Tears for Fears - The Tipping Point (Single): A Review

Has it really been seventeen years? Yes and no. To the greater public, Tears for Fears have been awfully quiet for a long period of time. After Curt Smith left the group in the early 1990s, Roland Orzabal soldiered on with guitarist Alan Griffiths and released two rather overlooked albums, Elemental in 1993 and the brilliant Raoul and the Kings of Spain in 1995. After the 1996 tour, Orzabal retired the name, having grown disillusioned by audiences who were only there for the early material and didn't care as much for his more mature work. In 2001, he released his one and (to date) only solo album, Tomcats Screaming Outside. By this point, he and Curt Smith (who was now living in the USA) had already reconnected and started making music with Smith's new writing partner, guitarist Charlton Pettus. In 2004 (2005 in some countries), the reunion album Everybody Loves a Happy Ending was released. Plagued with a fractured release strategy and a bad mastering job on the European edition, the album didn't achieve the expected success (although it has continued to sell well). A somewhat unsatisfying live album (due to its shortened festival setlist and the band not playing their best gig), Secret World - Live in Paris, was released in 2006, including a new studio recording, the exuberant "Floating Down the River". This song was also included on the Universal double CD compilation Gold, which had originally been planned as a career-spanning box set.

The band played a handful of gigs in the following years but otherwise seemed semi-retired. Curt Smith remained more active, releasing two solo albums - Halfway, Pleased and Deceptively Heavy - plus collaborating with lesser known artists on various projects. All of these were released with zero fanfare, many of them download-only or on small labels. In 2010, Smith complained that labels weren't interested in new Tears for Fears music. Despite this, 2010 was one of their most active years regarding live shows, as the band played the US, Australia and Southeast Asia. The gig in the Philippines in particular will stick in the band's memories for the crowd's sheer enthusiasm.

Things picked up in 2013, when Universal decided to give the band's debut, 1983's The Hurting, the deluxe edition and box set treatment. The release was curated by reissue specialist Steve Hammonds (who also put a lot of work into the Status Quo reissues mentioned elsewhere on this blog) and blogger/journalist Paul Sinclair, who first wrote about his involvement here and later published an exclusive interview here, parts of which were used for his liner notes in the set. During the promotion for the reissue, the band unveiled their first new recording since 2006, a cover of Arcade Fire's "Ready to Start"; it was swiftly followed by "And I Was a Boy from School" by Hot Chip and Animal Collective's "My Girls". All three songs were later compiled on a 12" vinyl EP for Record Store Day called Ready Boy & Girls? (but never released on CD). As this round of publicity ended, Tears for Fears announced they were starting to write material for a new album. The sound of the three cover versions hinted at a more electronic direction as opposed to the timeless piano- and guitar-based power pop of Everybody Loves a Happy Ending.

2014 saw the next reissue, among other versions an exhaustive 6-disc box set, centered around Songs from The Big Chair, and The Seeds of Love was expected for 2015. The band still played great live shows, including the Spotify Landmark session, but spanners started appearing in the works. Several self-imposed deadlines for finishing the new album were missed and it felt like neither the new album nor the Seeds reissue would see the light of day.

2017 was the most active year for TFF since their reunion: A big double headliner tour with Hall & Oates took them all over North America, and they also appeared on the BBC in London to promote their new compilation Rule the World, which featured two new songs, the single "I Love You But I'm Lost" and "Stay". However, with hindsight it was a dark time for Orzabal, as first his old writing partner Alan Griffiths died at only 57, and then (unbeknownst to the public), his wife Caroline died after a long struggle with depression, alcoholism and ensuing health issues. The only thing fans knew was that the last dates of the US tour were postponed because of a "family emergency", and later, the European tour scheduled for 2018 was cancelled "on doctor's orders" and moved to 2019. (The upshot of this was that they added more dates in Germany and I finally got to see them!) Earlier that year, Roland had uploaded a sad ballad to his soundcloud account called "Please Be Happy", which also hinted at the emotional turmoil in his family. Here's a fan video (which looks like it was an inspiration for the new official video!):

When the band resurfaced in 2019, Orzabal's hair had turned grey and he was starting to grow a beard. Though stopping to dye his hair increased the contrast, it was pretty clear to anybody that he had aged a lot since 2015/2016. His voice also seemed less powerful, especially on the first couple of gigs, but got stronger as the tour progressed. In the meantime, he found a new partner and according to his own account, that immensely helped to get him back on track after "losing a year".

