Today in Comics History, July 22: Happy birthday, Millie Shuriff!

Today's the birthday of Millie Shuriff! You probably don't recognize the name, so stop, collaborate and listen: she has the third-longest employment at Marvel Comics (after Stan Lee and Flo Steinberg), hired in 1956 when the company was still known as Magazine Management (the "Atlas" era). Starting out as a freelancer, Millie later was hired full-time by Stan to serve as Marvel's bookkeeper and the person who cut vouchers for freelancers to get paid, and without paid freelancers, you don't get pages. See, without Millie Shuriff, there would be no Marvel Comics!


from Marvel Vision #30 (Marvel, June 1998)




I've seen some Marvel histories say Stan used her name when he created Millie the Model, but it's a story too good to true. Lookin' at you, A Complete History of Comic Books by Shirrel Rhoades, a book touted as being by the "former publisher of Marvel Comics." He was Executive Vice President of Marvel Entertainment for three years in 1996-199, and he probably shoulda spent that time learning basic math instead of spreadin' whimsical rumors: Millie (the character) premiered in 1945, and Millie (the real person) premiered was born in 1932, which would have made her 13 the year Millie the Model (the comic) debuted. To put it another way (and why not): Millie (t.r.p.) didn't even arrive at Marvel until 11 years after M.t.M. (t.c.b.) was released!

What's not an urban legend is that Millie Shuriff was in-office when this absolutely-authentic-in-every-detail view of the Marvel Bullpen was published. Can you find her? Sure you can! I have confidence in you.

from Marvel Age #120 (Marvel, January 1993), art by Rick Parker
(Click top picture to Bullpen-size)
Millie Shuriff was commemorated in the form of a canon Marvel Comics character, as well, altho' the identification is behind the scenes. The Spectacular Spider-Man #126 guested "Gladys," the Daily Bugle bookkeeper, who saved Peter Parker's already-well-cooked bacon by letting him cash out his payroll savings plan. (Penny wise and pound foolish, Peter!) Writer Danny Fingeroth cited Millie as the inspiration for the character, saying that even though it wasn't mentioned, "Shuriff" was Gladys's last name.


from Spectacular Spider-Man (1976 series) #126 (Marvel, May 1987), script by Danny Fingeroth, pencils by Alan Kupperberg, inks by Art Nichols and Vince Colletta (?), colors by George Roussos, letters by Rick Parker
But I wonder if Fingeroth had know that two years earlier, Jim Shooter, the Big S himself, had introduced a bookkeeper character actually named "Millie Shuriff" into the -616? Granted, he named after her a character who was the bookkeeper to a sleazy mobster named Vinnie (hmmm) and gave her the nickname "The Purse": GEEZ SHOOTER NO



from Secret Wars II #3 (Marvel, September 1985), script by Jim Shooter, pencils by Al Milgrom, inks by Steve Leialoha, colors by Christie Scheele, letters by Joe Rosen
This is the very issue that got me to stop buying Secret Wars II, so let me say I'd only dig up and expose myself to that comic up again for you on your birthday, Millie. I mean, I'm not lookin' for thank yous or any praise, but you gotta admit I probably should be issued a voucher for hazard pay for going back to this:


Yes, it's the issue where Beyonder got fat. Aw, he's more cuddly! Variant action figure fodder!

But here we see that even the Beyonder can't viiolate the First Law of Thermodynamics: Energy can be changed from one form to another, but it cannot be created or destroyed. That's how the super-heroes are finally going to defeat him, and it'll be Daredevi who lands the decisive blow. Because as everybody knows: the Beyonder never studied law.


But that's okay: this is the Beyonder we're talking about. He is beyond human ego and does not requirement the validation of humans:


Anyway, let's close by checking out a neat photograph of Stan Lee saying "And whats your name, young lady?" to Millie Shuriff over on Eliot R. Brown's blog. Happy birthday, Millie!