Oh My God: Walt Disney Comics Digest #22

Walt Disney Comics Digest #22

So, I’m continuing to try to collect all the old Walt Disney Comics Digests but slowing down a bit. This month I sent off for the June 1970 issue, #22, wondering what it would be like. It arrived today, I unpackaged it, opened the cover, and was completely gobsmacked.

It was better than any old issue that I had remembered. It was better than any old issue I had never seen. It was, in fact, an old issue that I had completely forgotten, but whose recognition came rushing out of the darkest recesses of my brain to greet it with delight!

Scrooge and Glomgold pile up their money to see who has the most, with Glomgold first cheating by ‘inflating’ his pile and then trying to shrink Scrooge’s. Madam Mim takes a genie’s place to give him a rest. Morty and Ferdie try to hoax Goofy with ‘Smart Apples’. Jiminy Cricket rescues a ladybug from a spider’s hole by climbing the sticky web with a gradated series of shoes. Minnie and Mickey use the old ‘who doesn’t touch it’ trick to catch a thief (saw that later on M*A*S*H). There's an adaptation of ‘Peter and the Wolf’, Daisy finds a mysterious ring and tries to make Donald jealous, Captain Hook enslaves Dumbo, and the Big Bad Wolf wins a medal for Champ Bad Guy that brings him trouble with the Wicked Witch.

I don’t remember the cover or the last three stories in the volume (Donald and Dimwitty, Chip and Dale with Micky camping, and April, May, and June taking on a dog watching business), which makes me wonder if, when we got it, the digest was already in a damaged condition (maybe it was given by a friend or a cousin or even bought at a garage sale). Or maybe it’s just been so long (52 years or so) that I can’t recall those details. But anyway, a little piece of my childhood is restored to my memories, and my collection gets one step closer to completion.

Walt Disney Comics Digests Galore

 

                      Walt Disney Comics Digest #21 (April 1970)

Contains Part 3 (the conclusion) of Sleeping Beauty. Didn’t have then. The cover of my copy is pretty poor.

Walt Disney Comics Digest #22 (June 1970)

Contains adaptation of Peter and the Wolf. Don’t have yet.

Walt Disney Comics Digest #23 (July 1970)

Contains adaptations of Big Red and Goliath II. Didn’t have then. I turned 7 that month!

Walt Disney Comics Digest #24 (August 1970)

Has the first part of Thumper Meets the Seven Dwarfs. Didn’t have then.

Walt Disney Comics Digest #25 (October 1970)

The origin of Super Goof! Daisy tries to keep her cool with the Beagle Boys to win a contest! Gyro invents a machine to give himself super-strength! The Wicked Witch uses Emil Eagle’s machine to steal Minnie’s youth! Chip and Dale have home organization problems! The conclusion of Thumper meets the Seven Dwarfs! You can bet we had this one then and I was glad to have it again.

I’ve always wondered: how do they choose which cartoon character’s head gets in the banner, anyway? It doesn’t seem to have a whole lot to do with the contents.

Many people are aware of Carl Barks’ and his intimate connection with the citizens of Duckburg, but I’ve also always liked the style of an artist usually connected with the adventures of Mickey and Goofy, whom I’ve just looked into. Let’s talk a bit about Paul Murry.

“Paul Murry (November 25, 1911-August 4, 1989) was an American cartoonist and comics artist. He was best known for his comic stories involving Mickey Mouse, but he did do other work such as Donald Duck comics and stories with The Big Bad Wolf.

“Unlike most other artists around his time, Paul Murry did not have a formal education. He started out in the Walt Disney Studios and began working on comics shortly after. His first Disney comics starred José Carioca. Murry then started drawing Mickey Mouse stories, a character he would later come to love.

“Paul Murry is undoubtedly most known for his mystery and crime stories involving Mickey Mouse and Goofy. Murry's drawing style is very recognizable. His characters have small eyes and round heads, and their body shapes, with some exceptions, are either very thin or very fat. Paul Murry rarely, if ever, wrote stories himself.”  (https//:scrooge-mcduck.fandom.com)

He also did work on some of the better Woody Woodpecker comics.