Mickey Mouse (comics)
Encyclopedia
Mickey Mouse is a comic book series that has a long-running history, first appearing in 1941 as part of the Four Color
one-shot series. It received its own numbering system with issue #28 (1953), and is currently published by Boom! Studios
under its Boom! Kids imprint.
The book emphasizes stories with Mickey and his supporting cast: Goofy
, Donald Duck
, Minnie Mouse
, Pluto
and Mickey's nephews Morty and Ferdie Fieldmouse. Mickey's perpetual rival is the criminal Peg-Leg Pete (sometimes "Black Pete" or "Big Bad Pete"). Other adversaries have included Emil Eagle, Eli Squinch, Sylvester Shyster, the team of Dangerous Dan McBoo and Idjit the Midget, and the Phantom Blot
. Two major artistic influences on the appearance of Mickey in comics are Floyd Gottfredson
, who drew the Mickey Mouse daily newspaper strip from 1930 to 1975, and comic book artist Paul Murry
, who drew Mickey stories from 1950 to 1984.
and text pieces by Irving Brecher
. By mid-1936, Horne turned over the magazine to Kay Kamen who oversaw merchandising for Disney. Kamen the following year recruited Western Publishing
to handle production and publication. Western added reprinted Disney comic strips to the book's lineup; these included Gottfredson's Mickey daily strips re-formatted and colored for serialized comic book publication. In the words of historian Michael Barrier
"Reprinted newspaper comics were never more than a minor part of its lineup until the very last issue, dated September 1940, when they suddenly took up half the pages." The successor title, Walt Disney's Comics and Stories
(WDC&S), described by Barrier as a true comic book, began publication with the Oct. 1940 issue and had the Gottfredson serials as a prominent feature.
In the 1940s, Mickey's adventures appeared in a series of Four Color
Dell Comics
one-shots with the name "Mickey Mouse" prominently displayed on the cover. In 1953, these one-shots evolved into a regular series titled Mickey Mouse, starting with issue #28 and lasting through 1990.
Although other magazines called Mickey Mouse were available in many countries, they often were less like the American title and more resembled WDC&S, acting as the flagship Disney title for its circulation area and thus containing stories of all the major Disney characters as a function of its anthology format.
spy mania of the period for three issues (#107-109) the comic was titled Mickey Mouse, Super Secret Agent with stories of Mickey and Goofy becoming international spies and interacting with human characters in realistic settings. While Mickey and Goofy were drawn in the usual "cartoony" style by Paul Murry, the other characters and backgrounds were done by Dan Spiegle
in a realistic manner. Comic book historian Michael Barrier
dubbed it an aesthetic failure in a contemporary review.
By the 1970s, contents of the Mickey Mouse title mostly consisted of the reprinting of earlier stories, sometimes from Walt Disney's Comics and Stories
or other Disney publications. The average paid circulation between September 1969 and September 1970, when the comic was published six times a year, and cost 15 cents, was 223,396, whereas in 1960 the figure stood at 568,803.
assumed publication of Mickey Mouse in 1986, still publishing reprints, but which were recolored, taking advantage of more modern inking and printing techniques. Stories from foreign Walt Disney comic books were also translated and included. Issues contained a description of the source of each story, and gave credit to the writers and artists by name — which had not previously been done. Letters to the editor often provided additional story background.
Although the circulation of Mickey Mouse had declined for years, especially compared to Uncle Scrooge
, in 1987 Gladstone said it had become their top selling title. Even so, in late 1987 Gladstone announced they were cutting all their publications back to eight issues per year (because comics sell less well in fall and winter). The cover price went from 75 cents to 95 cents in 1987 (roughly $1.25 to $1.60 in 2007 dollars). Gladstone published many of Gottfredson's Mickey stories that had never been reprinted since the 1930s or 1940s. Mickey Mouse ceased publication in 1990, with issue #256, when Gladstone lost their license to publish the Disney characters.
, was published by Disney's then-new comic book imprint, Disney Comics
. Disney Comics ceased all publications in 1993.
