I’m a fan of Darkwing Duck. It’s an animated series that sticks with me 30 years after I religiously watched it as a kid. It stood on its own, acted as an homage, and spoofed classic comics all at the same time, delivering action, humor, and heart along the way. One thing that stands out even today are the show’s villains. A hero is only as good as their villains and Darkwing Duck had an amazing group of rogues. I could debate who was the best of the worst but up there is Negaduck, a “mirror universe” type villain who is the antithesis of everything Darkwing Duck is. Negaduck #1 reminds us of that and more in a fun debut that captures the Darkwing magic.

Written by Jeff Parker, Negaduck #1 has the dastardly villain escaping from prison and on a mission. The mission? Come up with a new evil plan. But, there’s a lot of other villains out there to compete with and Negaduck wants to have the best plan out there. So, the issue has a little fun as Negaduck keeps on coming up with plans but finds other already doing them. It’s a great introduction to this world for those who might be new but also fun for longtime fans of the series.

Not surprisingly, Parker nails the tone that made the animated series, and current comic series, so great. There’s a balance of laughs and seriousness to it all that creates a story that feels like it has stakes but also doesn’t take itself too seriously. The comic also keeps up the over the top tone of schemes as we see the villains causing chaos as they do.

The art by Ciro Cangialosi is solid. It captures the look of Darkwing Duck perfectly with all of the slapstick-ish humor. The colors pop and are bright and the comic flows perfectly as far as its visuals with the current comic series and classic animated series. This is a classic look and all of the comics look like a continuation visually of the animated series.

Negaduck #1 is a great first companion series to the current Darkwing Duck ongoing comic. It gives us another dip into the world which hasn’t lost a step in the decades since the animated series ended. It also puts the focus on the villains who, beyond being thorns in the sides of our heroes, haven’t gotten this type of spotlight before. It’s an exciting expansion to the series and hopefully the start of a lot more to come.

Story: Jeff Parker Art: Ciro Cangialosi
Color: Ciro Cangialosi Letterer: Jeff Eckleberry
Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25 Recommendation: Buy

Dynamite Entertainment provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

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Purchase: TFAW – Zeus Comics – Kindle