Today in Comics History, December 7: Happy birthday, Tom Waits!

Born on this day: Musician, composer, and actor Tom Waits, he of the barrel full o' smoked cigarettes voice and sad, sad life songs!


from "Ralph Carney" in American Splendor: Our Movie Year (Random House, December 2004), script by Harvey Pekar; pencils, inks, and letters by Gary Dumm




Tom's also been in many movies, including Ironwood, The Outsiders, Rumblefish, Mystery Men, Licorice Pizza, and of course he played fly-eater Renfield in Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula (by Marx)!


from "Drek-ula" in MAD #319 (June 1993), script by Dick DeBartolo, pencils and inks by Mort Drucker
Happy birthday, Tom Waits! Smoke 'em if you got 'em!


from "Really Appropriate Sponsors for Rock Tours" in MAD #286 (April 1989), script by Charlie Kadau