G is for Gold Key Comics - The Original Leader in Licensed Comics

From Comics A-Z Podcast · 37:58

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G is for Gold Key Comics - The Original Leader in Licensed Comics Gold Key Comics occupies a fascinating place in American comic-book history. It was neither the largest superhero publisher of its era nor the most aggressively experimental. It did not produce a continuous succession of characters as culturally dominant as Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, or the Fantastic Four. Yet for millions of American children growing up during the 1960s and 1970s, Gold Key was one of the most recognizable names on the comic-book rack. Its books offered a remarkably broad mixture of science fiction, fantasy, adventure, horror, mystery, humor, television adaptations, movie tie-ins, Disney characters, newspaper-strip properties, and original creations. Recommended reading list for this episode: The Art of George Wilson The Art of Walt Kelly Pogo: The Complete Dell Comics — Walt Kelly Carl Barks Library — Carl Barks The Golden Age of Comic Books — Bill Schelly American Comic Book Chronicles: 1960–1964 — John Wells American Comic Book Chronicles: 1965–1969 — John Wells The Encyclopedia of American Comics — Ron Goulart Magnus, Robot Fighter Archives — Russ Manning Russ Manning's Tarzan — Russ Manning Turok, Son of Stone Archives — Western Publishing The Unexpurgated Carl Barks — Carl Barks Carl Barks and the Disney Comic Book — Geoffrey Blum The Art of Walt Disney's Donald Duck Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book by Gerard Jones Comic Book Nation by Bradford Wright The Ten-Cent Plague by David Hajdu COMICS A-Z is the podcast that showcases the history of sequential art: comic books, comic strips, the characters, their creators, one letter at a time. Each episode highlights an interesting aspect of the long history of comics, as a creative medium and a growing industry. COMIC A-Z is hosted by Kevin Cleary, a former executive with First Comics, Classics Illustrated Comics, and TV Comics. Kevin was also the Sales Director for the Dream Factory chain of 22 stores and Purchasing Director for Heroes World Distribution, the 3rd largest comic book, trading card, and toy distributor in the country. Kevin was an advisor to the Overstreet Price Guide, The Overstreet Premium Ring Guide and a columnist/feature writer for the Comic's Buyers Guide, Overstreet Monthly, and Wizard Magazine. He was the founder of Quantum Licensing, a company that produced pins, rings, and other licensed comic book related merchandise. He even wrote issue #4 of THE MUNSTERS from TV Comics. Kevin currently works in Hollywood as a literary manager and occasional producer. This podcast is made by humans. Accept no substitutes. © Kevin Cleary 2026

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