Happy (Belated) Reunion-versary to Launchpad and D...Diane!
✨🌊💕🐚🌕✨🌊💕🐚🌕✨🌊💕🐚🌕✨🌊💕🐚🌕✨
(Queen Diane...Yeah, that was definitelythe name I was looking for...😏)
I've had a long-standing belief that Issue #18 of the IDW Comics was supposed to mean something
important about the future and even with the show ending in an...unsavory way, (link to Plan B) that belief still stands.
The comics are easier to disregard since they're not a part of the main show. While they are officially published, none of the events are set in stone. It's all semi-canon until something in the main canon cancels it out, but they're still worth paying attention to; at the base of ideas presented in them. During the series' run, I've noticed some pretty interesting parallels and certain story beats that match up with the show. And somewhere in the midst of these discoveries, I found out that this was not only due to the possibility of the comic book writers being shown episodes ahead of time, I'm sure that's the case with other entertainment media too...but there was a degree of involvement directly from the show's writers themselves. They had the ability to suggest what the comics could be about! So, who's to say that some of the ideas they gave the comics crew weren't based on things they were originally planning to reveal in the show's future?
Wanting to bring attention to what Diane's story could have been hinting at and being disappointed that the two didn't hug at the end of it, I wanted to draw something showcasing this mysterious relationship. I had come up with the idea some time ago and even started drawing it but gave up pretty early. 😅 I guess I wasn't going to make it in time for the deadline I set up or it wasn't turning out well...whatever the reason, a new year was coming up, and I still wanted to use the idea, so, I added it to the list of artwork I hoped to get done. February was perfect time to post it; that was the month the issue was released. The comic was originally slated for the 13th, right before Valentine's Day, but got moved to 20th...and then Disney started promoting "Happened to Della" at the end of that week. 👀
I had planned to have Scrooge, Beakley and kids in midground, looking confused and suspicious to help viewers think about piece more, but I was already running behind on the first February piece (I'll be posting that here soon). I had to figure out a way to cut corners...I thought about possibly reducing them to heads, and then decided it was best to just removed them entirely to focus on LP and Diane. (Maybe I can make an alternative version another time...🤷🏾♀️)
I was very close to excluding Diane's submarine too; I couldn't grasp a good understanding of the vehicle at the angle I needed it to be in. One of the biggest reasons why I wanted to add the sub was to highlight its metal limbs, but I couldn't figure out best way to do it as the composition changed. I was also afraid of it causing too much clutter to the piece...but just too important! It's the bow that ties everything together:
The constellation is reminiscent of the ones shown when Scrooge claimed that Della wanted to give her boys the stars. Because of Della's mystery having to do with Space, there are stars everywhere in the show. I've previously pointed out examples like the glow-in-dark-stars in Webby's room accompanied with aircraft decorations, LP's ceiling over his hammock, and the rocket structure's dashboard at the playground. In "Ragnorok", Launchpad's Captain Crash outfit has a green star and a starburst that resembles these symbols as he reveals himself to have been someone else "this whole time"...could Scrooge's statement have been a meta way of telling us that Della's real intention was to bring Dad back? One of the scenes in "Happened to Della" gave us a case where a parent, who was stuck in Space, was going to be rescued in time for HDL's birthday, but a fight against some otherworldly creature created a cloud that prevented them from being seen. I had already wondered if Della's supposed rescue had something to do with being in time for a special occasion, and since the show loves doing parallels, this is what made me consider Dad struggling against a monster too. In Issue #18, the story opens up with Dewey and Webby debating on which Greek god sibling they see in the constellation. Webby thinks it's Selene with a sword. This is a very important mention because The Spear is named as if it's a weapon that Selene owns. The first image we saw of Della on the show was her fighting against a pirate with a sword. And when we got to see her in motion, she was shown fighting with both a sword and a shield!Dewey thinks the constellation is of Storkules wielding a lightning bolt. This is also meaningful because he shares similarities with Launchpad. They're both strong, dim-witted characters who want to be seen as heroes. Stork is such a huge fan of Donald, and I had previously discussed the possibility that Dad being a big fan of Della's. LP with Darkwing Duck and Scrooge's admiration for Isabella Finch, an adventurer who braved a lighting rain, could definitely help cement this.Storkules was introduced to us on an uncharted island after the family crash-landed during a storm. The island was thought of as being a myth and Donald never talked about him to kids. We later get a scene in "Moonvasion!" where Della meets Donald on an island after he crashed there from Space. This was foreshadowed in "Richest" between The Ottoman Bros., who's reconciliation was described as "the greatest reunion in television history". I can't help but wonder if this was building up to Della reveling her true plan to meeting with Dad in a fabled location and that part in her realization with Launchpad, would have mirrored this.The lightning bolt mention in Dewey's stance could very well have been meant to draw a connection to the one that took out rocket and possibly struck Dad as well as the monster. I had brought attention to Launchpad's quote about how "a little lightning never killed anyone" quote from "Selene" and how he made a joke about an electrical encounter with Zeus in a book that got released during Season 1.Lastly, LP states that he sees Diane in the constellation. When a sword is mentioned, he makes a statement that reveals she also uses this weapon. This provides even stronger evidence that Della is purposely being alluded to.The Moon being included is VERY self-explanatory. It's the biggest giveaway of them all. Whenever it's shown, my mind immediately goes to Della and her mystery. There always tends to be something being expressed about her with it...And when we got our first glimpse of Diane on Cover B, the Moon is featured in the clouds, on her side, above both her and her submarine.Being the driver of a submarine, makes Diane a type of pilot, like LP and Della. Her journey adds on to the comparisons that can be made between outer space and bodies of water...the sub was "flying" through the ocean with