"What's the most you ever lost on a coin toss?" Only Anton Chigurh and Donald Duck know for sure! From 1991, Walt Disney Comics and Stories #561, reprinting 1953's Walt Disney Comics and Stories #v13#5 (149), "Flip Decision" Story and art by Carl Barks. "Flipism" cover by William Van Horn.
Passing by what seems like a revival tent, filled sparsely with hobos and loafers, Donald is introduced to the philosophy of "flipism," on a coin toss with its presenter, Professor Batty. He's quickly enamored with the notion, of solving all decisions, great or small, with a coin toss: when the boys want to go to the movies and see "Gore in the Gully," Donald flips on it. Tails meant a car ride instead, navigated by more coin flips: this is both a great way to maybe explore when you're not really headed anywhere in particular, and also to get lost as duck. After several small disasters, they eventually hit a massive "seven route interchange" and a head-on collision with a truck! Which does get them back to Duckville, albeit in the back of a squad car; and as typical for these stories, the law never helps but only punishes, although the judge arguably has a point about Donald "letting a dime do your thinking for you."
Furious, Donald tries to track down Professor Batty, for revenge, and the dollar he spent on the flipism tract. The boys make a crack about maybe flipism could find him, and Donald decides, why not? Navigating the streets by coin flips, he eventually comes to a duplex, but in the dark can't tell how the coin landed, for which door to try: it landed tails, but he couldn't see it and decides he'll just try them both. Oddly enough, the first door is Daisy Duck's! Who was visiting her sister and nieces, and gives Donald the riot act for not taking her to the movies earlier. Donald ends up taking Daisy, April, May, June, Huey, Dewey, and Louis to "Gore in the Gully," while behind the duplex's other door, Professor Batty knows he dodged a bullet, as he prepares to skip town.
Man, I really want to see a Two-Face story in this style. "Alright, boys! Tonight, heads, we rob the Gotham Metropolitan Museum! Tails, we...crap, I don't know, kidnap this kid." Behind Harvey, the kid and a pair of twin goons look at other uncomfortably...
4 comments:
In regards to the main question asked at the beginning of this post, thankfully not much of anything.
You?
You definitely beat me to it, but I’m pretty sure someone’s already done a Two-Face story based off that very same premise. Has to be.
Most Two-Face stories are like that, although it’s usually he’ll do the crime for one side and do something nice for the other. I think one or two Batman Adventures stories (or one of the later volumes) have a series of flips in them.
I believe you’re right.
I'm not sure I've ever bet on a coin toss! While I enjoy a bit of semi-friendly poker, I'm not a big gambler: I get mad if I lose like five bucks, that's money that could'a gone towards comics!
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