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Gold Key Comics

May 10, 2023

Gold Key Comics was originally an imprint of American company Western Publishing, created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated this way from 1962 to 1984. Currently, Gold Key Comics is owned by Gold Key Entertainment LLC, which consists of business partners and comic book enthusiasts Lance Linderman, Adam Brooks, Mike Dynes, and Arnold Guerrero.[1]

Gold Key Comics
Founded1962
Defunct1984
Country of originUnited States
Headquarters locationPeoria, Arizona
Key peopleLance Linderman, Adam Brooks, Mike Dynes, Arnold Guerrero
Publication typesComic books
Owner(s)Western Publishing (previous), Robert Willis (previous), Gold Key Entertainment LLC
Official websitewww.goldkeycomics.com

History

Gold Key Comics was created in 1962, when its parent, Western Publishing Company, switched to in-house publishing rather than packaging content for branding and distribution by its business partner, Dell Comics.[2] Hoping to make their comics more like traditional children's books, they initially eliminated panel line-borders, using just the panel, with its ink and artwork evenly edged, but not bordered by a "container" line. Within a year, they had reverted to using inked panel borders and oval balloons. They experimented with new formats, including Whitman Comic Book, a black-and-white, 136-page, hardcover series consisting of reprints,[3] and Golden Picture Story Book, a tabloid-sized, 52-page, hardcover containing new material.[4] In 1967, Gold Key reprinted a number of selected issues of their comics under the title Top Comics. They were packaged in plastic bags containing five comics each and were sold at gas stations and various eateries. Like Dell, Gold Key was one of the few major American comic book publishers never to display the Comics Code Authority seal on its covers.[5]

Properties

Gold Key featured a number of licensed properties and several original titles, including a number of publications that were spun off from Dell's Four Color series, or were published as stand-alone titles. Gold Key maintained decent sales numbers throughout the 1960s, due to its offering of many titles based upon popular TV series of the day, as well as numerous titles based on both Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros. animated properties.[2] It was also the first company to publish comic books based upon the current NBC TV series Star Trek.[6] While some titles, such as Star Trek and The Twilight Zone, were published for many years, many other licensed titles were characterized by short runs, sometimes publishing no more than one or two issues. Gold Key considered suing over the similarly themed television series Lost in Space for its resemblance to the preexisting Space Family Robinson, but decided their business relationship with CBS and Irwin Allen was more important than any monetary reward resulting from such a suit; as a result, the Gold Key series adopted the branding Space Family Robinson Lost in Space with issue #15 (Jan. 1966), though its narrative had no connection to the TV series.[7][8]

Editor Chase Craig stated that Gold Key would launch titles with Hanna-Barbera characters with direct adaptations of episodes of the program because "[t]he studio had approval rights and the people there could get pointlessly picky about the material ... but they rarely bothered looking at any issue after the first few. Therefore, it simplified the procedure to do the first and maybe the second issue as an adaptation. They couldn't very well complain that a plot taken from the show was inappropriate".[9]

Over the years, Gold Key lost several properties, including the King Features Syndicate characters (Popeye, Flash Gordon, The Phantom, etc.), to Charlton Comics in 1966, numerous, but not all, Hanna-Barbera characters also to Charlton Comics in 1970,[10] and Star Trek to Marvel Comics in 1979.

Creators

The stable of writers and artists built up by Western Publishing during the Dell Comics era mostly continued into the Gold Key era. In the mid-1960s, a number of artists were recruited by the newly formed Disney Studio Program and thereafter divided their output between the Disney Program and Western. Writer/artist Russ Manning and editor Chase Craig launched the Magnus, Robot Fighter science-fiction series in 1963.[11][12] Jack Sparling co-created the superhero Tiger Girl with Jerry Siegel in 1968,[13] drew the toyline tie-in Microbots one-shot,[14] and illustrated comic book adaptations of the television series Family Affair and Adam-12.[15][16] Dan Spiegle worked on Space Family Robinson,[7] The Green Hornet, The Invaders, Korak, Son of Tarzan, Brothers of the Spear, and many of Gold Key's mystery/occult titles.[17][18] Among the other creators at Gold Key were writers Donald F. Glut, Len Wein, Bob Ogle, John David Warner, Steve Skeates, and Mark Evanier; and artists Cliff Voorhees, Joe Messerli,[19] Carol Lay, Jesse Santos,[20] and Mike Royer. Glut created and wrote several series including The Occult Files of Dr. Spektor,[21] Dagar the Invincible,[22] and Tragg and the Sky Gods.[23] Also in the 1970s, writer Bob Gregory started drawing stories, mostly for Daisy and Donald. Artist/writer Frank Miller had his first published comic book artwork in The Twilight Zone for Gold Key in 1978.[24]

Diana Gabaldon began her career writing for Gold Key, initially sending a query that stated, "I’ve been reading your comics for the last 25 years, and they’ve been getting worse and worse. I’m not sure if I could do better myself, but I’d like to try." Editor Del Connell provided a script sample and bought her second submission.[25]

According to former Western Publishing writer Mark Evanier, during the mid-1960s, comedy writer Jerry Belson, whose writing partner at the time was Garry Marshall, also did scripts for Gold Key while writing for leading TV sitcoms like The Dick Van Dyke Show. Among the comics for which he wrote were The Flintstones, Uncle Scrooge, Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny, The Three Stooges, and Woody Woodpecker.[26]

Leo Dorfman, creator of Ghosts for DC Comics, also produced supernatural stories for Gold Key's similarly themed Twilight Zone, Ripley's Believe it or Not, Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery, and Grimm's Ghost Stories. One of Gold Key's editors at the time told Mark Evanier, "Leo writes stories and then he decides whether he's going to sell them to DC [for Ghosts] or to us. He tells us that if they come out good, they go to us and if they don't, they go to DC. I assume he tells DC the opposite."[27]

Editor Frank Tedeschi, who left in 1973 for a job in book publishing, helped bring in such new comics professionals as Walt Simonson, Gerry Boudreau, and John David Warner.[28]

Later years

During the 1970s, the entire comics industry experienced a downswing and Gold Key was among the hardest hit.[2] Its editorial policies had not kept pace with the changing times, and suffered an erosion of its base of sales among children, who instead of buying comic books, could now watch cartoons and other entertainment on television for free. It is also alleged by Carmine Infantino that in the mid to late 1960s, DC Comics attempted to pressure Gold Key from the comics business through sheer volume of output.[29] Among the original titles launched by Gold Key in the 1970s were Baby Snoots[30] and Wacky Witch.[31] By 1977, many of the company's series had been cancelled and the surviving titles featured more reprinted material, although Gold Key was able to obtain the rights to publish a comic book series based upon Buck Rogers in the 25th Century between 1979 and 1981. It also lost the rights to publish Star Trek-based comic books to Marvel Comics just prior to the revival of the franchise via Star Trek: The Motion Picture, with the final Gold Key-published Star Trek title being issued in March, 1979.[32]

In this period, Gold Key experimented with digests with some success. In a similar manner, to explore new markets in the mid-1970s, it produced a four-volume series, with somewhat better production values and printing aimed at the emerging collector market, containing classic stories of the Disney characters by Carl Barks and Floyd Gottfredson (Best of Walt Disney's Comics). In the late 1970s, somewhat higher-grade reprints of various licensed characters were also aimed at new venues (Dynabrites),[33][34] plus Starstream, a four-issue series adapting classic science fiction stories by authors such as Isaac Asimov and John W. Campbell.[35] Golden Press released trade paperback reprint collections such as Walt Disney Christmas Parade,[36] Bugs Bunny Comics-Go-Round,[37] and Star Trek: The Enterprise Logs.[38][39]

In the late 1970s, the distribution of comic books on spinners and racks at newsstands, drug stores, and supermarkets continued, but Western Publishing also sold packages of three comics in a plastic bag to toy and department stores, gas stations, airports, and bus/train stations, "as well as other outlets that weren't conducive to conventional comic racks".[40] The newsstand comics were returnable; the dealer could return unsold copies to the distributor for a refund, but the bagged comics were not. To discourage unscrupulous dealers from opening the plastic bags and returning the nonreturnable issues, Western published the newsstand versions under the Gold Key Comics label, and put the Whitman Comics logo on the bagged versions, although otherwise the issues were identical.[40]

