"The Duck Knight Returns" by Ian Brill

Book cover, courtesy of Negaverse.net

What does a costumed crime fighter do when there's no more crime to fight?

How does a single father make a living for himself and his daughter when a secret agency no longer sponsors his efforts to make the world a better place?

He hangs up the mask and cape, locks up the secret hideout, and finds himself a desk job, that's how!

                Almost twenty years after the last episode of the popular Disney cartoon aired, "Darkwing Duck: The Duck Knight Returns," written by Ian Brill, takes place a year after the last adventure of the Terror That Flaps in the Night as Drake Mallard, Darkwing Duck's alter ego, struggles to face a world that has automated crime in his absence. After his daughter's best friend is "arrested" for listening to downloaded music though, he is convinced to don his costume once more to investigate the mysterious inner workings of St. Canard's newest, biggest corporation: Qwackworks. Along the way, he discovers a greater conspiracy brought on by an old enemy and reconciles with the tragedy that led to him quitting crime fighting.

                "The Duck Knight Returns" is sure to delight fans who grew up watching Darkwing Duck, but it's also accessible to a new generation of fans. The book begins in a funny, exciting way that introduces the reader to the world of Darkwing Duck, who he was, and who he now is by showing it rather than having an unseen narrator explain what happened. While "The Duck Knight Returns" combines action and humor like a I title I previous reviewed, "Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer," it stays true to the cartoon's roots and seeks to make the reader laugh on every page, though Darkwing's reunion with his former sidekick Launchpad and the actions he takes to protect his daughter Gosalyn show the hero's true, emotional side.

                When I interviewed some local teens about what they liked best about comics, the answer that came up most often was the humor. "The Duck Knight Returns" has an abundance of humor and I would definitely recommend it to fans of the original cartoon and to fans of Disney in general.

If you enjoyed "The Duck Knight Returns," be sure to check out these other Darkwing Duck books:
Crisis on Infinite Darkwings
F.O.W.L. Disposition
Campaign Carnage

Also, check out the Darkwing Duck cartoon opening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=375ENQbru8s

Brill, Ian, and James Silvani. Disney's Darkwing Duck: The Duck Knight Returns. Los Angeles: Boom! Studio, 2010. Print.