''Darkwing Duck'' is an American animated
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
comedy television series produced by
Disney Television Animation
Disney Television Animation (DTVA), formerly known as Walt Disney Pictures Television Animation Group and Walt Disney Television Animation, is the television animation production arm of Disney Branded Television, a sub-division of the Disney G ...
(formerly Walt Disney Television Animation) that first ran from 1991 to 1992 on both the syndicated programming block ''
The Disney Afternoon
The Disney Afternoon (later known internally as the Disney-Kellogg Alliance when unbranded), sometimes abbreviated as TDA, was a created-for-syndication two-hour programming block of animated television series. It was produced by Walt Disney T ...
'' and Saturday mornings on
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
. A total of ninety-one episodes were aired. It features the adventures of Darkwing Duck, who is the superheroic alter-ego of ordinary suburban duck Drake Mallard.
Though it was originally thought by some fans to be a spin-off of the 1987 ''
DuckTales
''DuckTales'' is an American animated television series produced by Disney Television Animation. The original cartoon series premiered on syndication and on Disney Channel on September 18, 1987 and ran for a total of 100 episodes over four sea ...
'' series, creator Tad Stones stated in a 2016 report that he believes the two shows exist in different universes. Despite this, supporting characters
Launchpad McQuack
This article includes a list of characters from the Disney ''DuckTales'' animated franchise, including the original 1987 series and the 2017 reboot series, as well as one theatrical movie and a variety of additional spin-off media merchandise, ...
and
Gizmoduck
This article includes a list of characters from the The Walt Disney Company, Disney ''DuckTales'' animated franchise, including the DuckTales, original 1987 series and the DuckTales (2017 TV series), 2017 reboot series, as well as DuckTales the Mo ...
appear in both series in similar roles, and
Scrooge McDuck
Scrooge McDuck is a cartoon character created in 1947 by Carl Barks for The Walt Disney Company. Appearing in Disney comics, Scrooge is a Scottish-American anthropomorphic Pekin duck. Like his nephew Donald Duck, he has a yellow-orange bil ...
is mentioned in the ''Darkwing Duck'' episode "Tiff of the Titans". Additionally, the 2011
comic book
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
series ''DuckTales'' makes reference to Darkwing Duck and features various villains from the series. A
crossover
Crossover may refer to:
Entertainment
Albums and songs
* ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album)
* ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987
* ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album)
* ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album)
* ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...
between the ''Darkwing Duck'' and ''DuckTales'' comics occurs in issues 17–18 and issues 5–6, respectively, of each. A
reboot
In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...
of the series is in development for
Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...
.
Premise
''Darkwing Duck'' tells the adventures of the titular superhero, aided by his sidekick and pilot Launchpad McQuack (from ''
DuckTales
''DuckTales'' is an American animated television series produced by Disney Television Animation. The original cartoon series premiered on syndication and on Disney Channel on September 18, 1987 and ran for a total of 100 episodes over four sea ...
''). In his secret identity of Drake Mallard (a parody of Kent Allard, the alter ego of
the Shadow
The Shadow is a fictional character created by magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator, and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by writer Walter ...
), he lives in an unassuming suburban house with his adopted daughter Gosalyn, next door to the bafflingly dim-witted Muddlefoot family. Darkwing struggles to balance his egotistical craving for fame and attention against his desire to be a good father to Gosalyn and help do good in St. Canard. Most episodes put these two aspects of Darkwing's character in direct conflict, though Darkwing's better nature usually prevails.
The show was the first Disney Afternoon series to emphasize action rather than adventure, with Darkwing routinely engaging in slapstick battles with both supervillains and street criminals. While conflict with villains was routine in earlier Disney Afternoon shows, actual fight scenes were relatively rare.
''Darkwing Duck'' was also the first Disney Afternoon property that was produced completely as a genre parody. Prior shows would contain elements of parody in certain episodes, but would otherwise be straight-faced adventure concepts, this in the tradition of Carl Barks' work in the Disney comics. By contrast, every episode of ''Darkwing Duck'' is laden with references to superhero, pulp adventure, or super-spy fiction. Darkwing Duck himself is a satirical character. His costume, gas gun and flashy introductions are all reminiscent of
pulp heroes and
Golden Age
The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during ...
superheroes such as
The Shadow
The Shadow is a fictional character created by magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator, and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by writer Walter ...
,
The Sandman,
Doc Savage
Doc Savage is a fictional character of the competent man hero type, who first appeared in American pulp magazines during the 1930s and 1940s. Real name Clark Savage Jr., he is a doctor, scientist, adventurer, detective, and polymath who "rights w ...
,
Batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
,
The Green Hornet
The Green Hornet is a superhero created in 1936 by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell. Since his 1930s radio debut, the character has appeared in numerous serialized dramas in a wide variety of media ...
and
the Julius Schwartz ''Flash'', as well as The
Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture.
He first appeared in 1933 in ...
and
Zorro
Zorro (Spanish language, Spanish for 'fox') is a fictional character created in 1919 by American pulp magazine, pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo of Los Angeles in Alta California. He is typically portrayed a ...
. The fictional city of St. Canard is a direct parody of
Gotham City
Gotham City ( ), or simply Gotham, is a fictional city appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, best known as the home of the superhero Batman and his allies and foes. Created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane, the cit ...
