Today in Comics History, January 19: Happy birthday, Minnesota Fats!

Born on this day with the six-ball in the side pocket: Rudolf Wanderone, who you probably and I definitely know better as professional billards player Minnesota Fats! Now, I didn't expect to find many, if any, appearances of "Fats" in comic books when I started researching, but lo and behold, to my surprise, and other blog-writin' cliché-ridden phrases, here he is in a 1990s issue of...wouldja believe...Captain America?



from Captain America #401 (Marvel, June 1992), script by Mark Gruenwald, pencils by Rik Levins, inks by Danny Bulanadi, colors by Christie Scheele and Gina Going, letters by Joe Rosen
Yes, that's Clint "Hawkeye" Barton (pretty much indistguishable from Steve Rogers in civilian garb) actually hustling the Hustler at billards. Way to ruin it for the rest of us, Hawkguy! But then again, with Minnesota Fats appearing here only a couple of years before he died, this is a pretty unusual dive bar. Other patrons include Popeye the Sailor Man:


...Emma Steed and John Peel with Humphrey Bogart...


...The Yellow Kid (?) and Elvis (!)...


...Gomez and Morticia Addams (and Lurch) with Groucho Marx?!?


...Dick Tracy, Reid Fleming (The World's Toughest Milkman), and James Bond and Breathless Mahoney? (No, I'm not sure about those last two, but your guess is as good as mine.)


That's...some company you're keeping, Mr. Fats! But happy birthday anyhow!