In 2020, Roland suggested the band would release a handful of singles instead of an album, and "The Tipping Point" was slated for an April release, but that date came and went. No tour dates had been set for the year so none were sunk by the pandemic, but it seemed like the new record was indefinitely shelved. Roland later explained that they had an album but weren't happy with it, and went back to work on new material to use alongside some of the originally planned songs. All in all, more waiting.

2020 did finally see the reprint of the first two box sets, a Classic Albums documentary dealing with Songs from the Big Chair and later, the long-awaited box set centered around The Seeds of Love, something that had been put on the backburner for several times because it shouldn't collide with the new album. The hints that something was finally happening in TFF-land appeared in mid-2021: Curt Smith liked a tweet by his friend, music journalist David Wild, which enigmatically hinted at a band having made their "best album yet". Wild denied most of the suspicions except TFF, and later confirmed that he had interviewed Roland and Curt.

The new single - which turned out to be, indeed, the title track - premiered on October 7; BBC Radio 2 were first to play it, while Radio Bath followed a few minutes later. Both stations played a radio edit, while the official video and streaming services had the full cut shortly afterwards.

After living with the song for a few weeks, here is my current verdict.

The intro may actually be the best part of the song. It's subtle, it's suspenseful, and it conjures up a sonic world all of its own. There's a kinship with Roland's experiments on the Tomcats Screaming Outside album but also 1993's Elemental, and interestingly enough Pink Floyd's 1994 album The Division Bell (the little bits of e-bow guitar aren't unlike the clip that was woven into "Take It Back" and "Keep Talking).

The beat slowly builds up over a couple of interesting movements and what follows is basically - as Roland Orzabal attested - Charlton Pettus' attempt to match the many young hit producers who thought the thing to do with TFF was to remake their classics. Pettus took the shuffle beat from "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" and inserted a piano motif reminiscent of "Head over Heels" to build the basis of the song, ending up with something that sounded like neither but still like Tears for Fears. The similarity to "Rule the World" was obviously picked up by most listeners but it would be wrong to call the new single a remake, as the vocal melody is totally different.

The melody - which I assume is mostly Roland's work - is indeed strong, and the way that Curt and Roland duet on the song is an element that immediately stood out. For all the strengths of having two frontmen, it's something they didn't really make much use of. Only "The Hurting", "Mothers Talk", "Sowing the Seeds of Love" and "Closest Thing to Heaven" spring to mind. Live it's a different story, as more recent performances of "Memories Fade" prove.

There are negatives, though. Some people pointed out that the song sounds a bit Depeche Mode. A lot of classic Mode songs are entirely built on the minor pentatonic, and the melody of "The Tipping Point" mostly stays within these limits too. Unfortunately, the backing is even more simplistic. I tried playing along on the piano and got bored very quickly as the main part of the song is just three chords (the same ones as in "Shout") over and over. They are also pretty much the same chords as in David Gilmour's 2016 song "Rattle That Lock", but that may well be a coincidence. Though this isn't the only touching point between the two songs: The way the radio version of "The Tipping Point" opens with Curt singing "Who's that ghost" reminds me of the echoing "Rattle That Lock" in Gilmour's song.

So what's left is the arrangement.

As I said, I have nothing but love for the intro. But the comparisons to "The Working Hour" seem more than a little over the top; nothing that follows the intro is as musically adventurous as that 1985 song was, which seamlessly fused together very different musical ideas.

The long version of "The Tipping Point" at least contains, in addition to the spherical intro, an instrumental breakdown that helps to add some variety, although the beat isn't varied at all and there is never a new chord to be found.

I like a lot of the sonic tricks, which are very typical for Roland's production work. The exception is the white noise added at times, something I really wish hadn't become fashionable. Sadly, the very compressed mastering makes it hard to focus on any of these details because (psychoacoustically) the brain shuts off when it's hit with a barrage of sound.

Lyrically, Roland is pretty open about the inspiration. It's a very personal song about the experience of watching his wife fade away - becoming a ghost while still alive.

The lyrics get a full 10/10 from me. They are haunting and on point, and entirely worth of the TFF name. I also like how the phrases get swapped at the end, it makes for a nice variation (instead of ending predictably with the title).

There is also the typical self-reference in the lyrics, in the line "What's that shape", which comes straight from 1996's "Falling Down".

I thought it would be an interesting idea to compare "I Love You But I'm Lost" and "The Tipping Point" in various aspects. Both songs came after a long period of silence and both signalled the beginning of something new; in the case of the 2017 single, it turned out to be a false alarm, and a bit of a cul-de-sac as the album that apparently was almost ready for release back then was not issued in its original form.

