Today in Comics History, July 22: Happy birthday, Emma Lazarus!

Born on this day in 1849: American poet and activist Emma Lazarus, author of the poem "The New Colossus," installed as a plaque inside the Statue of Liberty in 1903:

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

That said, betcha can guess the subject of today's political puzzler from comics, right?


from "Our American Heritage," DC public service announcement comic, from DC Comics cover-dated February 1961
Didja read that, Eric Adams? Oh, how I loathe you.

Happy birthday, Emma Lazarus, but where have you gone? Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you.

Today in Comics History, June 14, Flag Day Bonus: Son quickly learns to stop asking his dad questions

PSA comic "New Stars for "Old Glory" from DC Comics cover-dated November 1959, script by Jack Schiff, pencils and inks by Bernard Baily, letters by Ira Schnapp

Today in Comics History, December 27, 1949: Indonesia sighs and hopes that the third time will be the charm

from "How a Nation Is BornL Yout United Nations at Work" PSA in DC Comics cover-dated December 1955; script by Jack Schiff, pencils and inks by Win Mortimer, letters by Ira Schnapp

Today in Halloween Comics History, October 31: Buzzy tricks neighbor children into giving up delicious, delicious candy

from "The Trick Is to Treat All the World's Children!" PSA in DC Comics cover-dated December 1957, script by Jack Schiff, pencils and inks by Ruben Moreira, letters by Ira Schnapp

Today in Comics History, October 29: 1957's kids have not yet invented the concept of simply "lying" to their parents

from "The Trick Is to Treat All the World's Children!" PSA in DC Comics cover-dated December 1957

Today in Comics History, September 26: Happy birthday, Jack Schiff!

Born on this day in 1909: writer and editor Jack Schiff, who edited the Batman books, co-created Tommy Tomorrow and the Bat-Signal, and he wrote and edited the famous DC public service ad pages!


"Batman and Robin Stand Up for Sportsmanship!" from DC Comics cover-dated February 1950, script by Jack Schiff, pencils by Win Mortimer, inks by Stan Kaye, letters by Ira Schnapp

Today in Comics History, June 6, 1944: D-Day: First issue published of Sgt. Rock/Ed McMahon Team-Up

PSA "The Toughest Ticket" ad from DC comics dated April 1984, pencils and inks by Joe Kubert

Today in Comics History, April 23: Happy birthday, Paulette Breen!

Born on this day: actor and producer Paulette Breen! You may remember her from roles in Wonder Woman, All My Children, Happy Days, or (as seen on Mystery Science Theater 3000), Parts: The Clonus Horror (infamously ripped off by Michael Bay's The Island).




What does this have to do (you may ask) with comic books? Well: as Palisades Park Miss American Teenager, Paulette Breen starred in a DC PSA anti-smoking comic!


"Smoking Is for Squares!" from DC comics cover-dated October 1964, script by Jack Schiff, pencils and inks by Sheldon Moldoff


Palisades Park?!? Now that sounds familiar! Gosh, I hope she got in using a free admission ticket from Superman!


Happy Birthday, Paulette!

Today in Comics History, January 1: Clumsy idiot becomes safety tyrant

"Safety First -- All Year!," a PSA in DC Comics cover-dated March 1963, script by Jack Schiff, pencils and inks by Sheldon Moldoff, letters by Ira Schnapp

365 Days of Defiance, Day 338: Kids come running for the great lessons of Superman

1950s school poster created and distributed by DC Comics, art believed to be by Wayne Boring (or Win Mortimer?)
You can read more about this poster on the DC Comics Blog and on Buzzfeed and Mental Floss

365 Days of Defiance, Day 337: You don't have to live like a refugee

Here's another DC PSA that lays it on the line, Superman-style: prejudice and bigotry have no part in our modern civilization, and the way to battle that is understanding and acceptance of refugees. What, you gonna go against Superman's advice?


"Superman Says: Lend a Friendly Hand!" from The Flash (1959 series) #114 (August 1960), script by Jack Schiff (?), pencils by Curt Swan, inks by Stan Kaye, letters by Ira Schnapp

365 Days of Defiance, Day 336: Batman Explains It All for You

"Batman and Robin Stand Up for Sportsmanship!" from Batman (1940 series) #57 (February-March 1950), script by Jack Schiff, pencils and inks by Win Mortimer, letters by Ira Schnapp
Especially pay attention to this part! It was true in 1950, and it's true in 2018!:


So who ya gonna believe...racists?...or Batman?!?

