Review — Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers: Scheme the Impossible Dream

Calling all 80s and 90s kids! Want to relive those halcyon days you used to spend watching Disney cartoons? Well, you can’t, because you work 8-5 now, but Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers: Scheme the Impossible Dream is full of comic book adventures with all your favorite Disney Afternoon characters. Let’s check it out!

Content Guide

As usual for Disney comics, this book is fun for all ages.

Review

Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers: Scheme the Impossible Dream is the latest entry in Fantagraphics’ Disney Afternoon Adventures series. This volume collects stories from Disney magazines around the world, dating from 1986 to 1998. Most of the Disney Afternoon lineup is represented here — Rescue Rangers, Goof Troop, Gummi Bears, TaleSpin, and Darkwing Duck.

The titular story revolves around one of Fat Cat’s evil schemes. It opens with the no-good feline trying to steal an Egyptian sarcophagus from a museum, but the Rescue Rangers show up to foil his plan. Things take a mysterious turn over the next few nights when the Rangers, seemingly in a trance, begin committing crimes themselves. What could be causing this string of misdeeds? “Scheme the Impossible Dream” is a fun adventure, and a strong leadoff for this volume.

Next is a brief Gummi Bears bumper, in which Sunni has been captured and the other bears stage a rescue operation. At just eight pages long, this story is a super-quick read (which is fine with me, as the Gummi Bears show was never my favorite).

After that is another short (but much more awesome) story featuring the terror that flaps in the night himself, Darkwing Duck. During a training mission, a giant robot escapes, and Gosalyn and Darkwing must team up to stop it. While the narrative is small in scale, it has moments that will make fans of the show smile.

Then it’s back to Chip and Dale, with the two-part adventure “Who Will Rescue the Rescue Rangers?” This feature introduces a host of other rescue teams who, alongside the chipmunk heroes, must solve a mystery full of mayhem and misunderstanding. Stretching over 50+ pages, this story has the breathing room to generate immersion and laughs. The color work (which is vibrant throughout this entire volume — no surprise for a Disney book) is especially strong in this particular story.

The TaleSpin featurette “Flimflam Flyboy” is next, and while it’s only 15 pages long, it’s probably the highlight of this whole book for me. In this story, Baloo is mentoring a young, upstart pilot when a band of sky pirates comes in for a climactic, swashbuckling finale. For being so brief, this story has some great action. After that is a short DuckTales story, followed by a lengthier Goof Troop adventure in which the gang investigates a mysterious sinkhole.

The book concludes with a final Chip and Dale adventure. Once again, Fat Cat is causing trouble, trying to blow up a building where a dog show is being held. (He is a cat, after all.) With the Rescue Rangers captured, how will they stop him? This is a breezy read, and it ends the book on a high note.

Conclusion

Reading Scheme the Impossible Dream feels like watching a block of Disney Afternoon programming. In my head, I find myself reading the dialogue in the characters’ voices, and I can visualize the panels as if they were actually animated. (Seeing Darkwing say “Let’s get dangerous!” made me happy.)

The stories are enjoyable, and the art and color work are spot on for the Disney cartoon aesthetic. As a minor nitpick, there are a couple of moments of unusual phrasing in the dialogue. Not a big deal by any means, but it’s something I did notice. Since some of these stories were first published in other languages, it’s possible some things didn’t translate easily.

Speaking of other languages, it’s cool to see these international stories reprinted for an U.S. audience. Localization is something this publisher excels at. The book is handsomely produced, with signature Fantagraphics quality — hardback, with spot-UV detailing on the cover and thick paper stock. It looks and feels great.

Scheme the Impossible Dream is a nostalgic treat for those who grew up watching Disney Afternoon. If you love(d) these shows, you’ll have fun digging into these stories.

A review copy was provided by Fantagraphics.