Ducktales features a lot of subpar efforts. It also features also a lot of great one-shot characters the reappearance of whom could've enlivened many an episode. What am I missin' here?
Filler Brushbill
This is that awesome salesman from "Much Ado about Scrooge" who substantially elevates an otherwise-mediocre episode. At first it seems like he's just going to be a standard unctuous-traveling-salesman stock type, but he reveals himself to be way cooler than that, an amiable guy who uses his silver tongue and his Felix-esque Bag of Tricks for Good when it's called for. I would so love to have seen him again.
Cinnamon Teal
What's great about the femme fatale from "Spies in Their Eyes" is that she remains morally ambiguous up to the very end. Given this show's general outlook, I can only assume that that happened by accident, but it's great that it did. Which, I suppose, is an argument that she really shouldn't have appeared again, since they'd almost certainly have just put her clearly and boringly on one side or the other. But if they did do her right in a sequel, it could be really great!
(I know she appears in the recent, ahem, controversial Ducktales comic serial; I haven't yet read it, but somehow I'm not optimistic that it'll give her the treatment she deserves.)
The Phantom Blot
As I noted at the time, he doesn't really have anything in common with the Gottfredson Blot, but his ranting megalomania is highly entertaining nonetheless. If used to excess, he could've gotten old real fast, but I don't think a few encores would've been out of line.
Birdy, Ripcord, & Loopy McQuack
Launchpad's family is just cool, and if we'd gotten to see more of them, we could've also got more character stuff with Launchpad himself, obviating some of the falling-off that his character experienced after the first season.
Ludwig von Drake
I suppose Ducktales shouldn't get that much credit for their rendition of Ludwig, since he started as an animated character, but the fact remains, he is so fucking awesome in "The Golden Fleecing." Out of all the characters I'm listing here, his failure to become a semi-regular is by far the most baffling.
The Beagle Babes
David tells me that my affection for these three puts me in a distinct minority, but what do I care about that? I think they're great. Naturally, they're far, far better than their cousins; they're not necessarily a whole lot more competent, but it really feels like they're more capable of getting shit done. More, please.
Robotica
Actually, bad idea; don't bring back Robotica--you'll almost certainly just make a situation that's already kind of troubling from a feminist perspective worse. But she's a heckuva lot of fun in "Metal Attraction," is all I wanted to point out.
I also am very sorry that they didn't do more with Ludwig von Drake.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I would've liked to have seen more of Feathers Galore and J. Gander Hoover from "Double-O-Duck," and Count Roy from "Duck in the Iron Mask."
I'm with you on liking the Beagle Babes. They came out of nowhere on the series and have never been used since. Robotica was a good one-shot character who served her purpose magnificently and glowingly.
ReplyDeleteLudwig von Drake would have also been a great addition. Imagine him trying to psychoanalyze Bubba. I bet you would have liked *that* Bubba ep.
Yes, to LP's family. As a kid, I fantasized about editing the DT comic book, and LP's family was part of my grand plans for the title. The Phantom Blot...definitely. Sadly, he, along with Cinnamon Teal are being abused in the current DT/Darkwing titles. No matter how inspired the Blot/Magica team-up is, someone should be arrested.
Filler was a great character. Imagine a guy who could get Scrooge to break his piggy bank for the most ludicrous of items... He could be an even bigger threat than Scrooge's rogues gallery.