Saturday, March 04, 2023

Today in Comics History, March 4, 6:22 PM: Top Gear test-drives the new Batmobile with flappy-paddle gearbox


from Batman: Killing Time #3 (DC, July 2022), script by Tom King, pencils and inks by David Marquez, colors by Alejandro Sánchez, letters by Clayton Cowles

Today in Comics History, March 4, 6:07 PM: Selina is totally going for a new high score in Sega Rally


from Batman: Killing Time #3 (DC, July 2022), script by Tom King, pencils and inks by David Marquez, colors by Alejandro Sánchez, letters by Clayton Cowles

Today in Comics History, March 4, 6:05 PM: Alfred sighs and reaches for the mop and Mr. Clean, again


from Batman: Killing Time #3 (DC, July 2022), script by Tom King, pencils and inks by David Marquez, colors by Alejandro Sánchez, letters by Clayton Cowles

Today in Comics History, March 4, 5:54 PM: Another dead Batman on the lawn. I don't know who keeps bringing them here.


from Batman: Killing Time #3 (DC, July 2022), script by Tom King, pencils and inks by David Marquez, colors by Alejandro Sánchez, letters by Clayton Cowles

Today in Comics History, March 4, 5:52 PM: "Wait a minute! There was no cane in David Cain!"


from Batman: Killing Time #3 (DC, July 2022), script by Tom King, pencils and inks by David Marquez, colors by Alejandro Sánchez, letters by Clayton Cowles

Today in Comics History, March 4, 5:45 PM: Never leave your car where cats can steal it


from Batman: Killing Time #3 (DC, July 2022), script by Tom King, pencils and inks by David Marquez, colors by Alejandro Sánchez, letters by Clayton Cowles

Today in Comics History, March 4, 5:42 PM: Batman wishes he had a can of Bat-Shut-Up-Your-Mouth Spray


from Batman: Killing Time #3 (DC, July 2022), script by Tom King, pencils and inks by David Marquez, colors by Alejandro Sánchez, letters by Clayton Cowles

Today in Comics History, March 4, 5:40 PM: That's it, that's the last time we let Lex Luthor write and draw a Batman comic


from Batman: Killing Time #3 (DC, July 2022), script by Tom King, pencils and inks by David Marquez, colors by Alejandro Sánchez, letters by Clayton Cowles

Today in Comics History, March 4, 5:37 PM: Riddle my body with gunshot holes, Batman!


from Batman: Killing Time #3 (DC, July 2022), script by Tom King, pencils and inks by David Marquez, colors by Alejandro Sánchez, letters by Clayton Cowles

Today in Comics History, March 4, 5:22 PM: The actual cause of the Silicon Valley Bank failure


from Batman: Killing Time #1 (DC, May 2022), script by Tom King, pencils and inks by David Marquez, colors by Alejandro Sánchez, letters by Clayton Cowles

Today in Comics History, March 4, 4:46 PM: Security Guard begins to wonder if that font was evil after all


from Batman: Killing Time #1 (DC, May 2022), script by Tom King, pencils and inks by David Marquez, colors by Alejandro Sánchez, letters by Clayton Cowles

Today in Comics History, March 4, 4:41 PM: Security Guard untrained to recognize trouble based on evil font


from Batman: Killing Time #1 (DC, May 2022), script by Tom King, pencils and inks by David Marquez, colors by Alejandro Sánchez, letters by Clayton Cowles

Today in Comics History, March 4, 4:33 PM: All the lonely lizards / Where do they all come from


from Batman: Killing Time #1 (DC, May 2022), script by Tom King, pencils and inks by David Marquez, colors by Alejandro Sánchez, letters by Clayton Cowles

Today in Comics History, March 4: Happy birthday, David Sutherland!

We're remembering Scottish comics artist and illustrator David Sutherland today on his birthday (born 1933). He drew many iconic characters and stories for Scottish publishing company DC Thomson in The Beano, The Dandy, and others: The Bash Street Kids, Dennis the Menace (UK version!), Biffo the Bear, Fred's Bed, Danny on a Dolphin, Jak and Todd and lots more!

I don't have the original source or an ID on which story or issue of The Beano this panel below came from (let me know if you do!), but here's a nice self-caricature of Sutherland in one of his Biffo the Bear strips:


(For many more Sutherland self-portraits in the comics, see this excellent post on the *KAZOOP!! blog!)

David Sutherland passed away earlier this year at the age of 89. Let us raise a glass of Scotch (or, in my case, a can of Irn-Bru) to him and toast the man and his birthday!

Today in Comics History, March 4, 1877: A reminder to Republicans today blaming modern Democrats for slavery: read a history of political parties and the civil rights movement in 1960s, for cryin' out loud, ya yahoos


from "The Dawn of a New Era" in Picture Stories from American History #4 (EC, Summer 1947), script by Jerry Coleman, pencils and inks by Allen Simon

Today in Comics History, March 4, 1968: Peter Parker yet again cheated out of his photographer byline


from The Incredible Hulk (1968 series) #104 (Marvel, June 1968), script by Gary Friedrich, pencils (and colors?) by Marie Severin, inks by Frank Giacoia, letters by Sam Rosen

Today in Comics History, March 4, 19XX*: Jessica Drew: not only a bad private detective, she also shouts when she types


from Dazzler #17 (July 1982), script by Danny Fingeroth, pencils by Frank Springer, inks by Vince Colletta, colors by Don Warfield, letters by Janice Chiang

*Probably 1982.

Today in Comics History, March 4, 1836: I suppose you're wondering why I called you all here today


from Classics Illustrated #129 [Davy Crockett] (Gilberton, November 1955), pencils and inks by Lou Cameron

Today in Comics History, March 4, 1928: Happy birthday, Victoria Hellstrom!

