The Disney Comics App for iPhone and iPad featuring X-Mickey! (updated 05/25/2011)

You know me, I love to read, and that includes Comic Books. I’ve recently discovered the Disney Comics App in the App store on iTunes (available for iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch). I have an iPhone and I love it.

Here is what makes the Disney Comics App so cool: A lot of the comics have never been available in English or in the United States (there are settings for “English,” “English (United States),” “French,” and“Spanish” in the App settings, but I don’t know if this will change the language of the comic books or just the App buttons). Some were released by Gladstone and Boom Kids! The thing is, Italians have a comics publication called Topolino (which I believe is their name for Mickey Mouse). It started in 1949 with issue #1 (100 pages). Issue #500 came out in 1965 (180 pages). #1000 came out in 1975 (over 100 pages). #1500 came out in 1984. #2000 came out in 1994 (388 pages). #2500 came out in 2003 (196 pages)… They are almost to #3000. If you get where I’m going, this is a weekly comic book that has been around for over 50 years with over 100 to 200 pages an issue and little to no reprints! 1,000’s of stories that a lot of us have never even seen! Plus, there are a ton of characters that Americans might not be aware of (or at least don’t see very often)! Like: Fethry Duck, Donald Duckling, Pipwolf, Quackmore, Portis (Peg-Leg Pete’s partner), and many more.

There are currently about 17 totally free digital comic books available on the App (ranging from a couple pages to 45+ pages). This will give you plenty of time to get to know the different ways to use the App. There are also 40+ purchase-able comics too (Many of which are available as a part of the various Bundle deals they have going on right now).

You need to get this app to read X-Mickey. X-Mickey is sort of a mix of Mickey Mouse’s mystery comics with a touch of horror (not too scary at all). They feature a Goofy-like character named Pipwolf that is a werewolf, but he isn’t evil or scary. The series was originally released by The Walt Disney Company Italia from 2002 to 2004. It was a short-lived series of only 30 issues that started with #1000 and worked their way DOWNWARD to #971. Then the series continued from that point in the main Italian Disney Comic Topolino (including a pretty long, 87 page, story in Topolino #2762 and #2763, story #TL 2762-2P). In the app, the original X-Mickey comics are numbered normally, and #1 - #11 are on there right now. DISNEY, PLEASE get #12 - #30 on there as soon as possible (plus the bonus material and the Topolino appearances, pretty please)! I think the title is a reference to The X-Files (and certainly not the X-Men).

Now, here is the sad thing. While you get the original full X-Mickey stories that were in those issues of X-Mickey, you don’t get the full original comic book! For Example, X-Mickey #1 (AKA #1000) was 84 pages long. But the X-Mickey digital comic is 45 pages long. The Digital comic is missing “Chiedilo a Pipwolf” a 4 page story featuring Jeremy the invisible mailman and Pipwolf, “Cartoline da Mostropoli” a 12 page story featuring Mickey and Minnie Mouse, some ads, a fake ad featuring Pipwolf as a magaician, and the original front and back cover. While I’d LOVE to see it all translated to English, I am okay with getting just the main, uncensored, X-Mickey story that was in each issue.

I have read some negative reviews, but they seem to all stem from people not being patient enough with downloads (and be connected to an Internet source) or not reading the Settings section's "Help" section under "About".... There is also a great amount of info on their website:  http://www.disneybookapps.com/disneycomics.html

Pros:

1) Free comics! And most of the comics are only $0.99.

2) No ads at all (none in the comics…and the ones in the app are for deals within the app).

3)Translations.  Previously unavailable in English comics like X-Mickey!

4) X-Mickey. These huge comics (about 45 pages) are totally entertaining and feature brand new (to me) characters and monsters.

5) Actual pages are listed. Not panels like some comic apps.

6)ZOOMING. You can choose to pinch-to-zoom, or have the app zoom-in from panel to panel with just a tap! You can even have it automatically go from panel to panel… if you’re a speedy reader (the speed is adjustable).