365 Days of Defiance, Day 325: War! (Huh!) What Is It Good For? Smashin' Nazis! Say it again!

Batman's going to war!
Each native bat will grab a gat
And run away to war!
At last we’re going to...
Feet will beat along the street to...
War!
Batman's going to war!
At last Batman's going to war
It seems that Batman's going to war!
At last the Batman's going to war!
He's going to war!
This is a fact we can’t ignore
He's going to war!
This is a fact we can’t ignore!
Batman's going to war!

Is there anyone in any doubt about where Batman is going?

Meanwhile, in the war...



Panels from "The Two Futures" in Batman (1940 series) #15 (February-March 1943), script by Bill Finger, pencils and figure inks by Jack Burnley, background inks by Ray Burnley, letters by Betty Bentley
Well, everything seems to be going swimmingly for the Caped Crusader and the Boy Wonder, and I'm sure they'll beat the Nazis and



WHAT THE HECK COMIC BOOK?!? Batman and Robin are executed by a Nazi firing squad? I'm sure they escape in the very next panel! Let's look.



















Oh heck. They don't. Yeeeeeesh. Um, could this be a dream, or a hoax, or an Imaginary Story?...No. No, it is not.

It's actually just a thought experiment suggested by some gloomy-outlooked professors at an unnamed university (but you can totally tell it's Metropolis University, those horse-asses). They've projected that America will lose the war, but Batman rightly ain't havin' none of that. ("Yeah!" says Robin. "And me too!") Batman points out that with the military, industrial, financial, and moral support of the armed forces teamed-up with the citizens of America in the most important Brave and the Bold of them all, we are going to win this war!



Moral of the story is: with the industrial might of the United States, we can beat the Axis! So hand in your scrap metal, donate your old comic books (eeeeeeek) and buy bond where you work or bank! Batman does it, and don't you want to be cool like Batman is? (Also, defeat Nazis.)

Also:


PSA ad in Batman (1940 series) #15 (February-March 1943), script and art by Dr. Seuss

Today in Comics History: Please make it a New Year's Resolution to not ignore your rocket science

"Countdown on Excellence" PSA printed in The Adventures of Jerry Lewis #76 (May-June 1963), script by Jack Schiff, pencils and inks by Sheldon Moldoff, letters by Ira Schnapp

Today in Comics History: Comic books tell us that people in the olden days were gullible

Panel from Sensation Comics #108 (March-April 1952); script, art, and letters by Mort Drucker

Today in Comics History, October 24, 1945: And she'll have UN UN UN 'til her daddy takes the General Assembly away

Today in Comics History (as we like to say around here)...well, something something this!


from Four Color #1349 [Yogi Bear Visits the U.N.] (Dell, January 1962), script by Paul S. Newman, pencils and inks by Fred Fredericks
Yep, it's United Nations Day! Founded on this date in 1945, the UN has been in a lotta comic books. (Almost as many as Wolverine!) In the absence of any other material tonight, let's front-load this puppet-town cow blog with a whole Dag Hammarskjöldfull of appearances by everyone's slim, tall building on the east side of Manhattan to celebrate United Nations Day! It also happens to be the same date from 1260, when Saif ad-Din Qutuz, third Mamluk Sultan of Egypt, is assassinated by Baibars, a fellow Mamluk leader, who seizes power for himself. But I can't find any of my comic books about that.

Let's UN-wind by kicking off a series of DC comic book PSAs telling us how nifty the United Nations is!

Humans are way better than those stupid animals and we can prove it

"Nature's Prize Pupil" from Batman #116 (June 1958), script by Jack Schiff (?), pencils and inks by Bob Brown, letters by Ira Schnapp
SO TAKE THAT YOU DUMB ANIMALS hey wait a minute

Today in Comics History, February 17: Happy Brotherhood Week!

How well can you guess random facts about the fact that everyone in our country except Native Americans are immigrants?


"Special Brotherhood Week Quiz" PSA from DC Comics cover-dated March 1957, script by Jack Schiff (?), pencils and inks by Ruben Moreira, letters by Ira Schnapp
Gosh, they make it all sound so friendly:

The Official Comic Book Panels of the Day of the 2014 Olympics

You may remember a couple years ago when I announced that this humble little blog was the The Official Comics Blog of the 2012 Olympics! That was, until the International Olympics Committee caught me and told me to cut it out. So here's a completely unauthorized Winter Olympics Comic Book Blog!


"Winter Sports Champions of the World" PSA from The Adventures of Bob Hope #43 (February 1957), script by Jack Schiff, art by Ruben Moreira
So, just say nyet to Sochi, and sì to Cortina!

All I want for Christmas

DC PSA printed in Detective Comics #360 (February 1967), written by Jack Schiff, artist unknown