Daring duck of mystery
Champion of right
Swoops out of the shadows
Darkwing owns the night
Somewhere some villain schemes
But his number’s up

(3-2-1)

Darkwing Duck (When there’s trouble you call DW)
Darkwing Duck (Let’s get dangerous!)
Darkwing Duck (Darkwing, Darkwing, duck!)

When there’s trouble you call the Justice Ducks! Darkwing is now part of a bigger team in Dynamite Comics’ third comic series featuring the characters of the 1991 classic Disney TV animated show, Darkwing Duck. Dynamite’s first Darkwing comic debuted in January 2023 and ran for 10 issues. A comic devoted to Darkwing’s nemesis, Negaduck, launched in September 2023.

Today, we will take a look at the final issue of Dynamite Comics’ Justice Ducks series.

Release Date: August 21st, 2024

Writer: Roger Langridge

Artist: Carlo Lauro

Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry

Editor: Nate Cosby

Covers by: Jae Lee, Roger Langridge, Francesco Tomaselli, Trish Forstner

Official Synopsis:

THE WINGS OF JUSTICE NEVER TIRE!

Just as crime never sleeps, so too do DARKWING DUCK and his faithful compatriots in the Justice Ducks (STEGMUTT, GIZMODUCK, NEPTUNIA, and MORGANA) resist the siren song of slumber until all threats from menacing miscreants have been managed. But that’s probably going to take a while, so maybe they’ll just rest their eyes for a bit…

My Recap and Review

*STOP READING HERE IF YOU WANT TO AVOID ALL SPOILERS*

The Justice Ducks gather in Darkwing Duck’s secret headquarters on Audubon Bay Bridge to try to discover the mystery behind St. Canard’s recent alien related incidents. Darkwing would just like them to be quiet so that he can focus on reading his Colonel Calamity comic book. We get to read a page from the Colonel Calamity comic where the hero is facing his arch nemesis, Dr. Fink. Launchpad suggests that the Justice Ducks check out the observatory to see if there are any signs there of unusual space activity. Darkwing is finally able to get the Justice Ducks to leave his hideout as he suggests they go and catch some actual villains. This gives him the space he needs to read his comic book without distractions.

While attempting to apprehend some bank robbers, Gizmoduck goes missing and someone carries him away with a giant magnet attached to a helicopter. Gosalyn notices that the alien sightings on the map are all close to the conservatory. So as Launchpad previously pointed out, the Justice Ducks are off to the conservatory to look for clues and their missing Gizmoduck. The area around the perimeter of the conservatory is trap heavy. Gizmoduck is found strapped to a table inside the conservatory as the prisoner of a mysterious person in a lab coat. It can only be one person…the Merduck! Just kidding…it is Doctor Fink from Darkwing’s Colonel Calamity comic. Doctor Fink was using the power from the Gizmoduck suit to boost his communication signal into outer space to his home planet.

Doctor Fink had crash landed on Earth a while back, and he built a Colonel Calamity robot to fight with as a game. A comic book company made stories about their battles. Neptunia helps Doctor Fink send ripped out pages from Darkwing’s comic books into to space so that his people know to come looking for him. “Not my First Edition!” Darkwing hates the idea. Doctor Fink’s home planet sees the signal and come to Earth to collect him. Darkwing takes full credit.

This Justice Ducks series was great, and I am bummed that it was a limited series of five issues. When I first started reviewing the Dynamite Comics Darkwing Duck series, I had hopes that they would do a series featuring the Justice Ducks. Justice Ducks had all of the feels of the Just Us Justice Ducks two part episode of the classic Darkwing Duck animated show. Carlo Lauro really improved his artistic craft to a new level from the Darkwing Duck series to Justice Ducks. I can’t wait to see which new Disney series Dynamite puts him on next. Roger Langridge definitely understood the assignment to bring the humor. I would definitely recommend this series to Darkwing Duck fans. This five issue series should be available next year in trade paperback/hardcover. Hopefully you signed up for the Negaduck/Justice Ducks Heroes and Villains deluxed oversized editions in the Dynamite Darkwing Duck Kickstarter to get your hands on that dangerous edition.

A new Darkwing Duck comic series is in development by Dynamite. We do not know the creative team yet, but Tad Stones will be doing some of the covers. Let’s get dangerous!

*Cue the saxophone outro music*

Be sure to check out the other Dynamite Comics Disney releases: Negaduck, Gargoyles Quest, Lilo and Stitch, Hercules, and Disney Villains: Cruella De Vil.

Coming soon: The Nightmare Before Christmas and Zootopia

Let us know what you thought of Justice Ducks #5 in the comments below. What cover(s) did you get?

Don’t forget to follow @DuckTalks and @DynamiteComics for all of the Disney comic news.