Walt Disney's Comics and Stories

Walt Disney's Comics and Stories, also known as Walt's Disney Comics and sometimes abbreviated WDC or WDC&S, and renamed Disney Comics and Stories in September 2018, was a long-running anthology comic book series that stars an assortment of Disney cartoon characters, including Donald Duck, Scrooge McDuck, Mickey Mouse, Chip and Dale, Li'l Bad Wolf, Scamp, Bucky Bug, Grandma Duck, Br'er Rabbit, Winnie the Pooh, and others. It is considered one of the "core four" Disney comic book titles, alongside Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Uncle Scrooge. It is also the longest-running Disney-based comic book in history, making it the flagship Disney comics title.
==Publication history==
The precursor to WDC was Mickey Mouse Magazine, published in several incarnations from 1933 to 1940. WDC itself was launched in October 1940, and initially consisted of reprints taken from the Disney comic strips Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Silly Symphonies, reformatted for comic books and colored. The first original story created for WDC was an adaptation of The Flying Gauchito, illustrated by Walt Kelly, in issue #24 (August 1942).
To facilitate birthday and holiday gift giving to youngsters, Western Publishing offered to send subscription recipients illustrated letters that announced the gift. Various premiums were also offered for new subscribers, including a mini-poster attributed to Pogo creator Walt Kelly advertised on the back cover of issue #100 (Jan. 1949). Walt Kelly would do the cover art for many issues between #34 and #118 and provided interior art for issues # 34-41 and 43.
The anthology format usually began with a 10-page story featuring Donald Duck and for most of the run ended with a serial or single story featuring Mickey Mouse. The most popular issues featured the Donald Duck 10-pagers written and drawn by Carl Barks, who began the run with issue #31 (April 1943) and ended with original stories in issue #312 (September 1966), but have been continually reprinted up to the present. Almost all of these stories co-starred Donald's nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, with frequent guest appearances by Barks' most famous creation, Scrooge McDuck, as well as the Beagle Boys, Gyro Gearloose, and Gladstone Gander.
Many 1940s issues featured Mickey Mouse serials by Floyd Gottfredson which were reprinted from newspaper daily comic strips; later, Paul Murry took over drawing original Mickey Mouse serials, with stories written by Carl Fallberg and Don Christensen among others. The 1980s saw numerous Murry reprints; the 1990s and more recent times saw new Mickey Mouse stories by Noel Van Horn and (usually only drawn by) Cesar Ferioli, as well as some Gottfredson serials not previously anthologized in comic book format.
Li'l Bad Wolf stories began in issue #52 (January 1945) and remained a regular feature for more than ten years, continuing to appear in the majority of issues even after the continuous run stopped. Carl Buettner (1945–1946), Gil Turner (1948–1956), and Dick Matena (2005–2008) are generally regarded as the most notable Wolf creators featured in the title. In the 2000s, Big Bad Wolf often supplanted his son as title character of the stories.
Bucky Bug stories began in issue #20 (May 1942) with a series of newspaper reprints; original Bucky stories started a while later, in issue #39 (December 1943). Bucky stories were monthly through 1950, were not seen for several decades, then returned on an occasional basis from 1988 to the present, with a mixture of old and new material.
By the mid-1950s, Walt Disney's Comics and Stories was the best selling comic book in the United States, with a monthly circulation of over three million.Willits, Malcolm. "Interview with George Sherman". Vanguard 1968, reprinted in Duckburg Times #12 (1981). Mark Evanier described the high circulation as the product of "an aggressive subscription push."
In many 1980s issues, as well as scattered issues from 2006 onward, new Donald Duck stories by Daan Jippes and/or Freddy Milton would lead off the title. Issues #523, 524, 526, 528, 531, and 547 (all 1987-1990) featured lead-off stories drawn (and usually written) by Don Rosa, while most issues published between 1993 and 2005 featured lead-offs by William Van Horn.
After reaching its 600th issue, the title converted to prestige format and remained that way until the end of Gemstone's run at issue #698.
In September 2009, with the publishing rights of the "core four" comics being moved to Boom! Studios, the comic was cut down to 24 pages per issue and began focusing on printing multi-part story arcs that would run for about four issues each, the first being the infamous Ultraheroes arc (which would be concluded in its own series that ran for eight issues). As with all of Boom!'s Disney comics, each issue had at least two different variant covers, though this was eventually stopped at issue #709. At the start of 2011, to celebrate the comic's 70th anniversary, Walt Disney's Comics and Stories returned to its original anthology format. However, due to The Incredibles comic book being cancelled on a cliffhanger the previous year, coupled with Disney having acquired Marvel Comics two years earlier, Disney opted not to renew their deal with Boom! Studios, forcing Boom! to abruptly end their run with the title at issue #720.
