There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 2

Panels from "The Origin of the Batman" in Batman #47 (June-July 1948), script by Bill Finger, pencils by Bob Kane, inks by Charles Paris, letters by Ira Schnapp

Today in Comics History, June 2: Shooting commences on ZZ Top's music video "Legs"

from Batman #405 (DC, March 1987), script by Frank Miller, pencils and inks by David Mazzucchelli, colors by Richmond Lewis, letters by Todd Klein

366 Days with Alfred Pennyworth, Day 154

Cover of The Brave and the Bold #141 (May-June 1978), pencils and inks by Jim Aparo

Today in Comics History, June 2: Mad Libs are invented

from "The Death of a Romantic" in Heartthrobs #3 (DC/Vertigo, March 1999), script by Peter Milligan, pencils and inks by Eduardo Risso, colors by Grant Goleash, letters by Clem Robins

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 1

Panels from Detective Comics #33 (November 1939), script by Bill Finger, figure pencils and inks by Bob Kane, backgrounds and letters by Sheldon Moldoff

Hold That Tiger

Today DC Comics publicly announced that it was re-introducing one of its classic male characters and revealing him to be gay! Kudos for you, DC...nice to see you move with the times and present heroes of all orientations and inclinations! But who is this gay hero, you're asking? Well, the hints were pretty obvious: he comes from the Golden Age, he's never been married, and he's a classic favorite of everyone who enjoys comics. That's why I applaud the decision of DC to let this hero come out of the closet. Introducing the newest gay hero of comics:

Mr. Tawky Tawny!

Yes, Mr. Tawky Tawny, tiger pal of the Big Red Cheese himself, Captain Marvel. What's that? You never suspected Tawky was a gay man tiger? Clearly you've never read the classic tale where he was unable to get a home in a suburban neighborhood merely because of the love that dare not roar its name?



Remember: this was the late 1940s. People still had a lot of hang-ups about that sort of thing. Thank goodness we've gotten over all that today, huh?



Judging him only upon his sexual orientation, Tawky Tawny was banned from moving to the neighborhood, even though Captain Marvel agreed to co-sign his lease.



Anti-gay protests against the peaceful tiger begin to build as J. Q. Harsch begins a smear campaign against the new neighbor!



But the quiet and peaceful surroundings of Fawcett City's suburbia is not a peaceful as it might seem, as violent anti-gay-tiger activists threaten!



Even standing up against violence doesn't protect Tawky Tawny from exerting his rights to life, liberty, and a nice little stucco home, two up, two down. And he keeps his lawn so neat and clean, too!



Captain Marvel vows to stand by his friend no matter what! That's why Cap has been a symbol of the fight for gay rights for the past several decades!



The news quickly spreads: homosexuals are not wanted in this neighborhood! Luckily the kids of the area accept Tawny for what he is: a heckuva cool guy.



THE MOB ATTACKS!



In the end it all worked out when Mr. Tawky Tawny moved to Fire Island...



...and became one of the most valued members of the community!


Panels above from Captain Marvel Adventures #90 (January 1950), script by Otto Binder, pencils and inks by C. C. Beck

So kids: always remember the lessons of tolerance and acceptance that comics, and Batman, give us:



And Tawky Tawny lived happily ever after, able to live his flamboyant lifestyle.




Panels from (top to bottom) Captain Marvel Adventures #104, Captain Marvel Adventures #126, Shazam! #7

So three cheers for DC and Tawky Tawny, and hooray for the acceptance of more gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered comic book characters. And tigers too!

366 Days with Alfred Pennyworth, Day 153

Panels from The Brave and the Bold #100 (February-March 1972), script by Bob Haney; pencils, inks and letters by Jim Aparo

366 Days with Alfred Pennyworth, Day 152

Panels from the Brave and the Bold #97 (August-September 1971), script by Bob Haney, pencils by Bob Brown, inks by Nick Cardy

366 Days with Alfred Pennyworth, Day 151

Panel from Batman #499 (September 1993), script by Doug Moench, pencils by Jim Aparo, inks by Scott Hanna, colors by Adrienne Roy, letters by Ken Bruzenak

366 Days with Alfred Pennyworth, Day 150

Panels from Batman #404 (December 1986), script by Max Allan Collins, pencils and inks by Jim Starlin, colors by Daina Graziunas, letters by John Costanza

Wonder Woman is not allowed to play war games with my three uncles

Panels from Ame-Comi Wonder Woman #1 (May 2012), script by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, pencils and inks by Amanda Commer, colors by Paul Mounts, letters by Wes Abbott

366 Days with Alfred Pennyworth, Day 149

Panels from The Untold Legend of the Batman #2 (August 1980), script by Len Wein; pencils, inks, and letters by Jim Aparo; colors by Tatjana Wood

Remember.

"I lost many, many buddies over there. Some I don't even remember their names. I can still remember their faces, I remember how they died."—Joe Hanley, infantry, WWII, Europe, as interviewed by Studs Terkel for the book "The Good War")


from The Twelve: Spearhead one-shot (Marvel, May 2010), script and pencils by Chris Weston, inks by Gary Erskine and Gary Weston, colors by Chris Chuckry, letters by Jimmy Betancourt

Today in Comics History, May 28, 1897: Keanu Reeves finally gets the rare Winona Ryder trading card

from Bram Stoker's Dracula #1 (Topps, October 1992), script by Roy Thomas, pencils by Mike Mignola, inks by John Nyberg, colors by Mark Chiarello, letters by John Costanza

Please Stand By

366 Days with Alfred Pennyworth, Day 148

Panels from "The Bat-Ape" (what else would it be titled?) in Batman #114 (March 1958), pencils by Sheldon Moldoff, inks by Charles Paris, colors by Pat Gordon