ww 03 Disneyland
ww 03 Disneyland
Fantagraphics April 1994
The last and longest story in the earlier All Waldo Comics, ‘Mrs Holla and the Magic Ring’ had no mention of the cat at all, focussing instead on inventor Buster Braun and his daughter Evie. However, this volume interweaves the Brauns’ stories with Waldo’s.
A Shroud for Waldo is a fascinating, intricate, imaginative story, that develops multiple elements of Deitch’s meta-narrative. The elephant in the room is the inclusion of Jesus (featured image and cover, centre-right), and the shroud of the title’s referencing the famous relic in Turin. Surprisingly, ‘Jesus’ starred in what may be the first underground comic, nevertheless, this is hardly a move with obvious appeal to Deitch’s seeming demographic of counter-culture survivors, hipsters, and pop-culture connoisseurs. The depiction of Jesus here is neither extreme of iconoclasm or hagiography, he simply acts as a ‘supernatural helper’, or a mentor/wizard archetype. The artwork is also amongst Deitch’s best. However, Christian and atheist alike, may find this element of the story an odd misfire. Thirty years later though, Deitch would revisit Jesus, in Reincarnation Stories, suggesting this was no passing whim.
Reading the books in order highlights both Deitch’s artistic development, and the intricate weaving of his meta-narrative. However each is self-contained, so there’s no need to hold off enjoying them until you gather the set. The next (created) Waldo comics, are collected as The Boulevard of Broken Dreams.
Waldo has been regaling Nate Mishkin with a truly bizarre account of how Disneyland was allegedly stolen from an idea conceived by Fred Fontaine in 1952 • Kartoon Fever! • Waldo World Sketchbook • 1920. An Idea Is Born!