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Polar Blair's Den Menu Page#264-510
(1962-1984)
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About This Series
Issues
Gallery (Whitman)
About This
Series:
Issues:
"Walt Disney's
Comics & Stories" is the longest-running Disney-based comic book in
history and is well-deserving of its status as the flagship comic book
series for the Disney company.
The comic book series of "Walt Disney's Comics & Stories" was sort of inspired by "Mickey Mouse Magazine", a magazine that existed in several forms from 1933-1940. Dell Comics (the comic company jointly operated by Dell Publishing and Western Publishing) released "Walt Disney's Comics & Stories" #1 in October, 1940.
WDC&S, at first, consisted solely of reprints from Disney's newspaper comics, including strips from "Donald Duck", "Mickey Mouse", and "Silly Symphonies". However, the black and white comics were colorized for the comic book series. It took Dell awhile to realize that they would have to print original comic stories in the series, because you could only draw on reprints of comic strips for so long before you ran out of material. The first original story in the series came in #24 (August, 1942) and was called 'The Flying Gauchito'. It should be noted that this story was illustrated by Walt Kelly, later famous for creating the comic strip "Pogo".
The soon-to-be-legendary comic book series really hit its stride by the mid-1950s, becoming the best-selling comic book in America. It had an impressive circulation of over three million people every month! Excellent marketing strategies was a part of the comic's success. Moreover, it was just an excellent comic book. Where else could you read comics of Disney characters, popular and obscure, all in the same book? There were even some characters that you never saw in the cartoons. Sometimes, odd combinations of characters were put in stories together. On top of all that, the writing and artwork was outstanding. A lot of pride went into this comic book series. The creators were really going for quality.
Dell Comics published the series from #1 to #263 (1962). After Western's split from Dell Comics, Western started its own comic imprint, Gold Key Comics. Gold Key published the series from #264-510 (1962-1984). It is this period that holds primary significance to this feature.
Western Publishing, in 1962, took nearly all the licensed properties with them to their new comic division. Dell Comics continued on its own until 1973 with relatively few properties and kept dwindling until it snuffed out altogether. Western's imprint was first known as Gold Key. The name of Whitman was introduced as an alternate imprint name in the later 1970s. By 1981, and through 1984, ALL of Western's comics went under the Whitman name. Issues #264-473 of "Walt Disney's Comics & Stories" went by the Gold Key imprint. Issues #474-510 went by JUST the Whitman name. By the end of 1984, Western was completely out of the comic book business.
Several other publishers have picked up the series and kept the numbering sequence. There have been some periods of hiatus, and the comic isn't as well-known today as it was in the early 1990s. Still, it forges on and continues to be a product of quality. Here is a simple breakdown of this series' publication history.
The comic book series of "Walt Disney's Comics & Stories" was sort of inspired by "Mickey Mouse Magazine", a magazine that existed in several forms from 1933-1940. Dell Comics (the comic company jointly operated by Dell Publishing and Western Publishing) released "Walt Disney's Comics & Stories" #1 in October, 1940.
WDC&S, at first, consisted solely of reprints from Disney's newspaper comics, including strips from "Donald Duck", "Mickey Mouse", and "Silly Symphonies". However, the black and white comics were colorized for the comic book series. It took Dell awhile to realize that they would have to print original comic stories in the series, because you could only draw on reprints of comic strips for so long before you ran out of material. The first original story in the series came in #24 (August, 1942) and was called 'The Flying Gauchito'. It should be noted that this story was illustrated by Walt Kelly, later famous for creating the comic strip "Pogo".
The soon-to-be-legendary comic book series really hit its stride by the mid-1950s, becoming the best-selling comic book in America. It had an impressive circulation of over three million people every month! Excellent marketing strategies was a part of the comic's success. Moreover, it was just an excellent comic book. Where else could you read comics of Disney characters, popular and obscure, all in the same book? There were even some characters that you never saw in the cartoons. Sometimes, odd combinations of characters were put in stories together. On top of all that, the writing and artwork was outstanding. A lot of pride went into this comic book series. The creators were really going for quality.
Dell Comics published the series from #1 to #263 (1962). After Western's split from Dell Comics, Western started its own comic imprint, Gold Key Comics. Gold Key published the series from #264-510 (1962-1984). It is this period that holds primary significance to this feature.
Western Publishing, in 1962, took nearly all the licensed properties with them to their new comic division. Dell Comics continued on its own until 1973 with relatively few properties and kept dwindling until it snuffed out altogether. Western's imprint was first known as Gold Key. The name of Whitman was introduced as an alternate imprint name in the later 1970s. By 1981, and through 1984, ALL of Western's comics went under the Whitman name. Issues #264-473 of "Walt Disney's Comics & Stories" went by the Gold Key imprint. Issues #474-510 went by JUST the Whitman name. By the end of 1984, Western was completely out of the comic book business.
Several other publishers have picked up the series and kept the numbering sequence. There have been some periods of hiatus, and the comic isn't as well-known today as it was in the early 1990s. Still, it forges on and continues to be a product of quality. Here is a simple breakdown of this series' publication history.
Dell Comics
"Walt Disney's Comics & Stories" #1-263 (October, 1940-1962)
Western Publishing/Gold Key Comics
"Walt Disney's Comics & Stories" #264-473 (1962-1980)
Western Publishing/Whitman Comics
The series from here on until the end of its time with Western was published only under the Whitman Comics imprint.
"Walt Disney's Comics & Stories" #474-510 (1980-1984)
Gladstone Comics
"Walt Disney's Comics & Stories" #511-547 (1986-1990)
Disney Comics
"Walt Disney's Comics & Stories" #548-585 (1990-1993)
Gladstone Comics
"Walt Disney's Comics & Stories" #586-633 (1993-1999)
Gemstone
"Walt Disney's Comics & Stories" #634-698 (June, 2003-November, 2008)
Boom Kids!
"Walt Disney's Comics & Stories" #699-? (September, 2009-?)
"Walt Disney's Comics & Stories" #1-263 (October, 1940-1962)
Western Publishing/Gold Key Comics
"Walt Disney's Comics & Stories" #264-473 (1962-1980)
Western Publishing/Whitman Comics
The series from here on until the end of its time with Western was published only under the Whitman Comics imprint.
"Walt Disney's Comics & Stories" #474-510 (1980-1984)
Gladstone Comics
"Walt Disney's Comics & Stories" #511-547 (1986-1990)
Disney Comics
"Walt Disney's Comics & Stories" #548-585 (1990-1993)
Gladstone Comics
"Walt Disney's Comics & Stories" #586-633 (1993-1999)
Gemstone
"Walt Disney's Comics & Stories" #634-698 (June, 2003-November, 2008)
Boom Kids!
"Walt Disney's Comics & Stories" #699-? (September, 2009-?)
Issues: