Cap's Comics - Figment #2

Would you like a copy of Figment #2.  If you do, good luck.  Marvel was sold out to retailers before the issue even hit the stands.  At least Figment #1 did not officially sell out until after its release date. Both issues are currently being reprinted, so you do have hope if you did not snag a copy yet.  I personally noticed that a major online retailer sold out before the release date.  I called my local comic shop which always has plenty of everything in stock, and found out they were done to one copy!  So I made the comic book lover step getting myself a pull list for the first time, and at the top is anything from Disney Kingdoms (Disney please take notice). Last month I had picked up copies for non-comics readers.  This month they were on their own!

Blarion Mercurial and Figment are falling.  Mercurial's attempt to turn mental power into reusable energy has instead ripped a hole in reality, and the two are falling, falling, falling.  The pair begin to explore this land that they reached through the power of imagination.  Meanwhile in London, Chairman Illocrant attempts to bring order to Mercurial's Integrated Mesmonic Converter, but something climbs out of the hole that our heroes fell through.  Meanwhile, back in the strange new land Mercurial and Figment make new friends and perhaps enemies.

Overall, this is an adventure story.  Our heroes explore and discover.  And the best part is that exploration includes Figment's infectious attitude.  He loves learning.  He loves this new place.  He finds it fascinating as everything is completely new in his short three day life.  How exciting it would be if we could capture some of his spirit.  I am not a Figment fanboy but I am digging him.  With Mercurial, I do not feel like he is Dreamfinder yet.  While Figment is curious, Mercurial is a little afraid.  He seems too conservative, perhaps the Chairman's desire for order is impacting him?  And if I could guess I would say a battle between order and chaos (or imagination) is coming.  And I am already picking my side.

There is a really cool element to this story that things that you cannot see have power and create imagination.  It is imagination that created Figment, and he is very alive.  He is more alive than many of us are!  But another peoples in this strange new land can create also with something that you cannot see but with a skill that most of us have.  Sometimes you do not need material to make matter! 

The Between Tween loves this.  The Tween was attracted to Figment and he was the Tween's in character. The Tween identified with Figment not understanding big words and the spirit of optimism. But best of all  I am reading and discussing a comic with one of my kids.  And it was the Tween who was most nervous that we would not get a copy of this issue!

This is getting crazy, this Jim Zub story has to be sold at Epcot!  It only makes sense.  Kids meet Figment on the ride and get to take his origin home with him.  I am not holding out for a Museum of the Weird addition to the Haunted Mansions after Disney Kingdoms Seekers of the Weird, but this comic and its popularity has to lead to some serious consideration to get Dreamfinder added back to the park.  Kids come, ride, read and then want to come back to meet their heroes.  Now this is a plan I could see happen!

I really hope Disney is storyboarding a sequel, because this is a hit.  And one of Disney's toughest collectibles to get hands on is a comic.  You cannot buy it in the parks.  You might be able to find it in your local comic shop.  Okay I am sure that you can find it on Ebay.  But as a comics and Disney fan this is what I have been waiting for, a Disney comic home run!

Cap's Comics - Disney Kingdoms Seekers of the Weird #5

It is the final battle!  The Wardens of the Museum of the Weird face off against Despoina and the Shadow Society hoping to free the Reaper King from the Coffin Clock.  And the Keep kids are stuck in the middle as they hope to free their parents and save the world.  Will Uncle Roland prove to be a hero that the kids can trust?  This questions and more are answered in the final action-packed issue of Brandon Seifert's and Karl Moline's final issue from this new Disney comic line. 

Brian Crosby Imagineer Variant Cover

As an issue, I felt Disney Kingdoms Seekers of the Weird was somewhat typical for a final story arc comic issue, a fast resolve.  That happens in most comic stories as setup often takes much of the artist and writer's time.  I was satisfied with the ending, how characters were handled and felt it was consistent with the entire five issue run.  In my house the continued use of the lacrosse stick is very popular!  Overall, Siefert gave his title a successful and satisfying ending.

I want to see more of this.  I mean this in two ways.  First, I do not like horror but I love comic books.  And I feel like there is not enough all ages comics.  This really is a horror comic that both adults and kids can enjoy.  There are monsters and demons but it is not so scary that neither the Between Tween or I had trouble sleeping.  And it was something we both could read together.  My local comic shop guy thought it was really cool I was sharing a comic with one of my children.  The Tween reads this title because of the Disney angle, superhero titles generally are not enjoyed by this youngster.   Second, I want more of this story.  Yes, we know more Disney Kingdoms are on the way.  And that is great.  But I do feel like another mini-series story could be told about the Keep kids and their family.  An Uncle Roland prequel could also be cool.  I just worry that the sales drops, typical with any comic, could hurt the future of the franchise.  Of course, it is with the collected edition Marvel will make its money.