Hope you survive the exp...oh.


from Ghost Rider (1973 series) #1 (Marvel, September 1973), script by Gary Friedrich, pencils by Tom Sutton, inks by Syd Shores, colors by George Roussos, letters by John Costanza

Today in Comics History, March 4, 4:13 AM: Professor Xavier finally washes Wolverine's claws


from Batman: Killing Time #3 (DC, July 2022), script by Tom King, pencils and inks by David Marquez, colors by Alejandro Sánchez, letters by Clayton Cowles

Today in Comics History, March 4, 3:42 AM: Penguin writes away for a manicure


from Batman: Killing Time #3 (DC, July 2022), script by Tom King, pencils and inks by David Marquez, colors by Alejandro Sánchez, letters by Clayton Cowles

Batman: Killing Time is a six-issue miniseries told in (very) non-consequtive order, but I've thrown my comic books on the floor and cut out all the panels and rearranged them in chronological order, just because that's the kind of thing I do (when I'm allowed to use adult scissors). Not every panel featured in posts on this comic book will contain the exact date or time — several have been labeled something like "Forty-two minutes before this, Batman pulled the Batmobile up to the speaker and ordered a Bat-Burger and Bat-Cola to go," and I've done my best to ID whichever day and time this is happening, so stay tuned for more!

This project is not helped by the sudden realization this morning that I don't own issue #2.

Friday, March 03, 2023

Thursday, March 02, 2023

Today in Comics History, March 2, 1969: Charles Cullen is killed in a freak pie-to-the-face accident


from "See the Doomed Spirit" in Ghosts (1971 series) #82 (DC, November 1979); pencils, inks, and letters by Bill Payne, colors by Adrienne Roy


This post was suggested by faithful reader and frequent commenter Blam, who's provided a lot of date references in comics that I'll spotlight throughout 2023 in this series. Thanks, Blam!

Today in Comics History, March 2, 1909: Racist Santa doesn't trust the Inuits


from "North to the Pole" in Real Heroes #14 (Parents' Magazine Press, May 1946), creators uncredited and unknown

Wednesday, March 01, 2023

Today in Comics History, March 1, 1938: Comic industry sets a precedent for the rest of its life


from "The Grabbers" in Comic Book Comics #5 (Evil Twin, March 2011); script by Fred Van Lente; pencils, inks, and letters by Ryan Dunlavey

Or, as The Onion plainly put it:


from The Onion: Our Dumb Century (Three Rivers, March 1999)

Today in Comics History, March 1, 1836: Alamo not forgotten yet


from Classics Illustrated #129 [Davy Crockett] (Gilberton, November 1955), pencils and inks by Lou Cameron

Today in Comics History, March 1: Happy birthday, Tom Orzechowski!

Born on this date: letterer extraordinaire Tom Orzechowski, who we all fell in love with over his elegantly precise lettering in Uncanny X-Men (and many more)!


from Marvel Age #27, 51, 87, 99, and 111 (Marvel, June 1985, June 1987, April 1990, April 1991, and April 1992); text by Jim Salicrup (#27), Mike Carlin (#51), Chris Eliopoulis and Barry Dutter (#87 and 99), and Mike Lackey (#111); pencils and inks by Ron Zalme; colors by George Roussos (#27), Paul Becton (#51), Gregory Wright (#87), and Renee Witterstaetter (#99)




Today in Comics History, March 1: Ice Bear, NO!


from Batman: Killing Time #1 (DC, May 2022), script by Tom King, pencils and inks by David Marquez, colors by Alejandro Sánchez, letters by Clayton Cowles

Ten of a Kind #429: In like a lion...













from "Marching Along" in Dennis the Menace Bonus Magazine Series #151 (Hallden/Fawcett, April 1976), creators uncredited and unknown

(More Ten of a Kind here.)

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Today in Comics History, February 28, 1989: Rhodey regrets putting his delicious Eggo™ waffle down on Tony's corpse


cover of Iron Man (1968 series) #243 (Marvel, June 1989), pencils and inks by Bob Layton

Today in Comics History, February 28, 196X: Whoa, that escalated quickly


from Infinity Inc. (1984 series) #18 (DC, September 1985), co-plot and script by Roy Thomas, co-plot by Dann Thomas, pencils by Todd McFarlane, inks by Pablo Marcos, colors by Adrienne Roy and Anthony Tollin, letters by David Cody Weiss

Monday, February 27, 2023

Today in Comics History, February 27: Happy birthday, Andy Lanning!

A happy birthday today to Andy Lanning: comic book scripter, often with Dan Abnett (The Legion, Resurrection Man (co-creator!), Guardians of the Galaxy, Nova, The Punisher, more) and inker (Fantastic Four, Amazing Spider-Man, Avengers, Ultimate Spider-Man, The Sleeze Brothers (penciller and co-creator!), DCeased: War of the Undead Gods, etc.)!


"Look Who's Talking!" from Marvel Comics cover-dated January 2008

Happy birthday, Andy!


from Marvel Age: Punisher Anniversary Magazine #1 one-shot (Marvel, February 1994), text by Karl Bollers

Today in Comics History, February 27, 1941: And then Alfred Hitchcock walked up on stage and bitchslapped John Ford in the face

from Alfred Hitchcock: Master of Suspense (NBM, March 2022), script by by Noël Simsolo, translation by Monatan Kane, art by Dominique Hé, lettering by Ortho

Sunday, February 26, 2023

Today in Comics History, February 26, 1942: And then Bette Davis walked up on stage and bitchslapped Joan Fontaine in the face


from Alfred Hitchcock: Master of Suspense (NBM, March 2022), script by by Noël Simsolo, translation by Monatan Kane, art by Dominique Hé, lettering by Ortho