Today in Comics History, November 15: Darn, I wish I was your lover

Hey, today is Sadie Hawkins Day! By tradition, a day when women ask men out for dates, dining, dancing, and a little bit o' dis 'n' dat, instead of the other way round. Seriously, these days you can do this any time, kind ladies, and I hope you do. (Waiting by my telephone.)

Sadie Hawkins Day was created and popularized by extraordinary cartoonist and terrible person Al Capp in the classic comic strip Li'l Abner.


L'il Abner (November 14, 1935), by Al Capp



Now, don't get her mixed up with Sophie B. Hawkins, who really wishes she was your lover, but there's no need to swear, Ms. Hawkins. Me, I'm hopin' to be chased and kissed by Jane Wiedlin today!


There's several references in comics about girls who got all fired up about catching themselves a boy. Really, that's pretty much every month in Archie Comics.





Panels from "The Big Chase" in Pep #411 (March 1987), script by George Gladir, pencils by Stan Goldberg, inks by Rudy Lapick, colors by Barry Grossman, letters by Bill Yoshida
Ha ha! It's funny because Moose is gonna put Archie in the hospital! Mind you, this is the final issue of Pep, a comic book published since 1940, so it's entirely possible Moose killed Archie here. The world will never know.

Wondering why all the snow in the preceding panels? Because while Sadie Hawkins Day is official eah year in Dogpatch, USA (I really gotta get to that theme park someday sooOH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD), it's also bled into being on February 29 in some accounts, probably because of the traditional of "Leap Year" in which girls can ask boys out on Leap Day! That's the case in the wacky life of Young Animal's keen teen Shade the Changing Girl, who's simply MAD(ness vest) about the boy!


from Shade the Changing Girl #6 (DC/Young Animal, May 2017), script by Cecil Castellucci, pencils and inks by Marley Zarcone, colors by Kelly Fitzpatrick, letters by Saida Temofonte
Run, Wes, run!

In short: Sadie Hawkins Day, won't you? Play us off, Sophie B. Hawkins!


"Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover" by Sophie B. Hawkins (Columbia, 1992), written by Sophie B. Hawkins

What did I say about the potty language, Ms. Hawkins!!!