The Lion King 1

"If you tell me, I'll still act surprised!"

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The Lion King 1

Attribution information
Writer	Edwin Galmon
Artist	Edwin Galmon
Publication information
Origin	United States
Publisher	Dynamite Entertainment
Publication	The Lion King
Published	November 19, 2025
Pages	32
Guide
Previous	Start of series
Next	The Lion King #2

“

Your "regulations" leave my leap of leopards...unbalanced.

―A leopard to Mufasa^[src]

”

The Lion King #1 is an American comic inspired by the film of the same name. It was published by Dynamite Entertainment on November 19, 2025, as the first issue of the The Lion King comic series.

Publisher's summary[]

"THE ONCE AND FUTURE KINGS! Get ready to return to the sweeping plains of Africa for a brand-new series of adventures starring Mufasa and Simba! Written and illustrated by acclaimed talent EDWIN GALMON and set in the golden time before the rise of Scar, The Lion King follows the ruler of the Pride Lands and his young heir as they navigate the complex network of relationships that make up their kingdom - and learn firsthand how to defend it against the forces that threaten it both from the outside and from within. Featuring appropriately epic covers by GALMON, MEGHAN HETRICK, JACOB EDGAR, and GIULIA LOMURNO, The Lion King #1 deepens the bond between father and son that lies at the heart of one of the greatest animated films ever made!"^[1]

Synopsis[]

One day, Simba and his best friend, Nala, had a perilous run-in with hyenas at the Elephant Graveyard. That evening, Simba's father Mufasa escorted the cubs back to the Pride Lands. While Zazu veered off to take Nala home, Mufasa remained behind with Simba, whom he chastised for having endangered himself and Nala. Simba protested that he had only been trying to be brave like his father, to which Mufasa explained that being brave did not mean one should search for trouble. Simba joked that the hyenas had not expected to get in trouble that day, and Mufasa replied that no one messed with him. The two then shared in a laugh. At that moment, Simba awoke from his dream and murmured sleepily that he would be brave too.

The next morning, Mufasa was relaxing on the peak of Pride Rock when Zazu flew up and greeted him. The hornbill expressed his relief that Simba was safe, remarking that the Elephant Graveyard had been a wretched place, and Mufasa noted that Zazu had been right to alert him to the situation. Though Zazu insulted the hyenas for their gall in attacking the king's son, Mufasa pointed out that Simba had put himself and Nala in danger and should understand the consequences of his actions. Joking that a school of fish could not be taught more, Zazu posited that the cub would learn his lesson in due time.

Moving on, Mufasa asked for a report, and Zazu explained that they needed to visit the hornbills and the flamingos. As the two walked away, Mufasa joked that a king needed his sleep. He then teasingly implored Zazu to fly several paces behind him, as he still smelled like a rhinoceros' bottom. As the pair walked through the Pride Lands proper, Zazu explained that they had yet to pay the hornbills, to which Mufasa complimented the birds on their contributions to the kingdom.

Once the pair had arrived at the hornbills' tree, the birds greeted them, with one noting Zazu's recent ordeal with a birdie boiler. Zazu insisted that payment went through him, the majordomo, but the hornbills retorted that they served Mufasa, not "the royal beak." Mufasa started to slip away unnoticed when Phoenica the flamingo greeted him alongside her fellows. The flamingos suggested that they should hire the hornbills so they could "be in the pink," but Zazu interjected his protest. Picking up the hornbill's rhinoceros stench, the flamingos recoiled in disgust, and another hornbill asserted there would be no payment that day. Watching the chaos unfold in front of him, Mufasa did his best to remain patient.

Meanwhile, Simba left Pride Rock, searching for his father. Just as he was about to leave, his mother Sarabi grabbed him by the scruff and gave him a bath, explaining that Mufasa was tending to the morning reports with Zazu. She then told him that he must remain close to Pride Rock. From nearby, Nala teased Simba for being "pinned again," only for her mother, Sarafina, to impose the same restriction on her.

Across the kingdom, Zazu praised Mufasa for having struck an agreement between the hornbills and the flamingos. At that moment, a mole emerged from underground and explained that there was a brewing conflict between the leopards and the zebras. Another mole appeared, adding that the leopards were disputing over territory, while the zebras were afraid of getting eaten. Zazu questioned where the dispute was happening, and the second mole replied that the feuding factions were on the outskirts of the Pride Lands, by the riverbank bordering the Back Lands. Mufasa and Zazu then rushed off to deal with the situation.

At the border of the Back Lands and the Pride Lands, the leopards warned the zebras that they had wandered close to their territory, but the zebras countered that they were still in the Pride Lands. They then reminded the leopards that they were breaking the terms of their banishment. Just as a fight was about to break out, Mufasa arrived and roared for silence. As he strode past the leopards, he told them that they were beyond their borders and reminded them that they had been banished from the Pride Lands for over-hunting. In answer, the leader of the leopards emerged from a nearby tree, mocking Mufasa for claiming to uphold the Circle of Life when the leopards were being put at a disadvantage.

In the meantime, Simba apologized to Nala for having endangered her, and she accepted his apology, commenting that she had already thought that he was brave. He explained that he had wanted to prove to Mufasa that he was the right kind of brave, to which Nala joked that he needed to improve his roar first.

Suddenly, a mole popped out of the ground, only to realize that he was speaking to the cubs rather than Mufasa and Zazu. Simba asked what was wrong, and the mole explained that a baby elephant was missing. Despite the mole's attempts to ask after Mufasa and Zazu's whereabouts, Simba and Nala questioned how someone could lose a baby elephant.