Additionally, the two part "Perils of Mickey" adventure, "Return to Blaggard Castle/Shadows of the Past", by writer David Cody Weiss and artist Stephen DeStefano, was published in two consecutive 1993 issues of Disney Adventures
magazine. This story was a direct sequel to the 1930s Floyd Gottfredson story, "Blaggard Castle," and featured a return to the classic Mickey Mouse art style. The story has not yet been reprinted anywhere else.
was granted the license for Disney's comic book characters. They relaunched Mickey Mouse under an expanded title, Mickey Mouse and Friends, continuing the original numbering from #257. The printing of Mickey Mouse and Friends was high quality, and the cost was $2.95. Similar to Gladstone's practice, most advertising in the issues was for Gemstone's own products.
Gemstone also took over publication of Mickey Mouse Adventures magazine, converting it to a digest
, and announcing that it was the first "Disney controlled" comic publication in Disney comics' 55 year history that had not been not licensed to other publishers such as Dell, Gold Key and Gladstone.
In 2006, Gemstone ceased publication of both Mickey Mouse Adventures and Mickey Mouse and Friends (along with several non-Mickey titles), leaving WDC&S as the only outlet for Mickey Mouse comic book stories in the United States until 2009.
assumed the license for Disney's stable of comic book characters and resumed publication of both Mickey Mouse and Friends and WDC&S under their Boom! Kids imprint, continuing the original issue numbering. Boom! Studios' Mickey Mouse and Friends contains full-issue, multi-part modern stories originally created in Europe and translated to English.
Boom! Studios began serializing the multi-part Italian Wizards of Mickey
epic from MM #296-299. It then spun off into its own title. (To date, there have been many "Wizards of Mickey" sagas produced and published in Italy, most yet unpublished in the USA.)
As with Boom! Studios' other Disney-related titles, two versions of each issue of Mickey Mouse and Friends were released in early months; one with "Cover A," the other with "Cover B." Aside from the two different covers, the two versions of each issue were identical and had the same contents.
The first Boom! Studios issue of Mickey Mouse and Friends was issue #296, released in September 2009. According to a Boom! Studios press release, the issue sold out immediately upon release. Boom! put the series on hiatus with #299 for several months, with the big #300 anniversary issue to be published September 2010.
From issue #300 to the present, the series has reverted to featuring a mixture of new and vintage Mickey stories set in Mickey's everyday life. Issue #304 was the last issue to feature two variant covers; from #305 on, each issue has only been printed with a single cover design.
The original title Mickey Mouse replaced Mickey Mouse and Friends with issue #304, and has remained just Mickey Mouse since that time.
In 2011, the Boom! Studios titles changed to Kaboom! However, by October of that year all Disney comics, including Mickey Mouse, ceased publication. The final Mickey Mouse single issue was #309.
Torcivia, Joseph. Mickey Mouse Checklist. 1983, privately printed. Distributed as a supplement to Duckburg Times #17/18.
Four Color
Four Color, also known as Four Color Comics and One Shots, was a long-running American comic book anthology series published by Dell Comics between 1939 and 1962...
one-shot series. It received its own numbering system with issue #28 (1953), and is currently published by Boom! Studios
Boom! Studios
BOOM! Studios is an American comic book company headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States. The "BOOM!" in BOOM! Studios is always capitalized by the company.-History:BOOM! was founded June 22, 2005 with Zombie Tales #1....
under its Boom! Kids imprint.
The book emphasizes stories with Mickey and his supporting cast: Goofy
Goofy
Goofy is a cartoon character created in 1932 at Walt Disney Productions. Goofy is a tall, anthropomorphic dog, and typically wears a turtle neck and vest, with pants, shoes, white gloves, and a tall hat originally designed as a rumpled fedora. Goofy is a close friend of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck...
, Donald Duck
Donald Duck
Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
, Minnie Mouse
Minnie Mouse
Minerva "Minnie" Mouse is an animated character created by Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney. The comic strip story "The Gleam" by Merrill De Maris and Floyd Gottfredson first gave her full name as Minerva Mouse. Minnie has since been a recurring alias for her. Minnie is currently voiced by actress Russi...