. ("Canard" is the
French word for "duck".)
Episodes
Characters
Production
''Darkwing Duck'' was developed as a last-minute replacement with concept artwork by
Michael Peraza
Michael Arthur Peraza Jr. (born November 15, 1955) is a Cuban-American animator, art director, conceptual artist and historian of animation, who has worked for The Walt Disney Company, Fox Features, and Warner Brothers. As a Disney Master Artis ...
for a proposed reboot of ''
The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show
''The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends'' (commonly referred to as simply ''Rocky and Bullwinkle'') is an American animated television series that originally aired from November 19, 1959, to June 27, 1964, on the American Broadca ...
'', when the management team realized that Disney did not own the rights to the characters (Disney merely held
home video
Home video is prerecorded media sold or rented for home viewing. The term originates from the VHS and Betamax era, when the predominant medium was videotapes, but has carried over to optical disc formats such as DVD, Blu-ray and streaming me ...
rights to the series).
The show was a spin-off of the very successful series ''
DuckTales
''DuckTales'' is an American animated television series produced by Disney Television Animation. The original cartoon series premiered on syndication and on Disney Channel on September 18, 1987 and ran for a total of 100 episodes over four sea ...
''.
''Darkwing Duck'' entered production roughly one year after ''DuckTales'' ended. ''Darkwing Duck'' was inspired by two specific episodes of ''DuckTales'': "
Double-O-Duck" starring
Launchpad McQuack
This article includes a list of characters from the Disney ''DuckTales'' animated franchise, including the original 1987 series and the 2017 reboot series, as well as one theatrical movie and a variety of additional spin-off media merchandise, ...
as a secret agent,
and "
The Masked Mallard
The following is an episode list for the Disney animated television series ''DuckTales''. The series is based on the Scrooge McDuck character and the ''Uncle Scrooge'' comic books created by Carl Barks. The series stars Scrooge, his great-neph ...
" in which Scrooge McDuck becomes a masked vigilante superhero wearing a purple uniform and cape. The name "The Masked Mallard" became an epithet often used in the new show to refer to Darkwing himself.
Tad Stones
Edward T. "Tad" Stones (born May 28, 1952) is an American animator, storyboard artist, screenwriter, producer and director, best known for his work for The Walt Disney Company, where he worked from 1974 to 2003. His most notable credits for Disn ...
was directed to come up with a series for
The Disney Afternoon
The Disney Afternoon (later known internally as the Disney-Kellogg Alliance when unbranded), sometimes abbreviated as TDA, was a created-for-syndication two-hour programming block of animated television series. It was produced by Walt Disney T ...
around the premise of ''Double-O-Duck'', as an executive liked the title ''Double-O Duck'' as a spoof of James Bond and felt Launchpad McQuack would take the starring role. It turned out that the title ''Double-O Duck'' could not be used as the
Broccoli family
Broccoli (''Brassica oleracea'' var. ''italica'') is an edible green plant in the cabbage family (family Brassicaceae, genus ''Brassica'') whose large flowering head, stalk and small associated leaves are eaten as a vegetable. Broccoli is cla ...
owned the 'double-o' title.
A new name was selected, "Darkwing Duck". Thus, Stones designed a new character for the lead,
Drake Mallard, while selecting McQuack as the sidekick.
[ This name would result in a new look (Double-O Duck was to wear a white tuxedo and black domino mask). Other elements of the show, such as Darkwing's habit of coining new catchphrases every time he announced himself, would be invented during production. (As an in-joke, the episode "A Duck by Any Other Name" had Drake suggest "Double-O Duck" as his new secret identity and Launchpad remarked that it "seems kinda silly".])
Where most prior ''Disney Afternoon'' series included at least some preexisting animated characters, ''Darkwing Duck'' featured a completely original cast. Even the ''DuckTales'' characters it reused had no counterpart in early Disney shorts or the comics. The only exception was the episode "In Like Blunt", which featured cameo appearances by the Beagle Boys
The Beagle Boys are a group of cartoon characters created in 1951 by Carl Barks for the Donald Duck universe. They are a family clan of Organized crime, organized criminals who constantly try to rob Scrooge McDuck. Their introduction and first a ...
, Flintheart Glomgold
Flintheart Glomgold is a cartoon character created in 1956 by Carl Barks. He is a South African American Pekin Duck and the business rival of Scrooge McDuck, usually portrayed as an ambitious, ruthless, and manipulative businessman who shar ...
and Magica De Spell
Magica De Spell (''magica'' being the feminine of ''magico'', ) is a cartoon character created in 1961 by Carl Barks for the Duck universe. An Italian sorceress, she constantly attempts to steal Scrooge McDuck's Number One Dime, which she bel ...
.
Broadcast history
''Darkwing Duck'' first aired on The Disney Channel
Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...
on March 31, 1991, as a "sneak preview", and then from April 6 into July 14 of that year as a regularly scheduled run on weekend mornings, as it was advertised to be "The newest animated TV series exclusively to The Disney Channel". In reality, this was a preview-run of the series before it aired on ''The Disney Afternoon''.
