Today in Comics History, September 30, 1942: Happy birthday, Nanali!

On this day in 1942 was born Nanali, mother of N'Yami and grandmother of T'Challa, the Black Panther.

Ironically, the page that tells us that is a page about her death. (makes uncomfortable sound, tugs at collar)


from Black Panther Legends #1 (Marvel, December 2021), script by Tochi Onyebuchi, pencils and inks by Setor Fiadzigbey, colors by Paris Alleyne, letters by Joe Sabino
Happy birthday, Nanali! And luckily for you, your gravestone doesn't say what date you died on in February, so I won't have to post about that for you!

Today in Comics History, September 29: Happy birthday, Trevor Howard!

Born on this day in 1913: actor Trevor Howard of Brief Encounter, The Third Man, The Charge of the Light Brigade, Battle of Britain, Ryan's Daughter, Sons and Lovers (Best Actor nominee), Gandhi and many more...including playing Captain Bligh in the Brando version of Mutiny on the Bounty, which of course means...



from "Mutiny on the Bouncy" in MAD #80 (July 1963), script by Larry Siegel, pencils and inks by Wally Wood
I have deleted some gay-panic dialogue in the second panel (sigh).
Howard also played The First Krypton Elder in Christopher Reeves's Superman (1978), in which he was excellent in the role of the guy who was "just asking some questions" of Jor-El. Hmm, wonder whatever happened to that guy? He woulda been io a comic book too, if DC hadn't negotitaed the worst deal in the universe and was prevented from adapting the movie's story into a comic. But at least we got this:


from All-New Collectors' Edition #C-62 [Superman: The Movie] (DC, March 1979)
Happy birthday, Trevor Howard!

Today in Comics History, September 29: Happy birthday, Russ Heath!

Born on this day in 1926: award-winning comics and commercial artist Russ Heath, of many DC war comics (Our Army at War, G.I. Combat, All-American Men of War, Star Spangled War Stories, Our Fighting Forces), Kid Colt Outlaw, The Brave and the Bold, Showcase, Sea Devils, Wild Western, Little Annie Fanny (um, not that I know anything about that), and many, many more, including those military war illustrations that accompanied ads for toy soldier sets you'd see in the comics!


self-portrait from The Comics Journal #117 (Fantagraphics, October 1977), art by Russ Heath
Here's another TCJ illustration: drawn by Joe Kubert for war comics writer Robert Kanigher, featuring the great artists who worked on those books with Kanigher. Heath's on the upper right.


cover of The Comics Journal #85 (Fantagraphics, October 1983), art by Joe Kubert
Happy birthday, Russ Heath!


self-portrait from The 1975 Mighty marvel Convention Program Book (Marvel, 1975), art by Russ Heath

Today in Comics History, September 29: Happy birthday, Patric Verrone!

Let's all give a big Boingo birthday bash for Patric Verrone (born on this day, natch!), comic book writer and television (Rugrats, The Simpsons, The Critic, Futurama) scripter and Writers Guild of America member, former president, and labor leader (hooray!).

Bongo Comics editor and creative director Bill Morrison introduces us to Patric:


from Bongo Comics Free-for-All [Free Comic Book Day 2006] one-shot (Bongo, May 2006), creators unidentified and unknown. Hey, what's with that, WGA labor leader?
Happy birthday, Patric!

Today in Comics History, September 29, 1993: Sure, it's perfectly sensible to let an incarcerated terrorist have fertilizer and solvent in his cell

...stupidest jailers ever. And I've read lots of Arkham Asylum comics.


from (left) "V for Vendetta: Book One, Chapter Ten: Venom" in Warrior #11 (Quality Communications, July 1983), script by Alan Moore, pencils and inks by David Lloyd, letters by Jenny O'Connor;
(right) V for Vendetta #3 (DC, November 1988); colors by David Lloyd, Siobhan Dodds, and Steve Whitaker

Today in Comics History, September 29: Happy birthday, Madeline Kahn!

A very happy birthday today to Miss Madeline Kahn, born in 1942 and memorable from such classic movies as What's Up, Doc?, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, High Anxiety, History of the World, Part I, Paper Moon, The Muppet Movie, Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood, and many more!