And crazy idea here, please sell this in the parks.  Use the Haunted Mansions to get kids interested in comics!

Crazy right?

Next month Figment #1!

Cap's Comics - Disney Kindgoms Seekers of the Weird #4

Melody and Maxwell Keep are in the final stage of assembling the living room and summoning the Coffin Clock.  But once they get the clock, they will have to consider the consequences of surrendering the Clock to the Shadow Society.  Would releasing horror upon the Earth be an appropriate price for regaining their parents.  To complete the living room, the kids use new toys (weapons) given to them by Uncle Roland.  The issue sets up a battle between the Keeps, the Wardens and the Shadow Society.  As the concluding battle starts the Keep kids wonder who they can trust!

Crosby Imagineer Variant Cover

As a villain group, I find myself really interested in the Shadow Society.  There name fits their methods.  They actually use shadows as armor, making them untouchable while they are in shadow.  I loved it because it seems really Peter Pan like.  Additionally, the looks of the Wardens are very cool and varied as drawn by Karl Moline. 

The big question I have as we creep to the conclusion is would I like to see more.  The answer is a resounding yes.  I do feel like Brandon Seifert's story is coming to a satisfying conclusion.  But with that being said I do feel like I would enjoy more stories of the Keep kids in the future.  So after the next Disney Kingdoms series comes to an end I would love to see a sequel mini-series to tell more stories of the kids in this world.  And the Between Kids would line up to read it too.  And honestly, we really need more all-ages comics that adults can enjoy.  So I hope Disney decides to move forward with more chapters of this family as they interact with Walt Disney's unbuilt attraction. 

Cap's Comics - Disney Kingdoms: Seekers of the Weird #3

In Disney Kingdoms: Seekers of the Weird #3 the stakes get big.  We discover with the kids Melody and Maxwell Keep that the lives of their parents are not the only thing at stake.  In fact their adventure within the Museum of the Weird has global consequences.  The Coffin Clock that they must seek to get their parents back is more than just a clock.  It is in fact a key to unleashing incredible evil across the face of the Earth.  Which means the duo will find unexpected allies and unintended enemies in their quest to find the Clock.  And Uncle Roland's motivations begin to come into doubt.  And being just kids, the two must decide how badly they want to save their parents if the consequences are beyond their family.

You know, they have done a real nice job giving us an all-ages comic and a scary one.  The mummy like Husks are scary.  And the Mushroom People that the kids are chased by in this story are somewhat creepy.  But none of it is so scary that I would not hand my oldest this comic.  In fact I will tomorrow.  In many ways it is like the Haunted Mansion.  You can safely scared (and I hate scary).  So I do have to applaud what has been done here since it does feel very much like the spirit of Walt Disney in what Brandon Seifert has scripted.

The art does change in this issue.  Filipe Andrade takes over as artist.  And the art change is something one instantly picks up on.  I personally prefer that artists stay consistent in arcs or in this case a mini-series.  But after a few pages I was more worried about the kids than an art change-up.  And the art may have helped set the scary feel with images that are less photo-realistic.

Variant Cover

Really Disney Kingdoms: Seekers of the Weird has setup a little quest story.  And after issue three I feel like I know the stakes and the requirements of failing (and possibly succeeding).  And it is the kind of story I feel like I can had the Between Tween without fear.  And the fact that Melody is brandishing a lacrosse stick as a weapon is a bonus (the Between Tween is however completely disgusted with Maxwell and I wonder if this issue will help his stock).  I am enjoying this tale as an all-ages story I can share with a youngster and talk about all month long until the next issue hits the shelves.  And I expect like last month this is exactly what will happen! 

Between Books - More Cute Stories Volume 3: Museum of the Weird

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As a Disney fan and a comic book guy, I've been paying a lot of attention lately to the Museum of the Weird.  I have enjoyed the behind the scenes story of this old idea that has been dusted off by Marvel Comics to become Disney Kingdom's Seekers of the Weird.  So when I saw that Rolly Crump had put together one of his oral histories recounting his history with the idea, well I knew I had to hear it since Walt Disney developed the concept after reviewing some Crump designs.

