Today in Comics History, May 13, 1965: Kevin Somers gets the hat color absolutely correct

from House of Secrets (1996 series) #12 (DC/Vertigo, September 1997), script by Steven T. Seagle, pencils and inks by Guy Davis, colors by Kevin Somers, color separations by Heroic Age, letters by Todd Klein
Same as it ever was.

Today in Comics History, May 13, 1918: Story about Houdini trying so hard to be a James Bond thriller

from After Houdini (Insight, October 2018), script by Jeremy Holt, illustrated by John Lucas, colors by Adrian Crossa, letters by A Larger World Studios

Today in Comics History, May 13, 1903: Floor-sleeper roused

from House of Secrets (1996 series) #10 (DC/Vertigo, July 1997), script by Steven T. Seagle, layouts by Christian Højgaard, finishes by Teddy Kristiansen, colors by Bjarne Hansen, color separations by Heroic Age, letters by Todd Klein

Today in Comics History, May 12: Happy birthday, Charles Biro!

Born on this day in 1911: comic book writer and artist Charles Biro, who started up at the Harry Chesler Shop, Hillman Publications (where he co-created Airboy) and MLJ (Archie) Comics, but he's become best known as one of the great creatives of Lev Gleason Comics, where he worked extensively on Daredevil Comics, co-created Crime-Buster, and edited and created for the seminal Crime Does Not Pay.


"The 3 That Gave You the Big 3: Daredevil, Boy, Crime Does Not Pay" from Lev Gleason Comics cover-dated September 1946

Today in Comics History, May 12: Happy birthday, Yogi Berra!

Born on this day in 1925: Yogi Berra, champion baseball player and manager, malapropist, and cartoon bear.


from Yogi Berra one-shot (Fawcett, 1951), script by Charles Dexter, pencils and inks by Kurt Schaffenberger

Today in Comics History, May 12-18: These...are The Days of the Week

from The Adventures of Tintin v. 16: Destination Moon (Methuen, 1959); script, pencils, and inks by Hergé; translation by Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper and Michael Turner

Today in Comics History, May 12, 1965: Millford town council eagerly endorses depths and lengths

from House of Secrets (1996 series) #12 (DC/Vertigo, September 1997), script by Steven T. Seagle, pencils and inks by Guy Davis, colors by Kevin Somers, color separations by Heroic Age, letters by Todd Klein
(Kevin Somers correctly predicts the color of the tie. Same as it ever was.)

Today in Comics History, May 12, 989: That's not Old English, you twit

from "Second Choice" in House of Secrets (1956 series) #85 (DC, April 1970), script by Gerry Conway, pencils by Gil Kane, inks by Neal Adams, letters by John Costanza

Today in Comics History, May 12, 1810: Boy, he really didn't like that Kevin Costner movie

from "The Banshee Bride of Ballybrooke" in Ghosts (1971 series) #94 (DC, November 1980), script by Mimai Kin, pencils and inks by Win Mortimer, colors by Jerry Serpe, letters by Shelly Leferman
This post was suggested by faithful reader and frequent commenter Blam, who's provided a lot of date references in comics that I'll spotlight throughout 2023 in this series. Thanks, Blam!

Today in Comics History, May 11, 1932: Blimps: The Silent Killer

from "The Jinx That Rode the Skies" in Ghosts (1971 series) #23 (DC, February 1974), pencils and inks by Sam Glanzman
This post was suggested by faithful reader and frequent commenter Blam, who's provided a lot of date references in comics that I'll spotlight throughout 2023 in this series. Thanks, Blam!