I couldn't find more than this one appearance of her in comics/ But being drawn by Mort Drucker surely must make up for that!


from "Caper Goon" in MAD #164 (January 1974), script by Larry Siegel, pencils and inks by Mort Drucker
Happy birthday, Madeline!

Today in Comics History, September 29, 1918: Commander Skywalker's Prussian chicken collection finally pays off

from "Frank Luke: Balloon Buster" in Real Heroes #5 (Parents' Magazine Press, July 1942), pencils and inks by Jim Ray

Today in Comics History, September 29: Happy birthday, Greer Garson!

Let's all wish a very happy birthday to the beautiful and vivacious Greer Garson!


from Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe: Deluxe Edition (1985 series) #13 (Marvel, December 1986); text by Mark Gruenwald, Peter Sanderson, and Steve Saffel; pencils by Stan Drake; inks by Joe Rubinstein and James Fry; colors by Andy Yanchus; letters by Brenda Mings
Oh! Oh, I have made another one of my silly mistakes. That is in fact Greer Nelson, the Avenger known as Tigra. Today's birthday belongs to actor Greer Garson, born on this day in 1904 and star of Goodbye Mr. Chips (Academy Award nominee), Mrs. Miniver (Acadamy Award winner), Madame Curie, Mrs. Parkington, The Valley of Decision (all three of those Oscar nominees), Pride and Prejudice, The Little Foxes, The Little Drummer Boy, and many more, including multiple appearances on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In! (How very innnnteresting!) Here's Greer complimenting soon-to-be-star Jane Powell on her work!


from "Jane Powell: The Road to Stardom" in Miss Beverly Hills of Hollywood #9 (DC/National, July 1950), credators uncredited and unknown
Here's Greer Garson at a Presidential fund-raising event starring The Rocketeer! Greer's wearing the black hat in the first and third panels.


from "War Hero" in Rocketeer Adventures [2] (2012 series) #4 (IDW, June 2012), script by Louise Simonson, pencils by Walter Simonson, inks by Bob Wiacek, colors by Jordie Bellaire, letters by John Workman
So a very happy birthday to you Greer Garson, and congratulations to you on being one of the leading voices of second-wave feminism and writing the book The Female Eunuch.

I'm so sorry, I've made another one of my silly mistakes.

Today in Comics History, September 29, 1949: For some reason Irving Thalberg gets hoisted up by the Brooklyn Dodgers

from Don Newcombe one-shot (Fawcett, 1950), script by Charles Dexter

Today in Comics History, September 29: Happy birthday, Anita Ekberg!

Born on this day in 1931: Anita Ekberg, Swedish movie star and sex symbol (Said Bob Hope: "Whoa, I'll take Sweden!"), from such movies as La Dolce Vita, Abbott and Costello Go to Mars, The Mongols, Boccaccio '70, If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium, The Clowns, and more!

It's not easy to find portrayals of Ms. Ekberg in comic books, but I think I've found the one that's the platonic ideal of Anita Ekberg in comics: Anita Ekberg drawn by Wally Wood!


from "Movies Are Longer Than Ever" in MAD #32 (April 1957), pencils and inks by Wally Wood
Well, howdy, Miz Ekberg, and happy birthday!

Today in Comics History, September 29, 1930: Bob Hope writes a headline

from "What's with the Crosbys?" in Famous Stars #2 (Ziff-Davis, 1950); pencils, inks, and letters (and script?) by Bill Everett

Today in Comics History, September 29, 1997: Yeah, that sort of thing was always happening in 1997

from Back to the Future (2015 series) #17 (IDW, February 2017), story by John Barber and Bob Gale, script by John Barber, art by Emma Vieceli, colors by Jose Luis Rio, letters by Shawn Lee

Today in Comics History, September 28: Happy birthday, Ed Sullivan!

Born on this day in 1901: reporter, syndicated columnist, radio and TV personality and host Ed Sullivan! (You should mentally sing along to the song as you read that name.)