7) Sounds. These scared me the first time they happened. Every once in a while, if you are reading with the panel-to-panel method, a pre-recorded sound will play…usually a zinger of some sort that matches the action in the comic. This is a totally unnecessary thing, but it is fun and it usually makes me jump. It is easily turned off in the “Sounds and Animations” section of the“Settings.” I haven’t seen any“Animations” yet, but they might be cool!

8)Prices.  $0.99 a comic story is great!  Some of them are $1.99 and some are more than that, but I believe the price points are based on length... something like 30 pages or less is $0.99... 31 or more pages is $1.99.  There are some deals for longer comics being $0.99 (or less with bundles)... Personally, I think that all the comics SHOULD be $0.99.  I'm not purchasing any of the higher priced ones. For Example, the Superduck series, most of them are $1.99, and they are really good, but I can't buy 11+ comics for $1.99 each (they are about 48 pages each, and probably worth it though...maybe).

Cons / Easily fixable things:

1) The banners advertising the different deals and comics don’t always work (currently there is one that says “Villains”with Magica De Spell and the Beagle Boys on it, but tapping it doesn’t bring you to to a list of their comics).  Sometimes these banners do work, and when they do, there is usually a good deal attached to them.   UPDATE for new 10/2011 version:  THEY WORK NOW!

2) Incomplete comics/No ads in the comics… WHAT? Yes, you read that right. From what I understand, the original X-Mickey releases had FAKE parody advertisements in them (featuring the X-Mickey characters with story related silly items), and these aren’t included… but the big stinker is, the bonus stories that were in the original issues aren’t included either.  Also, the Topolino comics were a few hundred pages, and they aren't completely available... just the full stories are available (which is hard to complain about). October 19th update: A new 15 page free comic called "X-Mickey Extra #1: Postcard from Monsterton" (which looks like it should be called "Smile!") was just added... this may be a GOOD sign! Smile was originally printed as "Sorridi!" in 2002 in X-Mickey #998 (#3). 

3) Non-searchable database. You can’t search. Period.  You just have three lists for the regular and three lists for the free comics: “Featured,” “Top 25,” and “New” in each.  Note: You CAN sort of search the comics you've purchased/downloaded via a list of ALL of them, called "titles," a list called "Characters" and a list called "Categories." UPDATE FOR NEW VERSION of the APP released 10/2011: "Characters" and "Categories" have been added to a "Kiosk" section of the main comics and a lot of comics are listed under those that aren't anywhere else.  Currently, the "Characters" list in the Kiosk section is missing a lot of characters, but they are working on it.  There still isn't a "search" though.  I want a key-word search. 

4) Translations need another proofread sometimes. Two of the comics I’ve read on the Disney Comics App have had errors that should have been picked up by a proofreader. One of these was in Wizards of Mickey #1 (which I have the Boom Kids! Graphic novel of the first four issues… but the app had it as a free download too). The interesting thing is, this typo wasn’t in the Graphic Novel at all. The typo is “You’ll find out in soon in the next episode…” A totally easy mistake to make when a writer changes how they are going to word something mid-sentence. Maybe they need to hire a Copy Editor/Proofreader, or a second one.

5) The original covers aren’t always a part of the comic download. This is due to a lot of these originally being part of a bigger comic like the Italian“Topolino” comics that usually have a lot of stories. But for something like the X-Mickey comics, I don’t know why they aren’t included. The original X-Mickey covers are works of art.  This is a little picky, but it would be nice.

Here is a list of some of the comics (besides X-Mickey) that are currently available:

NOTE: the TL ####-#’s are the story codes. I noticed these in the books and there are websites dedicated to them. The TL stands for "Topolino"

Arizona Goof and the Risky Adventure (also titled “Arizona Goofy and the Risky Adventure” within the App). TL-2649-2 (this series was originally titled Indiana Pipps/Goofs, I believe). Original Italian title: Indiana Pipps e la rischiosa avventura

Donald Duck and Fethry Duck in “Operation Seaweed”. TL 2541-1. 30 Pages. Original Italian title: Paperino, Paperoga e la "Missione Alga"

Donald Duck and Gladstone Gander and the Trash Collection. TL 2688-2. 12 pages. Original title: Paperino, Gastone e la raccolta differenziata

Donald Duck and the Secret of the 313, TL 2071 (AKA TL 2071-1). 29 pages. Original Italian title: Paperino e il segreto della 313

Donald Duck and the Beach Training Camp. TL 2752-1. 26 pages. Original Italian title: Paperino e il singolare allenamento balneare

Donald Duck and the World Cup Mission. TL 2638-1. 30 pages. Original Italian title: Paperino e la missione "mondiali" (Note: this also features Fethry Duck.)