Western, at one point, also distributed bagged comics from its rival DC Comics under the Whitman logo. Former DC Comics executive Paul Levitz stated, "[The] Western program was enormous — even well into the 1970s, they were taking very large numbers of DC titles for distribution (I recall 50,000+ copies offhand)."[40]

In 1979, Western ceased to be an independent company when Mattel Inc. purchased the company.[41] The new management stopped selling returnable comics at newsstands, preferring the nonreturnable bagged comics sold at toy stores.[42]

In a 1993 interview, Del Connell, the managing editor at Western's West Coast office in the late 1970s, recalled,

...the Western comics line was killed by distribution. Perhaps you know that by early 1980 our comics were only being distributed in bagged sets of three. The Whitman label replaced the Gold Key imprint at that time as the comics could no longer be found on the newsstands, but in department, variety, and grocery stores. Our new management assumed that comics could be treated like coloring books or puzzles. That proved an ill-fated decision. The following years were characterized by delays and erratic distribution.[43]

Eventually, arrangements were made to distribute these releases to the nascent national network of comic-book stores. Western also prepared a prospectus in the early 1980s for a deluxe Carl Barks reprint project aimed at the collector market that was never published.[44]

In December 1983, a struggling Mattel sold Western Publishing to real-estate investor Richard A. Bernstein.[45] Bernstein closed Western's comic-book publishing division in 1984.[43]

Relaunches, reprints, and legacy

Three of Gold Key's original characters, Magnus, Robot Fighter, Doctor Solar, and Turok, Son of Stone, were used in the 1990s to launch Valiant Comics' fictional universe.[46]

Dark Horse Comics (and later, Dynamite Entertainment) have published reprints, including several in hardcover collections, of such original Gold Key titles as Magnus, Robot Fighter; Doctor Solar; Mighty Samson; M.A.R.S. Patrol; Turok: Son of Stone; The Occult Files of Doctor Spektor; Dagar the Invincible; Boris Karloff's Tales of Mystery; Space Family Robinson; Flash Gordon; the Jesse Marsh drawn Tarzan;[47][48][49][50] and some of the Russ Manning-produced Tarzan series.[51] They started several revivals of characters under Jim Shooter, including Doctor Solar, Magnus, Turok, and Mighty Samson.[52] The Checker Book Publishing Group, in conjunction with Paramount Pictures, began reprinting the Gold Key Star Trek series in 2004.[53] Hermes Press reprinted the three series based on Irwin Allen's science-fiction TV series,[54] as well as Gold Key's Dark Shadows,[55] My Favorite Martian,[56] and the Phantom.[55]

Bongo Comics published a parody of Gold Key in Radioactive Man #106 (volume 2 #6, Nov. 2002) with script/layout by Batton Lash and finished art by Mike DeCarlo that Tony Isabella dubbed "a nigh-flawless facsimile of the Gold Key comics published by Western in the early 1960s...from the painting with tasteful come-on copy on the front cover to the same painting, sans logo or other type, presented as a "pin-up" on the back cover".[57]

In June 2001, DIC Entertainment announced they would purchase Golden Books Family Entertainment for US$170 million (equivalent to $260 million in 2021) and take it out of bankruptcy.[58] However, DIC would pass off the purchase due to high costs[59] and instead Golden Books Family Entertainment was eventually acquired jointly by Classic Media, owner of the catalog of United Productions of America, and book publisher Random House in a bankruptcy auction for the lower $84.4 million (equivalent to $129.2 million in 2021) on August 16, 2001.[60][61] In turn, Random House, and Classic Media gained ownership of Golden Books' entertainment catalog (including the family entertainment catalog of Broadway Video which includes the pre-1974 library of Rankin/Bass Productions and the library of Total Television), as well as production, licensing, and merchandising rights for Golden Books' characters and the Gold Key Comics catalogs, while Random House gained Golden Books' book publishing properties.[62] Random House had previously acquired Dell Publishing though a series of mergers since 1976, effectively reuniting the remnants Gold Key Comics and Dell Comics.

On July 23, 2012, Classic Media was acquired by DreamWorks Animation for $155 million (equivalent to $183 million in 2021) and renamed DreamWorks Classics.[63] On July 1, 2013, Random House merged with the Penguin Group, forming a new company called Penguin Random House.[64] In April 2016, the acquisition of DreamWorks Animation (owner of DreamWorks Classics) by NBCUniversal was announced.[65]

In 2021, comics creator and hacker Robert Willis obtained the trademark.[66][67] Later that year the trademark was purchased by the newly-formed Gold Key Entertainment LLC. The new ownership consists of comic book enthusiasts Lance Linderman, Adam Brooks, Mike Dynes, and Arnold Guerrero. Gold Key Entertainment is currently working with creators to produce new titles as well as reviving old ones.[citation needed]

List of titles

#

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

R

S

T

U

  • UFO Flying Saucers #1–25 (October 1968–February 1980, retitled UFO and Outer Space from #14)
  • Uncle Scrooge #40—209 (January 1963—March 1984)
  • Uncle Scrooge and Donald Duck #1 (June 1965)
  • Uncle Scrooge and Money (March 1967)
  • Underdog #1—23 (March 1975—February 1979)

V

W

X

Y

Z

  • Zody the Mod Rob #1 (July 1970)

References

  1. ^ "Gold Key, the Original Star Trek Comic Book Publisher, Revived Under New Ownership". CBR. 2022-03-17. Retrieved 2022-03-18.
  2. ^ a b c Markstein, Don (2010). "Gold Key Comics". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on October 29, 2015.
  3. ^ A Whitman Comic Book at the Grand Comics Database
  4. ^ Sampson, Wade (February 6, 2008). "The Biggest Disney Comic Book in the World". Mouse Planet. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013.
  5. ^ Booker, M. Keith (2014). Comics through Time: A History of Icons, Idols, and Ideas. Santa Barbara, California: Greenwood Publishing Group. p. xxviii. ISBN 978-0313397509.
  6. ^ Church, Kevin (August 27, 2013). "A Navigational Guide To 45 Years Of Star Trek Comics". ComicsAlliance. from the original on September 5, 2015.
  7. ^ a b Markstein, Don (2007). "Space Family Robinson". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on October 29, 2015. Gold Key didn't sue, because it had some very lucrative licensing deals going with various TV producers and didn't want to upset any apple carts.
  8. ^ Space Family Robinson Lost in Space at the Grand Comics Database.
  9. ^ Evanier, Mark (April 25, 2006). "Goodbye, Charlie!". News From ME. from the original on September 5, 2015.
  10. ^ Markstein, Don (2010). "Charlton Comics". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on July 8, 2018. After abandoning licensing for a decade or so, Charlton re-entered that field in 1967, by picking up the titles of King Comics — Flash Gordon, Popeye, The Phantom, Blondie, Jungle Jim, and Beetle Bailey...In 1970, most of the Hanna-Barbera characters, including Yogi Bear and The Flintstones, went from Gold Key to Charlton.
  11. ^ Markstein, Don (2005). "Magnus, Robot Fighter 4000 AD". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on October 31, 2015.
  12. ^ "Russell Manning". Lambiek Comiclopedia. March 22, 2015. from the original on October 15, 2015. Russ Manning also created...Magnus, Robot Fighter (1963-68) for the Gold Key comic books. Especially Magnus, stood out for its excellent artwork.
  13. ^ Markstein, Don (2010). "Tiger Girl". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on June 9, 2014. Tiger Girl's comic was drawn by Jack Sparling...The writer was no less a personage than Jerry Siegel, who co-created Superman himself.
  14. ^ Friedt, Stephan (October 2014). "Here Come the Microbots". Back Issue!. Raleigh, North Carolina: TwoMorrows Publishing (76): 11–13.
  15. ^ Jack Sparling at the Grand Comics Database
  16. ^ "Jack Sparling". Lambiek Comiclopedia. 2015. from the original on October 2, 2015.
  17. ^ Dan Spiegle at the Grand Comics Database
  18. ^ "Dan Spiegle". Lambiek Comiclopedia. July 7, 2013. from the original on September 19, 2015. He also did fillers and issues of Space Family Robinson, Magnus Robot Fighter, Maverick, Tarzan, Brothers of the Spear, Flipper, and Lassie. When Russ Manning left Dell in 1967, Spiegle took over the Korak title.
  19. ^ Evanier, Mark (June 30, 2010). NewsFromMe. Archived from the original on October 29, 2015.
  20. ^ "Jesse Santos". Lambiek Comiclopedia. May 9, 2013. from the original on October 5, 2015. He began an association with Western Publications in 1970...and illustrated Gold Key titles like Brothers of the Spear, Dagar, Dr. Spektor, and Tragg.
  21. ^ Markstein, Don (2007). "Doctor Spektor". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on October 26, 2015. Dr. Adam Spektor, a researcher of the supernatural, was introduced in Mystery Comics Digest #5 (July, 1972)...The story was written by Don Glut...and drawn by Dan Spiegle.
  22. ^ Markstein, Don (2009). "Dagar the Invincible". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on October 26, 2015. Dagar started as a non-series character, the hero of a story that writer Don Glut...wrote for Gold Key's Mystery Comics Digest.
  23. ^ Markstein, Don (2007). "Tragg and the Sky Gods". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on October 26, 2015. Writer Don Glut...and artist Jesse Santos...supplied the comic, in which aliens from interstellar space had a profound effect on a tribe of Stone Age people.
  24. ^ . Moebiusgraphics.com. n.d. Archived from the original on September 8, 2015.
  25. ^ Lee, Stephan (November 26, 2011). "Diana Gabaldon on her favorite and least-favorite books: The EW Book Quiz!". Entertainment Weekly. from the original on September 24, 2015.
  26. ^ Evanier, Mark (October 12, 2006). "Jerry Belson, R.I.P." News From ME. from the original on October 29, 2015.
  27. ^ Evanier, Mark (May 29, 2009). "More on Leo Dorfman". News From Me. from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
  28. ^ "Gold Key & Charlton [News]". The Comic Reader. No. 96. April 1973. from the original on March 17, 2014. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
  29. ^ Ro, Ronin (2004). Tales to Astonish: Jack Kirby, Stan Lee, and the American Comic Book Revolution. London, United Kingdom: Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 158. ISBN 978-1422359013.
  30. ^ Markstein, Don (2007). "Baby Snoots". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on March 7, 2015. Baby Snoots, a Gold Key original launched with an August, 1970 cover date, was a young elephant...Snoots lasted a respectable 22 issues.
  31. ^ Markstein, Don (2007). "Wacky Witch". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on April 14, 2016. Wacky ran 21 issues, ending with a December, 1975 cover date.
  32. ^ Darius, Julian (May 13, 2013). "On the Very First Star Trek #1". Sequart Organization. from the original on September 12, 2015.
  33. ^ "Scott's Classic Comics Corner: Shedding Some Light on Dynabrite". Comic Book Resources. September 28, 2010. from the original on June 9, 2011.
  34. ^ "The Last Word in Comics...Dynabrite!". Gold Key Comics. n.d. from the original on September 5, 2015.
  35. ^ Starstream at the Grand Comics Database
  36. ^ Walt Disney Christmas Parade at the Grand Comics Database
  37. ^ Bugs Bunny Comics-Go-Round at the Grand Comics Database
  38. ^ Star Trek: The Enterprise Logs at the Grand Comics Database
  39. ^ Danhauser, Curt (n.d.). "Guide to the Gold Key Star Trek Comics". Curtdanhauser.com. Archived from the original on August 28, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2009.
  40. ^ a b c Evanier, Mark (May 2, 2007). "More on Comicpacs". News From ME. from the original on October 29, 2015.
  41. ^ Marcus, Leonard S. (2007). Golden Legacy. Golden Books. ISBN 978-0-375-82996-3.
  42. ^ Becattini, Alberto (2016). Disney Comics: The Whole Story. Theme Park Press. p. 78. ISBN 978-1683900177.
  43. ^ a b Becattini, Alberto (2016). Walt's People: Volume 12. Xlibris. ISBN 978-1477147894.
  44. ^ Gunnarsson, Joakim (March 31, 2013). "The Collectors Editions that never was". Sekvenskonst. from the original on May 2, 2014.
  45. ^ "History of Western Publishing". Funding Universe, citing International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 13 (St. James Press, 1996). from the original on July 24, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  46. ^ Samsel, Robert (January 1993). "The State of Valiant Address". Wizard. Wizard Entertainment (17): 47–54.
  47. ^ "Tarzan: The Jesse Marsh Years Vol. 1". Dark Horse Comics. from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
  48. ^ "Tarzan: The Jesse Marsh Years Vol. 2". Dark Horse Comics. from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
  49. ^ "Tarzan: The Jesse Marsh Years Vol. 3". Dark Horse Comics. from the original on July 6, 2014. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
  50. ^ "Tarzan: The Jesse Marsh Years Vol. 4". Dark Horse Comics. from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
  51. ^ "Tarzan: The Russ Manning Years Vol. 1". Dark Horse Comics. from the original on July 21, 2013. Retrieved October 7, 2012.
  52. ^ Manning, Shaun (July 25, 2009). "CCI: Jim Shooter Talks Gold Key at Dark Horse". Comic Book Resources. from the original on June 10, 2015.
  53. ^ Weiland, Jonah (January 29, 2004). "Checker collects Gold Key Star Trek issues". Comic Book Resources. from the original on October 29, 2015.
  54. ^ "Hermes to Collect Irwin Allen Comics". Newsarama. October 16, 2008. from the original on March 4, 2016.
  55. ^ a b Adair, Torsten (December 10, 2011). "Coming Attractions: Fall 2011: Hermes Press". ComicsBeat. from the original on September 28, 2015.
  56. ^ My Favorite Martian The Complete Series at the Grand Comics Database
  57. ^ Isabella, Tony (May 17, 2003). "Tony's Online Tips". World Famous Comics. from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
  58. ^ "DIC gets busy in books and vids".
  59. ^ "CNN.com - Golden Books sold for poky little $84M". CNN. August 16, 2001. Retrieved 2022-06-10.
  60. ^ Spectrum Equity Investors (April 7, 2005). "Spectrum Equity Investors Takes Majority Stake in Classic Media, America's Largest Independent Family Entertainment Company" (Press release). PR Newswire. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  61. ^ DeMott, Rick. "Classic Media Gets Monetary Backing". Animation World Network. Awn.com. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  62. ^ "'Poky Little' $84M deal". CNN. Reuters. August 16, 2001. from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  63. ^ Kung, Michelle (July 22, 2012). "DreamWorks Buys Classics Studio Expands Library With Staples Such as Casper, Boosting Its IP Portfolio". The Wall Street Journal. from the original on August 14, 2015. Retrieved September 29, 2013. Additional on August 14, 2015. Opening paragraphs only without subscription.
  64. ^ Bosman, Julie (July 2013). "Penguin and Random House Merge, Saying Change Will Come Slowly". The New York Times. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  65. ^ "Comcast's NBCUniversal buys DreamWorks Animation in $3.8-billion deal". Los Angeles Times. 28 April 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  66. ^ "GOLD KEY Trademark of Willis, Robert. Serial Number: 90218909 :: Trademark Elite Trademarks". www.trademarkelite.com. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  67. ^ "Privacy in Action: Robert Willis, Hacker & Author". Startpage.com Blog. 2020-10-01. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
  68. ^ The Little Monsters at the Grand Comics Database.
  69. ^ Markstein, Don (2007). "The Little Monsters". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on November 12, 2015. Retrieved November 12, 2015.

