Today in Comics History, April 30: Happy birthday, Burton C. Mossman!

Born on this day in 1867: Burton C. Mossman, legendary American lawman (and cattleman, but we won't hold that against him).


"Arizona Ranger" in Detective Comics #139 (DC, September 1948), script and art by Stookie Allen (?)
And from that point on there was never any troubles in Arizona ever again. EVER AGAIN.




from "Border Watchdog" in Western Fighters v.3 #7 (Hillman, June 1951), pencils and inks by Michael J. Becker
If you want to read more about him you can go to your local library. Or, read this right here instead, if you want. I'm not your supervisor.



"Enemy of the Outlaws: Burt Mossman" in JACK ARMSTRONG #13 (Parents' Magazine Press, September 1949), writer uncredited and unknown
Or this one! It's illustrated! Now you can do your book report on Burt Mossman! (Copy it! Your teacher will never know!)



"Chacon: Border Bandit" from The Lone Ranger (148 series) #10 (Dell, April 1949), story by Carl Smith, pencils and inks by Mo Gollub
Happy birthday, Captain Mossman!

Today in Comics History, April 30, 1970: Where all those little green army men in comic book ads come from

from The 'Nam #46 (Marvel, July 1990), script by Chuck Dixon, breakdowns by Wayne Vansant, finishes by Tony DeZuñiga, colors and letters by Phil Felix

Today in Comics History, April 30, 1898: "We'll be fine as soon as my brothers Commodore Louie and Captain Huey get here."

from "The Spanish American War" in Picture Stories from American History #4 (EC, Summer 1947), script by Jerry Coleman, pencils and inks by Allen Simon

Today in Comics History, April 30, 1805: It's so pretty here, it's a shame Captain Stubing wants to get under way before sundown

from Manifest Destiny #38 (Image, November 2019), script by Chris Dingess, pencils and inks by Matthew Roberts, colors by Owen Gieni, letters by Pat Brosseau

Today in Comics History, April 30, 1954: He hates this scoreboard!

from The Amazing Willie Mays one-shot (Eastern Color, September 1954), creators unknown

Today in Comics History, April 30: But for Archie, the month is just beginning

from Archie's Weird Mysteries #20 (Archie, June 2002), script by Paul Castiglia, pencils by Fernando Ruiz, inks by Rich Koslowski, colors by Stephanie Vozzo, letters by Vickie Williams

Today in Comics History, April 30, 1945: Jack is happy, but at the same time he's sad because it wasn't him who killed Hitler

from Jack Kirby: The Epic Life of the King of Comics (Ten Speed, July 2020), script and art by Tom Scioli

Today in Comics History, April 30, 1945: They even celebrate it on the Fourth World

from Bug!: The Adventures of Forager #2 (August 2017); co-script by Lee Allred; co-script, pencils, and inks by Michael Allred; colors by Laura Allred; letters by Nate Piekos

Today in Comics History, April 30, 1945: Yes, Hitler was killed by a time-traveling Punisher/Ghost Rider; it's canon, fanboys

from Cosmic Ghost Rider Destroys Marvel History #4 (Marvel, August 2019), script by Paul Scheer and Nick Giovannetti, pencils and inks by Todd Nauck, colors by Antonion Fabela, letters by Travis Lanham

Today in Comics History, April 30, 1945: Hitler murders Hitler

from "Death of a Dictator" in Weird War Tales #58 (DC, December 1977), script by Jack Oleck, pencils by Ernie Chan, inks by Bill Draut, colors by Jerry Serpe, letters by Milt Snapinn

Today in Comics History, April 29, 1917: The Red Baron will happily sign autographs and merchandise, but please, no pizza boxes

from "Red Knight!" in Two-Fisted Tales #29 (EC, September 1952), script by Harvey Kurtzman, pencils and inks by John Severin, colors by Marie Severin, letters by Ben Oda

Today in Comics History, April 29, 1805: "Also, to pillage land."

from Manifest Destiny #37 (Image, October 2019), script by Chris Dingess, pencils and inks by Matthew Roberts, colors by Owen Gieni, letters by Pat Brosseau

Today in Comics History, April 29, 1869: Looks like April 29 is a pretty big day for train historians

from "Canal Leland Stanford: Railroad Pioneer of the West" in Real Life Comics #11 (Pines, May, 1943), pencils and inks by Maurice Gutwirth

Today in Comics History, April 29, 1900: I never knew he had so many adventures before he met Eastman and Laird

from "Casey Jones and the Wreck of the '382'" in Real Heroes #5 (Parents' Magazine Press, July 1942), pencils by E.C. Stoner, inks by Jon Blummer (?)

Today in Comics History, April 29, 1900: Teenage Mutant Turtles' pal goes into training

from "Casey Jones, the Brave Engineer" in Real Fact Comics #19 (DC, March 1949); script by Jack Schiff, Mort Weisinger, and/or Bernie Breslauer; pencils and inks by Howard Sherman

Today in Comics History, April 28, 1885: The Proud Cowboys prepare for the arrival of Thomas A. Hendricks

from Two-Gun Kid: Sunset Riders #1 (Marvel, November 1995), script by Fabian Nicieza, pencils by Christian Gorney, inks by Michael Halblieb, colors by Marie Javins, letters by Richard Starkings

Today in Comics History, April 28, 1942: President Roosevelt arrives in the last panel just in time to provide comic book's moral

from True Comics #17 (Parents' Magazine Press, October 1942), creators uncredited and unidentified

Today in Comics History, April 27, 1972: That's great, it starts with a tank and artillery / Then came infantry, and a superior force / Lenny Bruce is not afraid

from "Yankee Station" in The 'Nam #78 (Marvel, March 1993), script by Don Lomax, pencils and inks by Wayne Vansant, colors and letters by Phil Felix

Today in Comics History April 27: Happy birthday, Enos Slaughter!

