The Lone Ranger #1

History

The series was produced under the established Dell/Western Publishing arrangement in which Western Publishing (Racine, Wisconsin) handled all editorial, writing, and artistic production while Dell Publishing financed and distributed the finished books — meaning the Lone Ranger creative work was done entirely at Western, not at Dell's offices. The content of this first issue drew directly on the long-running Lone Ranger newspaper comic strip, written by Fran Striker (who had co-created the character for radio with WXYZ station owner George W. Trendle in 1933) and illustrated by Charles Flanders, whose signature appears in the final panel of the lead story. The character had already tested the waters in multiple Dell Four Color anthology issues beginning in 1945, so by the time this numbered series launched, both the readership and the production pipeline were well established.

Trivia · 8 facts

• Published January–February 1948 by Dell (produced by Western Publishing); the on-sale date is recorded in the U.S. Catalog of Copyright Entries, 1948 Periodicals, page 70.
• First issue of the character's own dedicated numbered series, following prior appearances in Dell's Four Color anthology title beginning in 1945.
• Issue contains three stories — 'The Lone Ranger and the Cave of the Ghost,' 'The Lone Ranger and the Mystery of the Missing Body,' and 'The Lone Ranger and a Deal in Wheat' — all reprinted from the Fran Striker–written, Charles Flanders–drawn newspaper strip.
• Art throughout is by Charles Flanders, who signs the last panel of the lead story; the issue opens on the inside front cover in black, red, and white with four tiers of panels per page, and the final story concludes on the back cover in full color.
• Characters present in this issue: the Lone Ranger (John Reid), his horse Silver, his companion Tonto, and Tonto's horse Scout.
• The issue runs 36 pages, full color, at a cover price of ten cents.
• The series ran for 145 issues through 1962; the first all-original Lone Ranger stories — by writer Paul S. Newman and artist Tom Gill — did not appear until issue #38 (August 1951).
• The Dell Lone Ranger franchise spawned spin-off titles for both Tonto (1951, 31 issues) and Silver the horse (1952, 34 issues), as well as three annual specials and a 1956 film adaptation; Gold Key Comics continued the property with a new series beginning in 1964.

Cast · 4 characters

Full credits