, Pluto
Pluto (Disney)
Pluto, also called Pluto the Pup, is a cartoon character created in 1930 by Walt Disney Productions. He is a light brown , medium-sized, short-haired dog. Unlike Goofy, Pluto is not anthropomorphic beyond some characteristics such as facial expression...
and Mickey's nephews Morty and Ferdie Fieldmouse. Mickey's perpetual rival is the criminal Peg-Leg Pete (sometimes "Black Pete" or "Big Bad Pete"). Other adversaries have included Emil Eagle, Eli Squinch, Sylvester Shyster, the team of Dangerous Dan McBoo and Idjit the Midget, and the Phantom Blot
Phantom Blot
The Phantom Blot is a fictional character featured in various media by The Walt Disney Company. He is an enemy of Mickey Mouse. He first appeared in the Mickey Mouse comic strip adventure Mickey Mouse Outwits The Phantom Blot by Floyd Gottfredson, which was published in the form of daily strips...
. Two major artistic influences on the appearance of Mickey in comics are Floyd Gottfredson
Floyd Gottfredson
Arthur Floyd Gottfredson was an American cartoonist best known for his defining work on the Mickey Mouse comic strip. He has probably had the same impact on the Mickey Mouse comics as Carl Barks had on the Donald Duck comics...
, who drew the Mickey Mouse daily newspaper strip from 1930 to 1975, and comic book artist Paul Murry
Paul Murry
Paul Murry was an American cartoonist and comics artist. He is best known for his Disney comics, which appeared in Dell Comics and Gold Key Comics from 1946 to 1984....
, who drew Mickey stories from 1950 to 1984.
Early development
In the mid 1930s original Mickey comic book stories were being produced in Italy and the United Kingdom for local consumption. Publishing Mickey comic book stories in the United States was pioneered by the third Mickey Mouse Magazine series (1935-1940). Initially published by Hal Horne, it had artwork by John StanleyJohn Stanley (comics)
John Stanley was a comic book creator, best known for writing Little Lulu from 1945 to 1959. While mostly known for scripting, Stanley also was an accomplished artist who drew many of his stories, including the earliest Little Lulu issues. His specialty was humorous stories, both with licensed...
and text pieces by Irving Brecher
Irving Brecher
Irving Brecher enjoyed early success as a screenwriter for the Marx Brothers; he was the only writer to get sole credit on a Marx Brothers film including At the Circus in 1939 and Go West in 1940...
. By mid-1936, Horne turned over the magazine to Kay Kamen who oversaw merchandising for Disney. Kamen the following year recruited Western Publishing
Western Publishing
Western Publishing, also known as Western Printing and Lithographing Company was a Racine, Wisconsin firm responsible for publishing the Little Golden Books. Western Publishing also produced children's books and family-related entertainment products as Golden Books Family Entertainment...
to handle production and publication. Western added reprinted Disney comic strips to the book's lineup; these included Gottfredson's Mickey daily strips re-formatted and colored for serialized comic book publication. In the words of historian Michael Barrier
Michael Barrier (historian)
Michael Barrier is an American animation historian. Barrier was the founder and editor of Funnyworld, the first magazine exclusively devoted to comics and animation. It began as a contribution to the CAPA-Alpha amateur press association...
"Reprinted newspaper comics were never more than a minor part of its lineup until the very last issue, dated September 1940, when they suddenly took up half the pages." The successor title, Walt Disney's Comics and Stories
Walt Disney's Comics and Stories
Walt Disney's Comics and Stories, sometimes abbreviated WDC or WDC&S, is an anthology comic book series that has an assortment of Disney characters, including Donald Duck, Scrooge McDuck, Mickey Mouse, Chip 'n Dale, Lil Bad Wolf, Scamp, Bucky Bug, Grandma Duck, Brer Rabbit, Winnie the Pooh, and...
(WDC&S), described by Barrier as a true comic book, began publication with the Oct. 1940 issue and had the Gottfredson serials as a prominent feature.
In the 1940s, Mickey's adventures appeared in a series of Four Color
Four Color
Four Color, also known as Four Color Comics and One Shots, was a long-running American comic book anthology series published by Dell Comics between 1939 and 1962...
Dell Comics
Dell Comics
Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1973. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium...
one-shots with the name "Mickey Mouse" prominently displayed on the cover. In 1953, these one-shots evolved into a regular series titled Mickey Mouse, starting with issue #28 and lasting through 1990.
Although other magazines called Mickey Mouse were available in many countries, they often were less like the American title and more resembled WDC&S, acting as the flagship Disney title for its circulation area and thus containing stories of all the major Disney characters as a function of its anthology format.
Classic era
The American Mickey Mouse title experienced changes in artists, publishers, length, cost, and printing quality over the years. A unique experiment deviating from the norm occurred in 1966: Inspired by the James BondJames Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
spy mania of the period for three issues (#107-109) the comic was titled Mickey Mouse, Super Secret Agent with stories of Mickey and Goofy becoming international spies and interacting with human characters in realistic settings. While Mickey and Goofy were drawn in the usual "cartoony" style by Paul Murry, the other characters and backgrounds were done by Dan Spiegle
Dan Spiegle
Dan Spiegle is an American comic book and cartoon artist and illustrator . He has had a long career in drawing comics based on movie and television characters, and has worked for companies including Dell Comics, DC Comics and Marvel Comics.-Life and career:In his second year of high school,...
in a realistic manner. Comic book historian Michael Barrier
Michael Barrier (historian)
Michael Barrier is an American animation historian. Barrier was the founder and editor of Funnyworld, the first magazine exclusively devoted to comics and animation. It began as a contribution to the CAPA-Alpha amateur press association...
dubbed it an aesthetic failure in a contemporary review.
By the 1970s, contents of the Mickey Mouse title mostly consisted of the reprinting of earlier stories, sometimes from Walt Disney's Comics and Stories
Walt Disney's Comics and Stories
Walt Disney's Comics and Stories, sometimes abbreviated WDC or WDC&S, is an anthology comic book series that has an assortment of Disney characters, including Donald Duck, Scrooge McDuck, Mickey Mouse, Chip 'n Dale, Lil Bad Wolf, Scamp, Bucky Bug, Grandma Duck, Brer Rabbit, Winnie the Pooh, and...
or other Disney publications. The average paid circulation between September 1969 and September 1970, when the comic was published six times a year, and cost 15 cents, was 223,396, whereas in 1960 the figure stood at 568,803.
Gladstone
Gladstone PublishingGladstone Publishing
Gladstone Publishing was an American company that published Disney comics from 1986 to 1990 and from 1993 to 1998. The company had its origins as a subsidiary of "Another Rainbow", a company formed by Bruce Hamilton and Russ Cochran to publish the Carl Barks Library and produce limited edition...
assumed publication of Mickey Mouse in 1986, still publishing reprints, but which were recolored, taking advantage of more modern inking and printing techniques. Stories from foreign Walt Disney comic books were also translated and included. Issues contained a description of the source of each story, and gave credit to the writers and artists by name — which had not previously been done. Letters to the editor often provided additional story background.
Although the circulation of Mickey Mouse had declined for years, especially compared to Uncle Scrooge
Uncle Scrooge
Uncle Scrooge is a comic book with the stingy Scrooge McDuck "the richest duck in the world" as the main character. The series also featured Donald Duck and his nephews as supporting characters. The first 70 issues mostly consisted of stories written and drawn by Carl Barks, the creator of Scrooge...
, in 1987 Gladstone said it had become their top selling title. Even so, in late 1987 Gladstone announced they were cutting all their publications back to eight issues per year (because comics sell less well in fall and winter). The cover price went from 75 cents to 95 cents in 1987 (roughly $1.25 to $1.60 in 2007 dollars). Gladstone published many of Gottfredson's Mickey stories that had never been reprinted since the 1930s or 1940s. Mickey Mouse ceased publication in 1990, with issue #256, when Gladstone lost their license to publish the Disney characters.
Publication hiatus
From 1990 to 2003, no Mickey Mouse comic book was published in the United States. However, from 1990 to 1991, a new comic book, Mickey Mouse AdventuresMickey Mouse Adventures
Mickey Mouse Adventures was a comic book first published by Disney Comics from 1990 to 1991. It featured Mickey Mouse as the main character along with other characters from the Mickey Mouse universe...
, was published by Disney's then-new comic book imprint, Disney Comics
Disney Comics
Disney Comics was a comic book publishing company operated by The Walt Disney Company which ran from 1990 to 1993. In the USA, Disney only licensed their comic books to other publishers prior to 1990...
. Disney Comics ceased all publications in 1993.
Additionally, the two part "Perils of Mickey" adventure, "Return to Blaggard Castle/Shadows of the Past", by writer David Cody Weiss and artist Stephen DeStefano, was published in two consecutive 1993 issues of Disney Adventures
Disney Adventures
Disney Adventures was a children's entertainment and educational magazine published ten times per year by The Walt Disney Company. It should not be confused with the Disney Magazine...
magazine. This story was a direct sequel to the 1930s Floyd Gottfredson story, "Blaggard Castle," and featured a return to the classic Mickey Mouse art style. The story has not yet been reprinted anywhere else.
Gemstone
In 2003 Gemstone PublishingGemstone Publishing
Gemstone Publishing is a U.S. company that publishes comic books and collectors' guides. The company was formed by Diamond Comic Distributors President and Chief Executive Officer Stephen A. Geppi. Gemstone published licensed Disney comic books from June 2003 until November 2008. The company has...
was granted the license for Disney's comic book characters. They relaunched Mickey Mouse under an expanded title, Mickey Mouse and Friends, continuing the original numbering from #257. The printing of Mickey Mouse and Friends was high quality, and the cost was $2.95. Similar to Gladstone's practice, most advertising in the issues was for Gemstone's own products.
Gemstone also took over publication of Mickey Mouse Adventures magazine, converting it to a digest
Digest size
Digest size is a magazine size, smaller than a conventional or "journal size" magazine but larger than a standard paperback book, approximately 5½ x 8¼ inches, but can also be 5⅜ x 8⅜ inches and 5½ x 7½ inches. These sizes have evolved from the printing press operation end...
, and announcing that it was the first "Disney controlled" comic publication in Disney comics' 55 year history that had not been not licensed to other publishers such as Dell, Gold Key and Gladstone.
In 2006, Gemstone ceased publication of both Mickey Mouse Adventures and Mickey Mouse and Friends (along with several non-Mickey titles), leaving WDC&S as the only outlet for Mickey Mouse comic book stories in the United States until 2009.
Boom! Kids
In 2009, Boom! StudiosBoom! Studios
BOOM! Studios is an American comic book company headquartered in Los Angeles, California, United States. The "BOOM!" in BOOM! Studios is always capitalized by the company.-History:BOOM! was founded June 22, 2005 with Zombie Tales #1....
assumed the license for Disney's stable of comic book characters and resumed publication of both Mickey Mouse and Friends and WDC&S under their Boom! Kids imprint, continuing the original issue numbering. Boom! Studios' Mickey Mouse and Friends contains full-issue, multi-part modern stories originally created in Europe and translated to English.
Boom! Studios began serializing the multi-part Italian Wizards of Mickey
Wizards of Mickey
Wizards of Mickey is an Italian fantasy comic saga that began on October 2006. It was created by The Walt Disney Company Italy. There are currently five parts to it: Wizards of Mickey, Wizards of Mickey II - The Dark Ages, Wizards of Mickey III - The Ancient Evil, Wizards of Mickey IV - The New...
epic from MM #296-299. It then spun off into its own title. (To date, there have been many "Wizards of Mickey" sagas produced and published in Italy, most yet unpublished in the USA.)
As with Boom! Studios' other Disney-related titles, two versions of each issue of Mickey Mouse and Friends were released in early months; one with "Cover A," the other with "Cover B." Aside from the two different covers, the two versions of each issue were identical and had the same contents.
The first Boom! Studios issue of Mickey Mouse and Friends was issue #296, released in September 2009. According to a Boom! Studios press release, the issue sold out immediately upon release. Boom! put the series on hiatus with #299 for several months, with the big #300 anniversary issue to be published September 2010.
