The story codes

[Harry Fluks]

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

I think it may be interesting to give an overview of the several Disney
comic origins. There are quite a few countries that made Disney stories.
I will try to list them, and give 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
page. 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' or 'KFS'.


USA - Western (Dell/Gold Key)
-----------------------------
Western produced stories since 1942 (?). The stories mostly have the code
of the comic they appeared in, e.g. WDC 145 = Walt Disney's Comics and Stories,
#145. 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 Code starts with a K, the next letter indicates the comic, then
issue number and year. Example: KD-01-90.
Disney Comics also was the first (?) to give the *covers* a code.


USA - Disney Studio's
---------------------
>From 1963, the Disney Studios's produced comics for the 'Foreign market'.
(These are the 'S-coded' stories Per St. was talking about).
In the 60s, the code was built as follows:
1st digit = the last digit of the year
next digits = sequence number.
There was no letter in the code. Example: #6178. This is the 178th story
the studios made in 1966.
>From 1970 on, the codes are preceded by an 'S'. (That's why I think they
introduced the letters in 1969/70). 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.
(That's why I think the studio's started producing in 1963.)
Example: S-73002.


Denmark - Gutenberghus
----------------------
Gutenberghus produces Disney comics since 1970 (??). They are coded D + 4
digits. They started at D-2000 (? I have never seen a lower D-number).
>From the year after they reached D-10000 on,
(1986?) the stories are coded per year, e.g. D-91020.
For some reason, the stories of the Wuzzles, Gummibears and Winnie the pooh
(and some more) have their own story numbers, like D-GUM/101.
I remember some non-Disney stories that also had a D-code; they were
Flintstone stories (published in 1973).


Holland - Oberon
----------------
In Holland, they made an occasional Disney story since 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 1972, GP was renamed to Oberon, and since then the stories are
H-coded.
>From 1969 to 1972, the stories were only numbered by character, e.g.
GP-MM-1 (= the Jippes mouse story).
>From 1973 to 1978, the stories were numbered by year *and* character, e.g.
H-DD-7418 (= Jippes; Gladstone identified the story erroneously with H-7418).
Since 1979, the stories are numbered by year only, e.g. H-7934.
(BTW: Oberon is now called Geillustreerde Pers again...)


Italy - Mondadori
-----------------
Since the beginning of the 60s (or late 50s?) 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 the Italian comic issue (mostly 'Albi d'Oro',
Golden Books)


Germany - Ehapa
---------------
Germany recently had 2 comic album series, for which they produced the stories,
Disney Auto Album and 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'. They contain Italian stories, glued together with
German intermezzos.
(Right, Hannes?)


Brazil - ?
----------
I have seen *one* Brazilian story in Holland, coded with a B. It was a very
bad story, and I think the rest of the Brazilian production if even worse,
since they never printed other B-stories in Holland.


France - ?
----------
French stories are coded 'F' + French issue. For example, FJM-85001c 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.


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

Any remarks are very welcome.

Harry Fluks.