from Tintin v.14: Explorers on the Moon (Little Brown, September 1976), script, pencils, and inks by Hergé; translation by Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper and Michael Turner
Saturday, June 03, 2023
Today in Comics History, June 3, 9:45 PM: Already there are screw-ups...on the Moon!
Hey, how's this voyage goin', Professor?
from Tintin v.14: Explorers on the Moon (Little Brown, September 1976), script, pencils, and inks by Hergé; translation by Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper and Michael Turner
from Tintin v.14: Explorers on the Moon (Little Brown, September 1976), script, pencils, and inks by Hergé; translation by Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper and Michael Turner
Today in Comics History, June 3, 1885: Happy birthday, Timothy Q. Jones! Hope you survive the experi...oh.
from "Rest in Pieces" in The Unexpected (1968 series) #119 (DC/National, June 1970), pencils (?) and inks by Murphy Anderson (?), letters by John Costanza
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, June 3: "Summon the Trojan Men!"
from "Sea Devils Battle Diary" in Sea Devils #2 (DC/National, November 1961), pencils and inks by Russ Heath, letters by Gaspar Saladino
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, June 3: Happy Birthday, Allen Ginsberg!
Born on this date in 1925: Beat poet, essayist, and philosopher Allen Ginsberg (Howl, Kaddish, Cosmopolitan Greetings, The Fall of America and more)! He was (and still is) considered, along with William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, one of the greatest voices of his generation, and one of the writers who put the renowned and vital City Lights Bookstore at the forefront of fifties' history when they published Howl and defended against obscenity.
You all are, I presume, familiar with getting together a list of famous people born on this day and then go researching their comic book appearances, but becomes suprised and disappointed that there are no appearances in comics of Larry McMurtry or Boots "Yakety Sax" Randolph. But then along comes Allen Ginsberg with a surprisingly large number of comic book guest-starring appearances, even if you don't count Marvel's 1968 Dr. Strange/Allen Ginsberg Team-Up #1-6!
from Meet the Beats (Water Row Press, 1985 series), by Robert Crumb
You all are, I presume, familiar with getting together a list of famous people born on this day and then go researching their comic book appearances, but becomes suprised and disappointed that there are no appearances in comics of Larry McMurtry or Boots "Yakety Sax" Randolph. But then along comes Allen Ginsberg with a surprisingly large number of comic book guest-starring appearances, even if you don't count Marvel's 1968 Dr. Strange/Allen Ginsberg Team-Up #1-6!
from Meet the Beats (Water Row Press, 1985 series), by Robert Crumb
Today in Comics History, June 3, 2:00 AM: We are detective / We are select / We are detective / Come to collect
Uh-oh! Space stowaways!
from Tintin v.14: Explorers on the Moon (Little Brown, September 1976), script, pencils, and inks by Hergé; translation by Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper and Michael Turner
Meanwhile, Captain Haddock certainly has his space priorities straight:
Didja forget something about space, Captain?
from Tintin v.14: Explorers on the Moon (Little Brown, September 1976), script, pencils, and inks by Hergé; translation by Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper and Michael Turner
Meanwhile, Captain Haddock certainly has his space priorities straight:
Didja forget something about space, Captain?
Today in Comics History, June 3, 1:34 AM: I said lunch, not launch
from Tintin v.13: Destination Moon (Little Brown, September 1976), script, pencils, and inks by Hergé; translation by Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper and Michael Turner
"All Systems Go/The Launch" from the Apollo 13 soundtrack (MCA, June 1995), composed by James Horner
Today in Comics History, June 3, 1:06 AM: The waiting is the hardest part
The adventure continues! And they haven't even gotten off the ground yet!
from Tintin v.13: Destination Moon (Little Brown, September 1976), script, pencils, and inks by Hergé; translation by Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper and Michael Turner
from Tintin v.13: Destination Moon (Little Brown, September 1976), script, pencils, and inks by Hergé; translation by Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper and Michael Turner
Today in Comics History, June 3, 1:04 AM: Take your protein pills and put your helmet on
(Previously on Tintin: Destination Moon)
And now....
from Tintin v.13: Destination Moon (Little Brown, September 1976), script, pencils, and inks by Hergé; translation by Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper and Michael Turner
Only thirty short minutes to launch! Why, that's just enough time to watch an episode of Red Dwarf!
