Anders And & Co.

Anders And & Co. is a Danish comics magazine featuring characters created by Walt Disney. It was the first Danish comics magazine devoted exclusively to Disney characters. The first issue was published on 1 March 1949. The magazine initially appeared monthly, became a fortnightly publication in the mid-1950s, and became a weekly in 1959. It is currently published by Egmont and remains a weekly magazine.

The magazine was launched several months after the Swedish Kalle Anka & C:o and the Norwegian Donald Duck & Co.. Denmark's launch had originally been planned for 1948, but was postponed because of the shortage of paper following World War II The magazine has been published by companies within the Egmont group under several names over the years, including Egmont H. Petersens Fond, Gutenberghus, Serieforlaget, Egmont Serieforlaget and Egmont Publishing Kids. The magazine's main Danish translator was Sonja Rindom, who worked with Anders And & Co. from the early years of its publication until 1981.

History

From its beginning, Anders And & Co. commonly opened with a ten-page story featuring Donald Duck, usually drawn by Carl Barks. The first story in the magazine was Fireman Donald, a Barks story originally drawn in 1947. The story became one of the magazine's most frequently reprinted stories, particularly in connection with anniversaries.

The magazine also contained stories featuring Li'l Bad Wolf and longer stories at the end of the issue featuring different Disney characters. For a long period, these stories most often featured Grandma Duck. Between the longer stories were shorter comic strips featuring Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, Goofy and Pluto. The Donald Duck strips were generally drawn by Al Taliaferro, while other strips were drawn by Floyd Gottfredson or Manuel Gonzales.

The earliest issues also included comic adaptations of short animated films, but these gradually disappeared. From issue 9/1949 through issue 1/1950, the magazine published its first serial, featuring Floyd Gottfredson's Goofy and Agnes. From 1959, serial stories became a regular feature of the magazine, initially with two serials running at the same time. This allowed the magazine to publish longer stories that had previously appeared in separate one-shot issues, including the Solo publications that had been discontinued in 1955.

The early volumes also contained short prose stories featuring Disney characters. These were gradually discontinued, and small puzzles and activities were introduced between the comic stories. These included dot-to-dot drawings, crosswords and mazes. Such activities later became an important feature of the magazine's special gift issues.

Locally produced stories

In 1962, as the supply of new American Disney comics became insufficient, the Danish publisher Gutenberghus began producing its own Disney comics stories. During the 1960s, these locally produced stories occupied an increasing proportion of the magazine. The period was characterized by a more exaggerated and surreal style of humor. One of the characters introduced to the magazine during this period was Fethry Duck, known in Danish as Fætter Vims. Created by writer Dick Kinney and artist Al Hubbard, Fethry first appeared in Denmark in Anders And & Co. in 1965 and subsequently became a recurring character. The character became particularly associated with the more eccentric style of Disney comics published during the 1960s.

The Barks revival

During the 1970s, the work of Carl Barks experienced a renewed popularity among readers. Several older Barks stories that had not previously been translated into Danish were reprinted. His distinctive style subsequently influenced a new generation of artists working for the magazine. Among the artists who contributed to the magazine in the following decades was Vicar, who became one of the best-known artists working on Disney comics.

Recent years

In the 2000s and 2010s, Anders And & Co. experienced declining circulation, as did a number of traditional print comics publications in Denmark. The magazine nevertheless continued publication and has remained part of Egmont's Danish Disney publishing program, and still (as of 2026) continues to be published weekly with weekly issues as well as occasional combined issues, available both in print and digitally. The magazine's content continues to combine Disney comics with games, puzzles and other features. It is aimed primarily at children, while also attracting adult readers interested in Disney comics and nostalgia.

Criticism

An issue of Anders And & Co. included a poster that the Danish consumer ombudsman considered to constitute covert advertising for a website operated by Danske Bank. The magazine has also occasionally been criticized for content considered overly politically correct or less imaginative than its earlier material.

External links

• [https://comicwiki.dk/wiki/Anders_And_%26_Co. Anders And & Co. at ComicWiki]
• Anders And & Co. at INDUCKS