From issue #300 to the present, the series has reverted to featuring a mixture of new and vintage Mickey stories set in Mickey's everyday life. Issue #304 was the last issue to feature two variant covers; from #305 on, each issue has only been printed with a single cover design.
The original title Mickey Mouse replaced Mickey Mouse and Friends with issue #304, and has remained just Mickey Mouse since that time.
In 2011, the Boom! Studios titles changed to Kaboom! However, by October of that year all Disney comics, including Mickey Mouse, ceased publication. The final Mickey Mouse single issue was #309.
Publication Summary
- Dell Comics - title began as a selection of Four ColorFour ColorFour Color, also known as Four Color Comics and One Shots, was a long-running American comic book anthology series published by Dell Comics between 1939 and 1962...
one-shots, starting with Four Color #16 ("Mickey Mouse Outwits the Phantom Blot," 1941). The regular series launched with Mickey Mouse #28 (Dec./Jan. 1952/1953), and was published by Dell until issue #84 (Jul./Sep. 1962). - Gold Key Comics (1962-1980; Mickey Mouse #85-204)
- Whitman (1980-1984; Mickey Mouse #205-218)
- Gladstone Publishing (1986-1990; Mickey Mouse #219-#256)
- Gemstone Publishing (2003-2006; Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse and Friends #257-295)
- BOOM! Studios (2009- Mickey Mouse and Friends #296-)
See also
- Disney comics in the USA (general overview)
- Other notable Disney comic titles in the USA:
- Walt Disney's Comics and StoriesWalt Disney's Comics and StoriesWalt Disney's Comics and Stories, sometimes abbreviated WDC or WDC&S, is an anthology comic book series that has an assortment of Disney characters, including Donald Duck, Scrooge McDuck, Mickey Mouse, Chip 'n Dale, Lil Bad Wolf, Scamp, Bucky Bug, Grandma Duck, Brer Rabbit, Winnie the Pooh, and...
(since 1940) - Donald Duck Four ColorDonald Duck Four ColorDonald Duck is a comic book starring the Disney character Donald Duck and published by various publishers since 1952. Initially, the series was a "try out" magazine that featured Four Color Comics characters that didn't have their own titles...
(since 2003 Donald Duck and Friends; 1952-1984, 1986-1997, 2003-2008, 2009-today) - Uncle ScroogeUncle ScroogeUncle Scrooge is a comic book with the stingy Scrooge McDuck "the richest duck in the world" as the main character. The series also featured Donald Duck and his nephews as supporting characters. The first 70 issues mostly consisted of stories written and drawn by Carl Barks, the creator of Scrooge...
(1952-1984, 1986-1998, 2003-November 2008, September 2009-today) - Huey, Dewey and Louie Junior Woodchucks (1966-1984)
- Uncle Scrooge AdventuresUncle Scrooge AdventuresUncle Scrooge Adventures is a comic book published by Gladstone Publishing under license from the Walt Disney Company. It features the adventures of Scrooge McDuck and his nephews...
(1987-1990, 1993-1997) - Donald Duck AdventuresDonald Duck AdventuresDonald Duck Adventures was a comic book featuring the adventures of Donald Duck and his nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie.- Gladstone I: 1987–1990 and Gladstone II: 1993–1997 :Gladstone Publishing published 48 issues...
(1988-1990, 1993-1997)
- Walt Disney's Comics and Stories
Further reading
Barrier, Michael. "Mickey Mouse, Super Secret Agent." Fantasy Illustrated #6 (Sept. 1966); reprinted in Duckburg Times #16 (1982)Torcivia, Joseph. Mickey Mouse Checklist. 1983, privately printed. Distributed as a supplement to Duckburg Times #17/18.
External links
- Mickey Mouse on INDUCKS
- Mickey Mouse (and Friends) on Disney Comics Worldwide (DCW)
- Cover of all issues of Mickey Mouse on outducks.org
- Scott Shaw on Mickey Mouse, Super Secret Agent
- The Perils of Mickey: Return to Blaggard Castle at inducks
- Official Mickey Mouse and Friends page at Boom! Studios
- Exclusive BOOM Preview: Mickey Mouse and Friends #296 at Newsarama