And now....
from Tintin v.13: Destination Moon (Little Brown, September 1976), script, pencils, and inks by Hergé; translation by Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper and Michael Turner
Only thirty short minutes to launch! Why, that's just enough time to watch an episode of Red Dwarf!
Friday, June 02, 2023
Today in Comics History, June 2: Tonight's rocket ship launch is sponsored by Ralston Purina
Remember one week ago when we saw this launch date announced?
from Tintin v.13: Destination Moon (Little Brown, September 1976), script, pencils, and inks by Hergé; translation by Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper and Michael Turner
Why, that's tonight...er, early tomorrow morning, but this happens today:
All hail the mighty checkerboard missile! Nf3 Nf6! Stay up late to see it blast off, because it's not a SpaceX rocket!
from Tintin v.13: Destination Moon (Little Brown, September 1976), script, pencils, and inks by Hergé; translation by Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper and Michael Turner
Why, that's tonight...er, early tomorrow morning, but this happens today:
All hail the mighty checkerboard missile! Nf3 Nf6! Stay up late to see it blast off, because it's not a SpaceX rocket!
Today in Comics History, June 2: Happy birthday, Edward Elgar!
Born on this day in 1857: Sir Edward Elgar, England's favorite singer-songwriter after Cliff Richards, and composer of such masterpieces as the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, Salut d'amour, Serenade for Strings, the Cadbury Cream Egg jingle, and lots more. But Elgar kept himself so busy writing tunes and ditties that he didn't have time to star in any comic books, even Charlton Comics's E-Man. Here's the closest thing I could find: Merry Marvel mutants Mister Sinister and Destiny discuss Elgar's Nimrod (mighty hunter variety, not Elmer Fudd type) while sitting there, I dunno, Solsbury Hill or somethin'.
from Immortal X-Men #1 (Marvel, May 2022), script by Kieron Gillen, pencils and inks by Lucas Werneck, colors by David Curiel, letters by Clayton Cowles
Happy birthday, Sir Edward! Get off yer arse and star in more comic books, won'tcha?
from Immortal X-Men #1 (Marvel, May 2022), script by Kieron Gillen, pencils and inks by Lucas Werneck, colors by David Curiel, letters by Clayton Cowles
Happy birthday, Sir Edward! Get off yer arse and star in more comic books, won'tcha?
Thursday, June 01, 2023
The 1989 2023 Love and Rockets Calendar: [Jefa de] June
(Click picture to Costigan's millions-size)
Oh man, Penny Century would not have to drag me onto the dance floor.
Today in Comics History, June 1, 1935: Eddie Stanky blows his whole allowance on penny whistles and Moon Pies
from Eddie Stanky [Baseball Hero] one-shot (Fawcett, 1951), script by Charles Dexter
Today in Comics History, June 1: Happy birthday, Tom Holland!
Let's wish a happy birthday to English (yeah, English!) actor Tom Holland of Billy Elliot: The Musical, Wolf Hall, The Impossible, How I Live Now, and of course as Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe!
Which means it oughta be easy to spot Tom's youthful, handsome face unmasked on the photo covers of every MCU Spider-Man adaptation, like, say, his first big solo movie Spider-Man: Homecoming (all about him letting himself in his apartment and apologizing to Aunt May for being a little late for dinner):
from Spider-Man: Homecoming Prelude #1-2 (May-June 2017)
Well, since that was actually a Captain America/Avengers adaptation, I betcha we see Tom Holland's smiling bare face on the cover of the prelude to his next movie, Spider-Man: Far from Home, in which Aunt May finally allows him to cross Queens Boulevard, but he has to really watch out because that's totally a dangerous intersection:
from Spider-Man: Far from Home Prelude #1-2 (May-June 2019)
Huh. Surely there must be Tom Holland full frontal face on the prelude comic for the third movie, Spider-Man: No Way Home, in which he loses his MetroCard:
Oh wait! Here's his very own comic book and I bet we can find a portrait of him right here!
cover of Tom Holland's Fright Night #1 one-shot (American Mythology, May 2023), pencils by Neil Vokes, inks by Matt Webb
(cupping my earphone) I'm being told that this is an entirely different Tom Holland. Oh, for cryin' out loud.
