Dell’s Four Color series had two incarnations. The first series, which includes this issue, lasted 25 issues and was canceled in 1942. Each issue had 68 pages. The words “Four Color” do not appear on the cover until issue #19. The second series started over with #1 (1942). This issue marks what many consider to be Mickey Mouse’s first comic book. He had appeared in magazines and other printed material before, but for this issue, his name is in the title and the entire story features him. The book was actually put together by cutting panels from the Mickey Mouse Comic daily comic strip. The story was written by Merrill de Maris and drawn by Floyd Gottfredson, who was the regular artist for the Mickey Mouse Daily. The story was then inked by Ted Thwaites and William Wright, who both worked inside the Disney Studios at the time and each developed a long history with the character. The story is so long that it appears on the inside cover, the back inside cover, and finally concludes on the back cover itself. At no point in the story is the villain referred to as the “Phantom Blot.” They only call him “The Blot.” The pages are off-white to white. The book is CGC-certified VF+ 8.5. The CGC census lists this copy as the highest graded copy they have ever seen.