Today in Comics History, May 11, 1956: Mad scientist discovers there's an app for that

from The Last Mechanical Monster (Abrams, October 2022), by Brian Fies

Today in Comics History, May 11, 1965: Here (Millford) There Be Monsters

from House of Secrets (1996 series) #12 (DC/Vertigo, September 1997), script by Steven T. Seagle, pencils and inks by Guy Davis, colors by Kevin Somers, color separations by Heroic Age, letters by Todd Klein

Today in Comics History, May 11, 2005: Bill Everett apologizes to Daredevil that he couldn't draw more than one issue

from Daredevil: Redemption #6 (Marvel, August 2005), script by David Hine, pencils and inks by Michael Gaydos, colors by Lee Loughridge, letters by Cory Petit

Today in Comics History, May 11, 1986: Waffle House placemat cartoon map of Happy Waffletown not drawn to scale

from Back to the Future (2015 series) #25 (IDW, October 2017), co-plot and script by John Barber, co-plot by Bob Gale, pencils by Marcelo Ferreira and Athila Fabbio, inks by Maria Keane, colors by Jose Luis Rio, letters by Shawn Lee

Today in Comics History, May 11: Secret identity secretly flaunted

from "The Girl Who Hated Supergirl!" in Action Comics #305 (DC/National, October 1963), script by Leo Dorfman, pencils and inks by Jim Mooney and John Forte

Today in Comics History, May 10: Happy birthday, Steve Buccellato!

Born on this day: comics colorist (and writer, penciller, and editor) Steve Buccellato (The Uncanny X-Men , The New Mutants, Wolverine, Generation X, Captain America and more)! He's also done work for DC (Legends of the Dark Knight, Bat Lash, etc.), Image, Tokyopop and Tibet House US, and created the comics Weasel Guy and Joey Berserk and Claire!

Unfortunately all that comics work has keep Steve from appearing in very many comics themselves, but I did find a tiny photo that he's in! Get out your magnifying glasses and wish Steve a very happy birthday! Please don't yell and alarm him at the immense giant who is screaming at him.


from Marvel Age #112 (Marvel, May 1992)
Happy birthday, Steve!

Today in Comics History, May 10, 1952: Oh it's such a perfect day / I'm glad I spent it with you

from "I Concentrate on You" in Solo (2004 series) #1 (DC, December 2004); script, pencils, inks, and colors by Tim Sale, letters by Richard Starkings

Today in Comics History, May 9: Happy birthday, William Moulton Marston!

Born today in 1893: William Moulton Marston aka Charles Moulton, psychologist, polyamorist, developer of the modern lie detector. Oh yeah, he co-created a hero you may have heard of called Wonder Woman.


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

Today in Comics History, May 9, 1754: The secret ingredient on tonight's Iron Chef is snake

from "Scoops...Pictures to Remember!" in Real Fact Comics #6 (DC, January 1947), pencils and inks by George Roussos

Today in Comics History, May 9: Then I found out he had a heart in glass

from "Heartline" in Chamber of Chills Magazine #23 (Harvey, May 1954), pencils by Manny Stallman, inks by John Giunta, letters by Joe Rosen

Today in Comics History, May 9: Happy birthday, Barbara Slate!

Born on this day: comics writer and artist Barbara Slate, who's written, drawn, and created titles at Marvel, DC, Harvey, Archie, and Scholastic, including 2019's The Mueller Report Graphic Novel!


from Son of Yuppies from Hell one-shot (Marvel, 1990), photograph by Bert Stern

Today in Comics History, May 9, 1969: Alfred Hitchcock puts birds into cans

from Alfred Hitchcock: Master of Suspense (NBM, March 2022), script by by Noël Simsolo, translation by Monatan Kane, art by Dominique Hé, lettering by Ortho

Today in Comics History, May 9, 1372: Good thing they got a coffin wide enough to accommodate her hair

from Batman: Killing Time #3 (DC, July 2022), script by Tom King, pencils and inks by David Marquez, colors by Alejandro Sánchez, letters by Clayton Cowles

Today in Comics History, May 9: Aside from that, Bruce, how did you like the comic book?