The two-part episode " Darkly Dawns the Duck" originally aired as an hour-length TV special on September 6, 1991, as part of a larger syndicated TV special, ''The Darkwing Duck Premiere / Back to School with the Mickey Mouse Club''.[ See also .] The film served as the show's pilot. Seasons 1 and 2 were aired simultaneously in the autumn of 1991. Season 1 aired in syndication as part of ''The Disney Afternoon
The Disney Afternoon (later known internally as the Disney-Kellogg Alliance when unbranded), sometimes abbreviated as TDA, was a created-for-syndication two-hour programming block of animated television series. It was produced by Walt Disney T ...
'' block of shows. Seasons 2 and 3 aired on Saturday mornings on ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
. The final episode aired on December 12, 1992. All episodes remained in syndicated reruns on ''The Disney Afternoon'' until 1995 and then returned to the line-up from 1996 to 1997.
Starting on October 2, 1995, ''Darkwing Duck'' was rerun on The Disney Channel
Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...
as part of a two-hour programming block called "Block Party" which aired on weekdays in the late-afternoon/early-evening and which also included ''TaleSpin
''TaleSpin'' is an American animated television series first aired in 1990 as a preview on Disney Channel and later that year as part of '' The Disney Afternoon''. It features characters adapted from Disney's 1967 animated feature ''The Jungle Bo ...
'', ''DuckTales
''DuckTales'' is an American animated television series produced by Disney Television Animation. The original cartoon series premiered on syndication and on Disney Channel on September 18, 1987 and ran for a total of 100 episodes over four sea ...
'', and ''Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers
Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers may refer to:
* ''Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers'' (TV series), 1989 television series
* ''Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers'' (film), 2022 film
* ''Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers'' (video game), 1990 game based on the TV series
...
''. On September 3, 1996, ''Darkwing Duck'' was dropped from the beginning of the block when ''Goof Troop
''Goof Troop'' is an American animated sitcom television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. The series focuses on the relationship between single father Goofy and his son, Max, as well as their neighbors Pete and his family. ...
'' was added to the end.
The series was last seen in the U.S. on Toon Disney
Toon Disney was an American multinational pay television channel owned by Disney Channels Worldwide, a subsidiary of Disney-ABC Television Group. The channel's target audience was children ages 2–11, and children ages 6–13 during the Jetix ...
on January 19, 2007, as part of the Toon Disney Wild Card Stack. Certain episodes from the show's original run rarely re-aired while the show was on Toon Disney. These episodes appear to have been removed for content reasons. The most prominent of the rarely seen episodes is "Hot Spells
''Darkwing Duck'' is an American animated television series produced by The Walt Disney Company. It originally aired on the syndicated programming block The Disney Afternoon and later Saturday mornings on ABC from 1991 to 1992. Reruns of the s ...
", which was never re-aired after its initial broadcast on ABC because of its religiously sensitive subject matter.
''Darkwing Duck'' was one of the first American animated TV series to be officially broadcast in syndication in the former Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
.
The show formerly aired on Disney XD
Disney XD is an American pay television channel owned by the Disney Branded Television and Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution units of The Walt Disney Company. The channel is aimed primarily at older children ages six to eleven years ...
in international territories such as the Netherlands and Germany.
The show also airs on the Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...
streaming service, with the exception of the banned episode "Hot Spells".
Home media
VHS releases
Four VHS cassettes, each containing one or two episodes (a total of 6 episodes) of ''Darkwing Duck'', were released under the title ''Darkwing Duck: His Favorite Adventures'' in the United States on March 23, 1993, individually titled "Darkly Dawns the Duck", "Justice Ducks Unite!", "Comic Book Capers" and "Birth of Negaduck!". However, most countries around the world only received releases of "Darkly Dawns the Duck" and "Justice Ducks Unite!" Each video came with two "glow-in-the-Darkwing" trading cards. Featured on the cards were Darkwing Duck, Launchpad, Gosalyn, Honker, Negaduck, Bushroot, Megavolt, and Taurus Bulba. The videotapes also included a ''Darkwing Duck'' music video which played at the end of each tape.
Additionally, on September 28, 1993, the ''Darkwing Duck'' episode "It's a Wonderful Leaf" was released together with the ''Goof Troop
''Goof Troop'' is an American animated sitcom television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. The series focuses on the relationship between single father Goofy and his son, Max, as well as their neighbors Pete and his family. ...
'' episode "Have Yourself a Goofy Little Christmas" on one VHS cassette as a special release called ''Happy Holidays with Darkwing Duck and Goofy!'' On September 3, 1996, the ''Darkwing Duck'' episode "Ghoul of My Dreams" was released together with the ''Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers
Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers may refer to:
* ''Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers'' (TV series), 1989 television series
* ''Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers'' (film), 2022 film
* ''Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers'' (video game), 1990 game based on the TV series
...
'' episode "Good Times, Bat Times" on one VHS cassette as a special release called ''Witcheroo!''
Australia and New Zealand releases
Seven VHS cassettes containing 12 episodes of the series were released in Australia and New Zealand.
DVD releases
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc., doing business as Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, is the home entertainment distribution arm of The Walt Disney Company. The division handles the distribution of Disney's films, television series, an ...
released a three-disc DVD box set entitled "''Darkwing Duck'' - Volume 1" on August 29, 2006. It included 25 episodes, plus the two-part pilot "Darkly Dawns the Duck", as opposed to the uncut version's release on VHS. The second volume, containing the next 27 episodes, was released on August 7, 2007. The sets do not contain any special features. It is currently unknown if Disney has any intentions of releasing the remaining 37 episodes on DVD. No official releases have been made outside of the United States and Canada.
