Today in Comics History, October 4: Happy birthday, Giovanni Battista Piranesi!

Born on this date in 1720 in Venice (Italy, not that beach in California): Giovanni Battista Piranesi, Italian artist, architect, and archaeologist. So proficient was he in the arts that began with the letter "A" that he would have been called a Renaissance Man except that he was born about 400 years too late, on this very date. He's famous for his etchings of Rome and of fictitious and atmospheric "prisons" (like Blackgate or Iron Heights?), and he's infamous in the DC/Proto-Vertigo Universe for his Painting That Ate Paris.


from Doom Patrol (1987 series) #27 (DC, November 1989), script by Grant Morrison, pencils by Richard Case, inks by John Nyberg, colors by Daniel Vozzo, letters by John Workman



Mr. Nobody of the Brotherhood of Dada Explains It All for You™:


The original Piranesi painting was destroyed in 1814 (probably accidentally by Baldrick), but a duplicate was created by insane Icelandic artist Björk Max Bordenghast (hey, why isn't it Bordenghastson?). Max does not get a birthday salute on this blog, because, like Mr. Nobody, he's fictional.


Hey, look! As promised in tne title, the Painting ate Paris. Well. Au revoir, Paris.


It should be all okay as long as you do not look directly at it...OH FOR CRYIN' OUT LOUD BEETLE AND BOOSTER. And you too, Animal Man. You should know better.



from Doom Patrol #28 (DC, December 1989), script by Grant Morrison, pencils by Richard Case, inks by John Nyberg, colors by Daniel Vozzo, letters by John Workman
And that's why you call the Doom Patrol, and not the Justice League.


So there you have it and...oh! Happy birthday, Piranesi. I'd forgotten that's how we started this whole shebang.