Anyway, you're young, Tom Holland: still plenty of time to get onto a comic book or two. Get at it, kid! Happy birthday!
Which means it oughta be easy to spot Tom's youthful, handsome face unmasked on the photo covers of every MCU Spider-Man adaptation, like, say, his first big solo movie Spider-Man: Homecoming (all about him letting himself in his apartment and apologizing to Aunt May for being a little late for dinner):
from Spider-Man: Homecoming Prelude #1-2 (May-June 2017)
Well, since that was actually a Captain America/Avengers adaptation, I betcha we see Tom Holland's smiling bare face on the cover of the prelude to his next movie, Spider-Man: Far from Home, in which Aunt May finally allows him to cross Queens Boulevard, but he has to really watch out because that's totally a dangerous intersection:
from Spider-Man: Far from Home Prelude #1-2 (May-June 2019)
Huh. Surely there must be Tom Holland full frontal face on the prelude comic for the third movie, Spider-Man: No Way Home, in which he loses his MetroCard:
Oh wait! Here's his very own comic book and I bet we can find a portrait of him right here!
cover of Tom Holland's Fright Night #1 one-shot (American Mythology, May 2023), pencils by Neil Vokes, inks by Matt Webb
(cupping my earphone) I'm being told that this is an entirely different Tom Holland. Oh, for cryin' out loud.
Anyway, you're young, Tom Holland: still plenty of time to get onto a comic book or two. Get at it, kid! Happy birthday!
Today in Comics History, June 1: Perry White files story about Wildcat Strike
from "Old Men Talking in Bars" in Superman 80-Page Giant 2011 #1 one-shot (DC, April 2011), script by Neil Kleid, pencils and inks by Dean Haspiel, colors by Joe Infurnari, letters by John J. Hill
The 1978 2017 2023 DC Calendar of Super-Spectacular Disasters: June Jetsam
This is an expanded and updated version of a post originally published June 1, 2017.
There's five of them, and they can't wait to go on vacation to the beach!
"Vacation" by The Go-Go's (IRS, 1982); by Kathy Valentine, Charlotte Caffey, and Jane Wiedlin!; music video directed by Mick Haggery and C.D. Taylor
But only one of them is liquid at room temperature!
No. it's not Jane, I'm sorry to report. It's the ever-lovin' paragons of the periodic table, the Metal Men! Also, there's six of them, because I keep forgetting Tina (Platinum). Did you know the element platinum is almost two times heavier than gold? Don't tell that to Tina when she's at the beach in a bikini!
"June: The Metal Men" in The 1978 Calendar of Super-Spectacular Disasters; artwork by Walt Simonson and Joe Staton
(Click picture to Oganesson-size)
This month, everybody's goin' to the beach! Be careful, Metal Men! Don't go into the ocean less than an hour after eating...you'll rust! Also, beware of perennial Aquaman villain The Ocean Master, but mainly because Aquaman will be miffed you're stealing one of his very small number of rogues.
Once again, I've filled in all the checks through the beginning of this month to detect the supervillain behind all these superdisasters.
Who is our super-environmental-criminal-gangleader? Here's a clue: he pulled out of the Paris Accords. Another clue:
Villain from Another World? Why, that could only be perennial badguy Carl Hutchins from the soap opera Another World!
Case solved! Book 'em, Bullock!
There's five of them, and they can't wait to go on vacation to the beach!
"Vacation" by The Go-Go's (IRS, 1982); by Kathy Valentine, Charlotte Caffey, and Jane Wiedlin!; music video directed by Mick Haggery and C.D. Taylor
But only one of them is liquid at room temperature!