"Ed Sullivan" from Bye Bye Birdie (Columbia, 1963), song by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams, featuring Paul Lynde
By the man with a really big shew also had some big appearances...well, okay, medium guest-starring roles...would you believe, cameos?...in comic books throughout the years. Look, he's gettin' bounced by a seal!


cover of Miss Melody Lane of Broadway #3 (DC, June 1950), pencils and inks by Bob Oksner
Ed's also in that comic, but guess what?

I DON'T HAVE IT.

Today in Comics History, September 28, 1886: SCHOOL'S OUT FOREVER

from Daphne Byrne #5 (DC/Hill House, August 2020), script by Laura Marks, pencils and inks by Kelley Jones, colors by Michelle Madsen, letters by Rob Leigh

Today in Comics History, September 28, 1942: Picasso enters his blue period

from "Fighting Back in New Guinea" in Combat (1961 series) #8 (Dell, April 1963), script by Paul S. Newman, pencils and inks by Sam Glanzman

Today in Comics History, September 28: Happy birthday, Confucius!

Born on this day in 551 BC: Chinese philosopher Confucius, star of many comic books and graphic novels! Why, you can't point at a comic book anywhere without finding him somewhere in the middle!


cover of Action Philosophers Giant-Sized Thing #3 (Evil Twin, November 2007), art by Ryan Dunlavey

Today in Comics History, September 28, 1918: Commander Skywalker goes to the circus

from "Frank Luke: Balloon Buster" in Real Heroes #5 (Parents' Magazine Press, July 1942), pencils and inks by Jim Ray

I will never ever get tired of this joke

from Bob Burden's Original Mysterymen Presents #2 (Dark Horse, August 1999), script by Bob Burden, pencils by Steve Sadowski, inks by Christian Alamy, letters by Steven Haynie;
and Angel Love #1 (DC, August 1986), script and pencils by Barbara Slate, inks by John Lopez (?), colors by Bob LeRose (?)

Today in Comics History, September 27: Happy birthday, Avril Lavigne!

Born on this day: Grammy-Award-winning singer/songwriter Avril Lavigne ("Complicated," "Sk8er Boi," "Don't Tell Me," "My Happy Ending" and more)! What's that gotta do with comic books, you ask? Well...


covers of Avril Lavigne's Make 5 Wishes Vol. 1 and 2 (Del Rey, April 2007-July 2007), art by Camilla d'Errico

Kitty Pryde 🐈‍⬛: Well, goodnight, from the two best lookers in the place

Today in Comics History, September 26: Happy birthday, Bryan Ferry!

Born on this day: singer/songwriter Bryan Ferry of Roxy Music and his own successful solo career ("Love Is The Drug," "More Than This," "Young and Beautiful," "Don't Stop the Dance," "Avalon," "Kiss and Tell," and many more)!


from Red Rocket 7 #4 (Dark Horse, November 1997); script, pencils, and inks (and letters?) by Mike Allred; color sand color separations by Laura Allred
Happy birthday, Bryan!


"Slave to Love" by Bryan Ferry (E.G. Records, 1985), written by Bryan Ferry

Today in Comics History, September 26, 1957: I hope the Russians love their children too

from "Solar Rise, Part Two: Scared to Death" in Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom (2010 series) #6 (Dark Horse, April 2011); script by Jim Shooter; pencils, inks, and colors by Agustin Alessio; letters by Blambot

Today in Comics History, September 24, 1947: Invention of working from home

from Bob Burden's Original Mysterymen Presents #2 (Dark Horse, August 1999), script by Bob Burden, pencils by Steve Sadowski, inks by Christian Alamy, letters by Steven Haynie

Today in Comics History, September 24, 1997: Shvaughn Erin works on her LiveJournal

from Legion of Super-Heroes (1989 series) #98 (DC, November 1997), co-plot and script by Tom Peyer, co-plot and colors by Tom McCraw, pencils by Lee Moder, inks by Ron Boyd, letters by Pat Brosseau
Many thanks to pal Greg A for suggesting these panels!

Today in Comics History, September 24: Happy birthday, Ham Fisher!

This is an expanded and updated version of a post originally published September 24, 2022.