Man, talk about a name, huh? When you wish Enos Slaughter (born today in 1916) a happy birthday today, better not giggle and call him Enos, but instead his preferred nickname, "Country," which is a heck of a lot cooler, especially teamed up with surname "Slaughter," which makes him The Punisher's favorite baseball player. (A ten-time All-Star, he's in both the Baseball Hall of Fame and St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame!)

Here's how to perform one of his trickiest plays from the 1946 World Series. If you weren't able to do it too, you just weren't reading closely enough.



from "Famous Split-Seconds in Sports" in Jack Armstrong #1 (Parents' Magazine Institute, November 1947), XXX
How'd he get that good? Why, surely you know teh answers by now...he ate his Wheaties!


Wheaties advertisement from DC Comics cover-dated May 1947
Happy birthday, Country! I mean, ahem, Mr. Slaughter.

Today in Comics History, April 27: Happy birthday, Barry Shapiro!

Born on this day in 1947: Barry Shapiro, art director for Cracked magazine and Marvel production support guy in the 1980s!


L: from Marvel Age #28 (Marvel, July 1985), text by Jim Salicrup, pencils and inks by Ron Zalme; colors by George Roussos
R: from What If...? (1977 series) #34 (Marvel, August 1982), script by Rick Parker, pencils and inks by Ron Zalme
Here's a lovely elegy for barry by Eliot R. Brown.

Happy birthday, Barry!

Today in Comics History, April 27, 1910: Explain this one if you can, Jess Nevins!

(The fact that in 1910, neither April nor August 27 were on a Friday.)



from The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Century: 1910 (Top Shelf/Knockabout, April 2009), script by Alan Moore, pencils and inks by Kevin O'Neill, colors by Benedict Dimagmaliw, letters by Todd Klein

Today in Comics History, April 26: Happy birthday, Fin Fang Foom!

Born on this very day many many (many!) years ago: Fin Fang Foom, The Most Fearful Menace of All!


from Marvel Age #100 (Marvel, April 1991); text by Chris Eliopoulis and Barry Dutter; pencils and inks by Ron Zalme (altho' that picture looks very Art Adams-y to me, doesn't it?), colors by Renee Witterstaetter
Well, April 26 is what it says here in Marvel Age #100, so it's canon, fanboys! Note: may not be canon.


cover of Strange Tales #89 [first appearance of Fin Fang Foom] #89 (Marvel, October 1961), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Dick Ayers, colors by Stan Goldberg, letters by Artie Simek
Happy one millionth, Mister Foom! You don't look a day over 850,000, big guy.

Today in Comics History, April 26, 1698: Peter the Great? More like Peter the Guy Who Owned a Gap Outlet Store

from "Peter the Great — Father of Russia" in Real Life Comics #6 (Pines, July 1942), creators unknown

Today in Comics History, April 25: Happy birthday, Peter Sanderson!

Born on this day, as Jim Salicrup helpfully informs us in the middle panel below: Peter Sanderson, comic book historian and continuity archivist, vital researcher and writer on the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe and Marvel Saga projects!


from Marvel Age #52, 88, and 100 (Marvel, July 1987, April 1991, and April 1991); text by Mike Carlin (#52) and Chris Eliopoulis and Barry Dutter (#88 & 100); pencils and inks by Ron Zalme; colors by Paul Becton (#52), Gregory Wright (#88) and Renee Witterstaetter (#100)

Today in Comics History, April 25: Happy birthday, Johnny Craig!

Born on this day in 1926: comics writer, penciller, and inker Johnny Craig! He worked primarily for EC on Crypt of Terror, Vault of Horror, Haunt of Fear, Crime SuspenStories, Two-Fisted Tales, and more...


from Vault of Horror #24 (DC, April 1952)

Today in Comics History, April 25, 1944: Colonel Klink is happy to go along with Colonel Hogan's plan if it saves him from the Russian Front

from "Man Hunt" in Real Heroes #13 (Parents' Magazine Institute, March 1946), creators unknown

Today in Comics History, April 25, 1874: Telegraph Killed the Pony Express Star

Happy birthday, Guglielmo Marconi!


from "Historical Almanac" in Real Fact Comics #20 (DC, May 1949), creators unknown

Today in Comics History, April 25, 1945: Namor hangs framed newspaper on his wall; value immediately decreases from water damage

from Sub-Mariner: Marvels Snapshots #1 one-shot (Marvel. May 2020), script by Alan Brennert, pencils and inks by Jerry Ordway, colors by Espen Grundetjern, letters by Travis Lanham

Today in Comics History, April 25: Happy birthday, Mort Weisinger!

Born on this day in 1915: Mort Weisinger, co-creator of Aquaman, Green Arrow, Johnny Quick, and the original Vigilante; long-time editor of National/DC's Superman line; and story editor of the Adventures of Superman TV show!


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

Today in Comics History, April 24, 1982: Entire Marvel Bullpen moves to avoid Stan Lee

from [Uncanny] X-Men Annual (1970 series) #7 (Marvel, January 1984), script by Chris Claremont, pencils by Michael Golden, inks by Bill Anderson, colors by Glynis Oliver, letters by Tom Orzechowski

Today in Comics History, April 24, 20XX: VH-1's Pop-Up Criminal Records premieres

from Nightwing (2016 series) #86 (DC, January 2022), script by Tom Taylor, pencils and inks by Robbi Rodriguez, colors by Adriano Lucas, letters by Wes Abbott

Today in Comics History, April 24, 1954: Comics are doomed

from Comic Book Comics #3 (Evil Twin, February 2008); script by Fred Van Lente; pencils, inks, and letters by Ryan Dunlavey