposed to include Baymax, referencing the Big Hero 6 character, but likely due to that being a Marvel Comics creation, Sparrow was asked to remove it.[1] (This is despite the fact that Disney owns Marvel.)
- Besides the the first-ever onscreen appearance of Muckduck, this issue also marks the first comic appearance for Cement Head, Dr. Fossil, Ample Grime, Phineas Sharp, and Wolfduck.
- For the two-page spread with all the villains being released from their cells, James Silvani originally drew Solego in the spot occupied by Clawed Hopper in the final version.[2]
- This issue also includes an editorial by Aaron Sparrow commemorating the show's 25th anniversary (illustrated with storyboards for "Comic Book Capers") and a short sample of the Gravity Falls Cinestory Comic graphic novel.
Memorable quotes[]
Gosalyn: How am I supposed to follow in your footsteps if you ground me every time I give a bully a good thrashing? Drake: Follow in my footsteps? Slow down, daughter of mine... There'll be plenty of time for that when your teenage years kill me. |
Megavolt: The subjugated electronic denizens of this city cry out for a savior! Someday soon, I will... Police officer: Save the manifesto for your Grumblr account, loser. Megavolt: Yeah, but no one reads it. |
Negaduck: Let's remind this stinkin' city who's public enemy number one! Gosalyn: Doctor Slug? |
Negaduck: All the world's a stage. And all the people, merely morons. And that's a sharply appropriate segue for... Darkwing: [appears] I am the terror that flaps in the night! Negaduck: Yep, right on time. Darkwing: I am the scissors cutting the ribbon on a new age of peace and prosperity! I am-- Negaduck: [smashes Darkwing with his mallet] As slow on the uptake as usual! |
References[]
External links[]
Disney Afternoon comic book issues | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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