Customer Reviews

Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse as the Monarch of Medioka (Gladstone Giant Album Series, No. 7)

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What a wonderful surprise to find this story in such a beautiful reprint! My admiration of it goes back quite some time. As collectors of Golden Age comics will know, "The Monarch of Medioka" was reprinted at least twice as a Mickey Mouse serial in WALT DISNEY'S COMICS AND STORIES. The first time was in issues 6 to 9 (March-June 1941), retitled "His Royal Highness" but with the artwork mostly intact. It was run again in nos. 117 to 122 (June-Nov. 1950), but for some reason it was entirely redrawn. As a kid, I found a copy of no. 121, with the next-to-last episode, in my favorite used-book store near where I lived at the time. This episode alone was enough to show what a great story this was, and I ate my heart out because in those days, the comic-collecting industry was almost nonexistent, and there was no dependable way for me to find the other installments. More than a decade later, when collecting had become more organized (not to mention more expensive) and I was collecting in earnest, I was able at last to read the entire story -- and loved it even more!

In "The Monarch of Medioka," Mickey Mouse goes to the fictional land of Medioka, where he changes place with that country's look-alike king and occupies the throne himself for a while. This sounds very much like the popular novel THE PRISONER OF ZENDA by Anthony Hope, which no doubt inspired it, but this story goes off in a different direction. Instead of pinch-hitting for a king who's been drugged and kidnapped, Mickey goes to work and straightens out the country's messed-up economy and other problems, brought about by the real king's incompetence, while the said real king goes abroad and lives it up as a playboy. Mickey has to deal with the villainous Duke Varlott, who wants the throne for himself and will stop at nothing, and there is plenty of intrigue and suspense. Minnie Mouse enters the picture later and plays an important part in the resolution of the plot. Those who think of Mickey Mouse strictly in terms of "funny animals" will be pleasantly surprised at the great degree of sophistication in this and other stories about him, and this book can be enjoyed by adults as well as by kids.

The story is a little slow getting started, since this was originally a newspaper feature with a continuous story-line, and the first dozen of so pages show Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy using money that they'd won previously to remodel their homes. Only gradually does it move into the Medioka story-line -- but it is well worth the wait!

The book is beautifully printed in brilliant color on lovely paper, and will stand up to more abuse than the average comic book would. In addition to the story, there is an exegesis by Geoffrey Blum, which supplies some background information sure to increase the reader's enjoyment; and also reprints of some articles that purportedly appeared in the New York TIMES in December 1937, telling of the story's surprising reception in Yugoslavia.

All in all, a genuine treat, and I recommend it whole-heartedly!