While Donald Duck might be one of Disney's most well-animated characters in the U.S.A, he is more well known in Europe and Latin America as a comic book character. While Carl Banks' run on the Donald Duck comics might be familiar to American audiences as both iterations of the Ducktales cartoon are heavily inspired by, there is a wider body of non-English Donald Duck comics.
For a long time, most of these non-English comics were unavailable to English-speaking comics fans. There has been a recent effort by Fantagraphics Book, IDW, and Boom! Studios to publish these comics in the U.S.A. Here are ten interesting comics created by non-English publishers that expand the universe of Donald Duck and his kin.
10 Donald Duckling
Donald Duck comics are very popular in Italy, popular enough to enjoy a bunch of spinoffs unique to the Italian comic book market. One of the most recent and popular spin-offs is Paperino Paperotto, which translated to English is Donald Duckling.
Donald Duckling follows the misadventures of a young Donald Duck. Unlike most Donald Duck comics, Donald Duckling is a lot more gag-focused compared to the more adventure-focus mainline of the comics. It was also popular enough to receive a sequel that focuses on Donald Duck's teenage years.
9 Duck Avenger
In 1969, Donald Duck received a major revamp in the Italian comics. That revamp being him having a Batman-esque superhero identity called Paperinik, or the Duck Avenger in most English translations. Created as a parody of Italian anti-heroes like Diabolik, the Duck Avengers originally was meant to be a way for Donald Duck to get back at those who have wronged him.
Overtime the Duck Avengers evolved into a more traditional superhero, using gadgets created by Gyro Gearloose, to fight against the various criminals that threaten Duckberg. The Duck Avenger persona would be popular enough to receive his own out of continuity reboot that expands upon the superhero elements seen in the earlier comics.
8 Ze Carioca
Orginal introduced in the 1942 Donald Duck film Saludos Amigos, the character of José Carioca is one of Brazil's favorite Disney characters. So popular, in fact, that he has a comic book in Brazil that has been published continuously since 1961.
The comic was originally presented as a spin-off of the Donald Duck comics featuring many of the characters and locations from it. Ze Carioca has, however, evolved into its own thing with José Carioca being updated to reflect contemporary Brazilian culture. He has also gained a supporting cast of characters including a bunch of cousins that represent the wide variety of cultures within Brazil.
7 The Flying Scot
The Italian Donald Duck comics also features Scrooge McDuck story similar in tone to the stories seen in the US comics. The Italian stories, however, can go into more bizarre directions than their American counterpart. "The Flying Scot" is a great example of this.
The story starts with Scrooge investigating the connection between a mysterious rain of sardines in Honduras and the disappearance of sardines from the world's sea. This adventure soon leads to Scrooge discovering that the Sardines have been captured by a flying pirate ship. Scrooge then soon discovers that the captain of this flying ship is none other than his ancestor, the pirate Danblane McDuck.
6 The Lentils of Babylon
While Scrooge McDuck might more be known for his many treasure hunts, he's also a successful businessman. The Lentils of Babylon is an Italian created story that interestingly combined these elements. When the Beagle Boys' cousins find a cache of tasty lentils from ancient Babylon, Scrooge sees a potential deal to expand his fortune. The problem is that the Beagle Boys are asking for Scrooge's entire fortune for the Lentils.
Thinking that he can make his fortune through both selling the lentils and growing more of them, Scrooge agrees to the deal. Scrooge, however, finds out that the lentils are sterile and cannot be planted to make more of them. This leads to Scrooge coming up with a cunning plan to regain his fortune.
5 Double Duck
A recurring trend in Italian Donald Duck comics is of them giving Donald Duck an adventurous alter ego. The most recent effort is with this Double Duck spin-off series that reimagines Donald Duck as a sleeper agent for a spy agency called The Agency. Yes, really.
The Agency activated Donald to take down a double agent who stolen a briefcase with the agency's secret. What follows is slightly humorous homage to spy fiction, especially James Bond, as Donald Duck as agent Double Duck faced a variety of villains like the Kingpin inspired Marlo Burke.
4 That Missing Candelabra
As seen by the above entry's the Italian Donald Duck comics has been prolific in creating unique entries in the Donald Duck comic canon. Another example of this can be seen by the comic having an adaption of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables starting the various characters of comics. Most notable starting Uncle Scrooge as Jean Valjean and Pete as Monsieur Thénardier.
The story is presented as a tale that Uncle Scrooge is telling to entertain his young nephews, justifying the story being lighter than Hugo's original novel. Overall its appear to be an interesting all-age take on Les Misérables.
3 Paperolimpiadi
While Donald Duck might have received more stories in the Italian comics, Micky Mouse also had some Italian exclusive stories. These stories would rarely crossover, but the one time they did was for a storyline celebrating the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics. This storyline involved Scrooge's premonitor, a camera that takes pictures of the near future, being stolen by two of his rivals planning to use to make a fortune on correctly betting the winners at the 1988 Olympics.
Mickey Mouse, however, recovers the device before it can be used by the rivals. Micky, however, has problems of his own as the Paperoidi, a race of duck looking alien, plot to steal all of the gold medals at the Olympics.
2 Scrooge's Last Adventure
One of the more interesting Italian created Donald Duck comics of the last ten years would have to be Scrooge's Last Adventure. The comics see Scrooge's darkest hour as his various foes have teamed up to take him down once and for all.
They soon steal his wealth and buy out his company, leaving Scrooge's penniless. The alliance of Scrooge's foes, however, soon falls apart as the villains turn on one another. Meanwhile, Scrooge plans one last adventure to restore his fortune. Overall, these comics create a great darkest hour style adventure for Scrooge and his family that isn't half bad.
1 Paperink New Adventures
The most interesting revamp of Donald Duck in Italian comics is that of Paperink New Adventures. The comics take Donald Duck's superhero persona of the Duck Avenger and reboots it as a serious superhero comic inspired by Marvel.
The comic sees Donald Duck takes on more dangerous foes than before like alien invaders and time pirates. The reboot also sees the Duck Avenger receives new high-tech gadgets and an A.I mission control called One. The reboot's success would lead a bunch of more serious takes of Disney inspired superhero in Italian Disney comics.