On October 8, 2014, IDW Publishing announced that they would be bringing Disney comics back to print in early 2015.IDW Publishing news: IDW to Produce Carl Barks Uncle Scrooge Artist's Edition and Other Landmark Editions It was later announced that their first issue of Walt Disney's Comics and Stories would be published on July 22, 2015.IDW Publishing.com news: Monthly Disney Comics are back, from IDW! Similar to the Boom! issues, each of IDW's issues were published with at least two different variant covers, with at least one cover being based on Disney theme parks and attractions in the first year.
Under IDW, issue #726 featured the first appearance of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in the series.
To make room for the inclusion of the localized Duck Avenger title in the line, Walt Disney's Comics and Stories switched to bimonthly publication in July 2016, alternating with Duck Avenger each month. Due to IDW's Disney line expanding to include Tangled and DuckTales in July 2017, Walt Disney's Comics and Stories switched to quarterly publication from that point onward. It switched back to monthly publication when its name was shortened to Disney Comics and Stories in September 2018.
Unlike the other three "core four" comics, Walt Disney's Comics and Stories retained its original numbering system when IDW launched its Disney line. However, when the book's title was shortened, IDW inexplicably restarted the numbering system as if it were a new series. The I.N.D.U.C.K.S. website, however, refers to IDW's later issues as being part of the preceding run.
When IDW's run with the "core four" comics ended in July 2020, Disney Comics and Stories ceased publication at its 756th issue (or its 13th issue following the name change).
===Publishing history===
Publisher 	Run 	Issues published
 	October 1940–July 1962 	#1-263
 	August 1962–1984 	#264-510
Gladstone Publishing	July 1986–January 9, 1990	#511-547
Disney Comics 	April 1990–May 1993 	#548-585
Gladstone Publishing	June 1993–December 1998 	#586-633
Gemstone Publishing 	June 2003–November 2008 	#634-698
Boom! Studios 	September 2009–June 2011 	#699-720
IDW Publishing 	July 2015–July 2020 	#721-756
==Notable stories published in Walt Disney's Comics and Stories==
The following is a list of notable stories that had their first American printings in an issue of Walt Disney's Comics and Stories.
Story 	Writer 	Artist 	Issue(s) featured in	Notes
"The Flying Gauchito" 	unknown 	Walt Kelly 	#24 	First original comic story published in the title that is not a reprint of a newspaper comic strip. Adapted from The Three Caballeros segment of the same name.
"The Victory Garden" 	Carl Barks 	Carl Barks 	#31 	First Donald Duck story fully written by Carl Barks.
"Good Deeds" 	Carl Barks 	Carl Barks 	#34 	First appearance of Neighbor Jones.
"Li'l Bad Wolf Traps His Dad" 	Chase Craig 	Carl Buettner 	#52 	First appearance of Li'l Bad Wolf.
"The Practical Pig" 	Carl Buettner 	Carl Buettner 	#54 	
"Magical Misery" 	Carl Barks 	Carl Barks 	#82 	
"The Waltz King" 	Carl Barks 	Carl Barks 	#84 	
"Wintertime Wager" 	Carl Barks 	Carl Barks 	#88 	First appearance of Gladstone Gander.
"Log Rollers" 	unknown 	Don Gunn 	#89 	First comic book appearance of Chip and Dale. Adapted from the cartoon short Chip an' Dale.
"Gladstone Returns" 	Carl Barks 	Carl Barks 	#95 	
"Truant Officer Donald" 	Carl Barks 	Carl Barks 	#100 	Loosely adapted from the cartoon short of the same name (which Carl Barks was notably also a co-writer for). Also titled "Champion Truant Officer".
"Pizen Spring Dude Ranch" 	Carl Barks 	Carl Barks 	#102 	
"A Financial Fable" 	Carl Barks 	Carl Barks 	#126 	
"Terror of the Beagle Boys" 	Carl Barks 	Carl Barks 	#134 	First appearance of the Beagle Boys.
"Gladstone's Terrible Secret" 	Carl Barks 	Carl Barks 	#140 	First appearance of Gyro Gearloose.
"Flip Decision" 	Carl Barks 	Carl Barks 	#149 	
"Salmon Derby" 	Carl Barks 	Carl Barks 	#167 	
"Search for the Cuspidoria" 	Carl Barks 	Carl Barks 	#172 	
"Searching for a Successor" 	Carl Barks 	Carl Barks 	#187 	
"Ting-A-Ling Trouble" 	Vic Lockman 	Phil DeLara 	#308 	First appearance of Newton Gearloose.
