Good Luck and Bad(?) Luck for Gladstone Gander.

Looking at the current cover of IDW's WALT DISNEY'S COMICS AND STORIES...

...is anyone reminded of this cover from Disney Comics' DONALD DUCK ADVENTURES? 

Hmmm... I wonder if, at least according to the visual evidence of the cover image, is this REALLY "The Day Gladstone's Luck Ran Out"?   

Yes, he's slipped on a banana peel and is destined to fall down a manhole... but, if not for that, the SAFE, improbably flung from an undisclosed great distance, would have otherwise killed him!  

Maybe, once he enters the manhole, there's even a ladder or other hand-hold for him to grab on to, so he doesn't hit the bottom, or splash into some icky, dirty water.  ...Or even a discarded mattress floating by down there for him to land on!  

And, to boot, Donald is even going to lose a delicious PIE while observing the incident!  

Oh, and one more thing, as Columbo might have said; Who or what, in the "American Disney Comics Universe" circa 1991 would have the power to throw a safe like that?  Some villain who stole Super Goof's goobers?  

Maybe he's off to catch the safe - but won't be in time to save Donald's pie!  

Happy Easter, 2016!

Gotta love a cover like this!  

Notice the Nephews are each wearing YELLOW SHIRTS, but all are of different designs!  

On Sale March 16, 2016: UNCLE SCROOGE # 12 from IDW.

The UNCLE SCROOGE title from IDW completes its first year's worth of issues with a real BLAST!  Blast-Off into space, that is!

But, before we begin... I love the cover, but can anyone who's been around these comics for a while look at it and not think of this one?

Still, we have Donald, a somewhat rare cover appearance by Gyro Gearloose, and other key elements of the lead story, so I have to give it to the new cover by Giorgio Cavazzano, over the "Carl Barks Cover" (quotes for emphasis) fabricated by Gladstone's Bruce Hamilton.

And, speaking of the issue's lead story, we have "Ten Little Millionaires", originally published in TOPOLINO 2984 (2013), written by fan favorites Pat and Carol McGreal, with art by the great (...You know him... You love him... You've seen his name in our previous paragraph...) Giorgio Cavazzano!

Scrooge undertakes an enterprise that, as a child of the sixties, I thought might have been readily available to me in my middle age - but, alas has not been thus far... a SPACE SHUTTLE to a LUNAR RESORT!

While I will never get to take that long-imagined commercial space flight, apparently such jaunts are far from common even in this comic book universe, as only millionaires can afford it!  TEN of them, to be exact, in keeping with our story's title - and (most likely) the murder mystery the title was based upon!

To digress, one set of well-heeled passengers are somewhat reminiscent of "The Blurfs", from the DuckTales episode, "Bubbeo and Juliet"!

What "NOSE" could he be referring to?  

With all ten passengers safely aboard, launch is GO!  Check out this great sequence by Cavazzano!

Of course, Cavazzano has displayed excellence with flying craft before, as seen in IDW's DONALD DUCK # 3!

En route, Donald has his job to do!

And, Cavazzano certainly "does HIS job", getting them there with an equally impressive landing sequence!

Speaking of "impressive", check THIS out!

Makes you wanna "Oooh and Aaah", just reading the comic!  ...And, hey, there's Scrooge's POSE from the cover!

But soon, there's "trouble in Luna-dise", as our ten millionaires fall victim to a string of mysterious thefts!  I guess it had to be THEFTS, 'cause we can't do murders in a Disney comic.

And, Scrooge makes like his favorite detective in order to crack the case.  I'll spoil nothing except to say that this is a nice little mystery story, that you will all enjoy!

And who IS Scrooge's favorite detective?  Nope!  Not this guy!

Nor this guy with the same name!

Nor these two, who have both laid claim to the mantle of "The World's Greatest Detective"!  

Nor even this guy from a completely different universe!

Aw, now... I'm just being silly, and having fun with my stock image gallery!  Sorry!

Before departing "Ten Little Millionaires", I must point out that all of our favorite "McGreal-isms" are here - as they are in so many of their other stories!   ...And, wouldn't you miss them, if they weren't!

"Pickle Me and Call Me Dill!"

"Great Tesla's Coil!" 

And the ever-popular "Cushlamacree!"  

Most of this panel is cut off, so as not to spoil the mystery!  

And least the McGreals never used THIS expression - thankfully!  

Ultimately, Scrooge decides upon a different direction!

Could it possibly lead to a CROSSOVER I've been dreaming of all my life?

I CAN dream, can't I?  

It's not like they haven't shared a PUBLISHER before!

But, while we begin our long wait (...at least MY long wait) for Scrooge and Donald to meet Admiral Nelson and Captain Crane, we move on to our issue's backup story...

"Gem Scam Jam", originally from ALMANACCO TOPOLINO # 92 (1964), is written and drawn by the great Romano Scarpa, with translation and dialogue by Yours Truly.  Yes, the credits have it slightly wrong... I have "Translation and Dialogue" on this one.  

And, 1964?  It's utterly mind-blowing to consider that, when I was reading this issue as a kid...

...that Romano Scarpa was writing and drawing a story I would would be working with in 2016!

Back to our story, Scrooge makes a bet with Jubal Pomp who, over this first year of IDW's UNCLE SCROOGE, we've seen in both ISSUE # 1... 

...And ISSUE # 3.   

And now, in ISSUE 12, the bet is on!  Hope you've enjoyed this year, Jubal!  

Even if Jubal hasn't, for the rest of you who have enjoyed this first year of IDW's UNCLE SCROOGE, there are two little treats to be found in Pomp's mumblings and musings!  

 It's "been done" in UNCLE SCROOGE # 7, to be precise!  

Has Pomp been reading UNCLE SCROOGE # 11?  

Pomp and Donald join forces...

...And, with some cheesy disguises, challenge Scrooge to yet another Contest of Wealth! 

What, indeed?  

I think you've just answered your own question, Scrooge... Because they're TRADITION! 

Well, I'll not reveal how either the contest or the Big Bet turns out, but I will say what a great first year of IDW's UNCLE SCROOGE we've had!  

Just remember, I do not speak for IDW, or anyone in its employ.  I speak strictly for myself as both a long-time fan and as a dialogue creator – and those opinions are strictly my own.

Then, let's all meet back here in the Comments Section to discuss another great issue from IDW - or the ENTIRE FIRST YEAR of this title!

While I'm at it, I'd like to thank Jonathan Gray, Thad Komorowski, Gary Leach, David Gerstein, Sarah Gaydos, and the original writers and artists of every story that has appeared, for a truly wonderful first year of IDW's UNCLE SCROOGE!  

And, as an EXTRA BONUS FEATURE, here are all 12 of the "Regular Covers" for this wonderful first year!  ...Enjoy!  

UPDATE: As discussed in our Comments Section, in this issue we have Scrooge reading a mystery novel titled "Larceny on the Orient Express".  

However, there's at least one prior instance of Scrooge reading an "Orient Express" mystery novel.  It's called "Onslaught on the Orient Express"!  More detail on this to be found in the Comments Section.

Go there and read it, lest you become "dis-oriented", and are unable to tell "Dis Orient Express", from "Dat Orient Express"!