Disney Classic Graphic Novel: Atlantis by Mike Mignola, Greg Ehrbar & Claudio Sciarrone

Lol, Live Action this, Disney.

I actually haven’t seen the movie that this graphic novel is based on, tho I vaguely remember the criticism of it being generally positive. While the story was originally created by Mike Mignola (who also provides the cover art here,) this adaptation was written by Greg Ehrbar, with lead pencils by Claudio Sciarrone.

The story itself is pretty interesting. An early 20th century academic named Milo Thatch is banished to the basement of the museum where he works, in part due to the reputation of his “crazy” grandfather Thaddeus, who died insisting that the lost city of Atlantis is real. Thaddeus was, understandably, laughed out of academia for trafficking in myths and rumors. Milo is facing the same reaction, even tho he now has definitive proof of a way to access the allegedly mythical city.

With the help of an unexpected benefactor, Milo joins the crew of a functional submersible ready to follow his map to Atlantis. The crew is diverse and of differing degrees of friendliness to our young explorer, tho that friendliness drops significantly as greater dangers are encountered and the body count begins to rise, even before they reach the ocean floor. Will Milo and the crew be able to band together, to not only find Atlantis but to survive the trip and safely make their way home?

I don’t believe that there are any surprises in this book for readers already familiar with the movie, but it does serve as an interesting entry point for readers who aren’t. The pacing probably isn’t as good as it is in the movie so some of the jokes don’t land as well, but the inherent liveliness and quality of a Disney product shines through.

As for the art, Sig Sciarrone et al do a perfectly competent job of hewing closely to the Disney standard. I was actually a little surprised to learn that Mr Mignola did the concept art for the movie, but was really pleased with the inclusion of his sketchbook and notes at the end. The bit about the “blind” fish was especially fascinating, making this volume a collectible for any Mignola fan.

This is a must-have for the Disney completist, and definitely for fans of the Atlantis property. I was entertained.

Disney Classic Graphic Novel: Atlantis by Mike Mignola, Greg Ehrbar & Claudio Sciarrone was published December 10 2024 by Papercutz and is available from all good booksellers, including