Disney Adventures was a magazine published by the Walt Disney Company for 17 years beginning in 1990. Kids who grew up in the 90s and early 2000s fondly remember the monthly magazine for it’s coverage of entertainment including that produced by the Walt Disney Company and many others. Another great feature of these periodicals were their comics!

I have owned several issues of the Disney Adventures Magazine. I only have one that has remained in my collection. It is the January 1993 issue with the hip-hop duo Kris Kross and Max Goof on the cover. I was never a subscriber, but I did have the pleasure of picking up a few issues from grocery racks.

We were excited to learn that Fantagraphics had embarked on the adventure of collecting some of these comics for a new book, and we were doubly excited when we learned that the title for the book would be Darkwing Duck: Just Us Justice Ducks and other stories. This release is special because it coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Disney Afternoon series Darkwing Duck and because it includes many stories from show’s of the DA and of shows or movies that influenced or were influenced by the programming block.

This hardback book has 208 pages that include a Darkwing Duck television story retelling, A Goofy Movie adaption, the collection of The Legend of the Chaos God stories, as well as a Gummi Bear story, a Rescue Rangers story, Beagle Boy stories and many more. I was particularly excited to read The Legend of the Chaos God because of the sorcerer’s mention in DuckTales 2017.

Here is a list of the stories contained in this first volume:

• Just Us Justice Ducks
• The Legend of Tummi the Werebear
• A Goofy Movie
• A Beagle Badtime Story
• New Kid on the Dock
• The Legend of the Chaos God Part 1: Crystal Chaos
• The Legend of the Chaos God Part 2: To Half and Half Not
• The Legend of the Chaos God Part 3: Spookus Ex Machina
• The Legend of the Chaos God Part 4: Tow for Broke
• The Legend of the Chaos God Part 5: Reign and Thunder
• The Legend Behind “The Legend of the Chaos God”
• Ragin Bull
• Mrs. Beakley’s Secret Love

In Just Us Justice Ducks Darkwing Duck attempts to stop his greatest foes from taking over St. Canard. When other heroes attempt to team-up to defeat the Fearsome Five Darkwing becomes frustrated because he does not want to share the spotlight. Can DW save the city or will his rogues gallery make him wish he had allowed his friends to stick around? If this story sounds familiar that is because the comic is a 48-page adaption of the television series’ two-part story by the same name.

What happens when you eat Wereberries? Well if you are a Gummi Bear you just might find yourself turning into a Werebear. In The Legend of Tummi the Werebear Zummi, Grammi, Gruffi, Sunni, and Cubbi must help Tummi after he consumes too many Wereberries.

A Goofy Movie is a close adaption of the theatrical movie by the same name. This comic does an excellent job of retelling the events of the movie. Let’s face it, if you are a fan of A Goofy Movie (and I now you are because you are reading this blog) you will enjoy reading this comic, and you will sing all of the amazing songs in-between panels from memory.

What kind of tale is told to put Beagle Boys at ease? Why a badtime story of course. A Beagle Badtime Story is a fun short story that will warm the heart of any Beagle Boy fan and encourage them to try, try again.

When the Rescue Rangers meet a young rat in need, they take on a group of Weasels trying to steal precious treasure at the docks. New Kid on the Dock is a quick adventure that feels like it could air on a CRT television set, mid-week after school.

The series of stories that make up The Legend of the Chaos God are a fun collection that tells a story that spans across five Disney Afternoon series. The story begins with Baloo, Kit, and Molly taking on pirates in an effort to save a collection of artifacts. Things go awry when a powerful sorcerer who is trapped in one of the artifacts makes a move to free himself by uniting them. The story continues when the Rescue Rangers come across the artifacts while stopping Fat Cat and his minions. When the artifact finds its way to Spoonerville Goofy and Pete must take on a mechanical monstrosity that plans to free the sorcerer. The story continues in a DuckTales story where the Gizmoduck armor is stolen by the sorcerer and we finally learn the history of the artifacts and the sorcerer who is trying to unite them. In the final story, Darkwing Duck and Launchpad join forces with the Gizmoduck suit-less Fenton Crackshell to save St. Canard, and maybe the world from the evil sorcerer, Solego.

The Legend Behind “The Legend of the Chaos God” provides some behind the scenes knowledge of how the story of The Legend of the Chaos God came to be.

Raging Bull is a Bonkers story. It’s kind of crazy.

Mrs. Beakley gains an admirer in Mrs. Beakley’s Secret Love. What happens when that admirer tries to steal Scrooge McDuck’s money? You will need to read this story to find out!

Final Thoughts

Like many of Fantagraphics releases, this book offers Disney DuckFans great stories to enjoy. For many of us who grew up in the 90s this collection will be a great opportunity to experience these stories again or for the first time. With Fantagraphics you can be assured that the quality of the book and recreation of these stories are of the highest quality. Clearly the team who worked on the book love the content and set out to produce something their fellow fans would enjoy.

If you enjoy Darkwing Duck: Just Us Justice Ducks: Disney Afternoon Adventures Vol. 1 be sure to let Fantagraphics know that you would like to see a second volume come together. They surely have plenty of content to choose from.