The story codes (revised)

Harry Fluks H.W.Fluks at research.ptt.nl
Sun Dec 13 14:21:09 CET 1992


This is a revised version of 'The story codes'. I mailed the previous
version last August.

THE STORY CODES
---------------

There are quite a few countries that made Disney stories.
This is a list of them, giving a short description of how to recognize
the stories, mostly by the code.
I do not know all the details, so I if am wrong, please correct me.

The story code can be found on the first page of a story, mostly on the first
panel. About 1969/70, Disney told the various publishers that every story
should have a code, from then on. I think that is the time they agreed that
every publisher would choose a different letter to begin the code with.

Most stories as they were (re)printed in Holland before 1970, did not have a
code at all.

And now per country/publisher:


USA - King Features Syndicate
-----------------------------
These are the newspaper comic strips. They are indicated by their
publishing date, sometimes preceded by 'WDP', 'WDE', 'KF' or 'KFS'.
When reprinted in Europe, the publishing date may be either in USA
format (MM-DD-YY) or in European format (DD-MM-YY).

Note that a date does not identify a story or gag uniquely, since
there were several newspaper series at the same time, like Donald
Duck, Mickey Mouse, Silly Symphonies, Scamp.


USA - Western (Dell/Gold Key)
-----------------------------
Western produced stories since 1942 (?). They did not give the stories a
code, but the _comics_ were coded, mostly on the bottom of the first
interior page (and sometimes in giant sized comics also on the 33rd page).

Sometimes this code was wrong, e.g. in Uncle Scrooge #4, which was coded
S.M.O.S. 521-5312 (They originally planned to issue the comic as a One Shot).

When reprinted, these codes sometimes were not removed, so they served as
a story code.

In later reprints, all stories from an original comic got the code of that
comic. This means that all stories that appeared in the same issue have the
same code.
Sometimes, the Dutch reprint had a W or WR before the code: WR-WDC 147.
WR = Western Reprint?


USA - Gladstone
---------------
Gladstone used the code 'AR' for their own stories (mostly Van Horn and Rosa).
AR stands for Another Rainbow, the 'mother' of Gladstone.
For some reason, they started with AR 101.


USA - Disney
------------
Disney Comics has the habit to code ALL the stories, not only their own.
So, Danish stories get a double code when published in a Disney Comic.
The Disney codes start with a K. They have some system in identifying
the comic and the year. In 1990 is was just like KD-01-90. In 1991 and
after that, the codes got more complicated, like KJD093-1.

Disney Comics also was the first (?) to give the *covers* a code.


USA - Disney Studio's
---------------------
>From 1963 on, the Disney Studios's produced comics for the 'Foreign
market'.

In the 60s, the code was built as follows:
1st digit = the last digit of the year
next digits = sequence number.
Example: #6178. This is the 178th story the studios made in 1966.
Sometimes, the code was preceded by an 'X' or 'XTRA' or a little
square.

>From 1970 on, the codes are preceded by an 'S'. Example: S-2106 = 106th
story in 1972.
>From 1973 on, the story codes contained the last 2 digits of the year, to
avoid ambiguities with the stories from 1963 etc.
Example: S-73002.

Tony Strobl, Al Hubbard and Jack Bradbury drew a lot of 'Studio'
stories, along with a bunch of new artists. New characters and
situations were introduced, like (in the 60s): Fethry Duck; Double-O
Duck; Madam Mim & Magica living together in a castle.
In the 70s and 80s: Goofy as a famous historic character; Goofy gives
a lesson; the greatest detective of London: Oliver Flops (=Dutch
name; English name unknown).


Denmark - Gutenberghus / Egmont
-------------------------------
Gutenberghus produces Disney comics since 1971 (?). They are coded D + 4
digits. They started at D-2000.
>From the year after they reached D-10000 on (1988), the stories are
coded per year, e.g. D 88020.
For some reason, the stories of the Wuzzles, Gummibears and Winnie the
Pooh (and some more) have their own story numbers, like D-GUB/101.

A peculiarity: all known codes between D 5274 and D 10166 are _even_.
The reason for this in unknown.

I remember some non-Disney stories that also had a D-code; they were
Flintstone stories (published in 1973).

Gutenberghus is called Egmont from 1992 on.


Holland - Oberon / Geillusteerde Pers
-------------------------------------
In Holland, they started to make an occasional Disney story in 1953.
>From 1965-1969, they let the Toonder Studio's make 4-page stories
of Li'l bad wolf and Hiawatha. These stories are _very_ Dutch,
I think no foreigner would understand them.

In 1970, the editor started its own production. The editor was
then called Geillustreerde Pers (Illustrated Press), and the first
stories were coded with GP. In 1971, they started to code the
stories with an H.

In 1972, GP was renamed to Oberon; about 1990, the Disney part of Oberon
became GP again.

>From 1969 to 1972, the stories were only numbered by character, e.g.
GP-MM-1 (= Jippes MM story).
>From 1973 to 1978, the stories were numbered by year _and_ character,
e.g. H-DD-7418. (In Gladstone reprints the 'DD' was removed from the
code: H 7418.)
Since 1979, the stories are numbered by year only, e.g. H 7934.


Italy - Mondadori
-----------------
>From the mid-50s on, Mondadori Studio's produced many stories, in a
very own style.
Most of the stories that are reprinted in Holland have no code; those
that have, have an I, followed by (an abbreviation of) the Italian
comic issue and a letter. A number without issue abbrev. mostly
indicates 'Albi d'Oro', Golden Books.
E.g. I-1425-B is the 2nd story of Albi d'Oro 1425.

A few years ago, Disney took over the Italian Disney publishing.
They probably still produce comics, and the same artists that
worked for Mondadori now work for Disney.


Germany - Ehapa
---------------
Germany recently had 2 comic album series, for which they produced
the stories, 'Disney Auto Album' and 'Onkel Dagoberts Schatztruhe'
('Uncle Scrooge's Treasure Chest').
The stories are coded with a G.
In Germany, they have (had) more 'own' stories, for the pocket
series 'Lustige Taschenbuecher'. These pocket books contain Italian
stories, glued together by German intermezzos.


Brazil - Abril
--------------
I have seen only a few Brazilian story in Holland, coded with a B,
followed by year and number (4 digits), like B 810195.
Most Brazilian stories are only used in Latin America.


France - ?
----------
French stories are coded 'F' + French issue + letter. For
example, FJM-85001-C wich should be the 3rd story of the French
magazine 'Journal de Mickey', volume 1985, issue #1.

The French stories that are reprinted in Holland are mostly about the
Disney Babies and Sport Goofy.

In the early 70s, there was a French series 'Mickey travels through
time'. Mickey meets a lot of historic figures, like Napoleon.


Other countries
---------------
Maybe there are other countries/publshers that have/had their own
production. I don't know.

Any remarks are (still) very welcome.

Harry Fluks.



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