But both songs were co-produced with the same team - Florian Reutter and Sacha Skarbek - so they share a common aesthetic as opposed to, say, "Floating Down the River". Skarbek also co-wrote two songs on the coming album (in one case with Reutter), so even though the band has decided to remove "I Love You But I'm Lost" from the album, it remains a part of the same "era".

MELODY

Both songs are melodically strong and it's hard to choose. I think "I Love You But I'm Lost" may be more obviously catchy but that obviousness is also its weakness, as - with a different arrangement and singer - it could easily pass as a song by any number of younger acts (Bastille's singer Dan Smith and their producer Mark Crew co-wrote it). "The Tipping Point" is more recognizable as a TFF song, but "...Lost" is the one that keeps going through my brain unprompted, so I'm not going to choose.

1 : 1

CHORDS

Perhaps surprisingly, "I Love You But I'm Lost" has a more interesting chord sequence. It's not spectacularly inventive but they change it around enough to keep it fresh. The middle eight ("All we needed was some time") especially helps there.

2 : 1

LYRICS

"The Tipping Point" wins this one. "I Love You..." isn't bad, and especially in retrospect it is recognizable as coming from the same mindset (lines like "came to life in my arms and then turned to dust"). Hindsight makes it a far more bitter lyric; Roland telling Caroline that he loves her but is lost as to how to help her. However, some of the lines seem kind of throwaway to me.

"The Tipping Point" fits in the TFF tradition. I'm reminded of this Orzabal quote from 1995:

I think that the perspective behind Tears For Fears is one of that things are slightly damaged, things are slightly disturbed and they need to be healed, they need to be made better. I think that is running through every album... (source)

Incidentally, I feel that this aspect was noticeably missing on the Everybody Loves a Happy Ending album. It was a record about death, mostly, but it didn't feel justified. The guys were only in their forties.

2 : 2

PRODUCTION

Both songs are very much in the synthpop vein, dominated by electronic sounds and underpinned by "traditional sounding" but programmed drums. They don't sound "retro" though, in the sense of how some of the old 80s bands like Visage or Camouflage have tried to avoid the modern traps of overproduction, and that's where my main grumbles lie.

I'm somebody who mostly leans towards the rocky and organic side of things. My two favourite TFF albums are The Seeds of Love and Raoul and the Kings of Spain, so the move back towards more electronic sounds was always going to be a tougher road for me. As far as I'm concerned, I also don't need to hear anything from TFF that involves the guy who co-wrote the horrific "You're Beautiful" with James Blunt (as well as other not particularly great radio hits like "7 Seconds" or Miley Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball"), and I generally despise the trend to throw lots and lots of "producers" at a song to end up with an unremarkable overproduced stew of frequencies and electronic noise. This is what plagues "I Love You But I'm Lost" especially.

"The Tipping Point" at least has some typical guitar chords by Roland on the intro, but the instrument rather quickly disappears. Still, the more typical production touches swing this one for the newer song.

2 : 3

MIX

Both songs aren't particularly well-mixed. They drown in mids and low frequencies; I find it very hard to pick out the actual bass. The slightly better drum sound causes me to give the nod to the newer track again.

I have a strong feeling that "The Tipping Point" will open up much more when the band plays it live. Of course I can't be sure that it's going to be played (neither two new songs from 2017 were ever done) but Curt especially said they wanted to have an album that was well suited to playing live.

2 : 4

MASTERING

Mastering is a strange part of music making. Everybody does it but its original purpose has been forgotten and perverted. Because LPs have less dynamic range than magnetic tape and also only allow for a certain amount of bass, it was necessary to perform some EQ'ing and dynamic compression / limiting to get the sound right for the format. (This is also the reason why songs are often better sounding on 12" singles than on LPs, as there is more space for the grooves and therefore for bass.)

With the advent of CD, the dynamic range of released music increased to show off the new medium's capabilities. But then engineers discovered that you could do things in the digital realm that were previously near impossible. Digital lookahead limiters allow for a much more extreme raising of the overall loudness to the maximum (which is defined as 0 dB in any digital file). Producers, especially in pop and when it came to the jukebox market, had long liked their recordings to be louder than the competition, but the new tools turned that quest up to eleven.

Tears for Fears used to be a bastion of good sound, but that ended with the reunion. Back then it was Stephen Marcussen (who just outperformed himself in mastering the most recent Rolling Stones reissue into complete oblivion, breaking his own loudness records) who made the US release of Everybody Loves a Happy Ending the band's loudest release by far, while somebody decided that this was not loud enough and added further compression to the UK and European release (the one with 2 bonus tracks), leading to a steamrollered, flat sound that doesn't manage to keep the listener's attention for more than two tracks in a row.

