Today in Comics History, September 9: Happy birthday, Colonel Sanders!

Born on September 9, 1890: Colonel Harland Sanders, chicken magnate. That's magnate, nor magnet, because I don't know how you could have a magnet for chickens.


from Cracked #188 (August 1982), script and art by John Langton



I know what you're here for: the fried chicken. But also, Colonel Sanders's many appearance in comic books! He used to have his own comic book! Just like the Big Boy! It was Canadian and free. I bet it had chicken grease stains on it!


covers of Colonel Sanders Comics #1-2 (Comic Book World, 1969-1970), artists uncredited and unknown
Colonel Sanders first appeared in comics in 1944 when he gave a meal to the Blonde Bomber and her comic relief sidekick. That doesn't look like chicken he's feeding them? Perhaps his delicious biscuits.

(Note: This actually isn't him.)



from "[Danger In the Desert]" in All-New Comics #9 (Harvey, July 1944), creators uncredited and unknown
Here's a rare appearance of BEFORE he was a colonel: as the lower-ranked Captain Sanders. Back then he only had nine herbs and spices.

No, this isn't really him either.


from Fantastic Four (Marvel, 2018 series) #14/659 (November 2019), script by Dan Slott, pencils and inks by Paco Medina, colors by Jesus Aburtov, letters by Joe Caramagna
Oh geez, this guy's name isn't even Sanders! She's just using it sarcastically. C'mon, comics! Give us the Colonel!


from Scarlet (2018 series) #4 (DC/Jinxworld, January 2019); script by Brian Michael Bendis; pencils, inks, and colors by Alex Maleev; letters by Joshua Reed
Now this is more like it! Good job working the Colonel into the background of a black ops scene, Marvel! It's sometimes hard to spot him because he's pretty slippery.



from Winter Soldier #18 (Marvel, July 2013); script by Jason Latour; pencils, inks, and colors by Nic Klein; letters by Joe Caramagna
Still, you're sometimes more likely to see a reference to that delicious chicken than the man himself. As, say, an empty bucket the Beast has to pick up.


from The [New] Defenders #151 (Marvel, January 1986), script by Peter B. Gillis, pencils by Don Perlin, inks by Dell Barras, colors by Petra Scotese, letters by Janice Chiang
And of course you'd guess that Riverdale's own Mr. Spock, Jughead himself, would be a fan of a generic Archie Comics version of KFC!


from "It's Their Miserable Lives!" in Cheryl Blossom Special #3 (Archie, 1995), script by Bill Golliher, pencils by Sean Murphy, inks by Rudy Lapick, colors by Barry Grossman, letters by Bill Yoshida
But in a rare-for-them reference, Archie Comics actually calls real-world celebrities by their true names and not goofy veiled pseudonyms! Can you guess which celebrity inspires Jughead most?


from Kevin Keller #6 (Archie, January 2013), script and pencils by Dan Parent, inks by Rich Koslowski, colors by Digikore Studios, letters by Jack Morelli
As a real-life figure, though, of course the Colonel is fodder for pokin' fun at by MAD! But use a napkin, Mad.



from (top) MAD #178 (October 1975), script by Paul Peter Porges, art by Sandy Kossin;
(bottom) MAD #480 (August 2007), by John Caldwell
Probably the most infamous appearance of Col. Sanders was in a satiric Judge Dredd story, where the Man Who is The Law faced off against an evil army of advertising characters led by the Colonel!



from "The Cursed Earth, Part 17" in 2000 AD prog 77 (IPC, 12 August 1978), script by Chris Lowder, pencils and inks by Brian Bolland, letters by Tom Frame
The copyright holders complained, and this story wasn't reprinted until 2015 when parody laws in the UK changed.



Finally, don't forget the recent trilogy of DC promo comics that teamed up Col. Sanders with the Justice League!





from KFC #1: The Colonel of Two Worlds (DC/KFC, 2015), cover by Tom Grummett, co-plot by Shaine Edwards, co-plot and script by Tony Bedard, pencils by Tom Derenick, inks by Trevor Scott, colors by Hi-Fi, letters by Deron Bennett
YES, IT'S TRUE, FANBOYS! Harland Sanders is a member of the JLA. Well, so is Guy Gardner.





from KFC #2: Colonel Corps (DC/KFC, 2016), cover by Tom Grummett, script by Tony Bedard, pencils by Tom Derenick, inks by Trevor Scott, colors by Hi-Fi, letters by Carlos M. Mangual
Geez, Green Lantern, why you so mad about that delicious fried chicken? Just because it's golden? #HalJordanRuinsEverything





from KFC #3: Across the Universe (2017), cover by Tom Grummett, script by Tony Bedard, pencils by Tom Derenick, inks by Trevor Scott and Sean Parsons, colors by Hi-Fi, letters by Carlos M. Mangual
I dunno about you, but I'm gonna go out and get myself a bucket o' chicken.


Happy birthday, Colonel!