Disney Masters

Fantagraphics launched the Disney Masters Series with Vol. 1: The Delta Dimension in May 2018. Since then they have published a few new volumes in the Disney Masters series each year. Volumes have been alternating between the central character and story being Mickey Mouse related or Donald Duck/Uncle Scrooge.

Fantagraphics presents Disney Masters – acclaimed artists from around the world working in the grand Walt Disney tradition. Many of these stories are new to American readers and appear here for the first time in English. Fresh new artwork, fresh new adventures, and fresh new laughs!

Disney Masters Vol. 11: The Ice Sword Saga Book 2

Book Description:

In this collection of comics starring Disney characters, Goofy and Mickey conclude the Ice Sword saga, and Donald Duck guest stars.

In this second and final collection of cartoonist Massimo De Vita’s epic saga of the legendary Ice Sword, Goofy and Mickey return to that dangerous domain, rejoining the wizard Yor and his dwarf defenders ― first, to battle an old enemy when “The Prince of Mists Strikes Back,” then to save the world from a sinister sleeping sickness in “The Sleeping Beauty in the Stars!”

Disney Masters Vol. 11: Mickey Mouse: The Ice Sword Saga Book 2 was released by Fantagraphics in June 2020. The stories included in this volume were originally published in Italy and appear here in English for the first time.

This volume of the Disney Masters series is 192 pages and features Disney Master Massimo De Vita.

A behind the scenes article on the making of Massimo De Vita’s Ice Sword Saga is included at the back of this volume.

Disney Masters Vol. 11: The Ice Sword Saga Book 2 is available in hardcover and Kindle\Comixology versions. A link to buy this book can be found at the end of this review.

Included Stories:

There are 4 stories included in Disney Masters Vol. 11:

• The Prince of Mist Strikes Back
• The Sleeping Beauty in the Stars
• The Secret of 313
• Arizona Goof and the Tiger’s Fiery Eye

A volcano eruption unearths the long time buried helmet of the Prince of Mist in The Prince of Mist Strikes Back. Pluto is accidentally sent to the land of Argaar on the Platter of Zoltan. To defeat the Prince of Mist for a second time and find Pluto, Mickey and Goofy are going to need to go on a quest for the Aldenaran Star that they will need to use to help deactivate the Prince of Mist’s helmet for good.

A strange sleepiness has spread all over Argaar in The Sleeping Beauty in the Stars. The exhaustion waves are coming from the infinite chasm of Niflheim which is where the Prince of Mist’s helmet was thrown. It is up to Mickey and Goofy to save the day again. This time they will need to travel to space to awaken a sleeping princess. Her pure heart can defeat the Prince of Mist.

Donald tells his uncle Ludwig Von Drake a flashback story on how he became the owner of his jalopy car, 313, in the story The Secret of 313.

In Arizona Goof and the Tiger’s Fiery Eye, Goofy’s cousin “Arizona Goof” is a great adventurer and treasure seeker who travels to India in search of red ruby that holds great power when combined with the tiger carved talisman. Arizona Goof is not the only one in search of this great power.

Final Thoughts

Massimo De Vita’s The Ice Sword Saga wraps up in this second volume collecting the stories of Goofy and Mickey’s travels on Christmas Eve to the land of Argaar to defeat the Prince of Mists. We also get treated to a Donald Duck story which gives us an origin story of how he came to become the owner of his famous 313 jalopy. That story also connects to the story from the animated short Don Donald where Donna Duck/Daisy Duck made her acting debut. It would be great if Fantagraphics made a whole Disney Masters volume of just Arizona Goof stories.

I love the Disney Masters series because we get treated to stories and illustrations from more great Disney comic creators besides the legendary Barks and Rosa. We may have never had a chance to read these stories outside of Fantagraphics’ Disney Masters series.

I am definitely looking forward to reading future volumes of Fantagraphics’ Disney Masters series. A big thank you to Fantagraphics for sending us this book to review so that we can continue our education and journey through the history of Disney Comics.

You can purchase both books from Massimo De Vita’s The Ice Sword Saga, Disney Masters Vol. 9 and Vol. 11, at the links below:

Order: Disney Masters Vol. 9: Mickey Mouse: The Ice Sword Saga Book 1

Order: Disney Masters Vol. 11: Mickey Mouse: The Ice Sword Saga Book 2

The next two new release volumes in the Disney Masters series have already been announced and are available for preorder:

Order: Disney Masters Vol. 18: Uncle Scrooge: Pie in the Sky

Order: Disney Masters Vol. 19: Mickey Mouse: Trapped in the Shadow Realm

*By purchasing from Amazon.com through this link above you are supporting DuckTalks at no additional cost to yourself!