I have no real idea what prompted me all those decades ago to actually purchase these four very lovely volumes. I was not especially a follower of the Gold Key Disney books nor of Gold Key in general. But something about these four books suggested they were significant. The buck fifty price though meager now was impressive in 1974, so I know that I must've dug deep to bring all four of these home. I've never regretted these buys as they have always been prized parts of my back issue collection, and for a long time my sole glimpse into the glory of these series.
I liked them all of course, though I'll admit the glory of Carl Barks eluded me somewhat at the time. It would be years before I really understood the true mastery of this storytelling. I can be a dunderhead for sure.
It was the work of Floyd Gottfredson in the single Mickey volume that most impressed me then and now. It was my first glimpse of Gottfredson's singular take on the Disney icon and it utterly transformed my view. Suddenly the obnoxious mouse was a charming rascal and not the annoying pitchman I was confronted with on my television and in stores. There was something alluring about his line that spoke of energy and action, a grace of movement.
These comics are real gems. I'm glad for once that I was smart enough to buy them when I had the chance.
Rip Off
No comments:
Post a Comment