Classics Illustrated Junior


Classics Illustrated Junior is a comic book series of seventy-seven fairy and folk tale, myth and legend comic book adaptations created by Albert Lewis Kanter as a spin-off of his flagship comic book line Classics Illustrated.

Publication history

Published by Famous Authors, Ltd., the series kicked off in October 1953 with an adaptation of the Grimm Brothers' Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs illustrated by Alex Blum. The series' last original issue was The Runaway Dumpling, issue 577 of 1962. The series ceased publication in Spring 1971. Published monthly, issues cost slightly more than other comic books of the time with a 15 cent cover price rather than the usual 10 or 12-cents. Close to the end of publication in 1971, prices jumped to 25-cents. At its peak, in 1960, Classics Illustrated Junior's average monthly circulation was 262,000.
Issues included among their contents features such as comics adaptations of Aesop Fables, a limerick by Edward Lear, a Mother Goose rhyme, or poem from Robert Louis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verses, and a one-page factual article about a bird, beast, or reptile. As the publisher allowed only in-house advertising in his books, the back cover interior sometimes offered a catalog of titles and a subscription order form. First editions included a "Coming Next Month" ad and a dot-to-dot puzzle on the inside front cover. The interior of the back cover featured a "Color this Picture with your Crayons" full-page line-drawn illustration of a scene from the tale. The exterior of the back cover often depicted a full-page color illustration from the tale. Artists included John Costanza, Kurt Schaffenberger, L. B. Cole and Graham Ingels. Unlike other comic book publishers, Kanter reprinted his titles regularly and the line was distributed abroad.
In 2003, Jack Lake Productions Inc., based in Toronto, Canada began remastering and republishing the entire Classics Illustrated Junior series.
In September of 2008, Classic Comic Store Ltd., based in the UK, under license by Jack Lake Productions Inc. began publishing both the original Gilberton Classics Illustrated regular and Junior lines for distribution in the UK, Republic of Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. The issue number sequence is different from the original runs, starting at issue 1 rather than at issue 501. The contents are generally similar to the original run, but the exterior of the back cover is used to advertise future issues, along with details of Classic Comic Store's website. The final page of the issue contains a brief biography of the author of the main story written by William B. Jones, Jr, author of Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History
In common with the first-run series in America, the inside back cover contains an outline picture to colour in from the main story.

Complete list of ''Classics Illustrated Junior'' comic books (original US run; also 2003-2014 Canadian run)

The Canadian run created by Jack Lake Productions Inc. which began in 2003 followed the same sequence as the original U.S. run.
The authorship is based on the information held by Michigan State University Libraries,
Special Collections Division in their Reading Room Index to the Comic Art Collection, as well as information found on Wikipedia under the title of the individual stories.
IssueTitleAuthor
501Snow White and the Seven DwarfsBrothers Grimm
502The Ugly DucklingHans Christian Andersen
503CinderellaCharles Perrault
504The Pied PiperRobert Browning
505The Sleeping Beauty Charles Perrault/Brothers Grimm
506The 3 Little PigsJoseph Jacobs
507Jack and the BeanstalkWilliam Godwin
508Goldilocks and the Three BearsRobert Southey
509Beauty and the BeastCredited to Charles Perrault, but other sources credit Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve
510Little Red Riding HoodCharles Perrault
511Puss-In-BootsGianfrancesco Straparola/Charles Perrault
512RumplestiltskinBrothers Grimm
513PinocchioCarlo Collodi
514The Steadfast Tin SoldierHans Christian Andersen
515Johnny Appleseed---
516Aladdin and His LampBrothers Grimm
517The Emperor's New ClothesHans Christian Andersen
518The Golden GooseBrothers Grimm
519Paul BunyanW.B. Laughead
520ThumbelinaHans Christian Andersen
521The King of the Golden RiverJohn Ruskin
522The NightingaleHans Christian Andersen
523The Gallant TailorBrothers Grimm
524The Wild SwansHans Christian Andersen
525The Little MermaidHans Christian Andersen
526The Frog PrinceBrothers Grimm
527The Golden-Haired GiantBrothers Grimm
528The Penny PrinceHans Christian Andersen
529The Magic ServantsBrothers Grimm
530The Golden BirdBrothers Grimm
531RapunzelBrothers Grimm
532The Dancing PrincessesBrothers Grimm
533The Magic Fountain---
534The Golden Touch---
535The Wizard of OzL. Frank Baum
536The Chimney SweepHans Christian Andersen
537The Three FairiesGiambattista Basile
538Silly Hans---
539The Enchanted Fish---
540The Tinder-BoxHans Christian Andersen
541Snow White and Rose RedBrothers Grimm
542The Donkey's TaleBrothers Grimm
543The House in the WoodsBrothers Grimm
544The Golden Fleece---
545The Glass Mountain
546The Elves and the ShoemakerBrothers Grimm
547The Wishing Table---
548The Magic Pitcher"Based on The Miraculous Pitcher by Nathaniel Hawthorne".
549Simple Kate---
550The Singing DonkeyBrothers Grimm
551The Queen BeeBrothers Grimm
552The Three Little DwarfsBrothers Grimm
553King ThrushbeardBrothers Grimm
554The Enchanted DeerGiambattista Basile
555The 3 Golden ApplesNathaniel Hawthorne
556The Elf MoundHans Christian Andersen
557Silly Willy-
558The Magic Dish---
559The Japanese Lantern---
560The Doll Princess---
561Hans Humdrum---
562The Enchanted Pony---
563The Wishing Well---
564The Salt Mountain
565The Silly Princess---
566Clumsy HansHans Christian Andersen
567The Bearskin SoldierBrothers Grimm
568The Happy HedgehogBrothers Grimm
569The Three Giants---
570The Pearl Princess---
571How Fire Came To The Indians---
572The Drummer Boy---
573The Crystal BallBrothers Grimm
574Brightboots---
575The Fearless Prince---
576The Princess Who Saw Everything---
577The Runaway Dumpling---

List of ''Classics Illustrated Junior'' comic books (UK series from 2008)

Up until September 2009, the runs for both the US and the UK runs were identical, albeit with issue numbers starting at 1 for the UK version rather than at 501.
From issue 13 onwards, Classic Comic Store Ltd no longer published the titles, but imported the issues from Canada. These issues hence follow the Canadian numbering of the issues.
In October 2012, Classic Comic Store Ltd no longer continued with a subscription service in the UK, because of the costs involved.
The authorship is based on the information found in the publications themselves, information held by Michigan State University Libraries, Special Collections Division in their Reading Room Index to the Comic Art Collection, as well as information found on Wikipedia under the title of the individual stories.
Note: None of "The Animal World" are credited with a writer, but they are all illustrated by William A. Walsh.