Can you imagine Mickey Mouse with a machine gun over the shoulder? Or perhaps carrying a baseball bat like a thug? Well, it is not a delirium, but one of the most impressive —and spectacular— versions of the popular mouse ever seen, which came to light at the end of the 1990s thanks to the comic. Mickey Mouse Mystery Magazine. And yes, it was with Disney’s approval.
We are talking about a comic divided into 12 installments, whose first number was released in May 1999. The premise of the creators of this work was to present a Mickey Mouse completely removed from his friendly and childish profile. Nothing similar to what children can see today in Mickey Mouse’s housecertainly.
Another notable fact is that Mickey Mouse Mystery Magazine He was not born in the United States. That’s right. The concept would probably never have worked in North America, where Walt Disney’s mouse is almost a cult object. Presenting a darker version of such a beloved icon would have been unfeasible.
Therefore, it is not surprising that the project was born in Europe. In Italy, more specifically. Tito Faraci He was the main writer of the comics, being in charge of six of them. While each installment featured the work of different illustrators, mainly highlighting the name of Giorgio Cavazzano, who set the tone of the series from andervillethe first number.
a mickey mouse not to go
The argument of Mickey Mouse Mystery Magazine It followed Walt Disney’s mouse leaving his town to settle in Anderville, a dangerous town clearly set in New York. His intention was to investigate the disappearance of a friend and college classmate named Sonny Mitchell.
Since the first installment, Mickey Mouse has been involved in a series of confused and violent episodes, becoming marked as a criminal. The comics pose scenarios that are nothing like the cute and friendly adventures of the world’s most famous mouse. To the point that on several occasions his life is in danger, which forces him to respond in a much less childish way than the character we are used to.
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Of course Mickey Mouse Mystery Magazine It is still a project that bears the Disney stamp. Thus, do not expect to see situations of graphic violence in their cartoons. However, the unfriendly tone of the environment and the protagonists is easily palpable, both in the dialogues and in the situations themselves.
The mere fact that Mickey Mouse, possibly the friendliest character in history, is presented as a guy with no friends, or whose inner circle is repeatedly rude to him, is not a minor detail.
the lid of anderville, the first installment of the series, where he is seen walking hunched over, with his hands in his pockets and an annoyed expression on his face, is a sufficient example of the tone that is expressed on each page. Also, when at one point in the plot Mickey Mouse manages to exonerate himself and become a detective, his work methodology is not the most neat.
References are not lacking in Mystery Magazine
The 12 installments of Mickey Mouse Mystery Magazine are full of references to works of the genre not to go; be it movies, books or other comics. This is because it was a production that was intended for an adult audience, like the daily or weekly strips of the character that were published in the 1930s and 1940s.
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The version not to go of Mickey Mouse who introduced the Italian comic series it was well received by the public, although it was not without controversy due to its dark tone. The latter, fostered not only by the plot itself, but also by the color palette used and by the decision that the mouse would appear with a frown on the cover of each installment.
But, as we already said, the creators of Mickey Mouse Mystery Magazine they had no free rein to do what they wanted. Disney Italy, which was in charge of its publication, exercised strong control over the scripts and illustrations so that, after all, the stories did not lose the Walt Disney stamp.
Of the 12 comics that make up the series, four were launched in 1999, six in 2000 and the remaining two in 2021. The decision not to continue with the darker adventures of Mickey Mouse was not related to discontent with the product itself, but to the meager moment that the publishing market was experiencing at the beginning of the 21st century, especially in Italy.
Since then, Mickey Mouse Mystery Magazine It has been published in different languages, being especially popular in Europe.