The DR meter is a software that analyses how much a song has been affected by the loudness war. It doesn't measure the difference between the loudest and quietest parts but the density of the loudest parts. In other words, how much does the music vary in amplitude near digital zero.

On the DR meter, none of the new music and not even much of the reissues released by Tears for Fears in the last 25 years scores well. In comparison, the original mastering of The Seeds of Love (which was also included on the Blu-Ray disc of the 2020 box set) still stands up as a good example of a dynamic mastering.

As I wrote down at length here, Everybody Loves a Happy Ending was a real low point, especially in the 14-track version. "I Love You But I'm Lost" and "Stay" score similarly low on the DR meter (both DR5). They have a slightly lower RMS (average volume) but the density of the mix on the former is so extreme that when it kicks in, it feels like a sonic assault.

"The Tipping Point" (DR6) is a bit better, but both songs are mastered abysmally. I'm giving zero points on this count. They just turn into a wall of noise on headphones. If you don't believe me, try switching back and forth between any song from the first five TFF albums and the new material; the difference shouldn't be subtle.

The horrible sound of modern CDs and digital files has been one of the main drivers of the vinyl revival, so it's reasonable to expect the LP sounding better, although that's not a given. There have been cases where dedicated files with less compression were used for the vinyl editions (the Tears for Fears Record Store Day release Live at Massey Hall is an excellent example); often enough the cutting engineer simply takes some of the bass off, which improves the DR without really restoring anything. In some cases (Clockwork Angels by Rush springs to mind) that still makes it easier to listen without getting a headache, as a lot of energy can be concentrated in those low frequencies.

2 : 4

VIDEO

I don't want to give marks for the video clips but "The Tipping Point" also wins that comparison, as it's a simple mix of Curt and Roland singing and a couple of strong visual images, therefore well in the tradition of the band's 80s clips. "I Love You But I'm Lost" wasn't even advertised with a video at first and when it was released, it turned out to be a rather weird story-video that didn't even feature the band.

So all in all, "The Tipping Point" bodes better for the coming album then "I Love You But I'm Lost" did in 2017 for the scrapped album, still I have some reservations.

I know some people will question my even being a fan. But it's a question of emotions. Was I happy to get new material? Yes. Do I think "The Tipping Point" is a good song? Sure. But whenever I hear "Sowing the Seeds of Love" on the radio, it's a rush of emotions, it's pure bliss. And the same goes for quite a few other TFF songs. In comparison, anything they've released more recently has been a bit limp/grey. It's good music but it just doesn't make me feel much. I'm glad it exists, but either the production brings it down instead of enhancing it, or maybe I just don't 'get it'.

As far as the other two songs we already know go, I'd say "Please Be Happy" is the best so far (judging from the demo version, which criminally also has a huge amount of compression baked in - on a demo!!). "Stay" has the main problem that it sounds like Curt's solo work. While he is a good writer, he doesn't have Roland's genius. Also, it's very reliant on electronics, therefore not a good live track.

I hope that any song Curt didn't like and that was therefore discarded will show up on an Orzabal solo record. Considering how much I like the second half of The Seeds of Love (unlike Curt) there should be some very strong material.

But I also assume the coming album will contain songs that impress me more than the title track. After all, "Closest Thing to Heaven", the first single from Everybody Loves a Happy Ending, wasn't its strongest track either. And I'm glad I caught the opportunity to grab the special edition that Paul Sinclair managed to negotiate with the band and label, which contains all three bonus tracks that are otherwise only available in separate markets, plus an exclusive interview. Regardless of how much I'll end up liking the album, that is one of the coolest ideas I've seen in the CD business.

By the way, the next single "No Small Thing" will be out on December 3. Since it was described as containing acoustic portions (as you can hear in the preview clip), I'm having rather high expectations for this song.

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[Comics] The Great Crown Jewel Robbery

"Mickey, Minnie and the Great Crown Jewel Theft"

I said that I love reading review posts on Disney comics by established bloggers such as GeoX, Review or Die, Disney Comic Randomness, not forgetting Joe Torcivia and also the sadly deceased Chris Barat. So, I've taken up GeoX' ('s?) example of writing about a story that's not published in English and translating some dialogue from the language I read it in, which is normally German. I don't want to claim I can write reviews as well as the aforementioned bloggers can, and I don't want to enter any competition either. I'm mainly interested in highlighting some stories that have not been published widely, and I'm starting with a favourite of mine. In fact, I've written about this story several times before (always in German though), so you'd think I've figured out how to do it…

The story I'm talking about takes place in London. Is it "very British"? Yes, I'd say so, but of course the Brits never had a chance to read it. The story of Disney comics in Great Britain is a history in itself, and not a great one (David Gerstein broke it down here). It's funny to talk about this story in the wake of Brexit, but hey – London has been one of the world's most important cities, and I doubt Brexit is going to erase that (even though I still think it was an awful idea to start with, but oh well).

