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Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse #1-2
Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: Vols. 1 & 2 Gift Box Set
Collects the first and second volume of Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse newspaper comic strips by Floyd Gottfredson, one of the greatest cartoonists of the 20th century. Vol. 1, "Race to Death Valley," features a dozen different adventures starring Mickey, his gal Minnie and her uncle Mortimer (not to be confused with Mickey's rival in the animated shorts!), his pals Horace Horsecollar and Butch, the villainous Pegleg Pete, and the mysterious and shrouded Fox. Relive Mickey's race to a gold mine with Pegleg Pete hot on his heels; Mickey's life on the lam; and Mickey's ringside battle with a hulking heavyweight champ! In Vol. 2: Trapped on Treasure Island, Mickey fights with pirates on desolate Treasure Island; quests with Goofy to catch ruthless counterfeiters; and battles to save windy Horace Horsecollar from mad scientists, a robbery frame-up - and himself! Bad guys "Bill Shakespeare" and hypnosis-happy Professors Ecks, Doublex, and Triplex join archenemy Pegleg Pete.
- GenresComics
570 pages, Paperback
Published November 1, 2011
1 person is currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
Floyd Gottfredson
257 books39 followersArthur Floyd Gottfredson (1905-1986) was an American cartoonist. He is known for his defining work on the Mickey Mouse newspaper strip, which he drew from 1929 to 1975, and mostly plotted himself from 1929 to 1945. His impact on the character of Mickey Mouse is often compared to the one that cartoonist Carl Barks had on Donald Duck. Because of the large international circulation of his strips, reprinted for decades in some European countries like Italy and France, Gottfredson can be seen as one of the most influential cartoonists of the 20th century. Many groundbreaking comic book artists, like Carl Barks and Osamu Tezuka, declared to have been inspired by his work.
Floyd Gottfredson grew up in a Mormon family from Utah. He started drawing as a kid on doctor's advice, as a form of rehabilitation after a sever injury, which left his dominant arm partially disabled for life. After taking some cartooning correspondence courses, teenage Floyd secured a job as cartoonist for the Salt Lake City Telegram.
At age 23, Floyd moved to California with his wife and family. He interviewed at the Disney Studios, hoping to land a position as a comic strip artist, but was hired as in-between animator instead. In that period writer Walt Disney and artist Ub Iwerks were starting a series of daily syndicated newspaper comic strips featuring Mickey Mouse, the character the two had created for animation the year before. A few months into the publication of the strips however, Iwerks left the Studios. Walt decided then to promote Gottfredson to the role of Mickey Mouse strip penciler, remembering his original request at the job interview. Not long after that, Disney left the entire process of creation of the strip to Gottfredson, who would eventually become head of a small 'comic strips department' within the Disney Studios.
Up to 1955, Mickey's strips were 'continuity adventures': the strips were not just self-contained gags, but they composed long stories that would stretch in the newspapers for months. In this context, Gottfredson had to developed Mickey's personality way beyond his animation counterpart. He made him an adventurer and multi-tasking hero, putting him in all kind of settings and genre-parodies: thriller, sci-fi, urban comedy, adventure in exotic lands, war stories, western, and so on.
Gottfredson scripted the stories on his own for a few years, only getting help for the inking part of the process. (Most notably by Al Taliaferro, who will become himself the main artist on the Silly Symphonies and Donald Duck syndicated strips.) Starting from around 1932, Gottfredson worked with various writers, mostly Ted Osbourne and Merril deMarris, who provided scripts for the strips, while Floyd retained the role of plotter and penciler. Starting from 1945, Gottfredson left all writing duties to writer Bill Wash.
In 1955, by request of the Syndicate, Mickey Mouse strips stopped being continuous stories, and became self-contained gag. Gottfredson would remain in his role of strip artist for twenty more years, up to his retirement in 1975.
Gottfredson died in 1986, with his achievements going mostly unknown to the larger American public (as his strips were technically all signed 'Walt Disney').
In 2006, twenty years after his death, Floyd Gottfredson was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards Hall of Fame.
Floyd Gottfredson grew up in a Mormon family from Utah. He started drawing as a kid on doctor's advice, as a form of rehabilitation after a sever injury, which left his dominant arm partially disabled for life. After taking some cartooning correspondence courses, teenage Floyd secured a job as cartoonist for the Salt Lake City Telegram.
At age 23, Floyd moved to California with his wife and family. He interviewed at the Disney Studios, hoping to land a position as a comic strip artist, but was hired as in-between animator instead. In that period writer Walt Disney and artist Ub Iwerks were starting a series of daily syndicated newspaper comic strips featuring Mickey Mouse, the character the two had created for animation the year before. A few months into the publication of the strips however, Iwerks left the Studios. Walt decided then to promote Gottfredson to the role of Mickey Mouse strip penciler, remembering his original request at the job interview. Not long after that, Disney left the entire process of creation of the strip to Gottfredson, who would eventually become head of a small 'comic strips department' within the Disney Studios.
Up to 1955, Mickey's strips were 'continuity adventures': the strips were not just self-contained gags, but they composed long stories that would stretch in the newspapers for months. In this context, Gottfredson had to developed Mickey's personality way beyond his animation counterpart. He made him an adventurer and multi-tasking hero, putting him in all kind of settings and genre-parodies: thriller, sci-fi, urban comedy, adventure in exotic lands, war stories, western, and so on.
Gottfredson scripted the stories on his own for a few years, only getting help for the inking part of the process. (Most notably by Al Taliaferro, who will become himself the main artist on the Silly Symphonies and Donald Duck syndicated strips.) Starting from around 1932, Gottfredson worked with various writers, mostly Ted Osbourne and Merril deMarris, who provided scripts for the strips, while Floyd retained the role of plotter and penciler. Starting from 1945, Gottfredson left all writing duties to writer Bill Wash.
