On sale today, November 19, 2025, the FIRST ISSUE of MICKEY MOUSE from Fantagraphics' new standard comics line - #1 Legacy Number 331!
It's also me on the SUPER GOOF backup!
All this and a two-page Floyd Gottfredson old-timey Sunday strip from 1933!
BUT WAIT... THERE'S MORE!
David Gerstein's extremely informative CROSSTALK column on Mickey and The Phantom Blot!
SO, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!
Blot out to your favorite comics retailer (...as I did today), and have yourself a Blot-ing Good Time (...as I *also* did today) with MICKEY MOUSE (FANTAGRAPHICS) #1 LEGACY NUMBER 331!
Unlike Mickey, I can't quite promise that you won't "have a care in the world" but, like that legendary "spoonful of sugar", it will definitely "make the medicine go down" much sweeter!
...or maybe scarier?
...See ya in the Comments Section!
16 comments:
Glad to see the Mickey Mouse comics return. Once it available in my local comic book store, I will buy it. Are you the translator on the Casty story or someone else?
I am indeed the translator and dialogue provider, for both the Casty story and the Super Goof backup!
Also, for the second and third issues of MICKEY MOUSE, and the lead story for the first issue of DONALD DUCK. I have another lead for Mickey and one for Donald, but I’m not at all sure where they’ll fall.
And Jonathan Gray is doing a great job on UNCLE SCROOGE, unfolding “Flintheart Glomgold’s Sinister Secret”, over its first three issues. I have a short, Klondike era backup somewhere in Scrooge, with some fun tidbits to look for in the dialogue.
The first Mickey and the first and second Scrooges are out as of this writing (November 21, 2025). The first Donald will be out in December.
Scrooge will be published monthly, while Mickey and Donald will alternate on a bimonthly schedule. I don’t think that information is contained anywhere in the books themselves, so I want to make sure it gets out.
I starting typing this comment at an autoshop while waiting for my car to be repaired. I was in need of a dose of joy and this issue was exactly what Doctor Einmug ordered!
I’m so happy to have an ongoing Mickey Mouse title back and to have you helming the dialogue of its first issue. And speaking of dialogue “Double Revenge” immediately starts off strong with Mickey and Goofy’s camping competitions being filled with funny alliterations and puns. There are so many great lines in this issue but my two favorites are: “I only have 5 sisters” (ONLY!?) and “Another ingenious invention… misused for evil purposes”. That latter line sounds like it was meant to be delivered by Adam West on the old Batman show… and I love it.
I’m happy to see that you got a “Bertram” in and I also appreciated the tribute to Paul Murry with “Murry Street”. The story had a very nice callback to Murry’s “Return of the Phantom Blot”. I don’t want to spoil the ending, but was that reference in the original Italian script or did you add that? Either way I think the reference enriches the story and makes it feel in continuity with a larger disney comics world.
I got a kick out of the “million” wordplay as the Blot outwits Goofy in the phone booth. Speaking of phone booths, I have recently realized that the death of phone booths is a societal loss. Last year my (very old) cell phone died and I had to navigate modern life without a cell for a few weeks. I am able to live without the constant distraction of social media and texting… but with no pay phones there is a real fear of facing an emergency and having no way to call anyone. During that time, I found a three-year old article with a small list of pay phones in my town. Well in those three years the few pay phones left were disconnected.
Back to the issue (at hand), I enjoyed the Super Goof backup. Your dialogue definitely lived up to the standards set by Mark Evanier. It felt appropriate for a Gottfredson Sunday page to be included in issue one of a new Mickey Mouse comic. Going forward though if comic strips will be included as back ups I’d much prefer that they pull from strips not included in Fantagraphic’s Gottfredson Library. I’ve wanted to read more of Manuel Gonsales’ and Floyd Norman’s Mickey comic strips and would be thrilled to see them in future issues.
I gotta reiterate that it’s great to have the monthlies back! Today, I also read U$#2 and enjoyed it as well.
Ryan:
Thank you for your VERY KIND and positive reaction to the first new MICKEY MOUSE from Fantagraphics!!! I had a ball doing it!
And why wouldn’t I? It combines Casty and The Phantom Blot! In my humble opinion, two of the very best things about Mickey Mouse comics, and a perfect writer and antagonist to begin this (hopefully long) run!
Casty is one of my two favorite present-day writers in all of comics, the other (since I *know* you’re curious) being Sholly Fisch! The things you like about my writings, you’ll like even more about Sholly’s – and, unlike me he does original stories!