On this day, in year (mumblemumblemumble), one of the original characters from the earliest Marvel Age of Comics dies: Elizabeth "Betty" Ross Banner, wife of Bruce Banner, daughter of General "Thunderbolt" Ross, not related at all to Supreme Diana Ross but she used to have a bunch of 45s by...died.


from Incredible Hulk (1968 series) #466 (Marvel, July 1998), script by Peter David, pencils by Adam Kubert, inks by Mark Farmer, colors by Steve Buccellato, letters by John Workman
This storyline led to the departure of Peter David from the title, after 12 years of scripting the jolly green giant:

When Bobbie [Chase] suggested we plug her, I said, “Sure, why not?” So I killed her off. This got Marvel all excited. See, when I’d started on the book and, over years, doubled sales on it, it caused people to suddenly start paying attention. With the death of Betty, this prompted Marvel to have a Brilliant Idea. Mourning the loss of his wife, the Hulk would now go dead silent, stop talking to anyone, and run around the Marvel universe smashing everything in sight.

When I was told the new plan, I objected. I told them it was out of character with the psychologically complex giant I’d created over the years. I said I wouldn’t write that. And the editorial higher-ups (none of whom still work for the company) said that I shouldn’t hesitate to avoid having the door hit me on the way out.

And that was that. After twelve years, I was gone.

Betty eventually came back from the dead! And Peter eventually came back to script Hulk. (What are the odds?) But what was that time and date, Marvel Comics?


from Immortal Hulk #48 (Marvel, September 2021), script by Al Ewing, pencils by Joe Bennett, inks by Ruy José and Belardino Brabo, colors by Paul Mounts, letters by Cory Petit

Today in Comics History, May 8: Happy birthday, E.E. Hibbard!

Born this day in 1909: E.E. Hibbard, Golden Age comics artist, especially known for his work on the '40s Flash Comics and Comic Cavalcade, and co-creator of the mighty Justice Society of America and Flash supporting characters Winky, Blinky, and Noddy!


"Boys & Girls: Meet the Author and Artist of The Flash — Fastest Man Alive!" from All-Flash Quarterly #1 (DC/J.R. Publishing, Summer 1941), text by Sheldon Mayer
Here he is on the left (writer Gardner Fox is on the right).


from "[The Man Who Unleashed the Past!]" in All-Flash #14 (DC/Jolaine, Spring 1944), script by Gardner Fox, pencils and inks by E.E. Hibbard
Happy birthday, Hib!

Today in Comics History, May 8, 1902: And that's why you should always listen to animals.*

*Especially bulls.


from "Phantom Future" in Ghosts (1971 series) #70 (DC, November 1978), pencils and inks by Ernie Chan, colors by Mario Sen
This post was suggested by faithful reader and frequent commenter Blam, who's provided a lot of date references in comics that I'll spotlight throughout 2023 in this series. Thanks, Blam!

Today in Comics History, May 7, 1937: Bizarre cosmic anomaly causes man's hair to go cartoonishly red

from Doc Savage (1988 series) #22 (DC, August 1990), script by Mike W. Barr, pencils by Rod Whigham, inks by Steve Montano, colors by Anthony Tollin, letters by Bill Oakley

Today in Comics History, May 7, 1915/1942: First attempt at a live-action The Little Mermaid is wildly unsuccesful

from "When Phantoms Stalked the Wolf-Pack" in Ghosts (1971 series) #61 (DC, February 1978), script by Carl Wessler, pencils and inks by Ruben Yandoc, colors by Jerry Serpe
This post was suggested by faithful reader and frequent commenter Blam, who's provided a lot of date references in comics that I'll spotlight throughout 2023 in this series. Thanks, Blam!

Today in Comics History, May 7, 1945: Rest in Peace, Sgt. Frank Rock

from Justice Society of America #3 (DC, May 2023), script by Geoff Johns, pencils and inks by Mikel Janín, colors by Jordie Bellaire, letters by Rob Leigh

Today in Comics History, May 7, 1915: German murder boat refuses to give a fair chance

This is an expanded and updated version of a post originally published May 7, 2021 and May 7, 2022.


from "The Life of Woodrow Wilson" in Real Life Comics #2 (Pines, December 1941), script and art creators uncredited and unknown, letters by Ed Hamilton

Today in Comics History, May 7, 1985: If You Want It Because You Demanded It

Just like in a post exactly one year ago, J. Jonah throws his hands in the air and just gives in to the merchandising!:


house ad from Marvel Comics cover-dated December 1984