Today in Comics History, January 17: Happy birthday, Muhammad Ali!

Born on this day in 1942: professional boxer, heavyweight champion of the world, and the G.O.A.T. (and that's not "goat" as in the Charlie Brown sense): Muhammad Ali!

Ali's been in so many comic books it'd be a lonnnnnnng post to show them all (not that that ever stops me), but in this case, let's look in on a wonderful moment from one of the greatest comics of all time, a little thing called All-New Collector's Edition #C-56, but which you 'n' I know better as the gigantisized Superman vs. Muhammad Ali!


from All-New Collectors' Edition #C-56 (DC, March 1978), story by Denny O'Neil, script and pencils by Neal Adams, inks by Dick Giordano, colors by Cory Adams, letters by Gaspar Saladino
That's not really doing justice to this image or giving you the full grandeur of it. Picture that image as a double-page spread of a treasury edition, twenty inches wide! Wow!

And, as long as we're here, let's revisit a popular feature on this blog where I show you a spread of the boxing match between the Man of Steel and the Greatest of All Time. Now tell me...can you find...Muhammad Ali?

cover of All-New Collectors' Edition #C-56 (DC, March 1978), layout by Joe Kubert, pencils by Neal Adams, inks by Neal Adams (?) and/or Cory Adams (?), logo design by John Workman
(Click top picture to GOAT-size)
Say, Superman, did you ever learn your lesson from Ali?


from Action Comics #904 (DC, October 2011), script by Paul Cornell, pencils and inks by Axel Giménez, colors by Brad Anderson, letters by Rob Leigh
Happy birthday, Champ.