Today in Comics History, June 17, 1775: A whole lotta looking for the whites of a whole lotta eyes

from "Historical Almanac" in Real Fact Comics #21 (DC, July 1949), pencils and inks by Joe Kubert



Yes, today is the anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill, a Revolutionary War fight so intense it knocked the color plates off register.



from Battlefront #10 (Marvel/Atlas, March 1953), script by Carl Wessler, pencils and inks by John Romita, Sr.
The Little Drummer Boy (Jerry) was also present:




from "The Battle of Bunker Hill" in Jerry Drummer #11 (Charlton, July 1957), script by Joe Gill (?), pencils and inks by Maurice Whitman, letters by Jon D'Agostino
Here's a clever story that juxtaposes the 1775 fight with the (then very-recent) 1952 Korean War battle of the same name:




from "Bunker Hill" in Battle Cry #6 (Stanley Morse, March 1953), pencils and inks by Tony Mortellaro, letters by Ben Oda
The most misleadingly titled comic book ever published, Superman Salutes the Bicentennial, has zero Superman stories in it, but it does have a few interesting sidebars about the Battle of Bunker Hill.



from Limited Collectors' Edition #C-47 (DC, August 1976), pencils and inks by Fred Ray, letters by Ben Oda
From Classics Illustrated's "Negro Americans: The Early Years." I have art-corrected a small date typo in the original comic.


from "Fighting for America’s Freedom" in Classics Illustrated #169 (Gilberton, Spring 1969), pencils and inks by Norman Nodel
A nicely illustrated text story:




from "The Prince of Bunker Hill" in Real Life Comics #34 (Pines, August 1946), text by Nat Schachner
A more recently published story punctures a historic line:




from Rebels #4 (Dark Horse, July 2015), script by Brian Wood, pencils and inks by Andrea Mutti, colors by Jordie Bellaire, letters by Jared K. Fletcher
Of course, the United States didn't win Bunker Hill, but we could have, if we had a time-travelling wiseguy kid with a slingshot...



from "The Spirit of '76" in Young Allies (1941 series) #8 (Marvel/Timely, July 1943), script by Otto Binder, pencils by Dan Barry, inks by Al Gabriele
...or the astonishing electric inventions of Ben Franklin!



from "The Battle of Bunker Hill" in Shield-Wizard Comics #1 (MLJ/Archie, Summer 1940), script by Harry Shorten, pencils and inks by Edd Ashe
In the end, all we needed to win the Battle of Bunker Hill? A talking cartoon mouse..



from "The Whacks Museum" in Supermouse, the Big Cheese (1956 series) #37 (Pines, November 1956), creators uncredited and unknown
Well, anyway, don't shoot...oh, you know the rest.