Today in Comics History, June 7: Happy birthday, Larry Hama!

Let's all say happy birthday today to comic-book writer, artist, actor, and musician Larry Hama! He co-created Bucky O'Hare, the Nth Man, Obnoxio the Clown, Lady Deathstrike, Colleen Wing and more, and his writing credits are vast: G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero and assorted spinoffs and continuations, Wolverine, Elektra, Kitty Pryde, Iron Fist, lots of Venom miniseries, Mort the Dead Teenager, Generation X, and much, much more!


from Marvel Age #30, 54, and 90 (Marvel, September 1985, September 1987, and July 1990); text by Jim Salicrup (#30), Mike Carlin (#54) and Chris Eliopoulis and Barry Dutter (#90); pencils and inks by Ron Zalme; colors by Andy Yanchus (#30), Paul Becton (#54) and Renee Witterstaetter (#90) Look, it's Larry! (And some guy named Roy. I dunno, s'posed to be good for you.)


cover of Marvel Age #93 (Marvel, October 1990), pencils by Paul Ryan, inks by Tom Palmer




More than any other creator, Larry has been the major force (no pun intended) on Marvel's fondly-regarded G.I. Joe series, one of the best toy-based comics ever. Even Star Comics, Marvel's kids' line, celebrated Hama's G.I. Joe. Yo, Larry!


from "Star Signals" in Marvel/Star Comics cover-dated May 1985
Larry's also been the editor of Marvel's MAD-alike mag Crazy (he actually made it funny!).


from "Bullpen Bulletins" in Marvel Comics cover-dated July 1981
He's also an actor (M*A*S*H, Saturday Night Live, Pacific Overtures)...


from "Bullpen Bulletins" in Marvel Comics cover-dated July 1976
...an artist (Daredevil, G.I. Joe, Nth Man, Marvel Premiere)...


from G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero (1982 series) #21 (Marvel, March 1984), script and breakdowns by Larry Hama, finishes by Steve Leialoha, colors by George Roussos
And he's also an official member of the Avengers. Even George Bush agreed! And he's pretty disagreeable.


from Marvel Age #93
What hasn't Larry Hama done?!?


from "Bullpen Bulletins" in Marvel Comics cover-dated October 1987
We're so used to thinking of Larry as a major figure in the history of Marvel Comics, biut didja know he was an editor in the late '70s at the Distinguished Competition?


from DC Comics cover-dated December 1977
It's true! If he had not worked at DC, how else would he have scored these super-sweet seats for the Ali/Superman prize fight?!?

Can you find Larry in the crowd? (Hint: he had long hair then! No, no, not that one...that's Marie Osmond.)

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)
While you're at it, spot Larry Hama among the Marvel Bullpen on this cover! Aw, c'mon, this one's easy.




cover of Marvel Age #35 (Marvel, February 1986) by James Fry and Tom Morgan
Larry Hama's recent DC digital mini Spy Hunter & Paper Boy is a blast, too! (And yes, it's exactly those two franchises mixed together.) Bully sez: hunt this down!


from Spy Hunter & Paper Boy #3 (DC, June 2021), script by Larry Hama, art by Mac Rey, letters by Pat Brosseau
I don't know if this ship captain is supposed to be Larry Hama, but I bet Chris Claremont named the character after him!


from [Uncanny] X-Men (1963 series) #118 (Marvel, February 1979), co-plot and script by Chris Claremont, co-plot and pencils by John Byrne, inks by Ricardo Villamonte, colors by Glynis Oliver, letters by Tom Orzechowski
A nice piece about Larry taking over the writing helm on Punisher:


from Marvel Age: Punisher Anniversary Magazine one-shot (Marvel, February 1994)
Bonus Larry Hama birthday pin-ups! Cut 'em out! Pin 'em up! Sigh dreamily!





from Marvel Age #35 (February 1986), 40 (July 1986), 128 (September 1993), 138 (July 1994)
Perhaps most important, Larry was a proponent and champion for creators of color at Marvel, inspiring Christopher Priest on his very first day, as related in this tweet by writer Saladin Ahmed:


by Saladin Ahmed ((@saladinahmed) on Twitter (March 15, 2015), retrieved June 7, 2022
Read the full story from Priest here. It's a great piece.

So to Larry Hama, one of the kick-assin'est people in the industry, a man who doesn't even blink twice at the sudden appearance of the Impossible Man, we wish happy birthday!


from [Uncanny] X-Men Annual #7 (January 1984), script by Chris Claremont, pencils by Michael Golden (also pictured), inks by Joe Rubinstein, colors by Glynis Oliver, letters by Tom Orzechowski