3. In Newspapers, Mickey Mouse Was A Badass (And Suicidal... And A Homophobe)
If you happen to follow video games, then you might be more familiar with this one thanks to the development of Epic Mickey, a game which sought to return the Mouse back to his more mischievous, adventurous roots. Even then, however, some may not have been able to imagine just the kind of high jinks that Mickey got up to in the newspaper comic strip that began in 1930. It was a very different time, to be sure, and while not overly violent by today's standards, Mickey would certainly get up to some action that one might view as more hardcore than they would expect from the smiling, laughing company mascot he's become. Of course, the strip wasn't pure action, adventure, and gun-slinging; there was a more humorous side to temper it as well. That said, in addition to being adventurous, the strip also gave us a look at other sides of Mickey that you would never see outside of the context of the old strips (or someone's fan art) today. For instance, there was the time Mickey thought he'd lost the love of his life, Minnie, to a "slicker" from the city. Therefore - at Walt Disney's own suggestion to the strip's author, Floyd Gottfredson, no less - Mickey attempted to take his own life: On the other side of the coin, we have a side of Mickey that's far more difficult to be sympathetic towards in this day and age: Suffice to say, Warren Spector had his work cut out for him in trying to bring back the spirit of the older Mickey without the controversy.
Former Nintendo Power writer, current Nintendo Force writer. Wrote the book on Mega Man (The Robot Master Field Guide). Was once fired by Vince McMahon. Dabbles in video games, comic books, toys, and fast food curiosities. Once had a new species of exotic bird named after him. It died.
You can find more of his writings, musings, and other such things on his websites at Nyteworks.net.