External links

  • Western (publisher) at the Grand Comics Database
  • Gold Key Comics at Inducks
  • Evanier, Mark (April 29, 2007). . NewsFromMe. Archived from the original on October 29, 2015.
  • Kelly, Rob (ed.). "Other [Golden Picture Story Book #1-4]". TreasuryComics.com. from the original on October 26, 2015. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
  • "1964 Gold Key subscription advtisement". Gold Key Comics. from the original on October 20, 2013.

May 10, 2023
gold, comics, originally, imprint, american, company, western, publishing, created, comic, books, distributed, newsstands, also, known, whitman, comics, gold, operated, this, from, 1962, 1984, currently, owned, gold, entertainment, which, consists, business, p. Gold Key Comics was originally an imprint of American company Western Publishing created for comic books distributed to newsstands Also known as Whitman Comics Gold Key operated this way from 1962 to 1984 Currently Gold Key Comics is owned by Gold Key Entertainment LLC which consists of business partners and comic book enthusiasts Lance Linderman Adam Brooks Mike Dynes and Arnold Guerrero 1 Gold Key ComicsFounded1962Defunct1984Country of originUnited StatesHeadquarters locationPeoria ArizonaKey peopleLance Linderman Adam Brooks Mike Dynes Arnold GuerreroPublication typesComic booksOwner s Western Publishing previous Robert Willis previous Gold Key Entertainment LLCOfficial websitewww wbr goldkeycomics wbr com Contents 1 History 1 1 Properties 1 2 Creators 1 3 Later years 1 4 Relaunches reprints and legacy 2 List of titles 2 1 2 2 A 2 3 B 2 4 C 2 5 D 2 6 E 2 7 F 2 8 G 2 9 H 2 10 I 2 11 J 2 12 K 2 13 L 2 14 M 2 15 N 2 16 O 2 17 P 2 18 R 2 19 S 2 20 T 2 21 U 2 22 V 2 23 W 2 24 X 2 25 Y 2 26 Z 3 References 4 External linksHistory EditGold Key Comics was created in 1962 when its parent Western Publishing Company switched to in house publishing rather than packaging content for branding and distribution by its business partner Dell Comics 2 Hoping to make their comics more like traditional children s books they initially eliminated panel line borders using just the panel with its ink and artwork evenly edged but not bordered by a container line Within a year they had reverted to using inked panel borders and oval balloons They experimented with new formats including Whitman Comic Book a black and white 136 page hardcover series consisting of reprints 3 and Golden Picture Story Book a tabloid sized 52 page hardcover containing new material 4 In 1967 Gold Key reprinted a number of selected issues of their comics under the title Top Comics They were packaged in plastic bags containing five comics each and were sold at gas stations and various eateries Like Dell Gold Key was one of the few major American comic book publishers never to display the Comics Code Authority seal on its covers 5 Properties Edit Gold Key featured a number of licensed properties and several original titles including a number of publications that were spun off from Dell s Four Color series or were published as stand alone titles Gold Key maintained decent sales numbers throughout the 1960s due to its offering of many titles based upon popular TV series of the day as well as numerous titles based on both Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros animated properties 2 It was also the first company to publish comic books based upon the current NBC TV series Star Trek 6 While some titles such as Star Trek and The Twilight Zone were published for many years many other licensed titles were characterized by short runs sometimes publishing no more than one or two issues Gold Key considered suing over the similarly themed television series Lost in Space for its resemblance to the preexisting Space Family Robinson but decided their business relationship with CBS and Irwin Allen was more important than any monetary reward resulting from such a suit as a result the Gold Key series adopted the branding Space Family Robinson Lost in Space with issue 15 Jan 1966 though its narrative had no connection to the TV series 7 8 Editor Chase Craig stated that Gold Key would launch titles with Hanna Barbera characters with direct adaptations of episodes of the program because t he studio had approval rights and the people there could get pointlessly picky about the material but they rarely bothered looking at any issue after the first few Therefore it simplified the procedure to do the first and maybe the second issue as an adaptation They couldn t very well complain that a plot taken from the show was inappropriate 9 Over the years Gold Key lost several properties including the King Features Syndicate characters Popeye Flash Gordon The Phantom etc to Charlton Comics in 1966 numerous but not all Hanna Barbera characters also to Charlton Comics in 1970 10 and Star Trek to Marvel Comics in 1979 Creators Edit The stable of writers and artists built up by Western Publishing during the Dell Comics era mostly continued into the Gold Key era In the mid 1960s a number of artists were recruited by the newly formed Disney Studio Program and thereafter divided their output between the Disney Program and Western Writer artist Russ Manning and editor Chase Craig launched the Magnus Robot Fighter science fiction series in 1963 11 12 Jack Sparling co created the superhero Tiger Girl with Jerry Siegel in 1968 13 drew the toyline tie in Microbots one shot 14 and illustrated comic book adaptations of the television series Family Affair and Adam 12 15 16 Dan Spiegle worked on Space Family Robinson 7 The Green Hornet The Invaders Korak Son of Tarzan Brothers of the Spear and many of Gold Key s mystery occult titles 17 18 Among the other creators at Gold Key were writers Donald F Glut Len Wein Bob Ogle John David Warner Steve Skeates and Mark Evanier and artists Cliff Voorhees Joe Messerli 19 Carol Lay Jesse Santos 20 and Mike Royer Glut created and wrote several series including The Occult Files of Dr Spektor 21 Dagar the Invincible 22 and Tragg and the Sky Gods 23 Also in the 1970s writer Bob Gregory started drawing stories mostly for Daisy and Donald Artist writer Frank Miller had his first published comic book artwork in The Twilight Zone for Gold Key in 1978 24 Diana Gabaldon began her career writing for Gold Key initially sending a query that stated I ve been reading your comics for the last 25 years and they ve been getting worse and worse I m not sure if I could do better myself but I d like to try Editor Del Connell provided a script sample and bought her second submission 25 According to former Western Publishing writer Mark Evanier during the mid 1960s comedy writer Jerry Belson whose writing partner at the time was Garry Marshall also did scripts for Gold Key while writing for leading TV sitcoms like The Dick Van Dyke Show Among the comics for which he wrote were The Flintstones Uncle Scrooge Daffy Duck Bugs Bunny The Three Stooges and Woody Woodpecker 26 Leo Dorfman creator of Ghosts for DC Comics also produced supernatural stories for Gold Key s similarly themed Twilight Zone Ripley s Believe it or Not Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery and Grimm s Ghost Stories One of Gold Key s editors at the time told Mark Evanier Leo writes stories and then he decides whether he s going to sell them to DC for Ghosts or to us He tells us that if they come out good they go to us and if they don t they go to DC I assume he tells DC the opposite 27 Editor Frank Tedeschi who left in 1973 for a job in book publishing helped bring in such new comics professionals as Walt Simonson Gerry Boudreau and John David Warner 28 Later years Edit During the 1970s the entire comics industry experienced a downswing and Gold Key was among the hardest hit 2 Its editorial policies had not kept pace with the changing times and suffered an erosion of its base of sales among children who instead of buying comic books could now watch cartoons and other entertainment on television for free It is also alleged by Carmine Infantino