Saturday, October 08, 2022

Today in Comics History, October 8, 1871: The Atom attempts to pin another one of his heinous crimes upon an innocent cow

This is an expanded and updated version of a post originally published October 8, 2014.




from "Suddenly...the Witness Vanished!" in Detective Comics #432 (DC, February 1973), script by Elliot S! Maggin, pencils and inks by Murphy Anderson, letters by Ben Oda




Today in Comics History, October 8: Happy birthday, Mike Lackey!

Born on this day: comics scripter and editor Mike Lackey (Silver Surfer, Fantastic Four, Spectacular Spider-Man, Punisher, more)!


from Marvel Age #106 (Marvel, November 1991), text by Mike Lackey, pencils and inks by Ron Zalme, colors by Renee Witterstaetter

Happy birthday, Mike!

Today in Comics History, October 8: Believe it or Don't!


from "Strangely Believe It!" in MAD #42 (EC, November 1958); script by Ernie Kovacs; pencils, inks, and letters by Wally Wood

Today in Comics History, October 8: We return yet once again to Josephine Baker, P.I., still continually in progress one additional time




from Miss Don't Touch Me (NBM, October 2014), script and colors by Hubert, translation by Joe Johnson, pencils and inks by Kerascoët, letters by Ortho

Today in Comics History, October 8: Happy birthday, Kirk Alyn!

Born on this day in 1910: Kirk Alyn, the first actor to portray Superman in live action in two serials! He was Blackhawk in another movie serial!


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




Today in Comics History, October 8: The Day That Goes By in a Flash

Happy Flash Day! It's the day we all get together and celebrate Really-Quick Guy Barry Allen!



from Flash: The Fastest Man Alive (2020 digi series) #8 (DC, June 2020), script by Dave Wiegosz, art by Davis Lafuente, colors by Luis Guerrero, letters by Rob Leigh




Today in Comics History, October 8, 2002: Say, isn't the Daily Bugle nicknamed "The Picture Newspaper?"



from Deadline #4 (Marvel, September 2002), script by Bill Rosemann, pencils and inks by Guy Davis, colors by Dave Stewart, letters by Dave Sharpe

Oh, great, so now they're using clip art.



Hey wait, how can a newspaper have two four-star final editions on the same day?!?

Today in Comics History, October 8, 1979: Rock star Flea is 100% certain the other kids in his class won't laugh at him


from Back to the Future (2015 series) #12 (IDW, September 2016), story by John Barber and Bob Gale, script by John Barber, pencils and inks by Emma Vieceli, colors by Jose Luis Rio, letters by Shawn Lee and Robbie Robbins

Today in Comics History, October 8, 1996: If you can tell me (because I didn't label the scan and can't remember) what comic this came from, I will personally mail you a gift from


from (see above)

Today in Comics History, October 8: Crew members are saddened by the funeral for Popeye, Bluto, the Whiffle Hen, the Jeep, and pieces of Wimpy


from "Sea Dogs, Chapter Twelve" in The Dollhouse Family #4 (DC/Black Label/Hill House, April 2020), script by Joe Hill, pencils and inks by Dan McDaid, colors by John Kalisz, letters by Wes Abbott

Today in Comics History, October 8: Clean-up on Cellblock "H"


from Suicide Squad (2016 series) #6 (DC, January 2017); script by Rob Williams; pencils by Jim Lee; inks by Scott Williams, Sandra Hope, Matt Banning, and Jim Lee; colors by Alex Sinclair; letters by Pat Brosseau

Friday, October 07, 2022

Today in Comics History, October 7: Happy birthday, Nick Lowe!

Born on this day: Nick Lowe!


"Cruel to be Kind" by Nick Lowe (Stiff, 1979), written by Nick Lowe and Ian Gomm; music video filmed at Lowe's actual wedding!

No, no! Not that Nick Lowe. (He was born on March 24.) I'm talkin' about Marvel Editor Nick Lowe, vice president of content and executive editor at Marvel Comics. He's edited a whole shebang of Marvel Comics (Ultimate Spider-Man, The Ultimates, Ultimate Iron Man, Nextwave, Neil Gaiman's The Eternals, X-Men, Runaways and many more)!


from Ultimate Spider-Man #67 (Marvel/Ultimate Marvel, December 2004), script by Brian Michael Bendis, pencils by Mark Bagley, inks by Scott Hanna, colors by J. D. Smith, letters by Chris Eliopoulos





Today in Comics History, October 7: Happy birthday, Vaughn Monroe!

Born on this day in 1911: actor/singer Vaughn Monroe ("Mule Train," "Cool Water," "Riders in the Sky" and many more). And comic book star? You betcha!


from "Vaughn Monroe: Racing with the Moon" in Juke Box Comics #3 (Eastern Color, July 1948), pencils and inks by Sid Greene





Today in Comics History, October 7: Happy birthday, Batman...?

Born on this day: Batman! Well, kinda. Actually, his canon birthday is on February 19.


from Super DC Calendar 1976 (DC, 1975)

However, this recent digital story lists his birthday as today, October 7.



from Legends of the Dark Knight (2021 digital series) #10 (DC, June 2021), scropt by Brandon Thomas, art by Giannis Milonogiannis, colors by Jordie Bellaire, letters by Deron Bennett


So what's the experts' opinion on when Batman's birthday is? Well, I (little stuffed expert) choose to believe that this is a non-canon story and will still contrinues to celebrate on February 19. Altho' it's just possible that this is a new post-Rebirth canon birthday. Unless, of course, Batman is lying to J'onn. Which, consider the big green guy is a telepath, may not be the smartest thing to do.