Getting back to Casty, he is EXACTLY what Mickey needs! The oft-weird imagination of Bill Walsh (writer of the later Gottfredson strip continuities) and Romano Scarpa – but, with more (for lack of a better phrase) “cohesive depth”! And, it’s all the better when he DRAWS the story as well (…which, alas, in this case he did not).
It’s not as if I don’t give my all to EVERY story I work on… but, for Casty, I dig just a little deeper into my bag of tricks because the raw story I get is invariably superior to most of what’s out there – and I just wanna do my best to keep up with the Modern Mouse Master, and do his great efforts the justice they deserve! Thus, the increased load of liveliness and myriad of mirth here added to the latest American Casty Experience!
The name “Bertram” nearly always finds a landing spot in my stories. I’ve come to think of it as my written equivalent of Hitchcock cameos! Hopefully, each “Bertram” brings a smile to your face, as it does mine.
“Murry Street” is my obvious tribute to Paul Murry, the artist *I* most closely associated with The Phantom Blot as a child of the 1960s. It is also born of something Kurt Busiek used to do in his magnificent series ASTRO CITY (…anyone who has not at least sampled it, is hereby invited to do so – you’ll be glad you did), where he names the buildings, roads, landmarks, etc. of Astro City after different past comics creators. And, if Busiek could give Floyd Gottfredson an expressway (which he did), the least I could do is give Paul Murry a street!
Not only is Murry Street the home of one of the last remaining PHONE BOOTHS (…perhaps now we should call them “Ransom Drop Booths”), but in Issue #2, it is also home to an abandoned subway station! …I’m guessing the Murry Street neighborhood has seen better days!
Mark Evanier was the inspiration for my first Super Goof script – my ACTUAL first-ever script – and, along with Bob Ogle and Vic Lockman, is pretty much a part of EVERY Super Goof script I write!
And, finally… aw, give Gottfredson a break… It’s only two pages, and the guy has an expressway named after him, ya know! I think his 1930s style makes for quite the contrast with the modern Italian style – especially so with the Super Goof, more than the Mickey! But, if you ask me, I say the perfect mid-point between the two jarringly different styles would be that of Paul Murry… then again, I’m just a little biased, aren’t I?
PS: I think you will see Manuel Gonzalez get the two-page treatment in #2.
I enjoyed MM #1, especially the lead story. Noticed Bertram and Murry Street! And I was charmed that the way Goofy helped defeat the Blot in the scuffle was a sort of callback to your and my favorite from childhood, The Return of the Phantom Blot. I won't say how--no spoilers, for *either* story!
Elaine:
I’m particularly gratified that Casty (…and, literally parenthetically, I) caused you to enjoy Mickey, as I know that has not always been the case!
I promise that #2-3 will deliver more of that delightful (…and much appreciated by yours truly) feeling… even though it’s not a Casty original! So, I hope you’ll be on hand for the Rhyming Man and Uma – Mickey’s ally, and another great female character created by Casty!
I like the fact that others are incorporating Casty’s elements into their own stories, just as “other others” did with Barks’ creations way back when!
And, yes… While I’m not fully certain that it even *is* a spoiler after all this time, but that was a very nice touch by Casty! And not only in “The Return of the Phantom Blot” but in PHANTOM BLOT #1 as well! …Just short of a “Spoiler Pun”, I’ll close with… By now, Goofy could probably do the bit in his sleep!
Update: I have finally received my Uncle Scrooge! Hopefully I'll have the Blot extravaganza in time for Christmas…
Achille:
If so, you’ll have an even merrier Christmas than usual! :-)
Let us know your thoughts, once you read it… and, of course, your Uncle Scrooge thoughts are welcome as well.
Joe:
“Thank you for your VERY KIND and positive reaction to the first new MICKEY MOUSE from Fantagraphics!!!”
No thanks are needed, I’m just telling the truth as I see it :)
Part of my enthusiasm comes from how nice it is to have monthly (and bi monthly) disney comics back. The Disney Masters series is awesome and it’s given you and the core four a consistent opportunity to share “New-to-the-US” Disney Comics with us. But on a purely personal note it’s nice to return to the routine of going to a comic book store, buying a new issue, and having a lil moment of zen reading it. It was particularly joyful for me to get U$#3 today. I’ve had an extremely busy two weeks so it was nice to sit down with U$#3 and mentally escape for a little bit.
