Going back to the early 60s when the facade of one of the most iconic Disney attractions ever was completed along the Rivers of America at Disneyland, stories have been told of that spooky old mansion, ranging from a pirate to a black widow bride stories. Yet, with the exception of a The Story and Song of The Haunted Mansion record released in 1969 (we along with most HM fans have dismissed the 2003 film), Disney has stayed away from attaching any type of “official” story to The Haunted Mansion… until now.
This is the story of Danny, a normal teenage boy who thinks he is alone in the world with the exception of his grandfather, who is always going on adventures, and all Danny can do is hope to be like him someday. That all changes when something happens to Danny’s grandfather that ties him to The Haunted Mansion.
The previous Disney Kingdoms books (Seekers of the Weird, Figment, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad) have all been stories that tie into attractions they are based on by telling a tale that involves a place or characters, but Haunted Mansion is clearly set in the E-Ticket attraction we all know and love. From the moment Danny enters the grounds and sees the iconic columns and hearse, you feel like you are about to board a Doombuggy with a new friend.
This book is gorgeous, from the first to the last page. Artist Jorge Coelho must have been possessed by Disney Legend Marc Davis bringing every detail we HM fans know to this book. Joshua Williamson, writer and self-professed obsessor of all things Haunted Mansion, starts this five issue mini-series throwing the readers right into the thick of things with little haste. That breakneck speed to me could be seen as the only downside (if there really is one) as it doesn’t give the reader time to really get to know much about Danny before he is whisked into the mansion and overshadowed by its 999 happy haunts. But, as I said, this is only a five issue mini-series so I would rather have the action start fast and build to a finale than a meandering story with three issues in before we get to the heart of the mansion.
This book will ship, as has become the trend, with a few variant covers including the ‘action figure’ cover featuring “The Bride” Constance who will be playing a large role in the book. There will also be two special variant covers that most shops will charge more for due to the amount they will receive vs the standard or ‘action figure’ covers.
Action Figure Variant by JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER
What is sure to be the highest demand cover and more difficult to obtain will be the Disney Parks Variant Cover featuring art from Marc Davis.
Haunted Mansion is an E-Ticket adventure and well worth the $3.99 cover price. Be sure to head to your local comic shop tomorrow, March 9th to pick up your copy because, if history repeats itself, this Disney Kingdoms Marvel title will see out faster than you can say “hurry back!”