its paddles, like a rocket flies through Space...she left her kingdom like Della left family...she wore a helmet as she entered a location drastically different from her own...her arrival to this place was accompanied with a natural disaster...the citizens of Duckburg received messages of a tsunami warning like Della was warned about entering the cosmic storm...Scrooge wanted to surf in dangerous waves a lot like his claim of Della taking a joyride when she took rocket... Diane's submarine looks like it could have been based on Scrooge's. This alone reminds me of the Atlantis trip, where Donald states, "This Spear of Selene all over again!" and how LP is strangely good at driving it with no prior experience. While that machine is shaped like a fish, Diane's is predominately shell-shaped. She also wears shells with her outfit, like the one around LP's neck after reuniting with Oceanika. As you can see, it's very possible that Diane's inspiration came from Della as well as a couple of other sources to help point back to her. It may have also been one of reasons why LP developed his short-lived crush on Penumbra. She's another female character with a golden spear, who came from the Moon, is sort of a pilot--since she briefly used the rocket--and survived after crashing it. Going back to outfits, Diane wears teal, like Della's scarf. And the color is separated by a lighter part and dark part, like LP's hat. Making her hair and shoes purple, LP's favorite color, makes her palette a little similar to Darkwing Duck. And Mitzi, a character who was unrecognizable after a mutation...and the Titterwill Bird, who descended from a companion of Isabella's...and Whiskers in "Fight" after discovering that a lie was made about his disappearance...🤔Setting the comic's story at night and attaching a watery environment to it, not only hints at Della stuff, but seems to also help reinforce LP's ability to breathe underwater. In one of my essay installments, I talked about how he was completely unfazed by getting water in his mouth as he was sinking in "Neverrest". He didn't gasp for air when emerged soon after. Not towards the end of "Depths" either. But did gasp for air when his face was submerged in soup...I don't know what was going on in "Crash Twice" when he used a bamboo chute to breathe underwater. If the Season 3 finale was originally intended to reveal that Dad mutated into Launchpad, they must have later needed to cover up or subdue a scene where a special ability would have been extremely hard to miss...that or I guess they just wanted to make a spy movie reference. (What, was Launchpad too stupid in his normal state to realize he needs to breathe air??)But yeah, aside from that, I think it's safe to say he spent a significant amount of time underwater to be with Diane. Judging by her helmet, she can't get very far without needing water. Depending on when Issue #18 was created, it's very interesting that LP was given a second aquatic girlfriend. It gives even more emphasis to what's being suggested.
Having three objects in sky, kinda makes you think of HDL and having the sub in the center, above couple, sells the notion of the trip being meant to bring family together! Unity! Exactly what I was aiming for! 😄 Ha...I was just thinking of waves coming together to make a heart and didn't think at all about how it could also match with the theme! Neat! 😆 I'm glad I managed to make it work! I don't think piece would have been as effective without it.
When it came to reviving this drawing idea, I knew I wanted this piece and the Delpad Valentine to have shared elements to further get point across: Interlocking fingers, a heart-window, a tone background, a starry sky and a phrase with the word "bond" in it.
I hope I didn't make second hand--well, the whole arm--too small...I keep trying to tell myself it's ok; that the perspective and angle kinda saves it, but...I dunno, lol. Probably should have drawn Diane taller, but it would have been harder to see face...I can't decide if I erased the bowl wrong. 😐 If you look at it one way, it looks fine, but if you look at it another way, it seems like I accidentally made it look flat?? 😵
Eh, anyway, I'm REALLY pleased with this! I had third piece planned to go with this one as a bonus, but I don't feel like doing it now. 😓 Maybe I'll get back to it when I revisit Diane in later drawings. I'm tired of working on, and missing deadlines on illustrations. 😩 I'm gonna take a break from churning stuff out for my blog.
...Seriously though...what else could the comic crew mean by all of this??? Why would they suggest that Della's leave had something to do with saving Launchpad?? This is way too heavy and random of a thing to be making a story out of if it's not based on something true in canon. 🤨 Everything I brought up, cuts too close for me to believe I'm looking at a string of coincidences...
If Della was the main source of inspiration for Diane and traveled beyond her world to rescue LP against a threat, then that basically confirms what Della was doing in Space. (Hey, wait, that's what happened in LegendQuest too! Della stepped outside of Huey's comfort zone to blast the defragon and save Launchpad!) When she and the kids were stuck on the "Moonvasion" island, the situation is said to be the "Moon all over again!" in similar manner to what Donald said about the Atlantis trip. Della was very determined to keep her family safe and expressed not wanting to lose them again while another "storm" was happening. Diane met with Launchpad on an isolated formation of rocks similarly to how Della met a long-lost family member on the island. There's a bridge leading up to the isolated area like the cosmic storm could have served as a bridge to whatever alternate dimension Dad could have gone to. Diane's misunderstanding about Launchpad's employer could be reflective of what kind of danger Dad was in. Being kidnapped and enslaved by a terran oligarch sounds close to what happened to Donald when he was on the Moon...
It's wild that they went so far with this and yet most didn't realize, didn't care or weren't sure what to do with the information we were getting. There's even a line towards the end where Launchpad tells Diane that Scrooge is like family and then says "They all are ". Like WHAT?! That's so subtle! and yet so DIRECT! 😭 Yeah, LP has always been honorary family, but all this Della stuff with Diane happening at the same time?? I...I don't know what other way to look at this. I can't convince myself to think otherwise. 🧍🏾♀️
I've encouraged viewers in my descriptions for this elsewhere to give the comics a look to see what they find. I haven't read all of the issues and want to re-read the ones I have. I just know there's more suggestions floating around...maybe some based on other things that may have not had a chance to happen in the show. 👀🔎
I hope to dissect more of these stories in future essays.
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