Today in Comics History, October 17, 1973: Maybe blaming all their arson on the Fire Alien from Mercury was too far-fetched

The Hoaxmaster is back! And this time...aieeee, he's HUGE!


from "The Hoaxmaster Knows -- and Tells All!" in UFO Flying Saucers #4 (Western/Gold Key, November 1974), pencils and inks by Frank Bolle
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, October 17, 2017: Meanwhile in the food court, Hit-Girl just disemboweled the Panda Express guy for forgetting her duck sauce

from Kick-Ass (2018 series) #1 (Image, February 2018), script by Mark Millar, pencils by John Romita Jr., digital nks by Peter Steigerwald with assistance by Megan Madrigal, colors by Peter Steigerwald, letters by John Workman

Today in Comics History, October 17, 1781: First appearance in comics, Pissy George Washington

from "The Story of the War of Independence" in Picture Stories from American History #2 (EC, 1946), script by M. C. Gaines and W. W. D. Sones, pencils and inks by Allen Simon

Today in Comics History, October 17, 1941: In Soviet Union, Russia mothers you

from "Mother ☭ Russia" in Men of War (1977 series) #21 (DC, October 1979), script by Cary Burkett, pencils and inks by Jerry Grandenetti, colors by Jerry Serpe, letters by Shelly Leferman

Today in Comics History, October 17, 1944: Nazis purchase one of those square inch of land deeds from the back of a comic book

from "21 Days" in Battle Action #14 (Marvel/Atlas, December 1954), pencils and inks by Syd Shores

Today in Comics History, October 17, 1967: The Funeral of Brian Epstein

from The Beatles in Comics! (NBM, November 2018); script by Richard Di Martino; translation by Joe Johnson; pencils, inks, and colors by Richard DiMartino; letters by Ortho
Rest in peace, Brian.

Today in Comics History, October 17: Underwood Deviled Ham Guy doing all right for himself

from Batman: Nightwalker (DC, November 2019), original novel by Marie Lu, adapted by Stuart Moore, pencils and inks by Chris Wildgoose, additional inks by Cam Smith, colors by Laura Trinder, letters by Troy Peteri

Today in Comics History, October 16, 1973: Lies, dripping off your mouth like dirt / Lies, lies in every step you walk

It's fun to look back now through old issues of Gold Key's UFO Flying Saucers and seeing all the ridiuclius stuff we believed Project: Blue Book was hiding from us (Bigfoot hitching a ride with Elvis on a flying saucers? tghere's no way that couldn't happen!), but every now and then they let us in on the flip side of that star-eyed ignorance: stuff they couldn't believe even back then in the UFO-crammed 1970s. Enter Gold Key's four-color version of Amazing Randi (no relation to my dear Randi): the skeptical, fraud-exposing Hoaxmaster! The first myth busted: that he bought that suit and top hat at retail! (Hoaxbuster never pays full price!)


from "The Hoaxmaster Knows -- and Tells All!" in UFO Flying Saucers #4 (Western/Gold Key, November 1974), pencils and inks by Frank Bolle

Today in Comics History, October 16, 1931: Evel Knievel immediately jumps the ravine to honor the memory of Roy Dusek

Hey, remember Roy Dusek from September 9? Sure (says Sally Strothers), we all do! That's because we put up a plaque or a statue or maybe a banner that memorizlized him right on this here bridge:


from "The Incarnadine Bridge!" in Ghosts (1971 series) #97 (DC, February 1981), script by Mimai Kin, pencils by Dick Ayers, inks by Rodin Rodriguez
Oh, so not a statue. We just put him inside a pillar of cherry Jell-O™. Why, you might even say that he got his...just desserts.


Wasn't that spooky, kids? Even Bully was scared, and let me tell you, Bully doesn't scare easily.

Hey wait, wasn't it Tully Mason that had gone missing?

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!