Video on demand
United States
As of September 2019, the majority of the series is available for purchase on the iTunes Store
The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...
and Google TV Google TV may refer to:
* Google TV (interface), an updated interface of Android TV launched in 2020
* Google TV (service), a video-on-demand service formerly known as Google Play Movies & TV
* Google TV (operating system), a discontinued operating ...
, with the lone exception of the banned episode "Hot Spells
''Darkwing Duck'' is an American animated television series produced by The Walt Disney Company. It originally aired on the syndicated programming block The Disney Afternoon and later Saturday mornings on ABC from 1991 to 1992. Reruns of the s ...
". They are listed in 6 separate volumes (with Seasons 2 and 3 individually representing the last two volumes), which on the iTunes Store can also be bought in a pack other than individual purchases or a complete series pack at the price of $40 for all 90 available episodes.
In addition, the series (with the exception of the episode "Hot Spells") can also be viewed on the Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...
streaming service.
International
The entire series (including the episode "Hot Spells") is currently available for purchase on Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming and Renting, rental service of Amazon (c ...
and on Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...
in Germany. The first season (comprising the show's first two seasons) is available in six volumes while the second season (comprising the third season) is available in one volume.
Reception
Critical reception
On the review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, the first season holds an approval of 83% based on 6 reviews, with an average rating of 7.00/10.
Nigel Mitchell of ''CBR.com
''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion.
History
Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...
'' stated, "He was the terror that flapped in the night. He was the fingernail that scraped the blackboard of your soul. He was Darkwing Duck, and he made a generation laugh and thrill with his crazy adventures. Following the success of "Ducktales," the 1992 TV show "Darkwing Duck" was one of the first action-oriented shows on Disney's block, and wasn't like any other show on TV." Amanda Dyer of ''Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children. '' rated the series 4 out of 5 stars, writing, "''Darkwing Duck'' is a 1990s Disney animated comedy that has slapstick cartoon violence (including weapon use) and mild name calling. It follows the heroic yet self-serving antics of cartoon duck superhero Darkwing Duck as he battles various wacky supervillains with his sidekick, Launchpad McQuack."
''Darkwing Duck'' was named the 93rd Best Animated Series by ''IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
'', calling it "one of the many reasons why after-school cartoons rule." "Torgo's Pizzeria Podcast" gave a favorable retrospective review to ''Darkwing Duck'' in April 2012; the podcast did however note some weaknesses with the series. Nick Caruso of ''TVLine
''TVLine'' is a website devoted to information, news, and spoilers of television programs.
History
In late 2010, ''Entertainment Weekly''s Michael Ausiello announced that he would be leaving ''EW'' after nearly two years in their employ to est ...
'' lists the theme song from the series among the best animated series themes of all time.
Accolades
In other media
Video games
* ''Darkwing Duck
''Darkwing Duck'' is an American animated superhero comedy television series produced by Disney Television Animation (formerly Walt Disney Television Animation) that first ran from 1991 to 1992 on both the syndicated programming block ''The Disn ...
'' video game was released by Capcom
is a Japanese video game developer and video game publisher, publisher. It has created a number of List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises, with its most commercially successful being ''Resident Evil' ...
on the Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in America ...
and the Game Boy
The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America later the same year, and in Europe in late 1990. It was designed by the same ...
as a platform
Platform may refer to:
Technology
* Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run
* Platform game, a genre of video games
* Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models
* Weapons platform, a system or ...
side-scroller
''
A side-scrolling video game (alternatively side-scroller), is a game viewed from a side-view camera angle where the screen follows the player as they move left or right. The jump from single-screen or flip-screen graphics to scrolling graphic ...
. The game was developed for the NES in 1992 and was ported to the Game Boy in 1993. The Game Boy version is essentially a slightly stripped-down version of the game.
* ''Darkwing Duck
''Darkwing Duck'' is an American animated superhero comedy television series produced by Disney Television Animation (formerly Walt Disney Television Animation) that first ran from 1991 to 1992 on both the syndicated programming block ''The Disn ...
'' (a different game with the same title) was also released for the TurboGrafx-16
The TurboGrafx-16, known as the outside North America, is a home video game console designed by Hudson Soft and sold by NEC, NEC Home Electronics. It was the first console marketed in the fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth genera ...
in 1992 as an action
Action may refer to:
* Action (narrative), a literary mode
* Action fiction, a type of genre fiction
* Action game, a genre of video game
Film
* Action film, a genre of film
* ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford
* ''Action'' (1980 fil ...
side-scroller.
* A ''Disney's Darkwing Duck'' hand-held LCD game from Tiger Electronics was also released in 1992.
* ''Darkwing Duck'' (yet another game with the same title) was released for various touchscreen mobile phones as a platform side-scroller in 2010.
* '' Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes (2.0 Edition)'' has two power discs that were released for the game, "Darkwing Duck's Grappling Gun" and "Darkwing Duck's Ratcatcher". Darkwing Duck himself is a townsperson in the 2.0 Toy Box. Darkwing Duck was close to being a playable character in 2.0 but was eventually scrapped.
* '' Disney Infinity 3.0'' had Darkwing Duck close to being a playable character but lost to Olaf
Olaf or Olav (, , or British ; Old Norse: ''Áleifr'', ''Ólafr'', ''Óleifr'', ''Anleifr'') is a Scandinavian and German given name. It is presumably of Proto-Norse origin, reconstructed as ''*Anu-laibaz'', from ''anu'' "ancestor, grand-father" a ...
in the fan polls for the initial wave of Disney characters for 3.0. However, Darkwing was one of the characters listed on the official fan poll for Disney Infinity that was conducted during the 3.0 life cycle to determine new characters for future installments. Despite being one of the most desired characters, the character will not make it in the game due to the game's cancellation. A Launchpad McQuack townsperson was added in 3.0.
* Darkwing Duck was added to ''Disney Emoji Blitz'' in 2017 with Scrooge and Launchpad.
* Darkwing Duck was added to ''Disney Heroes: Battle Mode'' in January 2019 as a 2-star hero and the first character from Disney Television Animation. Megavolt was added to the game in November 2019 as a 2-star hero. Quackerjack was added to the game in June 2021 as a 1-star hero.
Comic books
Disney Comics
Disney comics are comic books and comic strips featuring characters created by the Walt Disney Company, including Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge.
The first Disney comics were newspaper strips appearing from 1930 on, starting with ...
published a four-issue ''Darkwing Duck'' comic book mini-series in late 1991, right around the time of the show's syndicated premiere. This mini-series was an adaptation of a draft of the script for "Darkly Dawns the Duck". Like the ''TaleSpin
''TaleSpin'' is an American animated television series first aired in 1990 as a preview on Disney Channel and later that year as part of '' The Disney Afternoon''. It features characters adapted from Disney's 1967 animated feature ''The Jungle Bo ...
'' comic before it, it was meant to spin off a regular comic series, but the Disney Comics implosion happening at the time prevented that plan. However, ''Darkwing Duck'' stories were regularly printed in ''Disney Adventures
''Disney Adventures'' (also short-formed as ''D.A.'') was an American children's entertainment and educational magazine published twelve (later ten) times per year by Disney Publishing Worldwide, a subsidiary of Disney Consumer Products, a unit o ...
'' magazine between the November 1991 and January 1996 issues. Additionally, ''Darkwing Duck'' stories were also regularly featured in Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
' short-lived ''Disney Afternoon'' comic book.
BOOM! Studios
On March 13, 2010, BOOM! Studios
Boom! Studios (styled BOOM! Studios) is an American comic book and graphic novel publisher, headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States.
History
Origins
In the early 2000s, Ross Richie and Andrew Cosby had been working in Holly ...
announced that they would be releasing a four-issue ''Darkwing Duck'' miniseries, titled "The Duck Knight Returns", starting in June of that year. The series was written by Aaron Sparrow (uncredited), Ian Brill and drawn by James Silvani, and was set one year after the end of the show. BOOM! later announced that due to positive fan reaction, the comic series would be extended indefinitely as an ongoing title. This first trade paperback collection of the initial four issues of the comic was released in the fall of 2010
Unlike the original show, the comic strengthened ''Darkwing Ducks ties to the parent show ''DuckTales
''DuckTales'' is an American animated television series produced by Disney Television Animation. The original cartoon series premiered on syndication and on Disney Channel on September 18, 1987 and ran for a total of 100 episodes over four sea ...
'' and began to use a number of Carl Barks characters like Magica De Spell
Magica De Spell (''magica'' being the feminine of ''magico'', ) is a cartoon character created in 1961 by Carl Barks for the Duck universe. An Italian sorceress, she constantly attempts to steal Scrooge McDuck's Number One Dime, which she bel ...
(allied to Negaduck in the second story) and cameoing Scrooge McDuck
Scrooge McDuck is a cartoon character created in 1947 by Carl Barks for The Walt Disney Company. Appearing in Disney comics, Scrooge is a Scottish-American anthropomorphic Pekin duck. Like his nephew Donald Duck, he has a yellow-orange bil ...
and Gyro Gearloose. A 4-part crossover story with Disney's ''DuckTales
''DuckTales'' is an American animated television series produced by Disney Television Animation. The original cartoon series premiered on syndication and on Disney Channel on September 18, 1987 and ran for a total of 100 episodes over four sea ...
'', titled "Dangerous Currency", was released with parts 1 and 3 for ''DuckTales'' #5 and #6, and parts 2 and 4 for ''Darkwing Duck'' #17 and #18. The comic also made a lot of homages to other Disney shows: Magica's powered up form in #7 has emblems that reference film villains like Hades and Jafar, someone holds a sign saying "Bring Back Bonkers" in the background of #6, and #3 shows Launchpad tried to get a job with Gadget Hackwrench
''Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers'' is an American animated adventure comedy television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. Created by Tad Stones and Alan Zaslove, it featured established Disney characters Chip 'n' Dale in a new ...
of the Rescue Rangers from ''Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers
Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers may refer to:
* ''Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers'' (TV series), 1989 television series
* ''Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers'' (film), 2022 film
* ''Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers'' (video game), 1990 game based on the TV series
...