that in the mid to late 1960s DC Comics attempted to pressure Gold Key from the comics business through sheer volume of output 29 Among the original titles launched by Gold Key in the 1970s were Baby Snoots 30 and Wacky Witch 31 By 1977 many of the company s series had been cancelled and the surviving titles featured more reprinted material although Gold Key was able to obtain the rights to publish a comic book series based upon Buck Rogers in the 25th Century between 1979 and 1981 It also lost the rights to publish Star Trek based comic books to Marvel Comics just prior to the revival of the franchise via Star Trek The Motion Picture with the final Gold Key published Star Trek title being issued in March 1979 32 In this period Gold Key experimented with digests with some success In a similar manner to explore new markets in the mid 1970s it produced a four volume series with somewhat better production values and printing aimed at the emerging collector market containing classic stories of the Disney characters by Carl Barks and Floyd Gottfredson Best of Walt Disney s Comics In the late 1970s somewhat higher grade reprints of various licensed characters were also aimed at new venues Dynabrites 33 34 plus Starstream a four issue series adapting classic science fiction stories by authors such as Isaac Asimov and John W Campbell 35 Golden Press released trade paperback reprint collections such as Walt Disney Christmas Parade 36 Bugs Bunny Comics Go Round 37 and Star Trek The Enterprise Logs 38 39 In the late 1970s the distribution of comic books on spinners and racks at newsstands drug stores and supermarkets continued but Western Publishing also sold packages of three comics in a plastic bag to toy and department stores gas stations airports and bus train stations as well as other outlets that weren t conducive to conventional comic racks 40 The newsstand comics were returnable the dealer could return unsold copies to the distributor for a refund but the bagged comics were not To discourage unscrupulous dealers from opening the plastic bags and returning the nonreturnable issues Western published the newsstand versions under the Gold Key Comics label and put the Whitman Comics logo on the bagged versions although otherwise the issues were identical 40 Western at one point also distributed bagged comics from its rival DC Comics under the Whitman logo Former DC Comics executive Paul Levitz stated The Western program was enormous even well into the 1970s they were taking very large numbers of DC titles for distribution I recall 50 000 copies offhand 40 In 1979 Western ceased to be an independent company when Mattel Inc purchased the company 41 The new management stopped selling returnable comics at newsstands preferring the nonreturnable bagged comics sold at toy stores 42 In a 1993 interview Del Connell the managing editor at Western s West Coast office in the late 1970s recalled the Western comics line was killed by distribution Perhaps you know that by early 1980 our comics were only being distributed in bagged sets of three The Whitman label replaced the Gold Key imprint at that time as the comics could no longer be found on the newsstands but in department variety and grocery stores Our new management assumed that comics could be treated like coloring books or puzzles That proved an ill fated decision The following years were characterized by delays and erratic distribution 43 Eventually arrangements were made to distribute these releases to the nascent national network of comic book stores Western also prepared a prospectus in the early 1980s for a deluxe Carl Barks reprint project aimed at the collector market that was never published 44 In December 1983 a struggling Mattel sold Western Publishing to real estate investor Richard A Bernstein 45 Bernstein closed Western s comic book publishing division in 1984 43 Relaunches reprints and legacy Edit Three of Gold Key s original characters Magnus Robot Fighter Doctor Solar and Turok Son of Stone were used in the 1990s to launch Valiant Comics fictional universe 46 Dark Horse Comics and later Dynamite Entertainment have published reprints including several in hardcover collections of such original Gold Key titles as Magnus Robot Fighter Doctor Solar Mighty Samson M A R S Patrol Turok Son of Stone The Occult Files of Doctor Spektor Dagar the Invincible Boris Karloff s Tales of Mystery Space Family Robinson Flash Gordon the Jesse Marsh drawn Tarzan 47 48 49 50 and some of the Russ Manning produced Tarzan series 51 They started several revivals of characters under Jim Shooter including Doctor Solar Magnus Turok and Mighty Samson 52 The Checker Book Publishing Group in conjunction with Paramount Pictures began reprinting the Gold Key Star Trek series in 2004 53 Hermes Press reprinted the three series based on Irwin Allen s science fiction TV series 54 as well as Gold Key s Dark Shadows 55 My Favorite Martian 56 and the Phantom 55 Bongo Comics published a parody of Gold Key in Radioactive Man 106 volume 2 6 Nov 2002 with script layout by Batton Lash and finished art by Mike DeCarlo that Tony Isabella dubbed a nigh flawless facsimile of the Gold Key comics published by Western in the early 1960s from the painting with tasteful come on copy on the front cover to the same painting sans logo or other type presented as a pin up on the back cover 57 In June 2001 DIC Entertainment announced they would purchase Golden Books Family Entertainment for US 170 million equivalent to 260 million in 2021 and take it out of bankruptcy 58 However DIC would pass off the purchase due to high costs 59 and instead Golden Books Family Entertainment was eventually acquired jointly by Classic Media owner of the catalog of United Productions of America and book publisher Random House in a bankruptcy auction for the lower 84 4 million equivalent to 129 2 million in 2021 on August 16 2001 60 61 In turn Random House and Classic Media gained ownership of Golden Books entertainment catalog including the family entertainment catalog of Broadway Video which includes the pre 1974 library of Rankin Bass Productions and the library of Total Television as well as production licensing and merchandising rights for Golden Books characters and the Gold Key Comics catalogs while Random House gained Golden Books book publishing properties 62 Random House had previously acquired Dell Publishing though a series of mergers since 1976 effectively reuniting the remnants Gold Key Comics and Dell Comics On July 23 2012 Classic Media was acquired by DreamWorks Animation for 155 million equivalent to 183 million in 2021 and renamed DreamWorks Classics 63 On July 1 2013 Random House merged with the Penguin Group forming a new company called Penguin Random House 64 In April 2016 the acquisition of DreamWorks Animation owner of DreamWorks Classics by NBCUniversal was announced 65 In 2021 comics creator and hacker Robert Willis obtained the trademark 66 67 Later that year the trademark was purchased by the newly formed Gold Key Entertainment LLC The new ownership consists of comic book enthusiasts Lance Linderman Adam Brooks Mike Dynes and Arnold Guerrero Gold Key Entertainment is currently working with creators to produce new titles as well as reviving old ones citation needed List of titles Edit Edit 101 Dalmatians February 1970 20 000 Leagues Under the Sea December 1963 55 Days at Peking September 1963 77 Sunset Strip 1 2 November 1962 February 1963 A Edit Adam 12 1 10 December 1973 February 1976 The Addams Family 1 3 October 1974 April 1975 based on the 1974 Hanna Barbera animated series The Adventures of Robin Hood March 1974 January 1975 based on the 1973 Disney film Alice in Wonderland March 1965 The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan 1 4 May 1973 February 1974 Andy Panda 1 23 4 August 1973 January 1978 Annie Oakley and Tagg 1 July 1965 The Aristocats March 1971 The Aristokittens 1 9 October 1971 October 1975 retitled The Aristokittens and O Malley the Alley Cat from 3 Astro