"Mythological Menagerie" 	Don Rosa 	Don Rosa 	#523 	First story by Rosa to be published in this title.
"Recalled Wreck" 	Don Rosa 	Don Rosa 	#524 	
"Oolated Luck" 	Don Rosa 	Don Rosa 	#528 	
"Magica's Missin' Magic" 	William Van Horn 	William Van Horn 	#591 	Originally published in Anders And & Co. 1993-19 in Denmark.
"The Once and Future Duck" 	Don Rosa 	Don Rosa 	#607-609 	Originally published in Anders And & Co. 1996-21, 22, and 23 in Denmark.
"A Matter of Some Gravity" 	Don Rosa 	Don Rosa 	#610 	Originally published in Anders And & Co. 1996-32 in Denmark.
"An Eye for Detail" 	Don Rosa 	Don Rosa 	#622 	Originally published in Anders And & Co. 1997-19 in Denmark.
"Checkmate" 	Noel Van Horn 	Noel Van Horn 	#634 	Originally published in Anders And & Co. 2002-30.
"Spidermouse" 	Carol and Pat McGreal 	Francisco Rodriguez Peinado 	#635 	Originally published in Anders And & Co. 2003-03.
"The Three Caballeros Ride Again" 	Don Rosa 	Don Rosa 	#635-637 	Originally published in Anders And & Co. 2000-40, 41, and 42 in Denmark.
"The Great Birthday Robbery!" 	Byron Erickson 	Cèsar Ferioli Pelaez 	#638 	Originally published in Kalle Anka & Co. #1998-46 in Denmark.
"Mythos Island" 	Per Hedman (plot);Carol and Pat McGreal (script)	Cèsar Ferioli Pelaez 	#657-661 	Originally published as a 10-part story in Anders And & Co. 2003-24, 27, 30, 33, 36, 39, 41, 45, 48, and 49 in Denmark.
"The Magnificent Seven (Minus 4) Caballeros"	Don Rosa 	Don Rosa 	#663-665 	Originally published in Anders And & Co. 2005-03, 04, and 05 in Denmark.
"New Year's Nightmare" 	Carol and Pat McGreal 	Cèsar Ferioli Pelaez 	#676 	Originally published as a 2-part story in Anders And & Co. 1999-52 and 2000-01 in Denmark.
"70th Heaven" 	Evert Geradts 	Daan Jippes 	#715 	Originally published in Donald Duck 1992X43 in the Netherlands.
"The Treasure of Marco Topo" (Part 2) 	Romano Scarpa 	Romano Scarpa 	#720 	Originally published in Topolino (libretto) #1474 in Italy. The first half of the story was printed in Mickey Mouse #309.
"The Search for the Zodiac Stone" 	Bruno Sarda 	Franco Valussi;Massimo De Vita	#721-732 	Originally published in Topolino (libretto) #1780-1791 in Italy.
"Just Like Magic!" 	David Gerstein 	Mark Kausler 	#726 	Originally published in Walt Disney's Julehefte Julen 2011 in Norway. First Oswald the Lucky Rabbit story to be printed in Walt Disney's Comics and Stories.
"The Persistence of Mickey" 	Roberto Gagnor 	Giorgo Cavazzano 	#734 	Originally published in Topolino (libretto) #2861 in Italy. Was originally planned to appear in issue #720 before being shelved for the second half of "The Treasure of Marco Topo".
==Cover gallery==
==References==
==See also==
*Other notable Disney comic titles in the USA:
**Mickey Mouse (since 1933; originally Mickey Mouse Magazine)
**Donald Duck (1952–1984, 1986–1997, 2003–2008, 2009-2011, 2015-present)
**Uncle Scrooge (1952–1984, 1986–1998, 2003-2008, 2009-2011, 2015-present)
**Uncle Scrooge Adventures (1987–1990, 1993–1997)
**Donald Duck Adventures (1988–1997, 2004–2006)
**Mickey Mouse Adventures (1990–1991, 2004–2006)
*Other Disney anthology comic books in the USA:
**Disney's Colossal Comics Collection
**The Disney Afternoon
**Disney Comic Hits!
==External links==
*
*Walt Disney's Comics and Stories on Disney Comics Worldwide (DCW)
*Cover of all issues of Walt Disney's Comics and Stories on outducks.org (click on issue numbers)
Category:Comic books