Editing Western Publishing (section)

===Comic books===
With licenses for characters from [[Walt Disney Productions]], [[Warner Bros.]], [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]], [[Edgar Rice Burroughs]] and [[Walter Lantz Studio]], Western produced comics based on these characters, as well as original works. The editorial staff at the West Coast office over the years included: Eleanor Packer, Alice Cobb, [[Chase Craig]], Zetta Devoe, Del Connell and [[Bill Spicer]]. Bernie Zuber was an editorial artist, a position similar to that of a [[production artist]], from 1957 until 1982.<ref>{{cite web |last=Evanier |first=Mark |date=January 21, 2009 |title=Bernie Zuber, R.I.P. |url=http://www.newsfromme.com/archives/2009_01_21.html#016563 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629001539/http://www.newsfromme.com/archives/2009_01_21.html#016563 |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |publisher=News from Me}}</ref> [[Oskar Lebeck]], Matt Murphy and Wally Green are among those who oversaw the East Coast office.{{citation needed|date=August 2012}}

From 1938 to 1962, Western's properties were published under a partnership with [[Dell Comics]], which also handled the distribution and financing of the comic books. In 1962, Western ended this partnership and published comics itself, establishing the [[imprint (trade name)|imprint]] [[Gold Key Comics]]. As Murphy explained the split: {{cquote|With regard to a Western-Dell separation, this was by mutual agreement so that each company would be free to explore the potential business in the comics market without the self-imposed restrictions which formerly required Western and Dell to work exclusively with one another. In our previous relationship, Western Publishing Co. secured the rights, created the comics, printed them and shipped them out for Dell. Dell acted as the publisher and distributor and did the billing and paid Western for its creatively manufactured products.<ref>{{cite web |last=Thompson |first=Maggie |date=March 17, 2011 |title=And I Quote: Matthew Murphy Discusses the Dell-Gold Key Split in 1962 |url=http://www.maggiethompson.com/search/label/Matthew%20H.%20Murphy |access-date=January 24, 2018 |publisher=Maggie Thompson}}{{better source needed|reason=this is a self-published blog, not a [[WP:RS]]|date=January 2018}}</ref>}}

This imprint continued until the late 1970s, after which newsstand distribution was discontinued in favor of distribution to toy stores under the "Whitman Comics" banner.{{citation needed|date=August 2012}} The company stopped publishing comics in 1984, and all of its licenses have since gone to other publishers. Many of these new licensees have included among their offerings reprints of stories originally published by Western.{{citation needed|date=August 2012}}

Prior to 1962, in addition to comics published through Dell, Western published some comics under its own name, particularly giveaways such as ''[[March of Comics]]'' and the annual kite safety title (which featured an array of licensed characters) published over a span of 32 years for power utility companies.<ref>{{cite web |last=Barrier |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Barrier |title=''Carl Barks and the Art of the Comic Book'': Corrections, Clarifications, and Amplifications |url=http://www.michaelbarrier.com/Books/barks_errata.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718095617/http://michaelbarrier.com/Barrier_Books/barks_errata.htm |archive-date=July 18, 2011 |access-date=December 18, 2018 |publisher=[[Michael Barrier]]}}</ref> Both series had print runs in the hundreds of thousands.<ref>{{cite web |last=Barrier |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Barrier |date=March 16, 2010 |title=''Dumbo'' in Print |url=http://www.michaelbarrier.com/WhatsNewArchives/2010/WhatsNewArchivesMar10.htm#dumboinprint |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101217170144/http://michaelbarrier.com/Home%20Page/WhatsNewArchivesMar10.htm#dumboinprint |archive-date=December 17, 2010 |access-date=December 18, 2018 |publisher=[[Michael Barrier]]}}</ref>

In the 1990s, the Western/Gold Key characters [[Magnus, Robot Fighter|Magnus]], [[Turok]] and [[Solar (comics)|Dr. Solar]] were licensed to [[Valiant Comics]], who published modified versions of the characters to great success.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Samsel |first=Robert |date=January 1993 |title=The State of Valiant Address |journal=[[Wizard (magazine)|Wizard]] |publisher=[[Wizard Entertainment]] |issue=17 |pages=47–54}}</ref> However, by the mid-1990s, Valiant's sales had slumped due to the decade's speculative boom collapsing, and the company ceased publishing in 1999.{{Citation needed|date=March 2015}}

In 2004, [[Dark Horse Comics]] began reprinting some of Western's original comic book properties, which by then were owned by [[Random House]], along with [[Tarzan in comics|Tarzan]] from the [[Jesse Marsh]] era.{{Citation needed|date=June 2015}} In 2009, the company announced plans to launch new versions of various Gold Key characters, with former Valiant editor-in-chief [[Jim Shooter]] as head writer.<ref>{{cite web |date=August 6, 2009 |title=Official news on that Gold Key/Dark Horse deal |url=http://www.majorspoilers.com/archives/20852.htm/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100114000436/http://www.majorspoilers.com/archives/20852.htm/ |archive-date=January 14, 2010 |publisher=[[Dark Horse Comics]] [[press release]] via MajorSpoilers.com}}</ref>