Boy 1 August 1965 Atom Ant 1 January 1966 Augie Doggie 1 October 1963 B Edit Baby Snoots 1 22 August 1970 November 1975 Baloo and Little Britches Mowgli 1 April 1968 Bambi September 1963 Bamm Bamm and Pebbles Flintstone 1 October 1964 The Banana Splits 1 8 January 1970 October 1971 Barney Google and Snuffy Smith 1 April 1964 Battle of the Planets 1 10 June 1979 December 1980 The Beagle Boys 1 47 November 1964 December 1978 The Beagle Boys vs Uncle Scrooge 1 12 March 1979 February 1980 Beatles Yellow Submarine 1968 Beep Beep the Road Runner 1 88 October 1966 February 1980 Beetle Bailey 39 53 November 1962 May 1966 Ben Casey Film Stories 1 1962 Beneath the Planet of the Apes December 1970 The Best of Bugs Bunny 1 2 October 1966 October 1968 The Best of Donald Duck 1 November 1965 The Best of Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge 1 2 1964 September 1967 The Best of Uncle Scrooge and Donald Duck 1 November 1966 Big Red November 1962 The Black Hole 1 4 March September 1980 the later two issues are set after the events of the film Blackbeard s Ghost June 1968 Blake Harper City Surgeon 1 August 1963 Bonanza 1 37 August 1962 August 1970 Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery 3 97 April 1963 February 1980 based upon the TV series Thriller and continued from 2 of the former title Boris Karloff Thriller 1 2 October 1962 January 1963 based upon the TV series Thriller Brothers of the Spear 1 18 June 1972 May 1982 originally a backup series in Tarzan Buck Rogers 1 October 1964 adapting the comic strip Buck Rogers in the 25th Century 1 16 July 1979 May 1982 adapting the 1979 81 TV series Buffalo Bill Jr 1 June 1965 Bugs Bunny 86 218 October 1962 March 1980 Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig 1 September 1965 Bugs Bunny Winter Fun 1 December 1967 Bullwhip Griffin June 1967 Bullwinkle and Rocky 1 25 November 1962 February 1980 C Edit Captain Johner and the Aliens 1 September December 1967 Captain Nice 1 November 1967 Captain Sindbad September 1963 Captain Venture and the Land Beneath the Sea 1 2 October 1968 October 1969 Cave Kids 1 16 February 1963 March 1967 Checkmate 1 2 October December 1962 Chip n Dale 1 64 September 1967 January 1980 Chitty Chitty Bang Bang February 1969 Choo Choo Charlie 1 December 1969 Cinderella August 1965 The Close Shaves of Pauline Peril 1 4 June 1970 March 1971 The Colossal Show 1 1969 Condorman 1 3 November 1981 January 1982 Cowboy in Africa 1 March 1968 D Edit Daffy Duck 31 127 December 1962 February 1980 Daisy and Donald 1 41 May 1973 November 1979 Daniel Boone 1 15 January 1965 April 1969 Darby O Gill and the Little People January 1970 Dark Shadows 1 35 March 1968 February 1976 Davy Crockett King of the Wild Frontier 1 2 December 1963 November 1969 Dear Nancy Parker 1 2 June September 1963 Deputy Dawg 1 August 1965 Deputy Dawg Presents Dinky Duck and Hashimoto san 1 August 1965 Doc Savage 1 November 1966 the comic was to tie into an ultimately unproduced movie Doctor Solar 1 27 October 1962 April 1969 Donald Duck 85 211 December 1962 September 1979 Donald Duck Album 1 2 August September 1963 Donald Duck Beach Party 1 September 1965 Duke of the K 9 Patrol 1 April 1963 Dumbo October 1963 E Edit El Dorado October 1967 Emil and the Detectives February 1965 Escapade in Florence January 1963 F Edit The Fall of the Roman Empire July 1964 Family Affair 1 4 January October 1970 Fantastic Voyage February 1967 based on the film Fantastic Voyage 1 2 August December 1969 based on the TV series The Fantastic Voyages of Sindbad 1 2 October 1965 June 1967 Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids 1 29 March 1974 February 1979 The Fighting Prince of Donegal January 1967 First Men in the Moon March 1965 Flash Gordon 1 June 1965 The Flintstones 7 60 October 1962 September 1970 The Flintstones at the New York s World Fair 1964 Flipper 1 3 April 1964 November 1967 The Flintstones Bigger and Boulder 1 2 November 1962 June 1966 The Flintstones on the Rocks September 1961 The Flintstones with Pebbles and Bamm Bamm November 1965 The Fox and the Hound 1 3 August October 1981 Fractured Fairy Tales 1 October 1962 Frankenstein Jr and The Impossibles 1 January 1967 Freedom Agent 1 May 1963 The Funky Phantom 1 13 March 1972 March 1975 Fury 1 November 1962 G Edit G 8 and His Battle Aces 1 October 1966 The Gallant Men October 1963 Gallegher Boy Reporter 1 May 1965 Gay Purr ee January 1963 George of the Jungle with Tom Slick and Super Chicken 1 2 February October 1969 The Girl from U N C L E 1 5 January October 1966 The Gnome Mobile October 1967 Gold Key Champion 1 2 May 1978 Gold Key Stoplight 1 11 May 1976 February 1978 Golden Comics Digest 1 48 May 1969 January 1976 Gomer Pyle U S M C 1 3 July 1966 October 1967 Goodbye Mr Chips June 1970 The Governor and J J 1 3 February August 1970 The Green Hornet 1 3 February August 1967 Grimm s Ghost Stories 1 54 January 1972 November 1979 Gunsmoke 1 6 February 1969 February 1970 H Edit The Hair Bear Bunch 1 9 February 1972 February 1974 Hanna Barbera Band Wagon 1 3 October 1962 April 1963 Hanna Barbera Fun In 1 15 February 1970 December 1974 Hanna Barbera Hi Adventure Heroes 1 2 May August 1969 Hanna Barbera Super TV Heroes 1 7 April 1968 September 1969 The Happiest Millionaire April 1968 Happy Days 1 6 March 1979 January 1980 The Hardy Boys 1 4 April 1970 January 1971 based on the Filmation cartoon series Harlem Globetrotters 1 12 April 1972 January 1975 Hawaiian Eye 1 July 1963 Heckle and Jeckle 1 4 November 1962 August 1963 Hector Heathcote 1 March 1964 Hey There It s Yogi Bear September 1964 The High Chaparral 1 1968 Honey West 1 September 1966 The Horse Without a Head January 1964 How the West Was Won July 1963 H R Pufnstuf 1 8 October 1970 July 1972 Huckleberry Hound 18 43 October 1962 October 1970 Huey Dewey and Louie Junior Woodchucks 1 61 August 1966 February 1980 I Edit I Spy 1 6 August 1966 September 1968 In Search of the Castaways March 1963 The Inspector 1 19 July 1974 February 1978 The Invaders 1 4 October 1967 October 1968 It s About Time 1 January 1967 J Edit Jet Dream 1 June 1968 The Jetsons 1 36 January 1963 September 1970 John Carter of Mars 1 3 April October 1964 John Steed Emma Peel 1 November 1968 based on The Avengers TV series and retitled to avoid confusion with the Marvel comic book bearing the same title John Steele Secret Agent 1 December 1964 Judge Colt 1 4 October 1969 September 1970 The Jungle Book March 1968 K Edit Kidnapped June 1963 King Kong September 1968 King Leonardo and His Short Subjects 1 4 May 1962 September 1963 King Louie and Mowgli Little Britches 1 May 1968 Korak Son of Tarzan 1 45 January 1964 January 1972 Krazy Kat 1 October 1963 The Krofft Supershow 1 6 April 1978 January 1979 L Edit Lady and the Tramp January 1963 Lancelot Link Secret Chimp 1 8 May 1971 February 1973 Lancer 1 3 February 1968 September 1969 Land of the Giants 1 5 November 1968 September 1969 Laredo 1 June 1966 Lassie 59 70 October 1962 July 1969 Laurel and Hardy 1 2 January October 1967 The Legend of Lobo March 1963 The Legend of Jesse James February 1966 The Legend of Young Dick Turpin May 1966 Lidsville 1 5 October 1972 October 1973 Linus the Lionhearted 1 Gold Key Comics September 1965 The Lion January 1963 Lippy the Lion and Hardy Har Har 1 Gold Key Comics March 1963 Little Lulu 165 257 October 1962 January 1980 Little Lulu Summer Camp 1 August 1967 Little Lulu Trick n Treat 1 December 1962 The Little Monsters 1 44 November 1964 February 1978 68 69 The Little Stooges 1 7 September 1972 March 1974 The Lone Ranger 1 28 September 1964 March 1977 The Lone Ranger Golden West 1 October 1966 Looney Tunes 1 47 April 1975 December 1982 Lord Jim September 1965 The Love Bug June 1969 Lt Robin Crusoe U S N October 1966 The Lucy Show June 1963 June 1964 M Edit M A R S Patrol Total War 1 July 1965 initially titled Total War for the first two issues Magilla Gorilla 1 10 May 1964 December 1968 Magnus Robot Fighter 4000 A D 1 46 February 1963 January 1977 The Man from U N C L E 1 22 May 1965 