''.
The eighteenth issue, which shipped in October 2011, was the end of the series due to BOOM! Studios prematurely losing the Disney Comics license. ''Darkwing Duck'' Vol. 5 "Dangerous Currency" crossover, released in November 2011, was the final printing.
Joe Books
On January 20, 2016, it was reported that the series would be returning to the comic book format. Writers Aaron Sparrow and artist James Silvani, both of whom worked on the previous Darkwing Duck comic book that was published by Boom! returned to this comic. Additionally Andrew Dalhouse, Deron Bennett and Jesse Post assumed their roles on the creative team, with R. Janice Orlando, who worked on ''The Definitively Dangerous Edition,'' returning as Assistant Editor. Darkwing Duck is now wearing a purple necktie instead of his usual turtleneck.
The first issue debuted on April 27, 2016. Titled "Orange is the New Purple". The comic was cancelled after eight issues due to poor sales.
IDW Publishing
On July 25, 2018, it was announced that the Boom! Studios would be reprinted in ''Disney's Afternoon Giant''. The first issue will be released in October 2018.
Comic creatorship
Throughout the run of BOOM! Studios
Boom! Studios (styled BOOM! Studios) is an American comic book and graphic novel publisher, headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States.
History
Origins
In the early 2000s, Ross Richie and Andrew Cosby had been working in Holly ...
' ''Darkwing Duck'' comic series, there was controversy as to who was responsible for the series. Editor Aaron Sparrow is largely credited with the idea to relaunch the property and has claimed to have plotted the first arc and come up with many of the concepts for following story arcs. This has been publicly disputed by Boom and credited series writer Ian Brill. However, artist James Silvani has publicly credited Sparrow not only with the idea of bringing the series back, but assisting him in ghost-writing much of the series and changing a lot of the concepts Brill brought to the series following Sparrow's departure from BOOM! Studios. This seems to be further corroborated by the fact that Sparrow and Silvani have both stated they did not write any of the final arc of the series, "Dangerous Currency", which was largely panned by fans for having many glaring character inconsistencies, particularly in the case of the character Gizmoduck
This article includes a list of characters from the The Walt Disney Company, Disney ''DuckTales'' animated franchise, including the DuckTales, original 1987 series and the DuckTales (2017 TV series), 2017 reboot series, as well as DuckTales the Mo ...
.
''Darkwing Duck'' creator Tad Stones has also publicly credited Sparrow as bringing the character back in a 2010 BOOM Kids! "Get A Sketch" panel at Comic-Con International. Sparrow continues to make public appearances with Silvani and Stones, and Brill does not. In a 2011 livestream interview Tad Stones admitted he was unhappy with later issues of the series, and particularly criticized the election arc, which he "tried to talk them out of". When questioned on whether he had read the entire comic series he stated: "Not the later stuff. I applaud what James tried to do. I hear he saved them but I thought the central premises were wrong."
Sparrow served as moderator at the 2013 Comic-Con
A comic book convention or comic-con is an event with a primary focus on comic books and comic book culture, in which comic book Fan (person), fans gather to meet creators, experts, and each other. Commonly, comic conventions are multi-day events ...
panel "25 Years of the Disney Afternoon: The Continuing Legacy", which featured Tad Stones, voice actors Jim Cummings and Rob Paulsen, ''TaleSpin'' creator Jymn Magon, and ''Darkwing Duck'' comic artist James Silvani, associations which would seem to further corroborate his version of events.
In 2013, Disney European publisher Egmont Group
The Egmont Group (formerly The Gutenberghus Group) is a Danish media corporation founded and rooted in Copenhagen, Denmark. The business area of Egmont has traditionally been magazine publishing but has over the years evolved to comprise mass me ...
released a compendium of several of the BOOM! Studios ''Darkwing Duck'' stories, including "The Duck Knight Returns", "Crisis On Infinite Darkwings", and "F.O.W.L. Disposition". Aaron Sparrow's story credits were not only restored, but he and Silvani created an all-new 3-page introduction, and Brill's dialogue was replaced with original dialogue by Sparrow.
On October 22, 2014, comic news website ''Bleeding Cool
Bleeding Cool is an Internet news site, focusing on comics, television, film, board games, and video games. Owned by Avatar Press, it was launched by Rich Johnston on March 27, 2009. Avatar Press also publishes an associated magazine, ''Bleeding ...
'' announced that the first 16 issues of ''Darkwing Duck'' would be packaged together and published in an omnibus by Joe Books. On his Tumblr account, Silvani stated that the omnibus would be a remastered edition, featuring revised art, a new epilogue, and that the script had been "painstakingly rewritten" by Sparrow. It was also announced that the omnibus would lead into a new monthly series written by Sparrow and drawn by Silvani, with no involvement by Brill. The omnibus only collects the first 16 issues and the annual, omitting the final "Dangerous Currency" crossover with ''DuckTales'', seeming to further call into question Brill's claims of sole authorship.
On January 18, 2016, Joe Books Twitter feed reported that ''Darkwing Duck'' would be returning to monthly comics beginning in April 2016 with Sparrow and Silvani at the helm.
According to Silvani's Twitter account, "Dangerous Currency" has been declared non-canon by Disney, and will not be referenced within the new series.