“Casty is one of my two favorite present-day writers in all of comics, the other (since I *know* you’re curious) being Sholly Fisch! The things you like about my writings, you’ll like even more about Sholly’s – and, unlike me he does original stories!”
I definitely see commonalities between your writing style and Sholly Fisch’s! I really enjoyed his run on Scooby Doo Team Up but I’ve lost track of what he’s currently up to. Is he contributing to any monthly comics right now?
“aw, give Gottfredson a break… It’s only two pages, and the guy has an expressway named after him, ya know! I think his 1930s style makes for quite the contrast with the modern Italian style – especially so with the Super Goof, more than the Mickey!”
You make an excellent point regarding the contrast in art styles. One of my favorite things about the IDW Mickey title was how we could get multiple different comics from different eras with different styles all in one floppy. The inclusion of the Gottfredson comic helps establish this diversity of art styles for the Fantagraphics run.
I also forget that the inclusion of this Gottfredson strip could be a new reader’s introduction to the great mouse artist! I love Gottfredson and want more people to appreciate his work. Down the road, it could be cool to feature post-1955 Gottfredson gag strips that weren’t included in the Gottfredson library.
Excellent work, Joe!
I recently reviewed the story: https://themousemaestro.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-phantom-blots-double-revenge.html
I am thrilled that Mickey has returned to the shelves!
Ryan: (you write)
“But on a purely personal note it’s nice to return to the routine of going to a comic book store, buying a new issue, and having a lil moment of zen reading it. It was particularly joyful for me to get U$#3 today. I’ve had an extremely busy two weeks so it was nice to sit down with U$#3 and mentally escape for a little bit.”
I couldn’t agree more with that sentiment, Ryan! As great as the Disney Masters series is – and will continue to be, trust me on that – one thing has been missing from the American Disney comics experience for far too long is… picking up a standard format Disney comic book from a comic book store!
“But, I’ll “race ya” (or “RAISE ya”) on that whole “extremely busy two weeks” thing! …After all, if I didn’t actually coin the phrase “Horrifically Busy”, I’ve certainly done my part to add it to our common lexicon! For instance, I *haven’t* been able to even look at UNCLE SCROOGE #3 / 463 yet! And a whole mess o’ other things continue to stack up before me! But that’s what comes from moving! (Sigh!)
I’m not exactly certain what Sholly Fisch is doing at the moment. There was KANGA-U , which I enjoyed, and he was doing TEEN TITANS GO but, for my two-cents (…or whatever the current cover price is today) , he was at his best with SCOOBY-DOO TEAM-UP and THE BATMAN & SCOOBY-DOO MYSTERIES! …When I get some Fantagraphics and/or Gold Key comps to send, I will write him again and find out!
Paradoxically, I feel both sad and happy for anyone who’s introduction to Floyd Gottfredson (…and, for that matter, Paul Murry and Romano Scarpa) would be in this issue! Sad because they had not discovered the work of the “Original Mouse Master” until now, but happy because they have A LOT OF GREAT READING ahead of them!
Hi Joe,
I reviewed the story at my blog: themousemaestro.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-phantom-blots-double-revenge.html
Great work as usual! Your witticisms are always enjoyable!
And a MAGNIFICENT review is it, MM!
I really enjoyed it, and will have much more to say, when I respond to your other post! What’s more, I spent some time going through your other posts, and your stuff is terrific!
I urge EVERYONE to go to Mouse Maestro’s Blog and check out THE REVIEW – and everything else!
More to come later, but I had to do a quick response on this comment now!
I just left a huge comment on Mouse Maestro’s Blog. You already have the link above if you wish to see it!
And, since we’re all one great big happy community around here, I offer Mouse Maestro the same as I do for all of you: If you’d care to correspond with me off the Blog, as many of our commenters do, please send a comment to this Blog with your email address. I will not publish this comment, but will respond to the address provided.
One condition, though, you must tell me your real name (so I can properly address you) and where you’re from! After all, you know my info. It’s only fair. You’ll always be “Mouse Maestro” on the Blog, as I retain all pseudonyms for public replies, but I like to really know who I’m communicating with.
Oh, wait… two conditions! As I am in the throes of moving, I have very little time for anything, including this Blog, so any and all replies will be subject to that!
Joe,
Thanks for the plug! Can I add your blog to the blogroll?
You certainly may... and I thank you for it!
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