Today in Comics History, February 24: Happy birthday, Winslow Homer!

Born today in 1836, so let's all give a big birthday salute to Homer!


cover of Simpsons Comics #215 (Bongo, October 2014), pencils by Jason Ho, inks by Mike Rote, colors by Nathan Kane
No, no! Winslow Homer, painter of light landscapes, men, and the sea. Look, he's even on (a small corner of) this comic book! Ah yes, Real Life Comics, "True Adventures of the World's Greatest Heroes." I just imagine young boys were knocking each other down to race to the newsstand and be the first to slap down one thin dime for this red-blooded, he-man adventure comic of derring-do which spotlighted...a writer, an architect, a painter, and two guys we've never heard of. What, was Ray "Crash" Corrigan busy that month?


cover of Real Life Comics #31 (Pines, May 1946), creators unknown
One thing you can say about Winslow Homer: he was rugged. Why, ask anyone around those thar parts and they'd tell you "He was rugged." He was so rugged he didn't have any rugs in his house because they couldn't hold up to comparison.


from Winslow Homer: Rugged Painter of a Rugged America in Real Life Comics #31, creators unknowwn
You've got to hand it to ol' Winslow: he chose a life of painting the sea, the famously ungrateful sea, instead of making mucho bucks painting, I dunno, the covers of Dell comic books. His back-cover bonus pin-ups of Magnus Robot Fighter were sublime.


Suddenly, he got old and died. Well, that's gonna happen.


Have a rugged birthday, rugged Winslow "Rugged" Homer!