The first chapter was published in the July 1994 issue, with the next four chapters being spread across the September, October, November, and December issues. The likely reason for this odd delay between the first two chapters is likely due to the magazine having to print a comic adaptation of The Lion King in two issues published in-between. (Ironically, The Lion King comic adaptation was also published as a graphic novel by Marvel Comics at around the same time.) It is likely the story was meant to commemorate the magazine's 50th issue, but due to the delays caused by running The Lion King comic, the final chapter was instead published in the 51st issue.
"The Legend of the Chaos God" is also notable in that it was the last full-length comic story based on TaleSpin and Rescue Rangers to be published in Disney Adventures (their only new stories afterward were brief gag stories). It was also the last new regular DuckTales story published in the magazine, with only two more stories being printed in the February 1996 and November 2007 issues.
Over 25 years after its original printing, the story finally saw a reprint in the first volume of Fantagraphics' hardcover The Disney Afternoon Adventures collections, released in July 2021.
Baloo, Kit, and Molly are flying the Sea Duck out to the island of Rakkinroon to bring supplies to an explorer named Professor Simon Potsherd. Baloo explains to Molly that Potsherd has found the Temple of Dummingluum and has been digging up artifacts from it for a museum, in hopes of finding out why the island's civilization suddenly vanished. Just then, Kit notices that Don Karnage and his Air Pirates are also approaching the island with a big net with which they intend to steal the artifacts. Baloo flies the Sea Duck right into the Pirates' net and spins it around, sending the Pirates flying off into the distance. As this is going on, the Sea Duck knocks over a crate, causing a necklace with a red crystal attached to it to drop into a nearby empty sugar barrel, while a gold setting apparently intended for the crystal falls into the water below. Afterward, Baloo, Kit, and Molly go out to meet the professor and his son, Bisk. As Baloo and Kit load the artifacts that the professor is shipping out, Bisk explains to Molly that his father intends to prove the existence of the legendary Chaos God, who is supposedly the one who destroyed the Rakkinroon Civilization.
Later, at Higher for Hire, Rebecca is chewing out Baloo for being late with bringing Professor Potsherd's artifacts for the museum, saying she had to tell the museum curator they'd have to wait till tomorrow. Baloo explains that it's because he and the kids were chasing away the Air Pirates, and Molly convinces her mom to let it slide, since she didn't get hurt and Baloo saved the shipment. Afterward, Rebecca goes out back to check on what supplies the professor will need next month. In doing so, she knocks over the barrel containing the chain-attached crystal from earlier, and when she picks it up, a voice is heard coming from the crystal, announcing itself as Solego the Chaos God. The crystal takes control of Rebecca's body and forces her to put it around her neck. Molly comes up to her mom, who, possessed by Solego, growls at her and makes her run outside screaming.
As Molly tries to tell Baloo and Kit that something wrong is happening to her mom, Solego notices the Sea Duck and makes Rebecca get inside it and take control of it. As Rebecca is forced to fly the plane all over Cape Suzette, Solego explains that in order to regain his full powers, the crystal he is currently trapped in must be joined back together with its golden setting, and he's going to make her take him to find the setting. Back on the ground, Baloo and the kids see Rebecca taking off in the Sea Duck, and Baloo lassos the plane's tail, taking him up with it, with Kit and Molly hanging on to him. Rebecca sees Baloo and the kids hanging onto the back of the Sea Duck, and Solego makes her shake them off. Molly falls off, but Kit manages to save her with his glider. Baloo then manage to pull the Sea Duck's door open so he and the kids can get inside. Solego confronts the three and introduces himself to them, but Rebecca still has the willpower to fight back against him. Molly, remembering that Bisk told her about the Chaos God, slams into Rebecca, allowing her to shake the crystal's necklace off. Afterward, Baloo, explaining to Rebecca that the crystal is far too dangerous for anyone to handle, flies the Sea Duck out over the ocean, and Kit drops the crystal down there, believing it won't pose a threat there. However, Solego, inside his crystal prison, swears that he'll know better next time...
Part 2: "To Half and Half Not" (Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers)[]
The title page for the second chapter.
Fifty years after the events of the first chapter, some fishermen are pulling up their latest haul when one fish suddenly spits out the red crystal containing Solego, now without the gold chain it was previously attached to. The crystal lands in the hands of one fisherman (who bares an odd resemblance to Dijon), and Solego orders his captive to take him to where his goal is. The fisherman is then shown presenting the crystal to the curator at the county museum, where the touring exhibit about the ancient treasures of the Rakkinroon civilization happens to be right now. The fisherman then leaves without being able to explain to the curator how he found the crystal.
