MomoCon 2016: Darkwing Duck Darkwing Duck celebrates its 25th anniversary, and I officially feel old. I remember watching the show every afternoon as a kid, captivated by the Disney magic. While at MomoCon, fans had a chance to meet some of the artists of “The Terror that Flaps in the Night” – Tad Stones, Creator/showrunner and Jim Cummings, voice of Darkwing himself. Stones shares the catalyst of Darkwing Duck was an episode of Duck Tales titled Double-O-Duck where Launchpad pretends to be a spy. It played well and the studio decided to create a duck-inspired spy story…but it ended up being a parody of 007 instead of the Disney charm and soul, so they went another direction. Instead of being inspired by 007, they turned to The Shadow, Green Hornet and Batman, which fused together with the Disney animation style to bring Darkwing Duck. “Gosalyn was the heart of the show,” Stones says. The writers were thinking of a what if scenario – what if Batman had a daughter who refused to stay in the Batcave? That’s when they knew they had something special. Stones main inspiration for storylines came from the Silver Age of comics, “I would ask the writers to pitch me what the comic cover would be so we knew if there was a story to it.” Then they would dive into what the crazy event would be. Stones recalls there being a cover of The Flash where he had a long beard because he was aging so they retooled the story for Darkwing Duck. Following the Silver Age of comics for inspiration, Stones didn’t care much for continuity; “It’s always about the entertainment instead of continuity.” There was an episode where Darkwing was split into Negaduck and Posiduck. Later the team wanted to reuse Negaduck but didn’t want to repeat the story…so they created a new character. One fan asked about what happened to Gosalyn’s parents who are never seen, “That’s not what Darkwing Duck was about,” says Stones who says there other background characters whose history wasn’t necessary to explore because they were focused on Darkwing and Gosalyn’s relationship. “Why be a slave to continuity if it holds us back from telling great stories,” ask Stones. On stage with Cummings and Stones were Aaron Sparrow and James Silvani, the creators of the Darkwing Duck comic series, which just started a new run. Sparrow was grateful for the fan enthusiasm that pushed for the revival from their run with Boom! Studios and never gave up the faith. Silvani, who has a unique opportunity to create new enemies and heroes for Darkwing to interact with, looks to other Disney films for inspiration. “I had to draw a monkey for OneShot, so I looked at the Disney monkeys that were available and found The Jungle Book, because it needs to feel like it belongs in the Disney universe. Even though Snow White and Darkwing Duck are very different, they each have that Disney magic and feel.” While working on the next, all-new stories of Darkwing, the team wants to recapture the core characters and essence, tackling new adventures while remaining faithful to what makes the characters who they are. Stones said the new series was great, capturing the spirit of the show without being a carbon copy…which it shouldn’t be 25 years later. If you are currently enjoying Darkwing Duck’s return in comics, continue to check out his adventures and maybe additional heroes from the Disney Afternoon block will join the fray. The rest of the panel, available on MomoCon’s Twitch archive offers Cummings breaking into character of Darkwing perfectly, the team’s thoughts on the recent DVD collection, working with ABC studios and who their favorite villain is in the Darkwing universe. For more information from MomoCon, review our overage this year and attend next year! Level Up, Friends!
