Today in Comics History, October 10: Happy birthday, Giuseppe Verdi!

Born on this day (or maybe yesterday) in 1813: Giuseppe Verdi, composer and lyricist, best known for his famous operas Rigoletto, Il trovatore, Aida, Falstaff, Otello, and La traviata and many other works! Here's Batman and Robin singing one of them, so you know Verdi hit it big in comics!


from "The Grand Opera Murders!" in Batman (1940 series) #40 (DC/National, April 1947), script by Don C. Cameron (?), pencils by Dick Sprang, inks by Gene McDonald, letters by Joe Letterese (?)



Bully Says: don't go to operas, read about 'em in comic books!


"Famous Operas: Il Trovatore (The Troubadour)" from Classics Illustrated (1947 series) #81 (Gilberton, March 1951), creators uncredited and unknown
Ah, operas. The comic-book reading kids of the Golden Age just went wild for operas. Couldn't get enough of 'em.


"Famous Operas: Don Carlos" from Classics Illustrated (1947 series) #79 (Gilberton, April 1954), creators uncredited and unknown
Verdi learned from Shakespeare by doing exactly what Shakespeare did: steal from the classics!


"Famous Operas: Othello" from Classics Illustrated (1947 series) #67 (Gilberton, January 1950), creators uncredited and unknown
Why, with just three days more I'd have just about learned the entire score to Aida.


"Famous Operas: Aida" from Classics Illustrated (1947 series) #57 (Gilberton, March 1949), creators unknown
But hey, what if you wanna learn the plot to Aida but you don't wanna read a page o' text inserted to ensure second class mail postal approval? Why, comics have got you covered there too, you betcha!



"Musical Key: Aida" from Key Comics #4 (Consolidated, May 1946), pencils and inks by Henry Keifer
Happy birthday, Verdi!


"My Strongest Suit" from Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida, sung by the Spice Girls (Rocket, 1999), composed by Elton John and Tim Rice