Donald Duck in Gone With the Wind #1. TL 1396-A. 44 pages. Original Italian title was: Paperino e il vento del sud (Note: #2 isn’t on the App yet, but #1 is free right now)

Gladstone Gander and the Holiday in the Pocket. 4 pages (free). TL 2211-3. Original Italian title: Gastone e la vacanza in tasca

Goofy and the Elephant Memory. 5 pages (free). TL 2224-4. Original Italian title: Pippo e la memoria da elefante

Gyro Gearloose and the Shielding Gloves. 12 pages (free). TL 2695-3. Original Italian title: Archimede e i guanti paranti

Mickey Mouse and the Secret of the Black Whale. 36 pages. TL 2523-1. Original Italian title: Topolino e il segreto della Balena Nera

Mickey Mouse and the Sword of Ice #1. 31 pages. Part 1 of TL 1411-BP. Original Italian title:Topolino e la spada di ghiaccio

Mickey Mouse and the Sword of Ice #2. 31 pages. Part 2 of TL 1411-BP. Original Italian title: Topolino e la spada di ghiaccio

Mickey Mouse and the Sword of Ice #3. 39 pages. Part 3 of TL 1411-BP. Original Italian title: Topolino e la spada di ghiaccio

Mickey Mouse and the River of Time #1 (also titled “Mickey Mouse in the River of Time” in the APP). 24 Pages. TL 2243-1A. Original Italian title: Topolino e il fiume del tempo. This story was printed in English before in Mickey Mouse Adventures #2 (ISBN 0-911903-69-0)

Mickey Mouse and the River of Time #2 (also titled “Mickey Mouse in the River of Time” in the APP). 26 Pages. TL 2243-1B. Original Italian title: Topolino e il fiume del tempo

Here is a list of some comics that have been available as a part of a promotion, but they are currently no longer available:

San Diego Comic Con 2011 specials:

Cinderella (a 44 page comic adaptation of the film, FREE)

Up (a 48 page comic adaption of the film, FREE).

UPDATE:
New York Comic Con 2011 specials (as of Thursday morning at 1:21 New York time):
From what I understand, a QR code on staff t-shirts will lead to a special mobile site with specially-priced New York Comic-Con exclusives.  Here is what the app has on it right now (with the prices for "regular" users:
The Mickey Mouse Once Upon a Time in America Series:
Mickey Mouse and the Treasure of the Mayflower (34 pages, free)
Mickey Mouse and the Boston Smugglers (35 pages, $0.99)
Mickey Mouse and the Big Sky (40 pages, $0.99)
Mickey Mouse and the Second-to-Last of the Mohicans (35 pages, $0.99)
Mickey Mouse and the River's Beauty (32 pages, $0.99)
Interview with George Washington (30 pages, $0.99)

Two Tangled shorts: "Flying Stars" and "Pascal's Painting" (only 4 pages each, and way over-priced at $0.99 each... these should be free). They were originally published in Disney Presents #1.

The Lion King (46 page film adaption, 2.99)

Toy Story (48 page film adaption, $2.99)

Aladdin (46 page film adaptation, $2.99)

Up and Cinderella too (but for $2.99 each).

Some of the bundles are listed in the Special Offers secitions of the App, but they are all regular price.



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UPDATE October, 2011

They just released a new version!

There is a "Kiosk" choice at the top.  Tapping it will bring you to two choices "Characters" and "Catagories."  Going into those will bring up a lot of comics that don't show up anywhere else. Like: "Arizona Goof and the Idol of the Chicken-hearts," "Mickey Mouse in War of the Worlds," "A Christmas Carol" (Jose Colomer Font's 1982 34 page version)and a whole slew of "Superduck" comics!

