Darkwing Duck Throws Out the Rule Book in Clean Money

Disney superhero Darkwing Duck is a tireless defender of truth and justice, but he’s not much of a stickler for the rules. In the picture book Clean Money, written by Barbara Bazaldua and illustrated by Sue DiCicco, he is caught in a conflict between his own unconventional but tried and true methods and the secret agent handbook he has been instructed to follow. If he doesn’t go by the book, he incurs the wrath of his temporary boss, an ornery bear named Gryzlikoff. But can he solve this latest crime without using his own flair?

The main characters here are Darkwing Duck, who appears in costume throughout the entire story, and his faithful sidekick Launchpad McQuack, a lovable lummox who also plays a major role in the DuckTales series. We don’t ever hear any reference to Darkwing’s ordinary citizen identity, Drake Mallard, or see his adopted daughter Gosalyn; the complication of switching personas doesn’t come into the story at all. However, it’s still a fun tale.

J. Gander Hooter, Darkwing’s commander at the S.H.U.S.H. secret agency, is kidnapped shortly after appealing to him to figure out why all the money in the city is going blank. With stripped money and a missing boss on his hands, he and Launchpad have their work cut out for them to track down the despicable cleaning lady Ammonia Pine, whose villainous deeds we see before they do. Cracking this case won’t be easy with Gryzlikoff tailing them the whole way, however. Talk about making the job tougher!

This is a cute book that fans of the TV show should enjoy. The illustrations are enjoyable, particularly the depictions of super-resilient bubbles, and the resolution with the villain is amusingly rendered. The writing is fairly simple but not overly geared to young readers. It reads smoothly, with occasional puns worked into the dialogue. One thing I found interesting is the fact that in Ammonia’s encounters with Darkwing and Launchpad, she refers to them collectively as “ducks” in a sneering tone. It looks to me like she is a duck as well, though she is never specifically identified as such.

The idea of a cleaning lady being evil probably appeals to many kids, especially since the best weapon with which to fight her is dirt. Getting dirty is a good thing here, and tweaking the rules a bit turns out to be a pretty good idea too. Embracing messiness and “a certain disregard for the rules,” as Albus Dumbledore once put it, are urges that seem to hit most kids at one time or another, so Clean Money is an especially enjoyable bit of escapism for the mildly rebellious youngster.