Goofy Became Spider-Man #1
Chad Burdette
Recap
Following stories like next month’s MARVEL & DISNEY: WHAT IF…? DONALD DUCK BECAME IRON MAN #1, it’s Goofy’s turn for a solo spotlight as he becomes Marvel’s most iconic superhero.
Bitten by a radioactive spider, Mickey’s fun-loving pal will learn about great power and great responsibility as he swings through the skies as the friendly neighborhood SPIDER-GOOFY!
Comic Watch Review:
- What If…? Donald Duck Became Thor #1: By The Will Of The Gods, I Am Alive! I Am Invincible! I Am Donald!
- Marvel & Disney: What If…? Donald Duck Became Wolverine #1
- Marvel & Disney: What If…? Minnie Became Captain Marvel #1
- Marvel & Disney: What If…? Mickey & Friends Became the Avengers #1
GOOFY becomes the AMAZING SPIDER-MAN in this tale that’s sure to make you say “GAWRSH!” Goofy Parker must learn the ultimate lesson of RESPONSIBILITY to save his beloved UNCLE BEN. And wait’ll you see what he does to those BEAGLE BOYS! Ah-hyuck!
Review
What If…? Goofy Became Spider-Man is the final installment (for now) in this series of stories that placed classic Disney characters (mainly Donald Duck) in the role of Marvel Heroes. Drawing from Amazing Fantasy #15, this issue reimagines the Web-Slinger’s origin in a manner that is not as dark and involving the death of Uncle Ben, who in the issue is Aunt May’s motorcycle/ sidecar.
Story-wise, all the right Spider beats are hit as it expands the story in true Disney style to provide a younger reader feeling. This expansion of the story works in some places and not so well in others, making the story get caught in some proverbial webs. The issue takes some needed liberties, such as having Goofy appear in the classic Spider costume for the Feats of Strength contest that replaces the wrestling match from the original story. This and other slight tweaks along the way make the story interesting and hopefully inspire the reader to check out the source material and discover how and why Steve Behling (Story) and Riccardo Secchi (Writer) crafted this tale the way they did.
The art and colorwork throughout the issue pay respect to the original Ditko artwork while giving it a cleaner and Disney-esque feeling. The design for Goofy good, however, there are some strange, especially the facial features, specifically the way Goofy’s eyes are drawn. The Spider suit that Goofy dons is well-designed and feels natural to his body type, the mask is particularly well-suited to the strange shape of Goofy’s head.
Final Thoughts
Goofy Became Spider-Man #1 is a nice bookend to this series of What-If stories and it was refreshing to see one of the oft-forgotten Disney characters get some time in the webbing of the spotlight.
Goofy Became Spider-Man #1
- Writing - 8/108/10
- Storyline - 7/107/10
- Art - 8/108/10
- Color - 9/109/10
- Cover Art - 9/109/10