Like the other offerings in this series, More Cute Stories Volume 3: Museum of the Weird is all Rolly all the time.  In this title he provides the story of how the Museum of the Weird was created.  And it all starts with the beloved Haunted Mansion!  He details how Yale Gracey and himself were working on the Mansion attraction and reassigned to work on the World's Fair attractions.  And he discusses how Walt Disney created the Museum of the Weird for concepts that Rolly developed.  But Walt Disney pulled Rolly off the Mansion and assigned him to New Tomorrowland.  By the time this project was completed, Disney had passed away.  And the head of Imagineering Dick Irvine was more interested in the contributions of his own generational peers than the younger Crump.  So Crump was made Disneyland's Art Director and mostly worked with maintenance!  Crump provide listeners with an overview of how the Museum would have been laid out and what his hopes for the Museum's future are now that it has been rediscovered by Marvel.

What really fascinates me in these presentations is Crump's take on people.  Dick Irvine is painted, as in other places, as someone who did not understand this young Imagineer that Disney seemed so interested in.  And Marc Davis, who I have remarked in the past has at times been absent in this series, is seen as someone who also did not understand Crump's work.  Or more importantly, Davis did not understand what Walt Disney saw in Crump's work.  But the person who really stands out in Crump's memory is Walt Disney.  Crump reinforces again and again it is Disney that created the Museum of the Weird, Crump paints himself as only providing concepts.  It is Walt Disney that saw the potential of a full-scale attraction that could be combined with the Haunted Mansion.  As Crump typically does he paints Disney as a hero.  And any Disney fan has to enjoy Crump's discussion of Walt Disney on the set of the Wonderful World of Disney, a showing that Disney handpicked Crump to attend.  

For me one of the best segments was listening to Rolly describe what the Museum of the Weird would look like.  First, it would be a Museum.  The Museum would be designed as a walk through attraction that would designed to meet the guests expectation of what a museum should be.  Second there would be a large rotunda and and a series of hallways.  I will not spoil the whole tour, but one of the first things I did was take out my copy of Disney Kingdom's Seekers of the Weird #1 and compare the Disney Legend's description of the rotunda to what I see in the pages of the comic.  In many ways I fell like they nailed the feel that Disney and Crump were looking to set.  My only real question was the described placement of the gypsy wagon which I felt was improperly placed based on Crump's discussions.  But after looking through several other panels I think they may have hit the proper placement and my imagination may be slightly off kilter. 

This honestly is my favorite of the three volumes.  Since Crump is only discussing one central subject, the discussion flows smoothly and logically.  But best of all, you really feel like Crump is getting on a roll as he talks.  You can imagine this entire disc as one stream of thought.  I found myself getting excited as he told his behind the scenes stories of what could have been. You can really get caught up in his enthusiasm, especially since one can tell he cares for Walt Disney's idea.  Crump is excited and you feel excited!  

I have really enjoyed volume 1 and volume 2 of this oral history series.  But More Cute Stories Volume 3: Museum of the Weird is my favorite to date.  And honestly that enthusiasm is not about the comic.  But really I would enjoy this volume without a comic because Rolly is so enthusiastic about this topic.  The star is Rolly Crump and hearing his voice gain steam as he gets excited about Walt Disney's Museum of the Weird.  As if an attraction can kick-off a movie franchise and Marvel Cinematic Universe movies based on comics are making huge profits for Disney, who knows what the future holds for the Museum of the Weird!      

Copy Provided for Purposes of Review 

Cap's Comics - Disney Kingdoms: Seekers of the Weird #2

As Disney Kingdoms: Seekers of the Weird #2 opens, our heroes Melody and Maxwell have weird problems.  First, their parents have been kidnapped.  And if that is not bad enough their first meeting with mysterious Uncle Roland ends with him losing his legs.  Now Roland mentors the two youngster as they seek the Coffin Clock within the Museum of the Weird.  The two discover that the clock is wanted by the Shadow Society who kidnapped their parents.  And the kids learn that the Museum is the domain of the Wardens, who stored magical items within.  To save their parents the two must find the first ingredient to recovering the clock, a chair with a face!