You'll notice that the colouring isn't so great. Although a lot of Italian Disney comics have been re-colored over the years (especially in Greece), this one has so far evaded the honour (possibly because the Greeks never printed it). Too bad - Giovan Battista Carpi was arguably at his artistic peak sometime during the 80s (remember "That Missing Candelabra", "War and Peace" etc.) and his art, beautifully detailed and atmospheric, could really shine with new, more precise and diverse colours. But this is the way it was done in Italy during those times (that said, "War and Peace" certainly received a better colouring, and is hardly improvable).

Also, the choice of scans isn't entirely intentional; these are the pages I scanned for my German review, then edited. Because I'm lazy and have little to no desire to make even more scans, I simply used all I scanned way back then for this post. This also means that there are spoilers, if you haven't read it yet & plan to do so.

Now, let's begin at the beginning... ((C) Francis Rossi / Bernie Frost)

I've always liked detective stories. My favourite children's book was one that dealt with minor "crimes" and the efforts to solve the puzzle, and the crime mystery is, in my opinion, one of the essential columns of the Disney comic. Anyone who thinks otherwise should come with a warning sign… and definitely not be working for Disney! Some of Carl Barks' best (Duck) stories were crime mysteries, sometimes mixed with a touch of gruesomeness (see "The Old Castle's Secret" for one of THE best Disney comics of all times), but for the most part, Mickey is the main expert on these matters. The tradition goes back to the venerable Floyd Gottfredson, who was responsible for turning Mickey Mouse from a funny animation star into a character who could survive complex and 'serious' comic stories. The influence of Gottfredson's comic strips on future generations has often been written about, and unlike the USA (where Paul Murry's less entertaining Mickey overtook the scene, before there were some attempts to artificially re-create the Gottfredson spirit in the 1990s) or Northern Europe, Italy never lost the connection to those formative stories. Gottfredson's work repeatedly gets reprinted in Italian, and the most important Italian Disney cartoonist Romano Scarpa was a dyed-in-the-wool Gottfredson fanatic who often wrote in the strip format and also did some covers for classic Gottfredson tales.

Scarpa's influence, through his various inkers, friends and pupils (especially Luciano Gatto, Giorgio Cavazzano, Sandro Del Conte, Maurizio Amendola, Valerio Held, Giuseppe Dalla Santa and Casty), is felt even today – although Cavazzano's stylistic development probably was even more important in the long run. On the other hand, there was something of a concurrent "school" that was more rigid, and more based on copying poses from Barks, Taliaferro, Gottfredson or (probably also self-made) model sheets. Scarpa, of course, didn't draw with any boundaries; such was his talent that he could create incredibly dynamic panels full of movement – but at times, it also meant that his artwork could look deformed compared to the "originals", exactly because Scarpa created his own interpretation and didn't adhere to any set rules.

The school I'm talking about includes Giovan Battista Carpi, Giulio Chierchini, Luciano Bottaro, Tiberio Colantuoni and Guido Scala. Although Carpi became a teacher to many young artists, late in his life, his pupils (e.g. Andrea Freccero or Anna Marabelli) either didn't follow his example much or disappeared from the Disney scene after a few years (e.g. Laura Bozzano). Only the exceptional Francesco Guerrini could be seen as a modern torch-bearer, but even here Carpi's influence is more implicitly felt.

Anyway, let's get to the story then. INDUCKS isn't entirely sure on whether Osvaldo Pavese wrote it alone, or Carpi co-wrote it; I wouldn't be surprised if it's the latter, since Carpi did have a knack for epic stories, although Pavese's work is severely undervalued on the whole. His writing is well worth checking out.

There were not one but two covers for both issues of "Topolino" that contained part 1 and 2 of the story, although neither were drawn by Carpi himself – but Marco Rota is no slouch either:

Strepitoso successo! Il tesoro della corona 2.da parte

We start out with Mickey and Minnie enjoying their holiday trip in London. If they knew what was coming…

Immediately we're hit by Carpi deftly handling the cultural icons of London, with the center image of the first page (one single panel) being neither Mickey nor Minnie, but the Tower Bridge. Although it's secondary to the plot, it shows the care that Carpi invested into the comic. The slow pace of the story might put some readers off, but I think it helps to set the atmosphere and makes it feel "authentic". The attention to detail is what sets this apart from so many commissioned comics (especially from Egmont) that try to stick in as many sights of one city as possible. Here, though, it flows very naturally; ironically, not concentrating on the plot all the time makes for a more realistic read.

