Marvel & Disney: What If...? Donald Duck Became Wolverine #1 - Marvel Comics

MARVEL & DISNEY: WHAT IF...? DONALD DUCK BECAME WOLVERINE No. 1, September 2024

Announced in April 2024 at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in Italy, it was pretty clear straight from the start that Issue One of “Marvel & Disney: What If....? Donald Duck Became Wolverine” would very much be a tongue-in-cheek celebration of the two titular character’s impressively-long anniversaries. But whilst few fans were likely to take Luca Barbieri’s script even slightly seriously, this twenty-five page periodical’s plot still probably didn’t land with its audience quite as well as Senior Editor Mark Paniccia had imagined; “I want to sleep some more… A couple of hours… Even better, a couple of days!”

For openers, it’s never explained just how Pete-Skull has managed to rid Duckburg of both its super-heroes and their various “invincible weapons”, nor how he evidently missed Mickey-Hawkeye, Donald-Wolverine or (Lord help us) Goofy-Hulk during his unstoppable conquest. Instead, the narration simply states it as a fact and then subjects the reader to a long-winded sequence depicting Dick Lundy’s co-creation as a lazy loafer who simply wants to slob in a swinging hammock and eat copious slices of his Granma’s apple pie.

Such a scene is certainly endearing, and simultaneously emphasizes the duck’s ‘fowl’ temper which is at the very heart of the tale. However, it is so long-winded that many a bibliophile will surely have preferred a bit more backstory as to how Pete-Skull and his minions took over the fictional U.S. state of Calisota, rather than witness Donald perform a series of gruelling chores on an idyllic farm.

Furthermore, once the protagonists eventually do arrive at their red-faced foe’s headquarters, they appear to quite literally drive straight up to the Beagle Boys and immediately surrender without the slightest sign of opposition. Of course, this tactic is later shown to be a ruse by Mickey so as to get his feathered friend right beside their arch-nemesis before he bops him with a giant green paint bomb. Yet it also appears to have been another missed opportunity to inject the comic with some much needed action, even if the likes of a grey-skinned Goofy-Hulk were soon defeated.

What does seem clear, and is in many ways this book’s biggest draw, is that all the ‘heavy-lifting’ falls upon the shoulders of artist Giada Perissinotto, who repeatedly pencils Donald performing many of Wolverine’s more iconic poses via flashback sequences. Donning the mutant X-Man’s most famous costumes and guises, these sketches of the adamantium-clawed duck’s greatest moments are just superb and truly wonderful to behold. Though as aforementioned, appear to have been included in this “unexpected mashup adventure” at the expense of any particularly thought-provoking plot or storyline.

The regular cover art of "MARVEL & DISNEY: WHAT IF...? DONALD DUCK BECAME WOLVERINE" #1 by Giada Perissinotto & Lucio Ruvidotti

What If...? Dark: Venom #1 - Marvel Comics

WHAT IF...? DARK: VENOM No. 1, October 2023

For those readers able to overlook the unconvincing manner in which Ben Grimm momentarily becomes Venom, along with a few other bemusing contrivances, this thirty-page periodical’s plot probably proved pretty pulse-pounding in August 2023. True, the comic arguably focuses more upon the Lizard’s truly savage merger with Spider-Man’s infamous symbiote than it does the titular character. But it still manages to deliver a wonderfully gratuitous conclusion which is genuinely not for the faint-hearted; “You thought I wassss nothing more than a creature. You thought you were the ssssmartest man around when we were sssstuck on Battleworld…”

In fact, such is Stephanie Phillip’s portrayal of Reed Richards as the very worst kind of self-opinionated, holier-than-thou scientist – who at one point quite literally cuts his wife’s sound protestations short with a terse command - that a fair few bibliophiles may well have disconcertingly felt that Mister Fantastic receives his ‘just deserts’ in the murderous maw of Curt Conner’s ferocious alter-ego when artist Jethro Morales prodigiously pencils the large reptile bloodily biting off his head.

