Face It Tiger February, Day 19: She may not say the words, but Aunt May knows that reference pose

from Howard the Duck (2015 series) #8 (Marvel, August 2016); script by Chip Zdarsky; pencils, inks, and colors by Joe Quinones; additional inks by Joe Rivera, additional colors by Jordan Gibson; letters by Travis Lanham

Today in Comics History, February 19: Happy birthday, Lee Marvin!

Born Punched his way into the world today in 1924: actor, tough guy, and the Webster's Dictionary definition of "cool" (complete with a photo of him): Lee Marvin. His acting credits include The Killers, The Professionals, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Paint Your Wagon...


...The Dirty Dozen, Point Blank, The Big Red One, Cat Ballou, and even Gorilla at Large, the only motion picture to ever be awarded seventy-three Oscars. And yes, he was in comic books, because with that many iconic roles in classic movies, you just know he'd be featured in a MAD magazine parody or two, right?




from "The Amateurs" in MAD #112 (July 1967), script by Larry Siegel, pencils and inks by Mort Drucker
You ain't nobody 'til you've been drawn by Mort Drucker, says the Second Law of Comic Books as drawn up by some cute an' lovable li'l stuffed comics blogger, and Lee Marvin fulfills that notoriety by being drawn not once by Drucker, not twice, but a whole heckuva lotta times. Here's another one, if you can even stand it:


from "The Virginiaham" in MAD #99 (December 1965), script by Lou Silverstone, pencils and inks by Mort Drucker
But let's momentarily give Mort Drucker's drawing hand a rest (ice bags are in the freezer, Mort!) and check out another great master of comics: Darwyn Cooke!


cover of Catwoman: Selina's Big Score (DC, September 2002), art by Darwyn Cooke
Selina's Big Score is a fantastic Catwoman graphic novel in which Cooke "casts" some movie greats at his characters. To the left of Selina's up there is Lee Marvin as Stark, and on the right Chow Yun-fat as Jeff. (Others include Burgess Meredith, himself not a stranger to acting alongside Catwoman, and the delectable and dangerous Pam Grier.)

Let's look at lots of panels not only because Lee Marvin is fun to look at, but because ooh la la, Darwyn Cooke's art is sublime.





from Catwoman: Selina's Big Score, art and letters by Darwyn Cooke, colors by Matt Hollingsworth
More Mort Drucker artwork of Lee Marvin? Sure, why not?


from "The Academy Awards Show We'd Like to See" in MAD #132 (January 1970), script by Larry Siegel, pencils and inks by Mort Drucker
But did Lee Marvin ever has his own comic book?, you ask me. How can you say someone is great who's never had his own comic book? Ahem. Lee Marvin was great.


cover of The Dirty Dozen one-shot (Dell, October 1967), painted cover (movie poster art) by Frank McCarthy
When I think of motion pictures that are ripe for the Dell Movie Classic treatment, I gotta admit that The Dirty Dozen did not pop foremost into my mind. And yet...





from The Dirty Dozen; pencils and inks by Jack Sparling, letters by Charlotte Jetter
The Dirty Dozen! A classic of modern cinema. Which of course means...





from "Dirtier by the Dozen" in MAD #116 (January 1968), script by Lou Silverstone, pencils and inks by guess who...Mort Drucker!
Happy birthday to Lee Marvin! I'm yelling that to him from fifty feet away. He probably wouldn't punch me, but I'm hedging my bets.


from Catwoman: Selina's Big Score

Today in Comics History, February 19: Happy birthday, Joe Caponsacco!

Born on this day in 1967: Joe Caponsacco, comic book colorist and paste-up artist (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, X-Men 2099, The Real Heroes, Darkhold: Pages from the Book of Sins, more)!


from Marvel Age #110 (Marvel, March 1992), text by Mike Lackey, art by Darren Auck
Joe can have (as a birthday treat) a game of hiding from you. Can you find him among(st) his comardes at the Marvel Comics Group, hidden in the mazes of the Bullpen?

from Marvel Age #120 (Marvel, January 1993), art by Rick Parker
(Click top picture to Bullpen-size)
Happy birthday, Joe!


from Marvel Age #112 (Marvel, May 1992)

Today in Comics History, February 19: Happy Batday, Birthman!

This is a combined, expanded and updated version of posts originally published February 19, 2012 and February 19, 2013.

On this bright and clear February 19 afternoon...what nefarious plot d'you think Alfred and Commissioner Gordon are up to?


from "Surprise! Surprise!" in Batman Family #11 (DC, May 1977), script by Bob Rozakis, pencils by Carl Potts, inks by Frank McLaughlin, colors by Bob LeRose
Why, on this day, (mumble mumble) years ago, Bruce Wayne was born! In other words, it's BATMAN'S BIRTHDAY! Why else do you think that Gordon and Alfred made that extended trip to Party City? Bruce loves Star Wars party supplies!

Today in Comics History, February 19, 1942: Shame

from All-Star Squadron #30 (DC, February 1984), script by Roy Thomas, pencils by Mike Machlan and Richard Howell, inks by Sam de la Rosa and Mike Machlan, colors by Gene D'Angelo, letters by David Cody Weiss
Wikipedia:

Executive Order 9066 was a United States presidential executive order signed and issued during World War II by United States president Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942. This order authorized...clearing the way for the incarceration of nearly all 120,000 Japanese Americans during the war. Two-thirds of them were U.S. citizens, born and raised in the United States.