No. it's not Jane, I'm sorry to report. It's the ever-lovin' paragons of the periodic table, the Metal Men! Also, there's six of them, because I keep forgetting Tina (Platinum). Did you know the element platinum is almost two times heavier than gold? Don't tell that to Tina when she's at the beach in a bikini!
(Click picture to Oganesson-size)
This month, everybody's goin' to the beach! Be careful, Metal Men! Don't go into the ocean less than an hour after eating...you'll rust! Also, beware of perennial Aquaman villain The Ocean Master, but mainly because Aquaman will be miffed you're stealing one of his very small number of rogues.
Once again, I've filled in all the checks through the beginning of this month to detect the supervillain behind all these superdisasters.
Who is our super-environmental-criminal-gangleader? Here's a clue: he pulled out of the Paris Accords. Another clue:
Villain from Another World? Why, that could only be perennial badguy Carl Hutchins from the soap opera Another World!
Case solved! Book 'em, Bullock!
The 1978 2017 2023 Amazing Spider-Man Mighty Marvel Comics Calendar: June Jitsu*
This is an expanded and updated version of a post originally published June 1, 2017.
Remember, you can actually use this 1978 calendar for this year, which is (walks over to fridge, checks my calendar) 2023! Had he survived, Peter Parker would have wanted it that way!
"June is Jam-Packed with Jeopardy" in The Amazing Spider-Man Mighty Marvel Comics Calendar 1978 (1977); pencils by John Buscema, inks by Joe Sinnott, colors by George bell
(Click picture to enteroctopus-size)
The month's mightily marvelous mural summarizes Amazing Spider-Man #56, featuring Doctor Octopus...
Cover and panel from Amazing Spider-Man (1963 series) #56 (January 1968), script by Stan Lee, pencils and cover inks by John Romita Sr., interior inks by Mike Esposito, letters by Sam Rosen
...and ASM #57, co-starring Ka-Zar! Why, that's practically two issues of Marvel Team-Up right there!
Cover and panels from Amazing Spider-Man (1963 series) #57 (February 1968), script by Stan Lee, pencils by John Romita Sr. (cover and interior) and Don Heck (additional interior pencils), inks by John Romita Sr. (cover) and Mike Esposito (interior), letters by Artie Simek (cover) and Sam Rosen (interior)
Wow, halfway through the year and we haven't even gotten to eight-armed Spidey or Gwen-Tossin' or oh wait maybe I shoulda put a SPOILER WARNING in there somewhere. Geez though, at this rate we'll never get to the Clone Saga by the end of 2017!
*Oh, and since my post title probably reminded you of her: here's the one, the only, soon to be starring in Spider-Man: Homecoming: June Jitsui!
"Spider-Man Meets June Jitsui" from Marvel Comics cover-dated December 1979 (this one's from ROM #1), pencils by Sal Buscema, inks by Joe Rubinstein, letters by Jim Novak
Next month: July! oh man SPOILER WARNING
Remember, you can actually use this 1978 calendar for this year, which is (walks over to fridge, checks my calendar) 2023! Had he survived, Peter Parker would have wanted it that way!
(Click picture to enteroctopus-size)
The month's mightily marvelous mural summarizes Amazing Spider-Man #56, featuring Doctor Octopus...
Cover and panel from Amazing Spider-Man (1963 series) #56 (January 1968), script by Stan Lee, pencils and cover inks by John Romita Sr., interior inks by Mike Esposito, letters by Sam Rosen
...and ASM #57, co-starring Ka-Zar! Why, that's practically two issues of Marvel Team-Up right there!
Cover and panels from Amazing Spider-Man (1963 series) #57 (February 1968), script by Stan Lee, pencils by John Romita Sr. (cover and interior) and Don Heck (additional interior pencils), inks by John Romita Sr. (cover) and Mike Esposito (interior), letters by Artie Simek (cover) and Sam Rosen (interior)
Wow, halfway through the year and we haven't even gotten to eight-armed Spidey or Gwen-Tossin' or oh wait maybe I shoulda put a SPOILER WARNING in there somewhere. Geez though, at this rate we'll never get to the Clone Saga by the end of 2017!
