Theme parks have an interesting connection to comic books! There was Donald Duck in Disneyland #1 (1955), when the park opened, to the current WEB of Spider-Man! Yes, they are mainly Disney parks, but there are a few exceptions! First, comic books had more a presence on newsstands by Disneyland’s entrance and also inside the park with the Arcade Bookstore at Crystal Arcade on Main Street. The store eventually closed. At Downtown Disney, there was Vault 28 which sold Marvel Star Wars comic books, but it also closed. There is currently, the Comic Book Shop at the Marvel Island section of Universal’s Islands of Adventure which sells Marvel comic books. You can find some of your favorite Disney movies and shows with Walt Disney Comics Digest at a reasonable, Silver Age price.
Otherwise, they would be in Four Color Comics, these early comics are the best investment. Very pricey if you look for well known titles, but I was able to pick up two 1959 comics. Note: some reprints are also valuable. Disney comics went through several publishers; Dell Publishing, Gold Key, Gladstone, Disney Comics, IDW Publishing, Joe Comics, and now Marvel Comics. So let’s start with Magic Kingdom Comics by IDW, this was in 2016. “Goofy in Fantasyland” is by Don R. Christensen and Al Hubbard. Goofy, Minnie, and Pluto walk to Fantasy Land. They ride Peter Pan’s Flight, Pluto almost falls off and Minnie laughs that there is no danger. We lose more rides with guests taking risks Minnie! The trio boards Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. Then, they ride Snow White’s Adventures with Jiminy Cricket. Goofy and Pluto wander off and end up in Wonderland, Mr. Toad’s car bumps into Pluto.
Toad complains to the Red Queen and they have to get the evil Queen’s poison apple recipe. This ends with a collection of Disney characters to save the day; the Dwarfs, Wonderland people, and Peter Pan. It’s nice to see the rides, but the fantasy exploration within the rides are the best part! A fun adventure! In 1987, Eclipse Comics produced a 3D adaptation of Captain EO with art by Tom Yeates. The attraction that featured Michael Jackson as Captain EO, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, and had incredible music and effects. The orange, flying Fuzzball and the green, elephant-like Hooter against Angelica Huston's Giger-eque Supreme Leader. Disney Comics had a graphic novel based on Space Mountain (2013), written by Bryan Q. Miller with Kelly Jones art. It had two kids from the Magellan Science Academy who take a rocket to Space Mountain to time travel and save the universe!
Haunted Mansion props, That’s from Disneyland exhibition, 2018, photo by the author.
Marvel had a line called Disney Kingdoms, it started with the limited series, Seekers of the Weird #1-5 (2014), based on unrealized attraction, Museum of the Weird. Then, there was the Figment #1-5 (2014) series with the EPCOT ride, Journey into Imagination. In 2015, Marvel had a five issue limited series, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, by Dennis Hopeless and Tigh Walker. It features Abby Bullion, her father is wealthy, but she has the spirit of adventure. It takes her from Rainbow Ridge, the town at the end of the ride to familiar dangers in the Big Thunder Mine. The Disney Kingdoms also included in 2016, Haunted Mansion, which ran for seven issues. The writer was Joshua Williamson and the artist is Jorge Coehlo. It concerns the boy, Danny Crowe, who goes to the mansion to find his grandfather’s spirit.
All of the haunts are trapped by the vengeful spirit of The Captain. There was a 2005-2007 limited series by Slave Labor Graphics based on the Haunted Mansion. Also, a graphic novel by IDW Publishing called The Haunted Mansion: Frights of Fancy (2020). The one-shot, Summer of Heroes #1, was given away at Disney's California Adventure during the Marvel heroes event. It had overviews of the heroes and a back-up story, "Through Unity, Victory" by Fabian Nicieza and Jose Luis. In 2018, Marvel Comics published Iron Man: Hong Kong Heroes #1 based on the Hong Kong Disneyland attraction, Iron Man Experience which opened in 2017. Then, there was Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout! #1 (2017) at Disney’s California Adventure. This was right after the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 (2017) opened in theaters.
Cafe 4 restaurant, Dr. Doom’s Freefall towers are behind it, 2010, photo by the author.