That night, the Rescue Rangers are hiding out in the Rakkinroon exhibit, where we see that the gold medallion setting for the crystal has now been placed, after having been found years earlier by Scrooge McDuck. The Rangers, hiding behind the jade block in which Simon Potsherd originally found the two halves of the Chaos God Medallion, see Fat Cat, Mepps, and Mole sneaking into the museum. Dale doesn't understand why they're here to stop Fat Cat, since the medallion's got an alarm system on it, nor does he understand why Fat Cat wants the medallion, since the crystal's not even in it. Surprisingly, Fat Cat's men are being a lot more competent than usual, as Mepps manages to climb above the glass casing for the medallion and then cut a hole in said casing without setting off the alarm. Gadget fires a small piece of flint at the water sprinklers on the ceiling above, triggering the fire alarm. As the security guards come running in, Fat Cat and his men dash off with the setting into the curator's office, and Chip and Dale jump down to chase after them. Gadget, Monty, and Zipper follow in a coffee cup.
When they catch up, Gadget lands in the box containing the crystal and is briefly possessed by Solego, who demands Fat Cat to take him to his medallion. The other Rangers see this, believing Fat Cat's about to attack Gadget, and Monterey Jack steps on a fountain pen, squirting ink at Fat Cat and surprising Gadget, causing Solego to lose his hold on her. As the other Rangers approach Gadget, she tells them not to touch the crystal, explaining that there's an evil being in there that wants the medallion. Unfortunately, as she's explaining this, Dale makes the mistake of touching the crystal, allowing Solego to take control of him. Solego forces Dale to attach the crystal to him with a rubber band and then goes after Fat Cat, ordering the feline to give him the medallion.
Fat Cat refuses to give the medallion to Solego and tries to escape him by climbing a nearby dinosaur skeleton, only for it to topple on himself. But before the Solego-possessed Dale can get his hands on the medallion, Mepps grabs it first and he and Mole dash for the museum's "fun room". Solego/Dale chases the two flunkies through a water pumping machine (designed by Archimedes), and when they come out, Zipper manages to grab the medallion from Mepps, only to lose it to Mole. Chased by Solego/Dale, Mole brings the medallion back to Fat Cat. But just as Fat Cat has the setting in his claws, Dale bumps into Mole, causing the rubber band holding Solego onto him to break, allowing Solego to fly into Fat Cat's other claw. Solego, now possessing Fat Cat, prepares to set himself free, but doesn't realize that Fat Cat is standing in front of a lightning generator, which generates a lightning flash right at that very moment and causes Fat Cat to drop the crystal and the medallion.
Later, at the Rescue Rangers headquarters, Chip hires a pair of crows named Edgar and Allan to help them get rid of the two halves of the Chaos God medallion, both of which have been placed in burlap sacks. He orders Edgar to fly as far away as he can and drop the crystal some place no one will ever find it, while Allan will go drop the gold setting into the sewers. As the crows fly off, Chip tells his teammates that hopefully, those two pieces will never be rejoined now.
Part 3: "Spookus Ex Machina" (Goof Troop)[]
The title page for the third chapter.
Many days later, Edgar has flown as far as he can with the crystal containing Solego, and drops it down. However, the sack containing the crystal bounces off of a tree branch and then loosens itself open, allowing the crystal to land in the radiator of a fancy-looking car that's being brought to Spoonerville.
Later, Pete, is showing off his newly-delivered, expensive new car to Max and P.J. When P.J. questions what Peg will think of it, Pete says that she's going to love it, because this car has a computerized brain, and he's going to show that off to her. As Max and P.J. leave, Goofy comes up, asking Pete who left the fancy car on his driveway. Pete tells Goofy to go away while he's showing off his new car to Peg. However, as Pete is showing his wife the new car, Goofy can't help but notice how hostile the car seems to be acting towards him. When Pete offers to take Peg for a ride in the car, Goofy tries to tell them not to get in, but Pete doesn't heed his warning. Fortunately, Pete and Peg return safely about an hour later, with Peg convinced that Pete made a good purchase, though Goofy is still suspicious about it.
That night, Solego, sitting inside the front trunk of Pete's new car, is rather pleased with the marvels of the technology. Unlike the people he's previously possessed, the car cannot fight back against him, so he can simply drive his way to where the medallion setting is. However, he realizes that he first needs to find out where it is. Using a cable cord within the car, Solego reaches into Goofy's house and into the back of Goofy's TV. Goofy is watching TV at that very moment and is puzzled as to why the channel keeps changing. As Goofy tries to fiddle with the TV, eventually finding the cord that suddenly appeared behind it, we hear Ace MacDonald reporting that Scrooge McDuck found the missing medallion setting in a pawn shop and has placed it back in his Money Bin for safekeeping. Solego, overhearing this, promptly zips his cord out of Goofy's TV, which Goofy sees happening, leading him to realize that Pete's car is "alive".
