Mister Mouse

1994. Egmont is missing our favourite mouse a trenchcoat and let him identify in a Columbo-like Mouseton - without Minnie, without Goofy, only Casey and Chief O'Hara were allowed to stay. Two years later; Phantomias was modernized by the Italians, from the ground up. This is like a science-fiction masterpiece with aliens, an artificial intelligence and much technical stuff, the stories will be published in August in America. Another three years later, 1999, the series “Mickey Mouse Mystery Magazine” starts in Italy, a series which is very similar to the aforementioned “A Case for Mickey” series. Again a few years later, two more serieses were called into action, although on of it actually is not a series. Egmont pulled the mouse everything except the underpants out and in Italy the Otherworld first was called into action. Once can be said without any fear, the late nighties were full of new ideas in the Disney-comic-world, whether good or bad, they were revolutionary in any case!

Of one of the serieses we will take today a closer look; “Mickey Mouse Mystery Magazine”, also called “MMMM”.

We all know Mickey Mouse. Whether we call him a hobbysniffer, or a master detective, once can be said, the Mouse often was a serious help of the police. Even as a student, the criminology was one of the important things in his life. Together with his best friend Sonny Mitchell, he has gone to the car cinema every week. But at one visit, Sonny told him the truth; he isn’t good enough for the university. He tell Mickey, that he will go to Anderville, and want to open a detective agency and Mickey will have 50 % of the detective agency.

Translation

And as luck want it, a few years later, Sonny Mitchell disappears from Anderville and Mickey just need to got there, because he owns 50 % of the agency. Of course Mickey thinks ‘That can’t be that hard, I’m helping the police in Mouseton too, so what?’ but as soon as possible, he see, that the things in Anderville are a tiny bit different that in Mouseton, because the police in Anderville – in this case the grumpy Inspector Clayton – don’t like the help of amateur detectives.

 Translation

Also the superiority that Mickey is showing in front of Chief O’Hara in Duckburg Police Office is not good to show here, because the police and the bandits are more clever and more unscroupulus that the bandits and the pollice in Duckburg. But what actually remains of Mickey's old identity? Nothing, except for a few thoughts of his old friends. Of course the philistine house Mickey’s was replaced by a properly dirty detective agency, like it befits a real detective.

During his stay in Anderville Mister Mouse solves the various cases, and noted how ruthless the city is. It's like boxing, you cannot get out without a black eye, you may just have no scruples. And this is like Mickey's enemies are going ahead, even if the detective is not  dumber than in Mouseton, his environment is stronger and harder than before.

This is obviously a very insensitive handling of the subject of death for a Disney comic, but I still think that violence fits here definitely. And just this insensitive handling with various taboos is the appeal of reading for me. This also includes that Micky sometimes grappling with dodgy people, and their help takes up and the policeman is the "evil".

But each story has to be finished, and so the story of Micky Mystery ends in march 2001. Finally, one thing remains for me to say: Welcome back Mickey, farewell Mister mouse.

Translation

Storycode: I MM 0-1 -I MM 11-1, without additional stories
Story: Tito Faraci, Ezio Sisto, Francesco Artibani, Augusto Machetto, Riccardo Secchi
Art: Giorgio Cavazzano, Allessandro Perina, Andrea Cagol, Sandro Zemolin, Giuseppe Zironi, Gianni Gatti, Claudio Sciarrone, Gianmarco Villa, Corrado Mastantuono, Stefano Turconi, Roberto Zanotta, Paolo Mottura, Silvio Camboni