In 1955, by request of the Syndicate, Mickey Mouse strips stopped being continuous stories, and became self-contained gag. Gottfredson would remain in his role of strip artist for twenty more years, up to his retirement in 1975.
Gottfredson died in 1986, with his achievements going mostly unknown to the larger American public (as his strips were technically all signed 'Walt Disney').
In 2006, twenty years after his death, Floyd Gottfredson was inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards Hall of Fame.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 29, 2020
Everybody loves Mickey Mouse, right? Yet how many really know Mickey Mouse? Most people can tell you what he looks like, but how many could describe his personality? Compared to Bugs Bunny or Daffy Duck, Mickey is fairly nondescript. Even within his own world, Mickey is one of the least interesting, with characters like Donald and Goofy stealing the show. He has largely been portrayed as well-meaning, if bland. At most he has been the little guy who stands up against bullying oppressors. So… nice, sometimes heroic, but mostly boring? Much of Mickey’s understated personality is the result of his becoming the official symbol of the Walt Disney Company. He has become more a logo than a character.
Before Mickey became a branding icon, he first made an appearance in the animated short “Plane Crazy” in 1928. He made his official debut in “Steamboat Willie” later that year. His daily newspaper strip began in 1930 and ran for 45 years. Floyd Gottfredson is credited with most of the work on the strip, though, from the start, it is branded with Walt Disney’s distinctive signature.
Fantagraphics has collected the entire run of the Mickey Mouse comic strip and they’ve done a suitably polished job. I have the first two volumes, covering 1930 to 1933. They are beautiful hardbound books presented together in a sturdy slipcase. The wide format showcases the strips at what is probably their original size. Imminently readable, there are three dailys per page with generous margins. Each book contains extensive scholarly articles examining Mickey’s history and enduring legacy.
Drawing from a wide variety of influences, including their contemporary newspaper strips and movie serials, the comics generally place Mickey in the center of an adventure. In these pages, Mickey is brave and resourceful, though not above getting even. Like Chaplin’s tramp, he is the little guy we root for. He encounters thieves, pirates and cannibals among other adversaries. Ironically, Mickey has more of a voice than in his early film appearances. While he maintains his lively pantomime gesturing, he is given sizable word balloons to propel the stories along.
People unfamiliar with early Mickey Mouse may be surprised at how he is sometimes depicted. He is not above violence or revenge. He uses guns and mistreats less anthropomorphic animals. In one startling run, he keeps trying to commit suicide. This storyline was suggested by Walt himself, who believed that the failed attempts would be great for laughs. Even with all of this, however, Mickey remains somewhat generic as a character. He is an everyman, not an outsized personality.
I came to these comics knowing about Carl Barks’ work on Donald Duck. Barks is held in high esteem and his work is often cited by comics historians and enthusiasts. He also told adventure stories and introduced most of Donald’s supporting cast. Unfortunately, Floyd Gottfredson is simply not Carl Barks and these comics never quite rise to the same level. These strips are good, but clearly a distant second to the Barks Donald Duck.
I have enjoyed these first two volumes and will undoubtedly revisit them from time to time. There are fun discoveries and surprises within these pages, but ultimately Mickey is not a remarkably compelling character. I feel no need to collect the further editions of the series.
Before Mickey became a branding icon, he first made an appearance in the animated short “Plane Crazy” in 1928. He made his official debut in “Steamboat Willie” later that year. His daily newspaper strip began in 1930 and ran for 45 years. Floyd Gottfredson is credited with most of the work on the strip, though, from the start, it is branded with Walt Disney’s distinctive signature.
Fantagraphics has collected the entire run of the Mickey Mouse comic strip and they’ve done a suitably polished job. I have the first two volumes, covering 1930 to 1933. They are beautiful hardbound books presented together in a sturdy slipcase. The wide format showcases the strips at what is probably their original size. Imminently readable, there are three dailys per page with generous margins. Each book contains extensive scholarly articles examining Mickey’s history and enduring legacy.
Drawing from a wide variety of influences, including their contemporary newspaper strips and movie serials, the comics generally place Mickey in the center of an adventure. In these pages, Mickey is brave and resourceful, though not above getting even. Like Chaplin’s tramp, he is the little guy we root for. He encounters thieves, pirates and cannibals among other adversaries. Ironically, Mickey has more of a voice than in his early film appearances. While he maintains his lively pantomime gesturing, he is given sizable word balloons to propel the stories along.
People unfamiliar with early Mickey Mouse may be surprised at how he is sometimes depicted. He is not above violence or revenge. He uses guns and mistreats less anthropomorphic animals. In one startling run, he keeps trying to commit suicide. This storyline was suggested by Walt himself, who believed that the failed attempts would be great for laughs. Even with all of this, however, Mickey remains somewhat generic as a character. He is an everyman, not an outsized personality.
I came to these comics knowing about Carl Barks’ work on Donald Duck. Barks is held in high esteem and his work is often cited by comics historians and enthusiasts. He also told adventure stories and introduced most of Donald’s supporting cast. Unfortunately, Floyd Gottfredson is simply not Carl Barks and these comics never quite rise to the same level. These strips are good, but clearly a distant second to the Barks Donald Duck.
I have enjoyed these first two volumes and will undoubtedly revisit them from time to time. There are fun discoveries and surprises within these pages, but ultimately Mickey is not a remarkably compelling character. I feel no need to collect the further editions of the series.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews