Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: Vols. 3 & 4 Collectors Box Set Hardcover – November 20, 2012

Since the books, as a pair, sell for twice as much (without the slipcase),this is one of the better bargains. I am a great Donald Duck fans, but I've had all of the great Donald andUncle Scrooge stories for years. The great Mickey Mouse b&w daily serials from the newspapers havenot ever been given their due place, even though Mickey Mouse, for my money,was THE greatest of the newspaper funnies (yes, better than Dick Tracy, thePhantom, Terry, Orphan Annie, Prince Valiant, etc.). Better drawn, better plot-ted, etc. I started reading them in the Big Little Books that got to me in the 50'ssince their newspaper heyday was well before my time. The Mickey Mouse of the comic books, although once in a while theyblundered into a good story, was not in the same class. Great price, great quality, great format -- a little slow in the delivery,as they invariably promise one date and then postpone it a couple of times andblame it on one circumstance or another. WHEN DOES THE THIRD SET COME OUT ? They haven't even ad-vertised it yet (I hope the series doesn't fold, as many of these do). Carlos R. Garcia

Like Jimmy Hatlo, I tip my hat to Fantagraphics Booksfor their new boxed double-volume set of Floyd GottfredssonMICKEY MOUSE daily strips.Wonderfully priced - my wallet is grateful! - they've giftedus with two more thick volumes - four more years (1934-37)of Mickey's manic adventures. In the air, beneath the sea,in festering jungles and baking deserts, the Mouse alwayscomes out on top, whether outwitting Peg-Leg Pete(the outrageous "In Search of Jungle Treasure"), navigating one of Dr.Einmug's flying autos ("Island In the Sky") or causingmischief with a really neat submarine plane. A raucous big-billedDonald Duck cameos as a newspaper seller; Goofy is still"Dippy Dawg."The strips are beautifully reproduced - what else wouldyou expect from Fantagraphics? It's a treasure,a true bargain, and surprisingly violent. Tons of gemsare to be found in the supplementary material, includingGottfredsson's Disney ID card. On the back cover of eachbook you even have the Mouse kicking, tearing up or otherwisemessing with the bar code.Mickey remains a cornerstone for any true strip collector'slibrary. Just keep your eye on him.

In my college days, images of the classic Mickey Mouse in the red shorts with 2 buttons on front were a popular topic for pop art posters. Having grown up with the Paul Murry version, where he's wearing modern clothing, it was an eye-catching image.Unfortunately, they rarely reprinted any of the old Gottfredson stories, so the general public remained largely ignorant of the classic Mickey Mouse strips that originally captivated readers 3 decades earlier.The first volume starts off with the most primitive artwork, as Floyd Gottfredson was starting out, but by volumes 3 and 4, his style is in full swing, beautiful and expressive. It's also a pleasure to see Peg Leg Pete's first comics appearance in this series, and it's surprising how often he appears, as Mickey's version of Lex Luthor, his perennial adversary. He's as iconic as Bluto.And once Goofy is perfected, replacing Dippy Dawg, the stage is set for years of greatness.

Another great product. Fantagraphics is doing a super job with these collections, they's really affordable, and the quality is great, the slipcase is very sturdy. the books are a good size to handle and read, the popeye books are a must have for old comic fans but the size of the book and the small strips are a bit awkward. the mickey books are just right. looking forward to the sunday strips!

I hesitated on buying the first 2 volumns in this series, took a chance on 3 and 4 and very happy I did. I usually dont like black and white comics, but these are very good quality print and binding. I will definately buy the first two volumns. By buying these in the set of 2 volumns, you save quite a bit of money, but also get the slipcase for free.

Nice set, well done and economically priced. Gottredson's stories show why Mickey was so important to Disney's early success. He was an adventurous, appealing character that millions of newspaper readers of all ages followed daily.Today's television mouse is an appealing kids' icon but not the character you'll see in these volumes!

my godchild was very excited and loves the box set ! the old drawings are a lot more beautiful than the new ones... in my opinion, anyways ;-))

I loved these books. Fantastic and indispensable edition for any collector of any country. Recommend to anyone wishing to give a memorable gift too ...

Esta coleção é uma viagem pela obra completa e em conteúdo original de gottfredson, com os sotaques do personagem, clima político e economico da epoca. Acabamento impecável. Um tesouro para toda a vida!!

For those reading reviews of all four presently boxed sets -- yes, these reviews (of the black and white versions) are the same.I have purchased each of these sets as they have become available. The print quality is sharp and clear. The bindings are excellent and the box for the set is well made and sturdy.The pricing varies, so keep an eye out for sales.For anyone who grew up with Mickey Mouse or for those who just like the older, Gottfredson material, this set (and series as a whole) shouldn't be missed.Don't miss the Color Sundays set as well.

Timeless stories presented in a great format

Modifico per la terza volta la recensione.Siamo giunti finalmente al secondo box, contenente i volumi 3 e 4 della Floyd Gottfredson Library.Le storie presenti coprono un arco temporale che va dal Gennaio 1934 al Febbraio 1938.Siamo finalmente entrati nel pieno del primo stile gottfredsoniano: mentre i due volumi precedenti ci avevano introdotto in questo interessante, ma ancora un po' acerbo, mondo di Topolino, qui giungiamo alle prime vere grandi avventure firmate Gottfredson.Il primo volume, che va dal Gennaio 1934 al Gennaio 1936, vede Topolino alle prese con dei terriibli nemici: si apre con "The Captive Castaways", in cui vediamo un terribile Gambadilegno, stavolta senza Lupo, fronteggiare il nostro. A seguire una simpatica breve di Pluto.Successivamente troviamo un'evocativa storia dal sapore western, "The Bat Bandit of Inferno Gulch", dove un temibile uomo pipistrello terrorizza il luogo (ma, come quasi sempre in Gottfredson, tutto si risolve in maniera razionale).A stemperare il clima ci pensa "Bobo the elephant", divertente disavventura di Topolino alle prese con un elefante, che introduce il personaggio di Eli Squick.Segue una storia molto particolare, "The Sacred Jewel", che sembra venir fuori da "Le mille e una notte".Abbiamo poi "Pluto the Racer", in cui vediamo il cane di Topolino sfidare il giudizio collettivo.Ma il vero capolavoro del numero è "Editor-in-Grief". Si è scritto tanto su questa storia: un inno alla libertà di stampa credo possa essere la migliore definizione possibile. Leggere per credere."Race For Riches" riutilizza il personaggio di Eli Squick, stavolta in tutt'altro contesto.A chiudere il numero troviamo ancora un altro capolavoro: "The Pirate Submarine", che introduce il terribile capitan Orango.La storia extra-Gottfredson stavolta è "Paolino Paperino e il mistero di Marte" di Federico Pedrocchi, ben conosciuta in Italia: una piccola perla per chi non l'avesse già letta.Il secondo volume, che va dal Gennaio 1936 al Febbraio 1938, continua a regalarci delle grandi storie. Si comincia con una storia divertente, "Oscar the Ostrich", che come nel precedente volume vede Topolino alle prese con un grande animale.Successivamente vediamo Topolino arruolarsi nella legione straniera (!), per un fine molto particolare, in "Mickey Mouse Joins the Foreign Legion".Segue la famosa "The Seven Ghosts", dove il famoso trio Topolino, Pippo e Paperino si ritrova a fronteggiare una serie di...fantasmi.Ad attenderci alla fine di questa storia è "Island in the Sky", altra perla che introduce il personaggio ben noto in Italia (grazie a Romano Scarpa) del dottor Enigm, in una rocambolesca avventura che, sotto un certo punto di vista, precede i tempi."In Search of Jungle Treasure" vede, ancora una volta, Topolino alla ricerca di un tesoro.Giungiamo infine ad un altro capolavoro gottfredsoniano: "The Monarch of Medioka", che chiude il numero: il tema del doppio si snoda tra gli intrighi politici di uno staterello mitteleuropeo fittizio.La storia extra-Gottfredsoniana è "The Mystery of Freefer Hall", di Don Markstein alla sceneggiatura e Cèsar Ferioli Pelaez ai disegni, chiaramente legata a "The Seven Ghosts".

Un must pour les amateurs de BD.Un intégrale V.O. comme il se doit.Le trait est vif et pur et je pense a inspiré de nombreux dessinateurs fameux de la franco-belge d'après guerre.Les bonus sont aussi excellent même si parfois un peu verbeux.Et ceci est parfait pour apprendre du vocabulaire en anglais US !