Anyway, Here's WonderWalpurgis Night: Ocean's 666

It's late and I don't have a lot of Walpurgis Night jokes left so, so goodnight, folks.


from Silver: Of Treasures and Thieves (Abrams, October 2022), by Stephan Franck

Anyway, Here's WonderWalpurgis Eve: Dirty, Hairy

Hey, just what does Walpurgis Eve have against guys named Carl? Granted, unlike our first one, this one's spelled with a K (thus making him one of the most evil Carls). 'Tis Walpurgis Eve in the little Balkan town of Supersticia, and Karl has completely neglected all his pre-Walpurgis Night duties: he hasn't done his Walpurgis Eve shopping or gift wrapping, he hasn't put up the Walpurgis Night lights on his house, and he certainly didn't get out his LPs with the Walpurgis Eve Carols. No, our Karl has been too busy creepily lusting after the beautious maiden (yeah, she wishes!) Bertha, but Karl has two deep Forehead Lines of Doom™. Bertha is an honor student in phrenology (and her parents have the bumper sticker to prove it), so of course she rejects the only slightly-more-horrible-than-normal-for-these-type-of-comics Karl in favor or...eh, just about anybody else. Luckily, Karl has a plan: he would become a Men's Rights Activist.


from "The Demons of Walpurgis Mountain" in The Beyond #5 (Ace, July 1951), pencils by Mike Sekowsky

Anyway, Here's WonderWalpurgis Night: The Red Shoe Die-ries

BAFFLING MYSTERIES! It's pretty much exactly what it says on the tin. Mysteries...that are baffling! That is, strange, unsolvable, and perplexing, not in the muting sound definition of the word. Well, I s'pose you could nail a few hundred copies of this comic up to the walls eight or ten deep and it would help to baffle the sounds...of the screams of terror from people reading Baffling Mysteries!

Submitted for your approval: a ballerina who's seen Black Swan one too many times. Nothing can stop her as she pirouettes into murder!


from "Doom Dancer" in Baffling Mysteries #21 (Ace, July 1954), pencils and inks by Jim McLaughlin, with Leroy lettering

Anyway, Here's WonderWalpurgis Eve: The Witches Gonna Getcha If You Don't Watch Out

It's the last night of the month...haunted by fiendish witches, hellish demons and scary supernatural beasts! No, no, sit down, October...we're talkin' about the final day of April: Walpurgis Eve! Admittedly, I thought it said Walgreen's Purchase Eve and I went out and bought a bag of overpriced energy drinks and some Band-Aids, but it's actually the night before the Feast Day of Saint Walpurga, patron saint of rabies. Oh, I'm sorry, I'll read that again: against rabies. So if you happen to be cuddling in a box full of rats, just whip off a quick prayer to Saint W., and she'll fix you up faster than you can say "foaming at the mouth!"

W. also legendarily (but again, don't they all) protected early German Christians from witchcraft, bklack magic, and pesky ring-around-the-collar, so it makes sense all the Minerva McGonagalls and Wanda Maximovas and Sabrina Spellmans (Spellmen?) and Broom Hildas haunt the night. And then with the rising dawn, just like at the end of Fantasia, Saint Walpurga comes out and beats 'em all to a pulp with, I dunno, probably a crucifix made out of the bones of Jesus, the Oxford Unabridged Bible, and a hound dawg dunked in holy water. Say! I do believe I have just created a 1990s Image Bad Girl comic.

Another Fascinating Bully Factoid!: the Church of Satan was founded on Walpurgis Eve in 1966 and founder Anton LaVey states (pictured, right) in The Satanic Bible that besides his own birthday (June 66th), Walpurgisnacht ranks as an important Satanic holiday, along with Halloween, International Witches' Day (November 16), Arbor Day, Election Day, and the entirety of Monster Mash Week. But we here (we = me) at Comics Oughta Be Fun celebrate Walpurgis Eve in the usual innovative way: through comic books! Also, we're having candy corn! Are you scared yet?


from "Walpurgis!" in Witches Tales #18 (Harvey, April 1953), pencils and inks by Howard Nostrand, letters by Ben Oda
Well! This guy looks like fun! Wonder what his whole deal is?

Today in Comics History, April 30, 1993: A very poor use of his new Peppa Pig Happy Fun Time Diary

from (top) Warrior #11 (Quality Communications, May 1983), script by Alan Moore, pencils and inks by David Lloyd, letters by Jenny O'Connor;
(bottom) V for Vendetta #3 (DC, November 1988); colors by David Lloyd, Siobhan Dodds, and Steve Whitaker

Today in Comics History, April 30: Happy birthday, Burton C. Mossman!

This is an expanded and updated version of a post originally published April 30, 2022.

Born on this day in 1867: Burton C. Mossman, legendary American lawman (and cattleman, but we won't hold that against him).


"Arizona Ranger" in Detective Comics #139 (DC, September 1948), script and art by Stookie Allen (?)
And from that point on there was never any troubles in Arizona ever again. EVER AGAIN.

Today in Comics History, April 30: Happy birthday, Sal Trapani!