Born on this day in 1900 or 1901: comics writer and artist Ham Fisher, creator of the mega-popular newspaper strip strip and comic book Joe Palooka!

Today in Comics History, September 24, 1949: Cleveland Indians regret playing at Tang Stadium

from Larry Doby, Baseball Hero one-shot (Fawcett, 1950), script by Charles Dexter

Today in Comics History, September 24, 1949: Don Newcombe strikes out 1950 Oldsmobile Series 70 sedan, forcing the car to become Don's butler

from Don Newcombe one-shot (Fawcett, 1950), script by Charles Dexter

Today in Comics History, September 23: Happy birthday, El Santo!

Born on this date in 1917: probably the greatest Mexican hero and masked wrestler (luchador enmascarado) the world has never known: Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta! Hmm, that name not ringing a bell with you? That's because for decades he kept up a secret identity and and disguised himself with a silver mask, becoming known around the globe as the mighty El Santo! El Santo was not only a folk hero and wrestling icon but also a major movie action star who starred or co-starred in 52 movies between 1958 and 1982, only a handful of have been "discovered" by the general public of North America. (I myself was introduced to the Silver Maskman thanks to Mystery Science Theater 3000, which riffed Santo [aka Samson] vs. the Vampire Women in its original incarnation, and more recently, Santo in the Treasure of Dracula on the revamped Gizmoplex series.


excerpts from Mystery Science Theater 3000 season six, episode 24: "Samson vs. the Vampire Women" (best Brains, March 25, 1995), riffed by Michael J. Nelson, Trace Beaulieu, and Kevin Murphy

Today in Comics History, September 23, 1942: Exactingly planned secret night mission takes place under brilliant full moon

from "Raider!" in Semper Fi #9 (Marvel, August 1989), script by Michael P. Palladino, pencils and inks by Wayne Vansant, colors and letters by Phil Felix
Curiously, this is actually a case of the creator doing their research: September 23, 1942 was a waxing gibbous moon, and would be a full moon the very next night. I'm not sure whether the tiny slice of shading on that moon on that plash page is a sign of that or maybe a slight misalignment of the red printing plate, but let's charitably chalk it up as a genius bonus and let it go at that.

Today in Comics History, September 23: Happy birthday, Paul Ryan!

Born today in 1949: comic book artist Paul Ryan (Fantastic Four, Fantastic Five, D.P. 7, The Flash, Iron Man, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Phantom comic strip, The Amazing Spider-Man Sunday comic strip, various Superman and Batman titles, The Avengers, Maximum Security and many more)! How great is Paul Ryan? So great he got two different Marvel Pro Files!



(top) from Marvel/New Universe comics cover-dated January 1988;
(bottom) Marvel Age #93 (Marvel, October 1990)
Now for birthday party games: seek and find Paul Ryan in the crowd at the El/Lane nuptial event below!:

from Superman: The Wedding Album one-shot (DC, December 1996), pencils by Dan Jurgens, inks by Jerry Ordway, colors by Glenn Whitmore, letters by Bill Oakley
Click top picture to honeymoon-size
Happy birthday to you, Paul!

Today in Comics History, September 23, 2020: NYPD promises new subway robots will be approachable and friendly

from Machine Man (1984 series) #1 (Marvel, October 1984); script by Tom DeFalco, breakdowns by Herb Trimpe, finishes and colors by Barry Windsor-Smith, letters b7 Michael Higgins

Today in Comics History, September 23, 1999: Stan Lee sneaks into J. Jonah Jameson's office and remakes the front page

from Marvel Comics over-dated December 1999

Today in Comics History, September 23: Happy birthday, Anthony Mackie!

Born on this day: actor Anthony Mackie!, the MCU's Sam Wilson, the Falcon and Captain America II!



from Guidebook to the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Captain America: Civil War (March 2017)
Happy birthday, Anthony!

Today in Comics History, September 23, 1996: Linda Park tells Rob his fly is open

from Flash (1987 series) #119 (DC, November 1996), script by Brian Augustyn and Mark Waid, pencils by Paul Ryan, inks by Jose Marzan, Jr., colors by Tom McCraw, letters by Gaspar Saladino