Dynamite Entertainment
A new comic book series based on the show is currently in development at Dynamite Entertainment
Dynamite Entertainment is an American comic book publisher founded by Nick Barrucci in 2004 at Mount Laurel, New Jersey. It is best known as the owners of '' The Boys'' franchise across several IP medias. Dynamite primarily publishes adaptation ...
, set for release in 2023. In addition, Dynamite will re-release the original 1991 comic book run.
Theme parks
* In 1991, ''Mickey's Magical TV World'' as part of Walt Disney World
The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. Opened on October 1, 1971, th ...
, Darkwing Duck was featured.
* From 1991 to 1997, Darkwing Duck appeared in the ''Disney on Ice, Double Feature... Live!''.
* In 2013, Darkwing appeared at Disneyland Paris in the Disney Dreamers Everywhere Event.
* In September 2014, Darkwing appeared in Disney's California Adventure for meet and greets.
* In 2018, Darkwing attended the Disney FanDaze event at Walt Disney Studios Park Paris.
Cameos on other television series
* ''Goof Troop
''Goof Troop'' is an American animated sitcom television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. The series focuses on the relationship between single father Goofy and his son, Max, as well as their neighbors Pete and his family. ...
'' (1992–1993): Quackerjack makes a cameo on Max's watch in the episode "Axed by Addition". In some episodes, Darkwing Duck makes a cameo on the comics and on TV.
* ''Raw Toonage
''Disney's Raw Toonage'' is a half-hour American Disney animated series that aired on CBS on September 19, 1992. The show was cancelled on December 5 after 12 episodes had been broadcast.
'' Bonkers'' and ''Marsupilami'' were spun off from this ...
'' (1992): Gosalyn made a guest appearance.
* '' Bonkers'' (1993–1994): In a dream sequence, Bonkers accepts an award for best cartoon crime-fighter from Darkwing, who is jealous he did not win it himself. Darkwing later makes three more cameos in three other ''Bonkers'' episodes.
* ''Aladdin
Aladdin ( ; ar, علاء الدين, ', , ATU 561, ‘Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'' (''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of ...
'' (1994–1995): In the episode "My Fair Aladdin", the Genie transformed into Darkwing Duck.
* ''Quack Pack
''Quack Pack'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, featuring Donald Duck and his nephews. The show debuted on September 3, 1996, as a part of the " Disney Afternoon" programming block, following the succe ...
'' (1996):
* ''Robot Chicken
''Robot Chicken'' is an American adult animated stop motion sketch comedy television series, created and executive produced for Adult Swim by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich along with co-head writers Douglas Goldstein and Tom Root. The writers, ...
'' (2011): In the episode "Kramer vs. Showgirls", a "Where Are They Now" segment revolves around cartoon characters from the 1990s, including Darkwing Duck. Launchpad was killed in a mishap with US Airways Flight 1549
US Airways Flight 1549 was a regularly scheduled US Airways flight from New York City (LaGuardia Airport), to Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte and Seattle, in the United States. On January 15, 2009, the Airbus A320 serving the flight bir ...
and when Gosalyn needed a kidney transplant, Darkwing donated his body to a Chinese restaurant where he was cooked alive.
* ''Funny or Die
Funny or Die is a comedy video website and film/television production company owned by Henry R. Muñoz III that was founded by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Mark Kvamme, and Chris Henchy in 2007. The website contained exclusive material from a reg ...
'' had an April Fool's sketch in 2013 where lead voice actor Jim Cummings
James Jonah Cummings (born November 3, 1952) is an American voice actor. Since beginning his career in the 1980s, he has appeared in almost 400 roles. Cummings has frequently worked with The Walt Disney Company and Warner Bros., including as th ...
tried to crowdfund a ''Darkwing Duck'' animated film created all by himself.
''DuckTales''
In the ''DuckTales
''DuckTales'' is an American animated television series produced by Disney Television Animation. The original cartoon series premiered on syndication and on Disney Channel on September 18, 1987 and ran for a total of 100 episodes over four sea ...
'' reboot, ''Darkwing Duck'' plays a major recurring role. At first, it appeared as an old television show which Launchpad McQuack is a fan of. The show itself first appears in the episode "Beware the B.U.D.D.Y. System!", which depicts Darkwing fighting Quackerjack, the Liquidator, and Megavolt. While watching the episode, Launchpad states that the actor portraying Darkwing is "an old school actor who did all his own stunts" named Jim Starling – a spoof of his voice actor, Jim Cummings; who reprises his role as the character alongside Michael Bell as Quackerjack. Other references include St. Canard's name being stated in the premiere episode and the name of the evil organization F.O.W.L. appearing as Easter eggs. Additionally, both F.O.W.L. and S.H.U.S.H. appeared in "From the Confidential Case Files of Agent 22!" The end-credits theme of ''Darkwing Duck'' appears in "The Last Crash of the Sunchaser!" as part of the show-within-a-show. In "Friendship Hates Magic", Launchpad and Mrs. Beakley watch a ''Darkwing Duck'' episode based on an actual episode, "The Haunting of Mr. Banana Brain", featuring Paddywhack.
