King Comics
| Company type | Imprint |
|---|---|
| Industry | Comic book publishing |
| Founded | August 1966 |
| Defunct | December 1967 |
| Fate | Discontinued; titles taken over by Charlton Comics |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
| Products | Comic books (Flash Gordon, Beetle Bailey, Blondie, Mandrake the Magician, The Phantom, Popeye, Jungle Jim) |
King Comics was a short-lived comic book imprint under King Features Syndicate, created as part of King Features' initiative to publish its own intellectual properties directly instead of licensing them to external publishers. The imprint included several titles originally acquired from Gold Key Comics, with Bill Harris, formerly an editor at Gold Key, managing the line.
The imprint was active from August 1966 through December 1967. Its leading title, Flash Gordon, received notable praise and won several Alley Awards during 1966 and 1967. Nevertheless, the line encountered significant distribution obstacles; early editions did not display the Comics Code Authority seal, causing some distributors to refuse them. Later issues secured the seal, and King Comics attempted to increase sales by offering bundled comic packages called "King Paks" aimed at variety stores and supermarkets. Despite these strategies, the imprint was unable to grow its audience and was ultimately discontinued.
After King Comics ceased operations, many of its stories were reprinted by Charlton Comics, which also took over publication of most of King’s former titles.
Titles
- Beetle Bailey #54–65 (Aug. 1966–Dec. 1967), continuing from Gold Key; Charlton resumed with #67 (#66 was only distributed overseas)
- Blondie Comics #164–175 (Aug. 1966–Dec. 1967), continuation from Harvey Comics; Charlton resumed with #177 (issue #176 was not published)
- Flash Gordon #1–11 (Sept. 1966–Dec. 1967), later continued by Charlton
- Jungle Jim #5 (Dec. 1967), a reprint of Dell Comics' issue #5; Charlton maintained Dell’s numbering
- Mandrake the Magician #1–10 (Sept. 1966–Nov. 1967)
- The Phantom #18–28 (Sept. 1966–Dec. 1967), carried over from Gold Key; continued by Charlton
- Popeye #81–92 (Sept. 1966–Nov. 1967), followed Gold Key numbering; Charlton continued publication