Tourist guide: To your right, you can see the legendary London Tower!

Minnie: The scene of gloomy and gory stories! Shudder!

Mickey (MM henceforth): True, but now it's a museum, Minnie!

Minnie (MI): A museum, you say?

MM (or guide?): Yes! Nowadays, you can see the famous crown jewels there!

MI: Oh, I'd love to see them!

MM: We'll do that tomorrow, Minnie! I'm sure we'll need an entire day just to visit the Tower!

Guide: And now, ladies and gentlemen, a short pause to take photographs!

MI (?): Good idea!

MM: Oh Minnie! Aren't you gettin' tired of photographing everything?

MI: Well, I happen to enjoy it!

MI: Besides, it's a way to capture something for later!

MM: OK, I hear you!

[Soon after…]

Guide: This is the Westminster Palace, the House of Parliament with its clock tower, the famous Big Ben!

MI or someone else: Great!

MI: And where are we going to next?

Guide: To Hyde Park, one of the nicest parks in London Town!

~~

While the plot isn't important at the beginning, various elements do appear on the first few pages. After the romantic boat ride through Hyde Park (Mickey and Minnie are the perfect couple here, which some may find a bit boring, but Minnie's no Daisy; constantly having her argue with Mickey doesn't make sense to me), they visit Madame Tussaud's and come across the wax figure of "Captain" Thomas Blood. The whole tourist group later visits the Indian restaurant. And if you thought this was a totally police-focused story, you could not be more mistaken!

[In the evening…]

MI: Say, why don't we try something truly exotic!

MM: That's a very good idea, Minnie!

MM: What do you think of a saap-skewer from the grill?

MI: Oh, that sounds lovely!

MM: Twice grilled saap skewer, please!

Waiter: A good choice!

[Shortly afterwards…]

Waiter: Here you are!

MM: Oh! Um! Thanks!

MI: What… what is that?

Waiter: Fresh snake from the grill!

MI: Snake??

Waiter: For the next course, perhaps a delicious omelet with…

MM: Oh, er… let's just stick with plain eggs!

Waiter: As you wish!

Waiter: We've got gull's eggs Nepal style, frog eggs in the Himalayan way…

MI: Oh no!

MM: Erm, I think we might prefer totally normal fried eggs!

Waiter: Ack! What??

MM: I think he's offended now!

[After eating…]

MI: Can you photograph me, please?

MM: Of course! We simply have to record this "snake dinner" for posterity!

~~

Somewhat ridiculous sequence, as it consists of clichés about apparently inedible "exotic" food, but I admit I do find it mildly amusing. Anyhow, the next day, it's time for a visit to the Tower, as has already been announced before. We see the famous ravens (a topic that was recently taken up by Francesco Artibani and Lorenzo Pastrovicchio, in a story that features both Ellsworth and his adoptive son Ellroy!), meet a grumpy guard and then go visit the crown jewels.

MM: The "Imperial State Crown"!

MM: It consists of over 3000 crown jewels and was crafted in 1838!

MM: The fabled "Black Star Ruby" was worked into it.

MM: And this is the well-known "2nd Star of Africa"!

MI: How many carats, Mickey?

MM: Oh, just 317, Minnie!

MI: Wow, that's frightful!

MM: Why that?

MI: Well, such precious stones surely attract thieves, don't they!

Guard: Impossible, Ma'am! The museum is well-protected!

Guard: We've got an ultra-modern alarm system, steel-reinforced doors, and, last but not least, us Warders in the Tower!

MM: Well, but Captain Blood got in too, didn't he!

Guard: Yes, but he failed even without anti-theft devices!

Guard: You hear that?

MM: That sure sounds solid but…

MM: …with today's thieves, you never know!

[The visit goes on…]

MM: This is where it goes into the basement!

MI: Something special in there?

Blogger's note: The 2nd Star of Africa is one of the largest diamonds in existence. The largest one is also shown!

Again, you can tell how well Carpi did his research: The uniforms of the Yeoman Warders look exactly like they do in reality (a few simplifications for the comic format notwithstanding).

MM: Well, it's been said that the ghost of Queen Anna Boleyn has been haunting this dungeon!

MI: Really?

MI: Mickey! Where are you!

MI: Mickey! Don't leave me alone!

MM: Woohoooo! Minniieee! Boohooooo!

MI: EEEEEEEK!

MI: Help! A ghost!

MM: Oh no! I've overdone it and terrified her!

MM: Minnie! Wait! It was just a joke!

MM: Minnie! Stop!

(Slam!)