Darkwing's first major role is in "The Duck Knight Returns", with Drake Mallard (Chris Diamantopoulos
Chris Diamantopoulos (born May 9, 1975) is a Canadian actor. He played Russ Hanneman in the HBO series '' Silicon Valley'' and starred in the film '' The Three Stooges'', and the TV series ''Good Girls Revolt''. He currently voices Mickey Mouse ...
) replacing Jim Starling as Darkwing in a movie produced by Scrooge McDuck
Scrooge McDuck is a cartoon character created in 1947 by Carl Barks for The Walt Disney Company. Appearing in Disney comics, Scrooge is a Scottish-American anthropomorphic Pekin duck. Like his nephew Donald Duck, he has a yellow-orange bil ...
. After an insane Starling's attempt to kill Mallard results in the set's explosion and the former's presumed death, the movie is canceled. However, Launchpad convinces Drake to become a real superhero, while Starling, having secretly survived the explosion, becomes Negaduck. Drake later reappears in "Moonvasion!" to help thwart the Moonlanders, and at the end of the episode, F.O.W.L. plots to eliminate Scrooge and his family following the trouble they essentially caused; with Steelbeak (Jason Mantzoukas
Jason Mantzoukas (, el, Ιάσων Μαντζούκας; born December 18, 1972) is an American actor, comedian, writer and podcaster. He is best known for his recurring role as Rafi in the FX comedy series ''The League'', and as one of the th ...
) among their ranks. Darkwing features prominently in the two-part episode "Let's Get Dangerous!", which introduces new incarnations of Gosalyn (Stephanie Beatriz
Stephanie Beatriz Bischoff Alvizuri (born February 10, 1981) is an American actress, model and singer. She is known for playing Detective Rosa Diaz in the Fox/NBC comedy series ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine'' (2013–2021), and voicing protagonist Mira ...
) and Taurus Bulba (James Monroe Iglehart
James Monroe Iglehart (born September 4, 1974) He met his wife Dawn in the Mt. Eden High School show choirBlank, Matthew"The Genie of Broadways Aladdin James Monroe Iglehart"playbill.com, March 18, 2014 and they married in 2002.
Filmography ...
). In the series finale "The Last Adventure!" Drake and Gosalyn attend Webby Vanderquack
This article includes a list of characters from the Disney ''DuckTales'' animated franchise, including the original 1987 series and the 2017 reboot series, as well as one theatrical movie and a variety of additional spin-off media merchandise, ...
's birthday party before assisting the Duck family in their final battle against F.O.W.L., during which the pair battle Steelbeak.
Films
Darkwing makes a cameo at the end of '' Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers'', with Cummings reprising his role. He appears during a mid-credits scene, annoyed at the Rescue Rangers' newly regained fame and trying to attract attention to himself.
Reboot
On April 2, 2015, a rumor surfaced that Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
would be rebooting the series for a 2018 premiere on Disney XD. The report was debunked as an April Fools'
April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day is an annual custom on 1 April consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fools!" at the recipient. Mass media can be involved in these pranks, which may b ...
prank. Instead, Darkwing Duck returned as a comic book published by Joe Books, which was released on April 27, 2016.
A ''Darkwing Duck'' reboot is in development for Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...
. Seth Rogen
Seth Aaron Rogen (; born April 15, 1982) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and filmmaker. Originally a stand-up comedian in Vancouver, he moved to Los Angeles for a part in Judd Apatow's series ''Freaks and Geeks'', and then got a part on ...
and Evan Goldberg
Evan D. Goldberg (born September 15, 1982) is a Canadian-American filmmaker and comedian. He has collaborated with his childhood friend Seth Rogen on the films '' Superbad'', ''Pineapple Express'', ''This Is the End'', '' The Interview'', and '' ...
will executive produce the project via Point Grey Pictures
Point Grey (PGP) is an American independent film and television production company founded in 2011 by Canadian comedians and filmmakers, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg.
History
Founded by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg in February 12, 2011, the com ...
. Tad Stones
Edward T. "Tad" Stones (born May 28, 1952) is an American animator, storyboard artist, screenwriter, producer and director, best known for his work for The Walt Disney Company, where he worked from 1974 to 2003. His most notable credits for Disn ...
revealed that he is involved in the reboot series as a creative consultant.
See also
* List of anthropomorphic animal superheroes
* Paperinik Donald Duck, a cartoon fictional character, character created by the Walt Disney Company, is today the star of dozens of comic book, comic-book and comic strip, comic-strip stories published each month (in certain parts of the world, each week) arou ...
References
Bibliography
*
*
External links
*
*
*
{{DAFT
1990s American animated television series
1990s American superhero comedy television series
1991 American television series debuts
1992 American television series endings
American Broadcasting Company original programming
American children's animated action television series
American children's animated adventure television series
American children's animated comedy television series
American children's animated mystery television series
American children's animated science fantasy television series
American children's animated superhero television series
American animated television spin-offs
Animated television series about ducks
Animal superheroes
Boom! Studios titles
Crossover animated television series
American detective television series
YTV (Canadian TV channel) original programming
Playmates Toys
Disney Channel original programming
DuckTales
English-language television shows
First-run syndicated television programs in the United States
Parody superheroes
Television series by Disney Television Animation
Television series set in 1991
The Disney Afternoon
Toon Disney original programming
Television shows adapted into comics
Television shows adapted into video games
Disney comics titles