Today in Comics History, August 4, 1952: Plan Eight from Outer Space is unsuccessful

from "The 1950 Hamilton A.F.B. California Case" in Weird Science-Fantasy (1954 series) #26 (EC, December 1954), script by Al Feldstein, pencils and inks by Wally Wood, colors by Marie Severin, letters by Jim Wroten

Today in Comics History, August 4, 1914: Great Britain vows with all its might to protect those delicious waffles

from Tolkien: Lighting Up the Darkness (Ablaze, February 2024), script by Willy Duraffourg, art by Giancarlo Caracuzzo, colors by Flavia Caracuzzo and Joël Odone

Today in Comics History, August 4: Happy birthday, Charlie Adlard!

Born on this day: British comic book artist Charlie Adlard, who's drawn Judge Dredd, The X-Files, Astronauts in Trouble, Mars Attacks, Batman: Gotham Knights, Green Lantern/Green Arrow, and a little book you may love called The Walking Dead (tho' not me, that thing's too scary!).

Charlie has apparently not appeared in any comic books, but here he is name-checked (and called off of bench to draw some a Harley Quinn "football" (we over here call it soccer just to bug the rest of the world) page!


from Harley Quinn (2014 series) #0 (DC, January 2014), script by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti, pencils and inks by Charlie Adlard, colors by one'a these guys, letters by John J. Hill
Happy birthday, Charlie!

Today in Comics History, August 4: Back in the fifties, paneling the living room was more complicated than you think

from "Frozen Assets!" in Crime SuspenStories (1950 series) #18 (EC, August 1953), co-ploy and script by Al Feldstein, co-plot by Bill Gaines, pencils and inks by Jack Kamen, colors by Marie Severin, letters by Jim Wroten

Today in Comics History, August 4: Happy birthday, Alan Martin!

Happy birthday today to Alan Martin, comics writer and co-creator along with Jamie Hewlett of Tank Girl! Together with Philip Bond, they founded the fanzine Atomtan, which eventually evolved into Deadline, which featured the debut of the aforementioned Tank Girl! (Whew!)


from Tank Girl: A Brief History of Tank Girl FCBD 2018 one-shot (Titan, May 2018); script by Alan Martin; pencils and inks by Jonathan Edwards, letters by Brett Parson

Today in Comics History, August 4, 1964: Spy Hunter needs to get this truck filled with Captain Atoms from Texarkana to Atlanta in 28 hours

from Spy Hunter & Paper Boy #2 (DC, June 2021), script by Larry Hama, art by Mac Rey, letters by Pat Brosseau

Today in Comics History, August 4, 1941: He is the very model of a wartime Major General

from "Fighting General! Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., U.S. Army" in Real Life Comics #29 (Pines, March 1946), pencils and inks by Charles M. Quinlan

Today in Comics History, August 4: Happy birthday, Mike Gold!

Born on this day: comics writer, editor and publisher (co-founder of First Comics!), PR person and activist Mike Gold, here giving advice to Abel on how to spike awareness of the House of Secrets:



from "Is Anyone Listening?" in House of Mystery (1951 series) #255 (DC, November, 1977), script by Jack C. Harris, pencils by Ric Estrada, inks by Wayne Howard

Today in Comics History, August 4, 1911: Incels and comicsgaters immediately write a million hate rants

from "Harriet Quimby" in Wonder Woman (1942 series) #46 (DC, March 1951), script by Julius Schwartz, pencils and inks by Frank Harry

Today in Comics History, August 4: Happy birthday, Martin Pasko!

Born on this day in 1954: Martin Pasko: comic book (Superman/Action Comics/Superman Family, Justice League of America, Doctor Fate, Wonder Woman, Kobra, Swamp Thing, E-Man, Star Trek, Roger Rabbit, more), and TV writer/story editor (Batman: The Animated Series, Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, Superman: The Animated Series, Thundarr the Barbarian, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Fantasy Island, The Twilight Zone, Max Headroom, Roseanne and many more)!


from DC Comics cover-dated December 1977
Happy birthday, Marty!


from 1st Issue Special #9 [Doctor Fate] (DC, December 1975)

Today in Comics History, August 4, 1988: Bucky Barnes totally misses the new Fall season of Must-See-TV

from Captain America (2005 series) #11 (Marvel, November 2005), script by Ed Brubaker, pencils and inks by Steve Epting, additional inks by Mike Perkins, colors by Frank D'Armata, letters by Randolph Gentile

Today in Comics History, August 4: U-boat commander continues to solve every problem by shooting it in the face

from "The Survivor" in Weird War Tales (1997 series) #1 (DC/Vertigo, June 1997), script by Simon Revelstroke, pencils and inks by Richard Corben, colors by Ted McKeever, letters by Richard Starkings

Today in Comics History, August 4: Happy birthday, Louis Armstrong!

Born on this day in 1901: iconic American trumpeter, singer, and actor Louis Armstrong! "Satchmo", or "Pops," to his pals!

(PS: the birth date and year on this panel are wrong.)


from Dime Comics #24 (Bell Features, December 1945), text and art by Gerald Lazare

Today in Comcs History, August 4, 1941: Captain America battles his most lethal enemy: Lorem Ipsum

from The Adventures of Captain America #2 (Marvel, November 1991), script by Fabian Nicieza, pencils by Kevin Maguire, inks by Terry Austin, colors by Paul Mounts, letters by Richard Starkings
(Click picture to legs akimbo-size)

Today in Comics History, August 4, 2026: Good to know that even after the apocalypse four years from now, our Alexas still work

from "There Will Come Soft Rains..." in Weird Fantasy (1951 series) #17 (EC, January 1953), script by Al Feldstein from a story by Ray Bradbury, pencils and inks by Wally Wood, colors by Marie Severin, letters by Jim Wroten

Today in Comics History, August 4, 1988: John Fogerty has a really rough start writing the song "Fortunate Son"...oh, geez, that's enough of this joke.

from D.P.7 #26 (December 1988), script by Mark Gruenwald, pencils by Paul Ryan, inks by Danny Bulanadi, colors by Paul Becton, letters by @TheJaniceChiang
You do know that August 4 is technically winter in Central Brazil, don't you?


"Fortunate Son" by Creedence Clearwater Revival (Fantasy, 1969), wrotten by John Fogerty

Today in Comics History, August 4, 1914: Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong have a really rough start writing the song "War"

from "Sir Charles Portal" in Real Life Comics #5 (Pines, May 1942), creators uncredited and unknown
"War" By Edwin Starr (Motown/Gordy, 1970), written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong

Today in Comics History, August 4, 1959: Gus Kahn has a really rough start writing the lyrics to "It Had to Be You"

from Jupiter's Circle (2015 series) #1 (Image, April 2015), script by Mark Millar, pencils and inks by Wilfredo Torres, colors by Ive Svorcina, letters by Peter Doherty


"It Had to Be You" performed by Ruth Etting in the short film "Melody in May" (1936), song written by Isham Jones and Gus Kahn, movie directed by Ben Holmes

Today in Comics History, August 4: Two-Face screws up another knock-knock joke

from Batman: Dark Victory #12 (DC, November 2000), script by Jeph Loeb, pencils and inks by Tim Sale, colors by Gregory Wright, separations by Heroic Age, letters by Richard Starkings