April 1969 Mary Poppins January 1965 Maya March 1968 Merlin Jones as The Monkey s Uncle October 1965 McLintock March 1964 Mickey Mouse 85 204 November 1962 February 1980 Mickey Mouse Album 1 September 1963 Mickey Mouse Club 1 January 1964 The Microbots 1 December 1971 The Mighty Hercules July November 1963 Mighty Mouse 156 160 October 1962 October 1963 Mighty Samson 1 31 July 1964 March 1976 Milton the Monster and Fearless Fly 1 May 1966 Miracle of the White Stallions June 1963 The Misadventures of Merlin Jones May 1964 Mister Ed the Talking Horse 1 6 November 1962 February 1964 Moby Duck 1 30 October 1967 March 1978 Mod Wheels 1 19 February 1971 February 1976 The Modniks 1 2 August 1967 August 1970 The Moon Spinners October 1964 Mr and Mrs J Evil Scientist 1 4 November 1963 September 1966 Mutiny on the Bounty February 1963 The Munsters 1 16 January 1965 February 1968 Mushmouse and Punkin Puss 1 September 1965 My Favorite Martian 1 9 January 1964 October 1966 Mystery Comics Digest 1 26 March 1972 November 1975 N Edit National Velvet 1 2 December 1962 March 1963 The New Adventures of Huck Finn 1 December 1968 New Terrytoons TV Time 1 54 October 1962 January 1979 The Nurses 1 3 April October 1963 O Edit The Occult Files of Dr Spektor 1 24 April 1973 February 1977 O G Whiz 1 11 February 1971 January 1979 Old Yeller January 1966 O Malley and the Alley Cats 1 9 April 1971 January 1974 The Owl 1 2 April 1967 April 1968 P Edit Pebbles Flintstone 1 September 1963 Peter Potamus 1 January 1965 The Phantom 1 17 November 1962 July 1966 The Phantom Blot 1 7 October 1964 November 1966 The Pink Panther and the Inspector 1 87 April 1971 March 1984 Popeye the Sailor 66 80 139 171 October 1962 May 1966 May 1978 1982 Porky Pig 1 109 January 1965 June 1984 PT 109 September 1964 R Edit Raggedy Ann and Andy 1 6 December 1971 September 1973 Rawhide 1 2 April July 1963 October 1963 January 1964 The Rifleman 13 20 November 1962 October 1964 Rio Conchos March 1965 Ripley s Believe It or Not with three subtitles True War Stories 1 and 5 True Demons amp Monsters 7 10 19 22 25 26 and 29 and True Ghost stories remaining numbers not to be confused with the three issue Harvey Comic of 1953 4 94 April 1967 February 1980 Rocky and His Fiendish Friends 1 5 October 1962 September 1963 The Roman Holidays 1 4 February November 1973 Roy Rogers and Trigger 1 April 1967 Run Buddy Run 1 June 1967 S Edit Scamp 1 45 December 1967 January 1979 The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh 1 3 April 1964 October 1965 Scooby Doo Where Are You 1 30 March 1970 February 1975 Secret Agent 1 2 November 1966 January 1968 based upon the TV series Danger Man Secret Squirrel 1 October 1966 The Shaggy Dog and The Absent Minded Professor August 1967 Smokey Bear 1 13 February 1970 March 1973 Snagglepuss 1 4 October 1962 June 1963 Snooper and Blabber Detectives 1 3 November 1962 May 1963 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs September 1967 Son of Flubber April 1963 Space Family Robinson 1 59 December 1962 May 1982 retitled Space Family Robinson Lost in Space to tie in with the Lost in Space TV series but with no narrative connection maintained Space Ghost 1 December 1966 Space Mouse 1 5 November 1962 November 1963 Spine Tingling Tales 1 4 May 1975 January 1976 Star Trek 1 61 July 1967 March 1979 Steve Zodiac and the Fireball XL5 1 December 1963 Robin Hood June 1965 Summer Magic September 1963 Supercar 1 4 November 1962 August 1963 Super Goof 1 57 October 1965 February 1980 Swiss Family Robinson April 1969 The Sword in the Stone February 1964 T Edit Tales of Sword and Sorcery Featuring Dagar the Invincible 1 19 October 1972 January 1982 Tarzan of the Apes 132 206 November 1962 February 1972 Tasmanian Devil and His Tasty Friends 1 November 1962 That Darn Cat February 1966 Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines October 1965 The Three Stooges 10 55 October 1962 June 1972 primarily based on the animated TV series but also standalone adaptations of later Stooges films The Three Stooges in Orbit November 1962 Tiger Girl 1 September 1968 A Tiger Walks June 1964 The Time Tunnel 1 2 February July 1967 Tom and Jerry 213 344 November 1962 June 1984 Tono and Kono The Jungle Twins 1 18 April 1972 May 1982 Top Cat 4 31 October 1962 September 1970 Tragg and the Sky Gods 1 9 June 1975 May 1977 Tubby and the Little Men from Mars October 1964 Turok Son of Stone 30 125 December 1962 January 1980 Tweety and Sylvester 1 102 November 1963 February 1980 The Twilight Zone 1 92 November 1962 May 1982 U Edit UFO Flying Saucers 1 25 October 1968 February 1980 retitled UFO and Outer Space from 14 Uncle Scrooge 40 209 January 1963 March 1984 Uncle Scrooge and Donald Duck 1 June 1965 Uncle Scrooge and Money March 1967 Underdog 1 23 March 1975 February 1979 V Edit Vacation in Disneyland 1 August 1965 The Virginian 1 June 1963 Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea 1 16 December 1964 May 1969 W Edit Wacky Adventures of Cracky 1 12 December 1972 September 1975 Wacky Races 1 7 August 1969 May 1972 Wacky Witch 1 21 January 1971 January 1976 Wagon Train 1 4 January October 1964 Wally 1 4 December 1962 September 1963 Walt Disney Comics Digest 1 57 June 1968 February 1976 Walt Disney Showcase 1 54 October 1970 January 1980 Walt Disney s Comics and Stories 264 510 Sept 1962 July 1984 Walt Disney s Christmas Parade 1 9 January 1963 January 1972 Walt Disney s World of Adventure 1 3 April October 1963 Wart and the Wizard 1 November 1963 Where s Huddles 1 3 January December 1971 Who s Minding the Mint August 1967 The Wild Wild West 1 7 August 1966 October 1969 Winnie the Pooh 1 33 January 1977 July 1984 Woody Woodpecker 73 201 October 1962 March 1984 The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm October 1962 Woodsy Owl 1 10 November 1973 February 1976 X Edit X The Man with the X Ray Eyes September 1963 Y Edit Yakky Doodle and Chopper 1 December 1962 Yogi Bear 10 42 October 1962 October 1970 Yosemite Sam and Bugs Bunny 1 65 December 1970 December 1979 Z Edit Zody the Mod Rob 1 July 1970 References Edit Gold Key the Original Star Trek Comic Book Publisher Revived Under New Ownership CBR 2022 03 17 Retrieved 2022 03 18 a b c Markstein Don 2010 Gold Key Comics Don Markstein s Toonopedia Archived from the original on October 29 2015 A Whitman Comic Book at the Grand Comics Database Sampson Wade February 6 2008 The Biggest Disney Comic Book in the World Mouse Planet Archived from the original on April 11 2013 Booker M Keith 2014 Comics through Time A History of Icons Idols and Ideas Santa Barbara California Greenwood Publishing Group p xxviii ISBN 978 0313397509 Church Kevin August 27 2013 A Navigational Guide To 45 Years Of Star Trek Comics ComicsAlliance Archived from the original on September 5 2015 a b Markstein Don 2007 Space Family Robinson Don Markstein s Toonopedia Archived from the original on October 29 2015 Gold Key didn t sue because it had some very lucrative licensing deals going with various TV producers and didn t want to upset any apple carts Space Family Robinson Lost in Space at the Grand Comics Database Evanier Mark April 25 2006 Goodbye Charlie News From ME Archived from the original on September 5 2015 Markstein Don 2010 Charlton Comics Don Markstein s Toonopedia Archived from the original on July 8 2018 After abandoning licensing for a decade or so Charlton re entered that field in 1967 by picking up the titles of King Comics Flash Gordon Popeye The Phantom Blondie Jungle Jim and Beetle Bailey In 1970 most of the Hanna Barbera characters including Yogi Bear and The Flintstones went from Gold Key to Charlton Markstein Don 2005 Magnus Robot Fighter 4000 AD Don Markstein s Toonopedia Archived from the original on October 31 2015 Russell Manning Lambiek Comiclopedia March 22 2015 Archived from the original on October 15 2015 Russ Manning also created Magnus Robot Fighter 1963 68 for the Gold Key comic books Especially Magnus stood out for its excellent artwork Markstein Don 2010 Tiger Girl Don Markstein