Writer: Jeff Parker
Art: Ciro Cangialosi
Publisher: Dynamite comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: September 18, 2024
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THE DISPATCH
At the end of last issue, Negaduck had discovered that the other villains had double-crossed him and made a robot Negaduck to replace him known as Mega-Negaduck (even though that’s the same name Negaduck chose after he stole the abilities of the rest of the Fearsome Five in the episode “Jail Bird”, but that’s beside the point. It would’ve been nice for them to reference that episode directly though. Negaduck #8 brings this series to its conclusion. The comical narration regarding the sound effects of the robotic Negaduck solidifies the humorous tone of the book, as well as the comment about a “flashback within a flashback”.
Negaduck proves himself to be the ever-crafty supervillain as he works to outsmart the other villains after they turn on him. There is also a reference to a classic Darkwing Duck episode, “Life, the Negaverse, and Everything” featuring the birthday cake that contains the interdimensional portal that leads to the Negaverse. It can be argued that Negaduck becoming separated from his shadow could be a subtle reference to the original Negaduck from the self-titled episode that was created when Megavolt split Darkwing with his tronsplitter device, or even a reference to the villain from classic Disney cartoons, the Phantom Blot. Overall, it keeps Negaduck the nefarious, selfish villain that he is.
ART
The art in Negaduck #8 is consistent with the previous issues and the Darkwing Duck animation style. The “flashback within a flashback” sequence is colored with a beige tint to differentiate it from the rest of the story. A page that stands out features Negaduck in the center of the page, while various panels show him doing other activities in the villainous lair. Another page worth mentioning is the one depicting the creation of the Mega-Negaduck robot as it is cataloguing Negaduck’s various activities. There are panels from the previous issue tinted beige but without dialogue, while the robot is zapped with electricity in the center of the page.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Negaduck #8 is the conclusion of a great series focusing on Darkwing Duck’s archnemesis and evil doppelganger. It also does not contradict the continuity of previous Darkwing Duck comics, so it could potentially be placed before or after previous Darkwing comics in the fictional timeline of events. Without Darkwing’s involvement (besides a small cameo) this series was able to better explore Negaduck as a character without turning him into a sympathetic villain, but showing him staying evil, or even potentially becoming more evil. He definitely proves himself to be a formidable opponent for Darkwing (despite not facing Darkwing in this series) and an underrated Disney villain.