Cover B Incentive Cover Variant

When the Between Tween read the first issue, the response I got was I am confused.  When the Tween finished the second issue I was told that one should not have to wait a month and every issue should be collected together for one reading.  A day later, I was told that this was the Tween's favorite comic of all time.  I will admit, the fact this story has a young female who plays lacrosse scores a lot of points in the Between House.  And if one of the goals of this series to is get young people to read comics, Disney and Marvel are succeeding by giving us something different that superheroes.

Crosby Imagineer Variant

As a comic fan I am enjoying this story.  In this issue we get into the action and the setup is minimized with much of our background setting complete in the first issue.  The story is horror, but  not so terrifying a young person cannot enjoy it.  You know like a certain mansion!  As a Disney fan I will admit what has impressed me is what Brandon Siefert has built upon the bones of the concept that Walt Disney and Rolly Crump developed.  In this case they provide us an entire mythology about who runs the Museum in the Wardens, its purpose and who are their enemies.  And I will admit this is the sort of mythology that can be used in a (wink wink) future series.

Based on the reaction here in Betweenland this weird concept, a comic built on an unbuilt attraction is working.  And I smile ear to ear upon the news issue #1 is getting a second printing!  Hopefully this is a sign of good things to come!

Cap's Comics - Disney Kingdoms: Seekers of the Weird #1

I, like many other Disney fans, have been waiting patiently for Disney Kingdoms: Seekers of the Weird for months now.  I love comics, I love Disney, this could almost be as good as peanut butter and chocolate together.  And I would love for this comic title to be a hit, give us a new way to put Imagineering concepts into other platforms, and maybe get Marvel comics into the parks.  So yeah, I want this story to be good too while achieving all these goals.  

As the story opens we meet siblings Melody and Maxwell in New Orleans, very fitting since the Haunted Mansion is in New Orleans Square.  The siblings are very different with Melody being athletic and likely popular and Maxwell being brainy.  They go home to their parents' curio shop, "Keep It Weird" and their parents ask they to watch the store as they complete some work.  That work leads to mom and dad being kidnapped by a supernatural power, the kids meeting their long-lost uncle Roland, and being set on a quest to save their parents. And all of this revolves around something called the Museum of the Weird, which somehow is connected to "Keep It Weird."    

Del Mundo Teaser Variant

Overall, I enjoyed this issue #1.  Honestly, first issues can often be a mixed bag for me.  And this is especially true with stories that have to introduce not just a problem but an entire cast.  I stayed engaged, learned who my favorite characters would be, and saw enough classic Rolly Crump designs on the page to keep me reading.  My interest was kept, which shocked me since this what I would call an all-ages comic.  Since all-ages books often have to satisfy several age groups, they often do not fully satisfy any especially the adult in the room.  But again I think the tie-in to Disney history and the promise of more kept me eager to turn the page.  I did approve the issue for the Between Tween to read (there are a lot of comics I read that do not get this thumbs up).  The review I got back was that it was good but weird.  And the Tween really liked Melody because they share a passion for lacrosse.  

Crosby Imagineer Variant

Being the Disney fan I am  it was Uncle Roland, designed after Imagineer and creator of the original Museum of the Weird Rolly Crump, that I wanted to see on the page. Having read and heard his words, knowing that there is some eccentric to him, I thought the portrayal was respectful and fitting. In effect, writer Brandon Seifert has taken Crump and transformed him into an action hero of his own design.  To me Uncle Roland was a combination of steam punk swashbuckler scoundrel.  I think Crump would enjoy being described in real life in this way.  And I really enjoyed Karl Moline's representation of this hero and I want to see more of.  Honestly, I could see Uncle Roland in other solo adventures (fingers crossed).  

Crump Variant

  

Disney Kingdoms: Seekers of the Weird is full of fun for Disney fans.  We get to see Crump designs that we have seen concept art for like Candleman and the Gypsy Cart, but have not seen in a story. And Uncle Roland as a concept is irresistible.  This really is a unique and interesting way to see ideas that have not been included in stories before in a new way.  And I really want Disney to continue this trend with their Marvel brand.  And I like the fact that this is a title that I can share with my kids.  It is also quite a thrill to read the names of Imagineers in the credits, and the story of how Marvel and Imagineering came together on this title in the back is a fun tale if you have not heard it yet.  

With issue #1 ending on a cliffhanger I have a few questions that I look forward to having answered (at least partially) next month.  And I look forward to joining Melody and Maxwell as they explore the Museum of the Weird. This sort of title shows how having Marvel in the Disney family not just adds great content to Disney, but can aid Disney in bringing already developed content into the hands of fans.