*Oh, and since my post title probably reminded you of her: here's the one, the only, soon to be starring in Spider-Man: Homecoming: June Jitsui!
"Spider-Man Meets June Jitsui" from Marvel Comics cover-dated December 1979 (this one's from ROM #1), pencils by Sal Buscema, inks by Joe Rubinstein, letters by Jim Novak
Next month: July! oh man SPOILER WARNING
Jump for Joy in June!
It's time to spoon with the moon and the loon because soon (I mean now) it'll be the month o' June! And I imagine you'll be wanting a June calendar right about now, huh? Well, wait no more!
Nancy (United feature Syndicate, April 13, 1955), by Ernie Bushmiller
Cartoon brought to be my attention by the always valuable and fun Twiotterer Johnny Callicutt and his classic nancy comics!
Aw, but that isn't gonna help you much, is it? it doesn't even have the numbers one to thirty printed on it. (Altho' you could do it with a tiny pen and a very steady hand.) Let's instead look in on America's favorite principal (sorry, Messrs. Woodman, Skinner, Dumbledore, Cassidy, and Belding)! Look, it even works perfectly for 2023!
from "Vacation Vexation" in Archie and Me #86 (Archie, September 1976), script and pencils by Joe Edwards, inks by Jon D'Agostino, colors by Barry Grossman, letters by Bill Yoshida
Aw, but I bet you want bigger and better DC and Marvel Comics calendars, right? Well, stay tuned for that...and Happy June, ya goon!
Nancy (United feature Syndicate, April 13, 1955), by Ernie Bushmiller
Cartoon brought to be my attention by the always valuable and fun Twiotterer Johnny Callicutt and his classic nancy comics!
Aw, but that isn't gonna help you much, is it? it doesn't even have the numbers one to thirty printed on it. (Altho' you could do it with a tiny pen and a very steady hand.) Let's instead look in on America's favorite principal (sorry, Messrs. Woodman, Skinner, Dumbledore, Cassidy, and Belding)! Look, it even works perfectly for 2023!
from "Vacation Vexation" in Archie and Me #86 (Archie, September 1976), script and pencils by Joe Edwards, inks by Jon D'Agostino, colors by Barry Grossman, letters by Bill Yoshida
Aw, but I bet you want bigger and better DC and Marvel Comics calendars, right? Well, stay tuned for that...and Happy June, ya goon!
Today in Comics History, June 1, 2016: Yeah, I hear ya; that's the way I feel about being in the 21st century, too
from Paper Girls #6 (Image, June 2016), script by Brian K. Vaughan, pencils and inks by Cliff Chiang, colors by Matthew Wilson, color flattening by Dee Cunniffe, letters by Jared K. Fletcher
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!
Wednesday, May 31, 2023
Today in Comics History, May 31: Happy birthday, Bert Christman!
Born on this day in 1915: Bert Christman, comic book writer and illustrator as well as WWII naval aviator. Christman was writer and artist on the popular newspaper strip Scorchy Smith, of which many adventures were reprinted in Easter Color's Famous Funnies comic book, plus work on the Three Aces feature in Action Comics, Funny Picture Stories, and Adventure Comics. That last one's pretty important, because t'was in the pages of Adventure that Bert created, along with Gardner Fox, Wesley Dodds — the Golden Sandman. Yes, the Sandman Mystery Theatre version. Here's his first appearance!
from "[The Tarantula Strikes]" in Adventure Comics #40 (DC, July 1939), script by Gardner Fox as Larry Dean, pencils and inks by Bert Christman; shown here in a recolored reprint from Justice League of America #94 (DC/National, November 1971)
from "[The Tarantula Strikes]" in Adventure Comics #40 (DC, July 1939), script by Gardner Fox as Larry Dean, pencils and inks by Bert Christman; shown here in a recolored reprint from Justice League of America #94 (DC/National, November 1971)
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