Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse
Encyclopedia
Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse (also The Floyd Gottfredson Library) is a series of books collecting the first 25 years of the 45-year span of work by Floyd Gottfredson
on the daily Mickey Mouse
comic strip
. The strips are reproduced from Disney proof sheets
and artwork from private collections.
and drawn by Ub Iwerks
. Gottfredson took over the strip when Disney and Iwerks found themselves too busy, and he continued with it until 1975. These volumes start with Gottfredson's work from April 1, 1930, while including the Disney/Iwerks strips in an appendix to the first volume. The series is uncensored, and as the strips were done in the 1930s, some of the strips may come across as offensive to modern readers, especially due to racial stereotypes
that were common at the time. As presented in the books, however, the more dated material is accompanied by explanatory text, putting it in the context of its historical time.
Gottfredson's run on Mickey Mouse lasted until 1975. In the earlier years, which are the focus of this series, it was a humorous adventure strip—as was common at the time—but in the later years became gag-focused, as most strips were as comic strips continued to shrink in size throughout the latter half of the 20th century.
These books are the first time Gottfredson's work has been collected in North America, although they've previously been collected in the 1980s in Germany
as The Complete Daily Strip Adventures of Mickey Mouse 1930-1955 and more recently in Italy
as Gli anni d'oro di Topolino.
, with some color pages, and each collects two years worth of strips. The strips are printed three to a page, with dozens of pages of supplementary material.
Floyd Gottfredson
Arthur Floyd Gottfredson was an American cartoonist best known for his defining work on the Mickey Mouse comic strip. He has probably had the same impact on the Mickey Mouse comics as Carl Barks had on the Donald Duck comics...
on the daily Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
. The strips are reproduced from Disney proof sheets
Galley proof
In printing and publishing, proofs are the preliminary versions of publications meant for review by authors, editors, and proofreaders, often with extra wide margins. Galley proofs may be uncut and unbound, or in some cases electronic...
and artwork from private collections.
Background
The strip debuted on January 13, 1930, and was initially written by Walt DisneyWalt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
and drawn by Ub Iwerks
Ub Iwerks
Ub Iwerks, A.S.C. was a two-time Academy Award winning American animator, cartoonist, character designer, inventor, creator of Mickey Mouse, and special effects technician, who was famous for his work for Walt Disney....
. Gottfredson took over the strip when Disney and Iwerks found themselves too busy, and he continued with it until 1975. These volumes start with Gottfredson's work from April 1, 1930, while including the Disney/Iwerks strips in an appendix to the first volume. The series is uncensored, and as the strips were done in the 1930s, some of the strips may come across as offensive to modern readers, especially due to racial stereotypes
Ethnic stereotype
An ethnic stereotype is a generalized representation of an ethnic group, composed of what are thought to be typical characteristics of members of the group.Ethnic stereotypes are commonly portrayed in ethnic jokes.-Ethnic stereotypes:*African Americans...
that were common at the time. As presented in the books, however, the more dated material is accompanied by explanatory text, putting it in the context of its historical time.
Gottfredson's run on Mickey Mouse lasted until 1975. In the earlier years, which are the focus of this series, it was a humorous adventure strip—as was common at the time—but in the later years became gag-focused, as most strips were as comic strips continued to shrink in size throughout the latter half of the 20th century.
These books are the first time Gottfredson's work has been collected in North America, although they've previously been collected in the 1980s in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
as The Complete Daily Strip Adventures of Mickey Mouse 1930-1955 and more recently in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
as Gli anni d'oro di Topolino.
Format
The hardcover volumes are designed by Jacob Covey, and are in a 10.5" x 8.75" landscape format. They are mostly in black-and-whiteBlack-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
, with some color pages, and each collects two years worth of strips. The strips are printed three to a page, with dozens of pages of supplementary material.
Volumes
Volumes published as of the end of 2011:| Volume | Title | Dates | Released | Pages | ISBN | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Race to Death Valley | January 13, 1930–January 9, 1932 | June 2011 | 288 |
|
|
| 2 | Trapped on Treasure Island | January 11, 1932–January 9, 1934 | October 2011 | 288 | ||
| 3 | High Noon at Inferno Gulch | January 10, 1934–January 4, 1936 | May 2012 | 312 | ||
Reception
The series was given much praise for its production quality, the quality of the reproduction of the strips, and the extensiveness of the extra material.External links
- 19-page preview at Fantagraphics'Fantagraphics BooksFantagraphics Books is an American publisher of alternative comics, classic comic strip anthologies, magazines, graphic novels, and the adult-oriented Eros Comix imprint...
website - Video preview of the first volume at Fantagraphics' website