Disappointingly though, the actual storyline leading up to the death of the Fantastic Four’s ordinarily super-supple leader is somewhat head-scratching, courtesy of the author turning Grimm into a strangely disagreeable dullard. Of course, many within this book’s audience will doubtless point to the Yancy Streeter’s desperate desire to look human again as being one of the protagonist’s main drives. Yet so experienced an inter-dimensional traveller would surely never simply release the deadly Venom symbiotic simply because it pitifully taps on its glass container when he approaches it..?

To further compound the problem however, the writer would then also have any looker believe that Ben would subsequently turn to the Lizard for help in retaining his new-found good looks in an underground sewer-based scientific facility, and simply allow one of Peter Parker’s most prominent arch-villain’s to surreptitiously snatch the sentient alien from him. This entire scene sadly smacks of Phillip’s just wanting to replicate a similar situation seen in Tim Story’s 2005 “Fantastic Four” movie where the Thing, housed inside a giant glass chamber, desperately needs to revert to his ‘monster self’ before the antagonist defeats both Invisible Woman and her husband, and resultantly begs the question as to just why she didn’t pen for Connors to become Venom in the first place..?

Writer: Stephanie Phillips, Artist: Jethro Morales, and Colorist: Israel Silva

What If...? Dark: Moon Knight #1 - Marvel Comics

WHAT IF...? DARK: MOON KNIGHT No. 1, October 2023

Described by its New York City-based publisher as being part of “a new series of stories in the classic Marvel What If? tradition…but with a darker twist”, Erica Schultz’s narrative for Issue One of “What If…? Dark: Moon Knight” probably didn’t strike its audience as being any more morbid or tragic than many of the other publications set in the alternate reality “outside the mainstream Marvel Universe continuity.” Indeed, in many ways the American author’s main premise to simply replace Marc Spector as the avatar of an Egyptian deity with a witness to his brutal demise is arguably pretty standard stuff when it comes to Marvel’s long-running heritage; “I am Khonshu, Every decision has infinite outcomes… and not all outcomes are positive.”

Happily however, that doesn’t mean that what follows the masked mercenary’s death at the hands of Raul Bushman is simply a play by numbers plot, with “the first woman to write a Spawn comic” swapping out both the now deceased schizophrenic titular character and his sinister lunar god for girlfriend Marlene Alraune, and the hawk-headed divinity Ra. This somewhat surprising switch is well-written, and actually allows the ghost of Spector to lurk in the background of everything which the female history graduate later achieves in her role as Luminary – Whether it be battling thugs in dark alleyways or holding expensive events, such as an auction selling Burundan antiquities.

Furthermore, the former art director does a great job in depicting both the small African nation’s murderous General, and his similarly abhorrent subordinates, as the book’s central baddies. Of particular note is arguably the confrontation between Marc’s successor and a lieutenant from the Burunda People's Defense Force, which has all the satisfying hallmarks of a bully getting his just comeuppance at Alraune’s hands when the braggart least expects it.

Equally as entertaining are artist Edgar Salazar and colorist Arif Prianto, who together do a great job in depicting all the high-octane action (and quite considerable heartfelt grief) Schultz’s script requires. In fact, one of the highlights of this thirty-page one-shot is the sheer chaos crafted during its opening, where guns are blazing, numerous bullets whizzing and a helicopter dramatically landing, all whilst an understandably distracted Moon Knight is fending off the colourfully-costumed Bushman.

Writer: Erica Schultz, Artist: Edgar Salazar, and Color Artist: Arif Prianto

What If? #6 - Marvel Comics

WHAT IF? No. 6, December 1977

Initially re-treading the somewhat familiar old ground of the Fantastic Four’s origin story, this thirty-three page periodical certainly seems to take a while to get going with its unusual premise of depicting Marvel’s first family with “different super-powers”. Indeed, Roy Thomas’ script for Issue Six of “What If?” somewhat surprisingly opens with Reed Richards’ famous blue-costumed quartet initially battling a group of ‘every day’ armed robbers for a good dozen panels before the Watcher even steps in to suggest that the cosmic rays which mutated Jack Kirby’s co-creations could have given the heroes other special abilities if their personality traits had been less distinctive on the day of their unsuccessful space mission.