MM: Minnie!

(Slam!)

MI: Mickey! Mickey!

~~

Notice how well Carpi switched from happy-go-lucky, friendly tourist surroundings to dark doom with no advance warning. And yet, it's so effortlessly done that you might not even notice it if I didn't tell you so. Also, notice how Carpi's Mickey is not anywhere near the boring spoilsport that he's often seen as; the scene of him giving Minnie a fright could be straight out of Gottfredson.

So Mickey is locked in a place where poor Anne Boleyn might still be spooking around. (By the way: This, along with the quick mention of Henry VIII. earlier – Minnie's face says it all – is a good example of briefly touching upon stuff that is way too dark for a Disney comic, without disturbing anybody... after all, it doesn't tell you anything that you don't already know, and if you don't know yet, it just goes by unnoticed. I think it's really well done.)

Though what's more spooky is the coincidence: Just a few minutes after this misadventure, the alarm goes off. A guard says the crown jewels were stolen. Enter Police Inspector McKey, a type that couldn't be more "typically British" with his trenchcoat, bowler hat and umbrella. Not forgetting a decidedly grumpy personality. (I'm not sure if the name McKey is a German invention – it's a stroke of genius in any case, as it's phonetically very similar to "Mickey"!)

MM: Finally! I'd already pictured I'd have to spent the night in that place!

MM: Whoa- what's up with YOU?

Police officer: You come with US, young man!

MM: But… I'd been locked in there by accident!

Police officer: You can tell that to the inspector!

[Soon after…]

Police officer: He'd been hiding in the Martin Tower!

MM: What the heck are you mumbling there?

Inspector McKey: Oh-kay, young man! What have you got to tell us?

MM: Very simple! I was locked there by accident!

[After explaining…]

McKey: And that's what you call an alibi?

MM: Alibi? Why do I need an alibi?

MM: I'll gladly pay a fine if I have to!

Guard: Good joke, mate!

McKey: The cost for the theft of the crown jewels will be a bit higher, I think!

MM: Theft of the crown jewels? Who did that?

McKey: That's what I'd like to know from YOU, young man!

MM: And how would I know that?

McKey: Your explanations are awfully thin…

~~

Long story short, the police don't believe Mickey and want to put him in a cell until the evidence has been collected. Scotland Yard is already looming on the horizon (and drawn ominously, with black clouds in the background – some subliminal message there, eh, Carpi!). Obviously Mickey is totally not OK with this; 1) he's innocent, 2) he knows how long a process like this can take and 3) he knows too well that the actual thief will be more than happy to get out of the picture until it's way too late. It doesn't help that Mickey was talking about thieves during the visit to the Jewel House, especially since the thief has signed as – you guess it – "Captain Blood"!

(Notice also, that Mickey's facial expression in the eighth panel is clearly a nod to late-period Gottfredson stories.)

So what does Mickey do? If you've read "The Blot's Double Secret", you'll know the answer: Escape and try to solve the crime while hiding from the police. And of course, this is London: Mickey can't simply go hide at Goofy's house or count on Chief O'Hara's support (although that's debatable anyway). He's now very dependent on Minnie's skills. And of the many positive aspects of the story, Minnie's portrayal is one of the most noticeable ones. She's worried about Mickey, of course, but totally excels at helping him get a disguise, and making various investigations. It still takes Mickey's inventiveness and experience (e.g. calling Minnie at the hotel with a different voice as "Aunt Mimmie" and warning her that the police will have her under surveillance), but essentially the two are a perfect match and compliment each other really well. (This is also why I tend to sigh when Casty uses her as a boring female stereotype, as it feels like more than one step backwards, despite the general quality of Casty's plots. But I digress.)

So, this story shows that Minnie can hold her own as a detective, although it still hinges on some lucky coincidences (and her love of photographing!) that she finds the connection.

MI: But... the guy who's speaking to him, is…

(Blogger's note: This is where part 1 ended, but the German printing didn't make much fuss about it. Thankfully, the title page of part 2 wasn't cut as is so often the case, even if it means looking at some rather empty art – obviously, since the Italian original had a cliffhanger and a sum-up)

~~

So, slowly, we're putting the puzzle together. Mickey's still a suspect on the run, so meeting up with Minnie isn't the easiest thing, but they somehow manage. Again, there's a reason why the title has both Mickey and Minnie as titular "heroes"; based on this, Minnie could be a detective in her own right (and Mickey even admits so, saying that she always had a good instinct). I love that there's no competition or bad feelings about this; other writers could have had Minnie be annoyed at Mickey for the rest of the story, leaving him out in the cold. Nope. And though there's nothing romantic about the situation, look at distressed Minnie giving Mickey a surprise hug and telling him to be careful. D'aw!