s Toonopedia Archived from the original on June 9 2014 Tiger Girl s comic was drawn by Jack Sparling The writer was no less a personage than Jerry Siegel who co created Superman himself Friedt Stephan October 2014 Here Come the Microbots Back Issue Raleigh North Carolina TwoMorrows Publishing 76 11 13 Jack Sparling at the Grand Comics Database Jack Sparling Lambiek Comiclopedia 2015 Archived from the original on October 2 2015 Dan Spiegle at the Grand Comics Database Dan Spiegle Lambiek Comiclopedia July 7 2013 Archived from the original on September 19 2015 He also did fillers and issues of Space Family Robinson Magnus Robot Fighter Maverick Tarzan Brothers of the Spear Flipper and Lassie When Russ Manning left Dell in 1967 Spiegle took over the Korak title Evanier Mark June 30 2010 Joe Messerli R I P NewsFromMe Archived from the original on October 29 2015 Jesse Santos Lambiek Comiclopedia May 9 2013 Archived from the original on October 5 2015 He began an association with Western Publications in 1970 and illustrated Gold Key titles like Brothers of the Spear Dagar Dr Spektor and Tragg Markstein Don 2007 Doctor Spektor Don Markstein s Toonopedia Archived from the original on October 26 2015 Dr Adam Spektor a researcher of the supernatural was introduced in Mystery Comics Digest 5 July 1972 The story was written by Don Glut and drawn by Dan Spiegle Markstein Don 2009 Dagar the Invincible Don Markstein s Toonopedia Archived from the original on October 26 2015 Dagar started as a non series character the hero of a story that writer Don Glut wrote for Gold Key s Mystery Comics Digest Markstein Don 2007 Tragg and the Sky Gods Don Markstein s Toonopedia Archived from the original on October 26 2015 Writer Don Glut and artist Jesse Santos supplied the comic in which aliens from interstellar space had a profound effect on a tribe of Stone Age people The Complete Works of Frank Miller Moebiusgraphics com n d Archived from the original on September 8 2015 Lee Stephan November 26 2011 Diana Gabaldon on her favorite and least favorite books The EW Book Quiz Entertainment Weekly Archived from the original on September 24 2015 Evanier Mark October 12 2006 Jerry Belson R I P News From ME Archived from the original on October 29 2015 Evanier Mark May 29 2009 More on Leo Dorfman News From Me Archived from the original on October 6 2012 Retrieved November 3 2012 Gold Key amp Charlton News The Comic Reader No 96 April 1973 Archived from the original on March 17 2014 Retrieved March 17 2014 Ro Ronin 2004 Tales to Astonish Jack Kirby Stan Lee and the American Comic Book Revolution London United Kingdom Bloomsbury Publishing p 158 ISBN 978 1422359013 Markstein Don 2007 Baby Snoots Don Markstein s Toonopedia Archived from the original on March 7 2015 Baby Snoots a Gold Key original launched with an August 1970 cover date was a young elephant Snoots lasted a respectable 22 issues Markstein Don 2007 Wacky Witch Don Markstein s Toonopedia Archived from the original on April 14 2016 Wacky ran 21 issues ending with a December 1975 cover date Darius Julian May 13 2013 On the Very First Star Trek 1 Sequart Organization Archived from the original on September 12 2015 Scott s Classic Comics Corner Shedding Some Light on Dynabrite Comic Book Resources September 28 2010 Archived from the original on June 9 2011 The Last Word in Comics Dynabrite Gold Key Comics n d Archived from the original on September 5 2015 Starstream at the Grand Comics Database Walt Disney Christmas Parade at the Grand Comics Database Bugs Bunny Comics Go Round at the Grand Comics Database Star Trek The Enterprise Logs at the Grand Comics Database Danhauser Curt n d Guide to the Gold Key Star Trek Comics Curtdanhauser com Archived from the original on August 28 2019 Retrieved June 29 2009 a b c Evanier Mark May 2 2007 More on Comicpacs News From ME Archived from the original on October 29 2015 Marcus Leonard S 2007 Golden Legacy Golden Books ISBN 978 0 375 82996 3 Becattini Alberto 2016 Disney Comics The Whole Story Theme Park Press p 78 ISBN 978 1683900177 a b Becattini Alberto 2016 Walt s People Volume 12 Xlibris ISBN 978 1477147894 Gunnarsson Joakim March 31 2013 The Collectors Editions that never was Sekvenskonst Archived from the original on May 2 2014 History of Western Publishing Funding Universe citing International Directory of Company Histories Vol 13 St James Press 1996 Archived from the original on July 24 2012 Retrieved August 12 2015 Samsel Robert January 1993 The State of Valiant Address Wizard Wizard Entertainment 17 47 54 Tarzan The Jesse Marsh Years Vol 1 Dark Horse Comics Archived from the original on July 28 2014 Retrieved October 7 2012 Tarzan The Jesse Marsh Years Vol 2 Dark Horse Comics Archived from the original on July 28 2014 Retrieved October 7 2012 Tarzan The Jesse Marsh Years Vol 3 Dark Horse Comics Archived from the original on July 6 2014 Retrieved October 7 2012 Tarzan The Jesse Marsh Years Vol 4 Dark Horse Comics Archived from the original on July 28 2014 Retrieved October 7 2012 Tarzan The Russ Manning Years Vol 1 Dark Horse Comics Archived from the original on July 21 2013 Retrieved October 7 2012 Manning Shaun July 25 2009 CCI Jim Shooter Talks Gold Key at Dark Horse Comic Book Resources Archived from the original on June 10 2015 Weiland Jonah January 29 2004 Checker collects Gold Key Star Trek issues Comic Book Resources Archived from the original on October 29 2015 Hermes to Collect Irwin Allen Comics Newsarama October 16 2008 Archived from the original on March 4 2016 a b Adair Torsten December 10 2011 Coming Attractions Fall 2011 Hermes Press ComicsBeat Archived from the original on September 28 2015 My Favorite Martian The Complete Series at the Grand Comics Database Isabella Tony May 17 2003 Tony s Online Tips World Famous Comics Archived from the original on September 6 2015 Retrieved June 20 2014 DIC gets busy in books and vids CNN com Golden Books sold for poky little 84M CNN August 16 2001 Retrieved 2022 06 10 Spectrum Equity Investors April 7 2005 Spectrum Equity Investors Takes Majority Stake in Classic Media America s Largest Independent Family Entertainment Company Press release PR Newswire Retrieved August 17 2015 DeMott Rick Classic Media Gets Monetary Backing Animation World Network Awn com Retrieved August 17 2015 Poky Little 84M deal CNN Reuters August 16 2001 Archived from the original on October 7 2012 Retrieved July 3 2014 Kung Michelle July 22 2012 DreamWorks Buys Classics Studio Expands Library With Staples Such as Casper Boosting Its IP Portfolio The Wall Street Journal Archived from the original on August 14 2015 Retrieved September 29 2013 Additional on August 14 2015 Opening paragraphs only without subscription Bosman Julie July 2013 Penguin and Random House Merge Saying Change Will Come Slowly The New York Times Retrieved August 17 2015 Comcast s NBCUniversal buys DreamWorks Animation in 3 8 billion deal Los Angeles Times 28 April 2016 Retrieved 28 April 2016 GOLD KEY Trademark of Willis Robert Serial Number 90218909 Trademark Elite Trademarks www trademarkelite com Retrieved 2021 09 10 Privacy in Action Robert Willis Hacker amp Author Startpage com Blog 2020 10 01 Retrieved 2021 09 10 The Little Monsters at the Grand Comics Database Markstein Don 2007 The Little Monsters Don Markstein s Toonopedia Archived from the original on November 12 2015 Retrieved November 12 2015 External links EditWestern publisher at the Grand Comics Database Gold Key Comics at Inducks Evanier Mark April 29 2007 It s in the Bag NewsFromMe Archived from the original on October 29 2015 Kelly Rob ed Other Golden Picture Story Book 1 4 TreasuryComics com Archived from the original on October 26 2015 Retrieved March 17 2014 1964 Gold Key subscription advtisement Gold Key Comics Archived from the original on October 20 2013 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Gold Key Comics amp oldid 1152099302, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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