The banners now work!

All of my purchases moved to it without me even having to re-download.  NICE!  There is an option in the settings to do this if you can't find something you've downloaded.

Now... just add a search and they'll be golden.


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Update May 2012

Things have been pretty slow in this App recently.  A lot of comics have been released/translated onto this app, but most of their prices have been the higher $1.99 instead of the more economical $0.99 (including "X-Mickey" #12 through #20, grr).  Doubling the price is a horrible idea in my opinion. So, I haven't been purchasing like I used to.  Paying for a non-physical item that I can't donate or sell or give to my kids when I'm done with it is just... hard to deal with.  It feels like renting, and if I'm going to "rent" these comics, I don't want to spend more than $0.99... or have more "Bundle" options... or more sale days.

On Free Comic Book Day (first Saturday in May 2012), the App released 4 comics:
"Cars: Raditor Springs" 
"Donald Duck and the Space Tourist"
"Tangled: Flying Stars"
and
"Phinneas & Ferb: Happy Birthday, Perry!" 
I purchased these the day they came out, but my phone pooped out on me and I had to download them later.... BUT I COULDN'T.  The books are no longer available now.  So, now they are sitting in my download queue.  Everytime I open the app, they try to download again, but alas, they cannot.  I emailed the company and they told me to delete the App and redownload it.  It turns out this was NOT good advice.... fortunately I asked more questions and got a straight answer from "Eric",
"Unfortunately, the comics that were available on Free Comic Book Day were only available to download on that day."
So, these four comics will continue to attempt to be downloaded, I guess, every time I open my app (or my phone locks and unlocks).  ANNOYING.  You see, they can't be deleted because they haven't been fully downloaded yet.  Disney needs to just make these available to those who have purcahsed them (like me), or they need to update the app so you can delete an un-downloaded book.  So, I assume that if you DID download them, and deleted them, you'd never be able to get them again!  That doesn't seem right.  All of the other purchases remain available if deleted...at least that is what the App says...

Walt Disney's Surprise Package is a SURPRISE indeed!

While going through a pile of books at a garage sale recently, I ran across a beauty of an oversized book called Walt Disney's Surprise Package.  It wasn't in the best condition, but I noticed some things in it that really "surprised" me.

Details for the edition I am talking about: Walt Disney's Surprise Package, First Printing, Simon and Schuster, 1944 (that's right, 1944!).  Illustrated by Walt Disney Studio.  Stories adapted by H. Marion Palmer (I believe that is Helen Marion Palmer) from originals by Hans Christian Anderson, Lewis Carroll, Kenneth Grahame, Sir James M. Barrie, Joel Chandler Harris (Uncle Remus), "The Walt Disney Studio," English Folk Tales, and Serge Prokofieff. 94 pages!  My edition doesn't have a dust jacket, but I've read that it did have one originally.

The first thing I noticed was the cover...

Walt Disney's Surprise Package (front cover)

Who are those "Disney" characters? Well, let's find out, follow me.  Let's open the front cover... Ooooh, nice and fun endpapers!

Walt Disney's Surprise Package (endpapers)

Now, as I flipped through this book, I noticed familiar stories, but the pictures weren't quite right.  It slowly dawned on me that this book came out BEFORE most of the film adaptations of these stories came out!  This book is filled with the original story ideas and original drawings that would finally become some of Disney's best loved films.  In many ways, it is like a concept art and story book. 

Let's continue our journey to the first story.

The first story in the book is "Through the Picture Frame" (adapted from the Hans Christian Anderson story).  This was also released as a separate book in 1944 by Simon and Schuster adapted by Robert Edmunds, but with the same illustrations as a part of "Walt Disney's Little Library" set of books.  Here is the cover of that edition:

Through the Picture Frame (front cover)

This story deserves its own book (and as you can see, they did just that, but I don't own that version so I can't compare)!  It is almost 20 pages of the Surprise Package book. I am very surprised that Disney never animated this story.  But, if the other stories in this book show us anything, they probably started. 

Now, I am going to give you a full page view of how this book (Walt Disney's Surprise Package) is designed.  If you've had any Golden Book single volume collections, you've probably seen similar layouts (except this book is much larger than most of those, height-wise).  The pictures and text are interspersed.  They co-mingle on the page.  Some pictures are splashed across the width of the book, but most are smaller.  Some are color, and some are black & white. Here's an example:

layout example

Our next selection is "Brer Rabbit en His Satchel Uv Gold."  Now, Song of the South would come out two years after this book.  So, Disney was working on it for sure.  This particular story has two characters that didn't make it into Song of the South: Brer Lion and Brer Wolf.  The illustrations aren't too great, but the story has all the charm of most of the Uncle Remus tales.

Brer Rabbit, Brer Wolf, and Brer Fox

After that is "The Emperor's New Clothes."  From what I've read on the Internet, this was planned as an animated short, but Disney never completed it.  So this story is a great addition to the book, and 10 illustrations are included that all have a great Disney flare to them.

The closest thing I've seen from Disney to this story and illustration style was the Disneyland Record and Book (remember those...see the picture, hear the story, read the book?) called Hans Christian Andersen's The Emperor's New Clothes (click the link to see a picture of the cover).  But that book didn't capture the delightful snootiness of the little Emperor in this version. 


Next, "The Little Fir Tree." This is another example of a Disney short that was never made. One source, Wikipedia, lists it as a part of a film that was being worked on called Tales of Hans Christian Andersen which was scheduled to include "The Emperor’s New Clothes" (see above), "The Emperor’s Nightingale," "Through the Picture Frame" (see above), "The Little Fir Tree" (what I am talking about right now), "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," and the "Little Mermaid" (which probably would have been very different then our modern Disney version).  This film was never finished as far as I know.

from "The Little Fir Tree"

You can see the sketch quality in the above picture.  Very much like a storyboard picture.  Plus the bunnies are kind of Thumper-esque (Disney's Bambi film came out two years prior, 1942). CUTE!


NOW.  The next piece is called "Lady."  This story is what would eventually become Lady and the Tramp in 1955 but it is not exactly the same.  Firstly, there is NO Tramp!  *GASP*  The evil Siamese Cats are there though, and they are the villains that would eventually become the rat in the final filmed version. The book lists the original author as "Walt Disney Studio," but future books based on the film usually cite Ward Greene as the original author of the story.  The 6 pictures in this book a very different then the film that would come out over 10 years later.  The picture I am including show how the format really works for this particular set of illustrations.

If you love Lady and the Tramp,  I've heard Disney's Lady and the Tramp: The Sketchbook Series has some excellent stuff in it.  I don't know if the drawings from this book are in there though. Little Golden Books would eventually release a book called Walt Disney's Lady, in 1954, one year before the film.  But it is just adapted by Samuel Armstrong from what the film version was going to be at that point and it is not the same as this original story. The Tramp is in that version, and it also has a different ending which is also rat free (and the whole book is CAT free for that matter, weird!).  It ends with a FIRE!

Yes, I am a Lady and the Tramp fan.  So the new-to-me version of "Lady" in Walt Disney's Surprise Package makes this an awesome book indeed.

"Chicken Little" is next.  The short film of this story came out in 1943 (the year BEFORE this book, and it is available on DVD along with some other great shorts). So, the pictures look exactly like that film including the yo-yo wielding titular character.

Next, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland."  This adaption is amazing.  It is filled with awesome Disney illustrations that look nothing like the final 1951 film (7 years after this book).  I don't know if the 30 pictures included in this book have ever made it into another book. If you are an Alice fan, YOU MUST HAVE THIS BOOK!  Look at this example:

Nice, right? The only thing that is the same is Alice's dress (colors and pattern).  The story is almost 20 pages long too. The length tells me that there may be a separate edition of this out there somewhere (like the Walt Disney's Little Library version of Through the Picture Frame).  I haven't seen it, but I am sure it is out there.


Next comes, "The Wind in the Willows" (or the second part of The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, as some of us grew up knowing it, ha ha). The illustrations in this story are almost exactly like the final film version (1949, 5 years later!)! Disney had their character design totally down in 1944.  The 11 pictures are crisp and fun. 

Mr. Toad on a wild ride

Next we have, "Peter Pan and the Pirates."  This story was in the sketch stage at Disney studios when this book came out. The film would eventually come out in 1953 (titled Peter Pan, of course).  The 13 illustrations have the overall feel that would eventually become the characters in the final film.

Lost Boys in "Peter Pan and the Pirates"

There is a picture that has Tinkerbell in it, but she is so tiny she just looks like a glowing dragonfly, but if you look at the front cover (top of the page)... Do you see that black haired, angry looking pixie?  There aren't any other pixies in this book!  It could be the original concept of Tink!

Disney was pretty close to their final character concepts at this stage.  Here is Captain Hook and Wendy:

"Peter and the Wolf" comes next. Does that get the music started in your head?  I know it does for me.   The illustrations in this story aren't very close to the final film.  This is surprising since Make Mine Music (which features this short film and some others) would only come out two years later in 1946.  Maybe the stylized illustrations were a conscious choice by the Disney studio for this book, who knows?

I still like the illustrations, they are just... different.


Next comes "The Square World"  based on the story written by "The Walt Disney Studio."  The illustrations for this story are so unlike most Disney productions it is shocking, and they were working on making an animated film of it too.  Sadly, the film was never finished. There are six illustrations in this book.

Obviously, there are some World War II themes going on here! The basic plot is about a being named "The Mighty-Highty-Tighty" who wants everyone in the land to look like him... square. This very short story is stupendous and it is a great allegory for how wrong prejudice and racism are.  Here is one more picture (of racial harmony).

Are those Barbapapa? Nope, they're "The Square World" kids.

Last, but not least, comes "Happy Valley."  This one features Mickey, Donald, and Goofy!

I don't usually keep my cheese in the fruit bowl, but it looks nice.

If that picture is ringing a bell, it might be because this story would eventually be part of the 1947 film Fun and Fancy Free in a section called "Mickey and the Beanstalk."  BUT, this story is different. Mickey trades his cow to the Queen (Minnie Mouse) who gives him the magic beans that will do different things depending on how the moon is.  The beans are planted and the beanstalk carries the house high into the clouds.  Now, let's cut to the end of the story....during the shape shifting of the Giant into a big bunny rabbit.  After he does the rabbit, he makes himself into a super giant, but then while making himself smaller again, he gets too small (and younger).  He becomes so young he forgets the magic words to change himself into anything he wants.  Mickey and friends carry the giant back to their house via piggyback where they fall asleep.  By morning, the beanstalk has shrunk (because the moon was different).  Then they go see the queen and she pardons the giant and she gives him a job as her footman.  Oh, and they use what some consider an un-politically correct term by calling him the oxymoron "midget giant."

Mickey, Minnie, and the not-so-giant giant

And that, readers, is the end of this huge children's story collection.  Goodies galore!  I could have done a blog on each story!

If you look hard enough, you can find this book for a decent price... of course, if you want a pristine first edition, you'll most likely be paying much more.

Here are some links where you can find it on Amazon.com (I list what the original Amazon entry says that makes them different... please read the individual seller's write up for more detail):


Walt Disney's Surprise Package (listing says 1944, 1st edition)

Walt Disney's Surprise Package (listing says 1944, edition unknown)

Walt Disney's Surprise Package (listing says 1945, edition unknown)

Walt Disney's Surprise Package (listing says 1945, 3rd edition)

Walt Disney's Surprise Package (listing says 1946, 4th edition)

Walt Disney's Surprise Package (listing says 1948, edition unknown... it also says 76 pages which is much less then the edition I reviewed, a story or two may be missing... ALSO, one of the used copies under this link is listed as a 1944 first edition with a dust jacket)

Walt Disney's Surprise Package (listing says 1948, edition unknown)


Thank you for your time. Goodnight, sleep tight, and don't let the Zipperump-a-zoos bite!

Cheshire Cat in Walt Disney's Surprise Package