And lest you thought the story was lacking in humour, Carpi sticks in funny details here and there. There's some literal monkey business in the zoo that doesn't detract from the main action, not unlike Don Rosa's "side plots" (but not as elaborate).

Eventually, we're due a showdown. And Carpi exceeds himself at thickening the atmosphere. Basically, it gets thicker and thicker with each page. Not even the humorous sign on the side of the "Odeon" can alleviate that.

[Shortly afterwards…]

MM: There's the theatre! Ah, Shakespeare's on!

MM: The Sheik seems to like the classical drama!

Timothy (admission guy): What do you want?

MM: Er… balcony, once, please!

~~

Would you think that Mickey is the guy who falls asleep during a Shakespeare play? Well, now you know!

It turns out that the thief may be a criminal genius, but he's also a big-headed guy who didn't really consider that few people would want anything to do with such hot loot. Let alone finding somebody who's rich enough to pay for it. This is where the sheik comes in; the thief had thought him – a lover of costly jewelry – a potential buyer. Nope, it turns out that the sheik, even if he might not have the best morals, is not interested in buying some of the most well-known jewels in the world, although he might as well have expressed interest at first. He's actually so concerned about this that he vows to leave England "this night", which strikes me as an unusually realistic line for a Disney comic.

The showdown between Mickey and the thief is just stunning. I'd love to show the whole sequence because it's so captivating, but I don't want to completely spoil the story for those who haven't read it yet. Anyway, Mickey seriously underestimates the guy – his detective expertise ensures that he gets him to admit doing the deed, but he can't hold his own against such a dangerous and cunning person.

MI: Mickey!?

Telephone caller: No, here's a friend of Mickey!

Caller: You're Minnie, right?

MI: Yes, but has something happened to Mickey?

Caller: No, no, don't worry, Miss Minnie! He just can't use the phone right now!

MI: But why?

Caller: Er… he's gotta watch that geezer, you know who! And he needs you!

MI: What am I supposed to do, then?

Caller: You should come to the Odeon Theatre! With photos and negatives!

MI: What photographs?

Caller: You know! The photos from the restaurant and the Tower!

MI: A-ha! So then you must be Mr. Thompson?

Caller: Mr. Thompson? Er… yes, that's right, that's who I am!

MI: Good, I'm coming!

Caller: Fantastic! I'll wait for you backstage! See you there!

[Minnie's smart, you see, and she laid a trap for her caller…]

MI: Good to know! Mickey never told me anything about some 'Mr. Thompson'!

MI: I gotta hurry!

MI: But I won't arrive empty-handed!

MI: I'll take this – just in case!

~~

That facial expression in the eighth panel. Man, this guy IS dangerous. Watch out, Minnie!

"Thompson": Here am I, Miss Minnie!

MI: O…okay, Mr. Thompson!

~~

I actually get goosebumps looking at that panel. So well done. The speech bubble coming from an invisible place hidden by shadows, and a really frightened Minnie in front… amazing bit of staging. The whole page actually, too bad I only scanned the lower third…

Minnie again shows that she's just as capable as Mickey, and attacks Mr. Bad Guy with a pepper pot, which results in her being chased by the crook with a sword (!) and later a pistol…

Did I mention that the bad guy is a criminal genius? There's lots of evidence throughout the story. Given how much he shines in all his menacing irritativeness, it's actually a shame he was destined to be a one-shot character. You rarely see such colourful characters in Disney comics, especially when it comes to bad guys. And even when he was already supposedly "caught", he makes for an escape, adding another unexpected sequence to the story and giving us this hilarious nugget (that's Mickey stuck in a large vase, in case you're wondering):

(Tlang!)

MM: Heeelp! Get me out of this thing!

MM: Stop the thief! He's escaping!

MM: Ooph!

Guard: Halt! Everyone stop!

~~

In the next panel, Mickey utters the classic line "I'm falling! Help! A parachute! Quick!" 😂 Straight out of the best slapstick movies. Arguably it wasn't necessary for the story, but it makes it more fun. Why complain? Well, Mickey and Minnie getting invited to Buckingham Palace and being honored by Her Majesty, the Queen herself is perhaps a tad bit over-the-top, but what other way could this have ended?

So, if you like detective stories, or if you want to read one that isn't written after the most obvious formula, or if you want to see a lot of London in a Disney comic (there really is a lot), or if you want to see Minnie in one of her best roles… you might still want to read this comic despite my spoiling it to you!

PS: The art is so good that at least two different artists copied poses from the story in their own comics! :-)