Goofy rushes to alert Pete that his car is alive, and when Pete initially doesn't believe him, he soon finds out when the car suddenly grabs him, demanding to be given the car's ignition key. Pete manages to break free, and he and Goofy rush inside the house. When Peg questions why they're shouting, Pete says that the car is making them shout with excitement. Shortly after, Goofy tries treating Pete's car to a series of cures he's seen done in movies. He tries putting garlic on the car, drenching it with water, throwing salt on it, shooting a quarter at it (because he doesn't have any silver bullets), and finally, driving a wooden stake through the hood of the car. Pete is furious at Goofy for that, but then suddenly Solego stuffs them inside the car and slams the doors shut, again demanding Pete give him the key. Pete reluctantly gives in, and then Solego starts speeding the car out of town. However, Goofy briefly takes control of the wheel and sends the car careening over a cliff, though not before he and Pete manage to jump out safely. Goofy and Pete head back home, with the latter crying over the fact that his expensive new car is now gone. But down at the bottom of the cliff, Solego, having realized the limits of technology, uses the car's built-in telephone to place a call to Spoonerville's towing service...
Part 4: "Tow for Broke" (DuckTales)[]
The title page for the fourth chapter.
The morning after the incident in Spoonerville, Pete's car has been towed all the way to Duckburg, and Fenton Crackshell is calling Scrooge on the phone about it. Scrooge refuses to pay for this, insisting to Fenton that he did not ask to tow a crashed car from Spoonerville. Floyd, the tow trucker, is too tired from driving all night to put up an argument with the world's richest duck and goes to rent a hotel room, telling Fenton to leave the car where it is now. As Fenton tries to figure out what he's going to do about the broken car, he suddenly hears a seemingly-faint voice calling for help inside the hood. When Fenton opens the hood and gets his hands on the crystal calling out to him, Solego gloats that Fenton is now his next victim. Fenton immediately signals to transform into Gizmoduck, but Solego quickly takes control of the Gizmosuit himself and kicks Fenton out of it. Instead of killing him, though, Solego decides to let Fenton live for providing him with his new armored body.
Solego then wheels off in search of Scrooge's Money Bin, when suddenly Huey, Dewey, and Louie come riding up on their bikes and ask (what they think is) Gizmoduck why he's speeding away from Scrooge's Money Bin. Solego promptly then speeds back to the Money Bin and breaks open the door, setting off all the alarms. However, when he gets inside, he finds he does not feel the medallion's presence, and figures it may not actually be here. Scrooge then comes up and asks what's going on, to which Solego responds by demanding he bring him the medallion. The nephews and Fenton then catch up to Solego, eventually followed by the police, and ask who he is. Solego, after letting the ducks know that he is the Chaos God and not "this Gizmo-creature", blasts a hole in the wall and leaves, having deduced that his medallion's setting isn't in the Money Bin. As the police chase after the Chaos God, Dewey looks up Solego's name in the Junior Woodchucks Guidebook, which also mentions Professor Simon Potsherd. Scrooge realizes that Professor Potsherd can help them out here and sends his private jet to pick him up.
Late that night, an odd man enters Scrooge's office, but it is not the expected Simon Potsherd, but rather his now grown-up son, Bisk. After Scrooge and Bisk recount some exposition about Scrooge finding the gold setting (Scrooge found the gold setting laying in a coral reef off the coast of Wauie-Zauie in 1962, and although he refused to sell it back to the Potsherds, he was at least willing to let them use it for the Rakkinroon exhibit's museum tour), Scrooge and Fenton explain what happened today. Bisk is aghast to learn that his father was indeed right about the existence of the Chaos God, and proceeds to elaborate on the whole story:
Solego was once the most powerful sorcerer of the ancient world who conquered numerous cities and destroyed anyone who opposed him. But one day, a young wizard named D'Shane created a magical crystal cage with which to imprison Solego. He managed to fight off Solego and split the evil sorcerer in two, imprisoning Solego's immortal mind in the red crystal and trapping his powers in the crystal's gold setting. To keep the two halves separated, D'Shane created a jade block that kept them just out of reach. Centuries later, Simon and Bisk came upon the jade block in the Temple of Duumingluum, and Simon took the halves out of the jade block to study them, making sure to never let them touch, and also attaching the chain to the crystal. Simon had then packed both pieces to be transported to Cape Suzette, but both of the pieces were seemingly lost.