Disappointingly however, such a disconcertingly long wait isn’t arguably worth it either with Uatu’s unimaginatively retconned “New Fantastic Four” from an alternative reality consisting of a giant floating brain, Ben Grimm sprouting wings and Sue Storm pitifully just taking on the plasticity of her future husband from Earth-616. Only Johnny’s transformation is debatably intriguing, with the hot-headed youth changing into a living robot which has an “empathic ability to turn on any kind of machine”, courtesy of his apparent “fascination with and knowledge of [all] things mechanical.” 

Just as head-scratching is Thomas’ central storyline, which follows in the footsteps of Doctor Doom attempting to steal “the priceless treasure of Blackbeard the Pirate” for his own evil ends. Rather than have Invisible Girl abducted though, as per Stan Lee’s narrative for Issue Five of “Fantastic Four”, Latveria’s monarch instead matter-of-factly walks into the Baxter Building unharmed and convinces Reed’s bodiless intellect that he can build him a humanoid body capable of enjoying “the succulence of a superb meal” if he would accompany him back to the Doomstadt.

Of course, the small eastern Kingdom’s supreme leader has absolutely no intention of actually helping his hated rival reignite his romance with Sue through an “anthropomorphic housing”, and soon reveals he merely requires “Big Brain” as a power source for the heavily-armoured dictator’s infamous time machine. This nightmarish scenario, admittedly well-pencilled by Jim Craig and Rick Hoberg, certainly provides the rest of the team with some excellent opportunities to demonstrate their various powers. But ultimately depicts all three protagonists individually failing in their efforts to defeat Victor in hand-to-hand combat, and therefore becoming wholly reliant upon Richards to save the day by permanently sending “my mind into Doom’s body!”

Writer/Editor: Roy Thomas, and Pencilers: Jim Craig and Rick Hoberg

What If? Civil War #1 - Marvel Comics

WHAT IF? CIVIL WAR No. 1, February 2008

Utilising a brief tale by Ed Brubaker entitled "The Stranger" as “a framing device around which the other two stories revolve”, Issue One of “What If? Civil War” probably helped the vast amount of its 58,909 readers in December 2007 appreciate just how wrong Tony Stark was to persecute his fellow heroes for not voluntarily submitting to the Superhuman Registration Act, as well as just how highly (and wrongly) Steve Rogers thought of his long-time friend before their differences arose. Indeed, Christos Gage’s plot for “What If Iron Man Lost The Civil War” lays the entire blame of the “Marvel Comics Event In Seven Parts” squarely upon Iron Man’s armoured shoulders for blatantly lying to the Sentinel of Liberty regarding his “plans for my twenty-first century overhaul.”

Admittedly, this particular eighteen-page epic undoubtedly lacks a lot of the emotional response Mark Millar’s mini-series generated, courtesy of a sugary-sweet plot which sees Cap team-up with an “honest” Shellhead so as to overcome a homicidal Thor cybernetic clone. But what it does provide is perhaps the only sensible solution to the super-powered pairs’ dilemma of just one government or person ultimately being responsible for both the training and secret identities of every costumed crime-fighter in the United States; “It’s not enough to be against something. You have to be for something better.”

Slightly more action-packed is “What If Captain America Led All The Heroes Against Registration?” by Kevin Grevioux, which manages to recreate much of the anger and resentment generated by the original 2006 crossover storyline. With Stark already dead following an Extremis injection, this marvellous reimagining unashamedly pits Steve Rogers and most of the Marvel Universe directly against the Senate and S.H.I.E.L.D. in a battle which somewhat resembles that seen in the “X-Men” comic book narrative "Days of Future Past".

Crammed full of pulse-pounding punch-ups against the impassive Sentinels, and the death of the spectacular Spider-Man, this dynamically pencilled fight-fest sets up Henry Gyrich and Maria Hill as two of the most despicably treacherous characters to inhabit a publication, with the deputy director’s cold-blooded murder of Jim Rhodes and subsequent framing of a dead Captain America proving particularly unforgivable. Indeed, such is the utter loathing engendered by Gyrich in his journey to become President and the despicable Hill’s ambition to be carried along on his coat-tails, that in many ways it is a shame this well-penned conspiracy from an alternative universe wasn’t awarded a limited series or ongoing title of its own.

Written by: Ed Brubaker, Kevin Grevioux & Christos Gage, and Art by: Marko Djurdjevic, Gustavo and Harvey Tolibao