“Yesterday’s” Comic> Looney Tunes #118

“I don’t need a parachute! We’re in space!”

Looney Tunes #118

DC Comics (November, 2004)

All three stories this issue focuses on the Duck Dodgers television series based on the series of classic Looney Tunes shorts parodying Buck Rodgers. Sadly, he never had his own comic. I enjoyed the show myself.

These are short so let’s go through this, fast. Commander X-2 (Marvin The Martian) wants to kidnap Cadet (Porky) because he’s good at an anti-gravity version of pool but he refuses, and then Dodgers’ (Daffy) bad skills save the day. The title only exists to play on the name and (based on my limited knowledge of pool with or without gravity) that’s it. Fun story, though.

The second story has Dodgers and Cadet being sent to a planet of evil clowns. Once Dodgers realizes he’s not on the birthday planet (although he was more effective in stopping a prison break when he didn’t know) he and Cadet put the escape plan down. Another good story.

My favorite is sadly the shortest. The Martian Queen tries to get Dodgers away from Earth by pretending she needs his help to stop the peanut people of Neptune from invading Mars. Martin pretends to be demoted to maid but it’s actually a diversion from his attack on Earth…except that prove to be his downfall in a rare example of Dodgers actually being competent. In a longer version he could have really driven the Queen and Martin nuts. Too bad we missed out on that.

I’ve read a later issue with Duck Dodgers (I don’t remember if I reviewed it) that was not nearly as good. This issue, however, is a good example of why I enjoyed the show, not enough to put it in my personal library but enough that I would watch it again if I had time. If you liked the show, this issue is worth checking out.