Face It Tiger February, Day 18: Face front, true believer, you hit the excelsior

from Amazing Fantastic Incredible: A Marvelous Memoir (Simon & Schuster, January 2019), script by Peter David and Stan Lee, art by Colleen Doran

Today in Comics History, February 18: Not wishin' you a happy birthday, Reverse-Flash!

Born on this day sometime in the 25½th century: Eobard Thawne (the sort of name you'll see in the future, according to the writers of Legion of Super-Heroes), the super-villain known as Professor Zoom (giggle) and the slightly less silly Reverse-Flash. Hey wait, why isn't he named Hsalf?


from DC Super Calendar 1976 (DC, December 1975), letters by Ben Oda

Today in Comics History, February 18: Happy birthday, Joe Maneely!

Born on this date in 1926: Joe Maneely, the comics artist who co-created the Black Knight, the Ringo Kid, the Yellow Claw, and Jimmy Woo. He worked on many Timely and Atlas titles until his untimely death in 1958.

Stan Lee's autographical graphic novel and Tom Scioli's GN biography of Jack Kirby both spotlight Joe:



from Amazing Fantastic Incredible: A Marvelous Memoir (Simon & Schuster, January 2019), script by Peter David and Stan Lee, art by Colleen Doran

Today in Comics History, February 18, 2009: Post-It™ Notes break fourth wall

recap page from Amazing Spider-Man: Extra! #3 (Marvel, May 2009)

Today in Comics History, February 18: Ha ha ha ha capital punishment is funny

from "The Grapevine" in Gang Busters #48 (DC, October 1955), writer unknown

Face It Tiger February, Day 17: A classic moment in comics, forever sullied

from Spider-Man Adventures #4 (Marvel, March 1995), script by Nel Yomtov, pencils by Alex Saviuk, inks by Don Hudson, colors by Kevin Tinsley, letters by Steve Dutro

Today in Comics History, February 17: Happy birthday, Curt Swan!

Born on this day in 1922: Curt Swan, one of DC's greatest and most important artists, renowned for his work on the Superman family of comics...and much, much more.


from Fifty Who Made DC Great one-shot (DC, 1985)

Today in Comics History, February 17; Happy birthday, David Fox!

Happy birthday today to David Fox, one of the Marvel legal guys in the 1980s. He got his birthday celebrated on the Marvel Age calendar three times!


from Marvel Age #50, 87 and 98 (Marvel, May 1987, April 1990, and March 1991), text by Mike Carlin (#50), and Chris Eliopoulis and Barry Dutter (#87 and 98); pencils and inks by Ron Zalme; colors by Gregory Wright (#87) and Renee Witterstaetter (#98)
Happy birthday, Dave!

Today in Comics History, February 17, 1864: Black panel borders signal impending doom

from "Subsurface Through the Centuries" in Commander Battle and the Atomic Sub #5 (ACG, March 1955), script by Richard Hughes (?), pencils and inks by Pete Riss

Today in Comics History, February 17, 1957: Winter Soldier kills a guy with a name Tom Clancy thought of

from Captain America (2005 series) #11 (Marvel, November 2005), script by Ed Brubaker, pencils by Steve Epting, inks by Steve Epting and Mike Perkins, colors by Frank D'Armata, letters by Randolph Gentile

Face It Tiger February, Day 16: This scene reads totally different in the UK

from Amazing Spider-Man #796 (Marvel, April 2018), script by Dan Slott and Christos Gage, pencils by Mike Hawthorne, inks by Terry Pallot and Cam Smith, colors by Erick Arciniega, letters by Joe Caramagna

Today in Comics History, February 16: Happy birthday, Ron Wilson!

Born on this day: Ron Wilson, prolific comics penciller of many Marvel covers as well as interiors for books like Captain America, The Defenders, The Avengers, Hulk, What If...?, Luke Cage: Power Man, Masters of the Universe, Marvel Comics Presents and many more, but especially his long run depicting my favorite Marvel character, the ever-lovin' blue-eyed Mr. Benjamin J. Grimm, in the pages of The Thing, Marvel Two-in-One, and Fantastic Four!


from Mighty Marvel Calendar 1976, 1977, 1978, and 1979

Today in Comics History, February 16: Happy birthday, Tim Bradstreet!

Born on this day, illustrator for comics, book covers, movie posters, roleplaying game and trading cards: Tim Bradstreet (Vampire: the Masquerade, Star Wars, Clive Barker's Age of Desire, The Punisher, Blade, Gangland, Unknown Soldier, Human Target, Hellblazer, and more)!


from Heartthrobs #2 (DC/Vertigo, February 1999)
Happy birthday, Tim!

Today in Comics History, February 16: Happy birthday, Joseph Steiner!

Born on this day in 1907: Joseph L. Steiner...


...co-founder of the Kenner Toy Company...


from Fifty Who Made DC Great one-shot (DC, 1985)
...makers of DC Super Powers, Star Wars, Ghostbusters, Batman, and many other action figure lines that we know, love, collect and let gather dust!


Happy birthday, Joe Steiner! In his honor today, get down on the floor and play with your action figures, and make sure to lose a few accessories which will be sucked up by the vacuum cleaner and make WHIRRRR-CLANK-CLANK-CLANK-WHIRRRR-CRUNCH sounds.