Either, or. Happy batday, Birthman!

Today in Comics History, October 7: Happy birthday, John Mellencamp!

Born on this day: musician, actor, and activist John Mellencamp (née Cougar).

Here's his sole appearance (sorta) in comic books — a parody of Youngblood's "Cougar!"


from Splitting Image #1 (Image, March 1993); script, pencils, inks and letters by Don Simpson, colors by Brian Murray

Today in Comics History, October 7, 1918: "Accent on the bleed."


from The Stretcher Bearers (Naval Institute Press/Dead Reckoning, April 2022), co-script and art by Reid Beaman, co-script and letters by Ryan Beaman

Today in Comics History, October 7: Happy birthday, Niels Bohr!

Born on this day in 1885: Danish physicist and Nobel Prize-winner Niels Bohr!


from ": The Composition of the Atom" in Magnus, Robot Fighter #3 (Western/Gold Key, August 1963)

He's the the namesake for Element 107: Nielsium Bohrium!:


Happy birthday, Niels!


from "The Atomic Bomb" in Real Life Comics #29 (Pines, March 1946), creators uncredited and unknown

Today in Comics History, October 7: We interrupt this comic book to bring you a weather report and half a seagull


from "Sea Dogs, Chapter Twelve" in The Dollhouse Family #4 (DC/Hill House, April 2020), script by Joe Hill, pencils and inks by Dan McDaid, colors by John Kalisz, letters by Wes Abbott

Today in Comics History, October 7: Happy birthday, Andy Devine!

Born on this day in 1905: character actor and radio comedian Andy Devine (Stagecoach, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Jack Benny Program, etc.)!


from Movie Love #19 (Eastern Color, February 1953), pencils and inks by Frank Fogarty




Today in Comics History, October 7: Ace tries to tell Alfred that green isn't really his color, and that jacket is only comfort-rated to merely 10 below


from "Good Boy" in Batman Annual (2017 series) #1 (January 2017), script by Tom King, pencils and inks by David Finch, colors by Gabe Eltaeb, letters by Deron Bennett

BatrocTober, Day 7: "BATROC HAS BEEN EATEN BY A GRUE"


from the side-scroller fighting video game (inhale) The Amazing Spider-Man and Captain America in Dr. Doom's Revenge! (exhale), (1989, Paragon Software, designed by Mark E. Seremet)

"You see BATROC."
PUNCH BATROC
"That thing isn't here."
HIT BATROC
"That thing isn't here."
KICK BATROC
"'Alors!' Batroc declares, as he twirls his waxed mustache. 'A challainge!'"


In 1996, Computer Gaming World declared Spiderman/Captain America the 27th-worst computer game ever released. But hey, there was a manual with OHOTMU-type stats inside. Looking up these stats served as your copy-protection. Oh, I hate that.


Also included: a comic book setting up the plot of the game, featuring TWO whole panels of Batroc!



from Doctor Doom's Revenge one-shot (Marvel, 1989), script by Danny Fingeroth, pencils by Rich Buckler, inks by Tony DeZuniga, colors by Paul Becton, letters by Rick Parker

All this is just to say I want a real Batroc fighting game.

Today in Comics History, October 7, 1974: Spider-Man ignores convenient plot outline painted on building behind him



from Giant-Size Spider-Man #3 (January 1975), script by Gerry Conway, pencils by Ross Andru, inks by Mike Esposito, colors by George Roussos

Hey, it's the Spider-Man story that can never be reprinted because they don't have the rights to Doc Savage anymore, so stare at this one page extra hard to hold you over until they do again!

Thursday, October 06, 2022

Today in Comics History, October 6: Man grilled about this night under the harsh glare of the Booster Gold-Signal


from Moon Knight (2016 series) #8 (January 2017); script by Jeff Lemire; pencils and inks by Francesco Francavilla, Wilfredo Torres, James Stokoe, and Greg Smallwood; colors by Francesco Francavilla, Michael Garland, James Stokoe, and Jordie Bellaire; letters by Cory Petit

Today in Comics History, October 6, 2015: Queuing neatly and correctly solves all problems on Earth


from Yellow Cab (IDW, May 2022), by Christophe Chabouté, based on the novel by Benoît Cohen

Today in Comics History, October 6, 1600: Bridezilla vows to destroy opera


from "Origin of Oratorio and Opera, the Musical Twin" in Treasure Chest of Fun and Fact v.4 #1/47 (Pflaum, September 7, 1948), script by Silvio A. Bendini, artists uncredited and unknown

Today in Comics History, October 6, 1966: Beach movie ruined by Cyclops coming in and blasting everybody with his heat vision


from Welcome to Tranquility: One Foot in the Grave #2 (WildStorm, October 2010), script by Gail Simone, pencils and inks by Horacio Domingues, colors by Jonny Rench, letters by Travis Lanham

Today in Comics History, October 6, 1939: Hawkman discovers Balloonium*


from "The Secret Origin of the Golden Age Hawkman" in Secret Origins (1986 series) #11 (DC, February 1987), script by Roy Thomas, pencils by Luke McDonnell, inks by Tony DeZuniga, colors by Carl Gafford, letters by Mary DeZuniga

*Or, as it's known in England, Ballooninium.