Our Gang Comics #1
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeOur Gang Comics #1 (Dell, 1942) is a landmark Golden Age anthology that delivered the first comic-book appearances of an extraordinary cluster of MGM characters in a single package — Tom and Jerry, Barney Bear, Spanky and the Little Rascals gang, Flip 'n' Dip, and Pete Smith all debuted on the comics page here simultaneously. The issue is also historically significant as one of the earliest substantial assignments for Walt Kelly, the artist who would later create Pogo, giving collectors a rare window into his pre-Pogo apprenticeship; his children are drawn in a noticeably more realistic style than the looser, more comedic approach he would develop in later issues. Beyond its 'first appearance' credentials, the comic demonstrated that licensed animated-film properties could anchor an anthology format — a model Dell would refine for years — and it introduced Tuffy (Jerry's little brother) as an original comics-only creation, a character invented specifically for the medium rather than adapted from any existing cartoon.
In "Proving Bears Don't Go For Gophers and Gophers Can Barely Bear Bears," the Our Gang crew sets out to claim a vacant lot for a game of baseball, only to find it piled high with junk. When they propose cleaning it up and selling the scrap, the rival Gashouse Gang steps in, eager to claim both the materials and the profit. Written by Gaylord Du Bois and illustrated by Walt Kelly—whose distinctive art defines the issue’s playful energy—this 1942 Dell classic captures the gang’s spirited determination in a story where teamwork and wits are the real game. The cover by Walt Kelly perfectly captures the chaos and humor of the moment.
In this 1942 slice of childhood mischief from *Our Gang Comics #1*, Jo and the gang set out to claim a vacant lot for a baseball game—only to find it buried under clutter. Determined to clear it, they launch a junk-collecting scheme, unaware they’ve just sparked a rivalry with the ever-grim The Gashouse Gang, who have their own plans for the scrap.
The Three Little Kittens, grounded for losing their mittens, hatch a whimsical plan to fly to the Milky Way in search of milk—using nothing but balloons and a whole lot of feline determination. This playful 1942 adventure from Our Gang Comics #1 is a sweet, silly flight of fancy, full of charm and tail-wagging antics.
In the wilds of Quebec, a young sportsman’s canoe is swept into the rapids, separating him from his loyal dog, King. Left to fend for himself in the untamed wilderness, King must adapt to the dangers and rhythms of nature.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The series was produced by Western Publishing under the Dell imprint and edited by Oskar Lebeck, a German-born stage designer and art director who had joined Western in 1938 to help launch its comic-book line. Lebeck was the driving editorial force behind Dell's Golden Age titles and personally hired Walt Kelly — who had recently left the Disney studio — to write and draw for titles including Our Gang, Fairy Tale Parade, and Animal Comics. The scripts for the inaugural issue were divided: per research documented in Michael Barrier's 2015 book Funnybooks (UC Press), Gaylord Du Bois, Lebeck's principal writer, scripted at least the first Our Gang story and the Barney Bear segment, while Kelly supplied pencils and inks throughout; earlier indexing had credited Kelly with scripting as well, and the 1943 Copyright Entries credit the whole publication collectively to Lebeck, Du Bois, and Kelly without granular attribution. The copyright on the issue was held by Loew's Incorporated, reflecting MGM's ownership of the Our Gang, Tom and Jerry, and Barney Bear properties.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First comic-book appearance of Tom and Jerry (cat and mouse), Barney Bear, the Our Gang / Little Rascals cast (Spanky, Buckwheat, Froggy, Mickey, Janet), Flip 'n' Dip, and Pete Smith — all debuting in a single issue.
- First appearance of Tuffy (Jerry's little mouse companion, also called Nibbles), a character created specifically for comics by editor Oskar Lebeck and writer Gaylord Du Bois rather than adapted from any existing MGM cartoon.
- In this issue's Tom and Jerry story, Tom is colored brown instead of his familiar gray — an early coloring discrepancy that was corrected in subsequent issues.
- Walt Kelly — future creator of the Pogo newspaper strip — supplied pencils and inks for the cover and interior stories; the Our Gang children are rendered in a more realistic style than Kelly would later employ as his cartoon vocabulary matured.
- Scripts were written by Gaylord Du Bois (Lebeck's principal writer), not Kelly alone, as later confirmed by Du Bois's own account books and Barrier's Funnybooks; earlier indexes had credited Kelly with scripting.
- The issue contains a comics adaptation of the 1940 Academy Award–winning MGM cartoon Three Little Kittens, retitled 'The Milky Way' for the comics version.
- Published under a Dell/Western Publishing co-production arrangement, the series ran 39 issues (#1–#39, 1942–1947), then continued its numbering as Our Gang with Tom & Jerry through 1949.
- The Our Gang comics material was later reprinted by Fantagraphics in Walt Kelly's Our Gang (2006 series), making the stories accessible to modern readers.
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Famous Fairy Tales #[1943] (1943), The Rocket's Blast-Comicollector #115 (1974), Walt Kelly's Our Gang #1 (2006)
Key issues in Our Gang Comics
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