Right after the opening of WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure at Avengers Campus, there was the five issue limited series, W.E.B. of Spider-Man. This Marvel comic by Kevin Shinick and Alberto Alburquerque followed Spider-Man into the WEB (Worldwide Engineering Brigade) building. He is met by a spider-bot and then meets the other members; Harley Keener, Onome, Lunella Lafayette (Moon Girl), and then Doreen Green (Squirrel Girl). They have built gauntlets that they later use when holograms of super villains take solid form! A fun comic book was Marvel Super Hero Island of Adventures #1 (1999). It is one of the areas in Universal's Islands of Adventures, still running today, they have the Marvel trademark so it can't be Marvel's Avengers Campus, and they have ownership of comic book characters. It is a trio of stories by excellent creators detailing Dr. Doom's Fearfall, towers to be used by the Latverian tyrant!, The Incredible Hulk Coaster, and the Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man.
The next Disney IP comic book is Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, a five issue limited series, with second issue out before the park expansion opened on May 31st. The first issue, “Baiting the Hook” is by Ethan Sacks and Will Sliney. It has a cover by Rod Reis that has the Millennium Falcon, Han and Chewbacca, with a number of aliens and a droid that are not at Batuu. The bounty hunter, Remex, walks the street of Black Spire Outpost. A droid at Ronto’s Roasters, complete with the podracer engine and grill, offers him a Ronto Wrap, since it was mentioned in the comic, of course I wanted to try it. He orders instead a Meillorun juice, it looks slightly pinkish like a peach, made of “Pineapple Juice, Lemonade, with Blueberry, Cranberry Juice, Lemon Juice, and Desert Pear.” The comic book was a great intro for Galaxy’s Edge and a fun comic book.
Dok-Ondar at Galaxy’s Edge, 2015, photo by the author.
There is a rumble overhead as the First Order ship, the TIE/es assault shuttle descends at the First Order Cargo area. This is seen at the far end of the outpost. They head to Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities, it has the Ithorian collector, Dok-Ondar on a platform carrying a staff. The park expansion version has him busy at work in a cage so he could only be seen from his upper body. Kendoh’s group sees the capsule with the small sarlaac that is also seen at Galaxy’s Edge. This leads to the story of how the sarlaac was added to Dok-Ondar’s antiquities. The flashback story involves Han and Chewbacca at I’vorcia Prime Preserve. So you get the back story of Dok-Ondar’s collection, and this moves on to different characters, including Hondo Ohnaka. He is featured at the Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run attraction pre-show.
Six Flags has the Justice League: Battle for Metropolis attraction, it licenses DC characters, and there was Justice League Adventures and Batman Beyond reprints. Still, no comic books for the rides like Superman: The Ride or Wonder Woman’s Golden Lasso Coaster. Universal IPs; Topps Comics adapted Jurassic Park and Jurassic Park: Lost World plus some more series by IDW, but no Jurassic Park: The Ride comic book. Also, no comics for the Jurassic World movies. There are Back to the Future comics filling in some stories, but no adaptation of Back to the Future: The Ride! No comic for Revenge of the Mummy - The Ride. Currently, no Fast and Furious comic books are produced, so nothing for Fast and Furious - Supercharged. Titan Comics produces Minions comic books, but no Despicable Me Minion Mayhem issue. The publisher also has Secret Life of Pets and needs to produce a Secret Life of Pets - Off the Leash limited series.
PI Comics, Into the Fog: A Scary Farm Tribute, photo by the author.
There are elaborate storylines and details for some of the original characters at Universal Florida’s Halloween Horror Nights, this could be made into several limited series, graphic novels, and even a short story graphic novel. I saw at Knott’s Berry Farm some artwork for the Into the Fog gallery. One of them was PI Comics, a series of comic book covers by Michael “Thrash” Ornelas; The Bride #47, Torch #12, The Favorite #21, Lyra #13, “She Wolf!”, and Calico’s Lost Children #9. It would be easy to adapt these titles or others to Knott’s Scary Farm, there are elaborate back stories for scare zones and mazes. Plus, there are a number of stories that would make great comic books in the Ghost Town Alive! event.
I would say that the easiest comic book adaptation would be Knott’s Beary Tales. There is a storybook, Knott’s Beary Tales: Journey To The Fair, it would be fun to have more adventures with Boysen Bear and Girlsen Bear and all of their family through the fair. There is Boysenberry Pie Factory, Frog Forest, and the Thunder Cave. Plus, we might have where Crafty Coyote is living. This would spin off into an animated series. The comic book tie-ins can fill in attraction stories, they can be sold at the parks, comic book stores, or as digital comics, and build interest in going to the theme parks. Theme parks and comic books have a fascinating history. Comic books can expand on the attractions' story and introduce characters. I would like to see a movie or mini-series on Disney+ about the adventures of Abby and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. There is great potential for other theme parks to sell attraction themed comic books too, there are publishers to print the comic books!
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