Born on this day in 1927: comic book artist (primarily inker but frequently penciller) Sal Trapani (Fightin' Marines, Unusual Tales, Romantic Story, Six-Gun Heroes, Fightin' Army, Sweethearts, Ripley's Believe It Or Not!, The Incredible Hulk and many, many more)!


self-portrait from The 1975 Mighty Marvel Convention Program Book (Marvel, 1975), art by Sal Trapani
Happy birthday, Sal!

Today in Comics History, April 30, 1939: Roosevelt pledges a gigantic ball and triangle to Britain for the war effort

from "The Secret Origin of the Golden Age Sandman" in Secret Origins (1986 series) #7 (DC, October 1986), co-plot and script by Roy Thomas, co-plot by Dann Thomas, pencils by Michael Bair, inks by Steve Montano, colors by Carl Gafford, letters by David Cody Weiss

Today in Comics History, April 30: Happy birthday, Reverend Gary Davis!

Born on this day in 1896: blues and gospel singer Reverend Gary Davis (also know as Blind Gary Davis), whose fingerpicking style influenced generations of blues performers.


from Heroes of the Blues trading cards; reprinted in The Complete Crumb Comics v.13: The Season of the Snoid (Fantagraphics, April 1998), by Robert Crumb
In the middle of the 1920s, Davis moved to Durham, North Carolina and recorded much classic work (later collected on the essential The Complete Early Recordings), and collaborated with many other Piedmont Blues musicians including Blind Boy Fuller and Bull City Red. I take especial note of that not merely because that guy's got a "Bull" in his name, but because it taught me that Durham was nicknamed the "Bull City" in the late 1800s when the Blackwell Tobacco Company named its product "Bull" Durham Tobacco. And now you know...the rest of the story. And spit that tobacco out; that's disgusting.


Happy birthday, Reverend!


"Samson and Delilah," performed by Reverend Gary Davis

Today in Comics History, April 30, 1945: Let's Kill Hitler

This is an expanded and updated version of a post originally published April 30, 2023.


Today in Comics History: it's Hitler's last day alive. And he's spending it with Baron Zemo? The guy who accidentally glued his mask to his head? Well, you do you, Hitler.


from Spider-Man: Fear Itself graphic novel (Marvel, February 1992), plot and co-script by Gerry Conway, co-script by Stan Lee, pencils by Ross Andru, inks by Mike Esposito, colors by Bob Sharen, letters by Rick Parker

Today in Comics History, April 30, 1920: Happy birthday, Twilight!

No, no, not the awful quartet of sparkling vampire novels, but the displaced paranormal code-named Twilight, which is such a good name I'm suprised regular Marvel hasn't poached it back!


from D.P. 7 #24 (Marvel/New Universe, October 1988), pencils by Paul Ryan
For those of you who still miss the characters of the New Universe, please wish a happy birthday to the sweet Lenore!

Today in Comics History, April 30, 1970: Where all those little green army men in comic book ads come from

from The 'Nam #46 (Marvel, July 1990), script by Chuck Dixon, breakdowns by Wayne Vansant, finishes by Tony DeZuñiga, colors and letters by Phil Felix

Today in Comics History, April 30, 1898: "We'll be fine as soon as my brothers Commodore Louie and Captain Huey get here."

from "The Spanish American War" in Picture Stories from American History #4 (EC, Summer 1947), script by Jerry Coleman, pencils and inks by Allen Simon

Today in Comics History, April 30, 1805: It's so pretty here, it's a shame Captain Stubing wants to get under way before sundown

from Manifest Destiny #38 (Image, November 2019), script by Chris Dingess, pencils and inks by Matthew Roberts, colors by Owen Gieni, letters by Pat Brosseau

Today in Comics History, April 30, 1954: He hates this scoreboard!

from The Amazing Willie Mays one-shot (Eastern Color, September 1954), creators unknown

Today in Comics History, April 30: But for Archie, the month is just beginning

from Archie's Weird Mysteries #20 (Archie, June 2002), script by Paul Castiglia, pencils by Fernando Ruiz, inks by Rich Koslowski, colors by Stephanie Vozzo, letters by Vickie Williams

Today in Comics History, April 30, 1945: Jack is happy, but at the same time he's sad because it wasn't him who killed Hitler

from Jack Kirby: The Epic Life of the King of Comics (Ten Speed, July 2020), script and art by Tom Scioli

Today in Comics History, April 30, 1945: They even celebrate it on the Fourth World

from Bug!: The Adventures of Forager #2 (August 2017); co-script by Lee Allred; co-script, pencils, and inks by Michael Allred; colors by Laura Allred; letters by Nate Piekos

Today in Comics History, April 30, 1945: Yes, Hitler was killed by a time-traveling Punisher/Ghost Rider; it's canon, fanboys

from Cosmic Ghost Rider Destroys Marvel History #4 (Marvel, August 2019), script by Paul Scheer and Nick Giovannetti, pencils and inks by Todd Nauck, colors by Antonion Fabela, letters by Travis Lanham

Today in Comics History, April 30, 1945: Hitler murders Hitler

from "Death of a Dictator" in Weird War Tales #58 (DC, December 1977), script by Jack Oleck, pencils by Ernie Chan, inks by Bill Draut, colors by Jerry Serpe, letters by Milt Snapinn