Back in the present, Bisk tells Scrooge that only magic can stop the Chaos God, and that's something they don't have, so the best thing they can do is keep the gold setting hidden in the Money Bin, in hopes that even Solego will have a tough time getting it out. Unfortunately, Scrooge explains that he sent the crystal to be cleaned over at a jewelry shop he owns in St. Canard. Scrooge tells Fenton to rush over to St. Canard and "do whatever [he] can to help Gizmoduck", and then places a call to S.H.U.S.H. headquarters. When Bisk asks him why, Scrooge says that it's because there's only one man who can help them now - Darkwing Duck.
Part 5: "Reign and Thunder" (Darkwing Duck)[]
The title page for the fifth chapter.
Over in St. Canard, J. Gander Hooter has called Darkwing and Launchpad to S.H.U.S.H. headquarters, informing them that Scrooge McDuck has personally asked for Darkwing's help in a special mission - picking up a necklace from the jewelers. When Launchpad asks why Scrooge wants Darkwing for such a minor task, J. Gander explains that it's because this is a very dangerous, magical necklace. Fenton then barges in, telling Darkwing and Launchpad that an ancient demon is about to rise, and that's why they have to get that necklace.
Unfortunately, at that very moment, we then see Solego, still in the Gizmosuit, arriving at McDuck's Jewelers and demanding the clerk bring him the medallion. Darkwing shows up just as Solego has obtained the gold setting. But unfortunately, the Duck Knight is too late to stop Solego from putting the crystal and it setting together, thus finally freeing himself from his prison. Darkwing, however, refuses to let Solego's true form intimidate him, and starts trash-talking the villain, telling Launchpad that he's trying to make Solego angry enough to make a mistake. Instead, Solego starts blasting at them, during which Fenton runs off (to transform into Gizmoduck now that Solego has abandoned the Gizmosuit). When Darkwing still doesn't let that scare him, Solego gives a further taste of his fury by taking control of all the inanimate objects in St. Canard and turning them into his evil soldiers, siccing them on the innocent citizens.
Darkwing asks why Solego doesn't just pick on someone his own size, but finally starts showing fear when Solego decides to oblige to that request and vivifies two nearby lion statues. Just as the now-animated lion statues trap Darkwing on a lamppost, Gizmoduck shows up and hammers them into dust, telling Darkwing that he has a personal score to settle with Solego. Unfortunately, Solego promptly blows Gizmoduck up, and then turns Launchpad into chopped liver before focusing his efforts on trying to kill Darkwing, boasting that the Duck Knight is no match for him like D'Shane was. Darkwing, however, manages to avoid all of Solego's shots, eventually ducking behind a satellite dish right as Solego fires at it. When Darkwing peeks out from behind the satellite dish, he sees that the crystal, with Solego trapped in it once again, and the necklace have been separated, thanks to Solego's blast having been reflected back at him by the satellite dish. Back on the streets, Launchpad and Gizmoduck are revived.
Later, back in J. Gander's office, Bisk Potsherd is explaining to Darkwing, Launchpad, Gizmoduck, Scrooge, and J. Gander that, thanks to Darkwing's heroics, they've not only been able to re-contain the Chaos God, but have also solved the mystery as to how he was originally imprisoned in the first place. Bisk points out the carving on the jade block in which his father originally found the medallion, depicting a soldier fighting a cobra. As it turns out, the carving is a record of how D'Shane originally defeated Solego - by using a polished shield to reflect Solego's own power back at him, which is exactly what Darkwing did with the satellite dish. Bisk then permanently places the two halves of the Chaos God medallion back into the jade block, just out of reach of each other, and we are told that the jade block was then put in a safe and buried in Scrooge's Money Bin, where it will hopefully remain.
Trivia[]
The original page with the panel where Fenton and Gizmoduck mistakenly appear together.
In the original printing of "Reign and Thunder", J. Gander Hooter's hair was colored orange instead of grey, and the bottom left panel on page 12 had Fenton as both himself and Gizmoduck drawn into the same scene. Both of these errors were corrected in Fantagraphics' reprint.
Aaron Sparrow had planned to make a sequel, titled "Return of the Chaos God", as a mini-series spun off from Joe Books' Darkwing Duck revival comic. This sequel would have introduced a henchman character attempting to resurrect Solego, inspired by the Batman villain Ra's al Ghul, and would have crossed over through all the Disney Afternoon series, ending with Gargoyles.[1][2] Unfortunately, due to Disney cancelling Joe Books' Darkwing Duck comic and not allowing Sparrow to write the later Darkwing Duck comic from Dynamite Entertainment, that story is not likely to ever be published.
