Today in Comics History, November 20, 1998: At last the Daily Bugle embarrasses somebody besides Spider-Man

from Captain America (1998 series) #13 (Marvel, January 1999), script by Mark Waid, pencils by Doug Braithwaite, inks by Robin Riggs, colors by Shannon Blanchard and Kevin Tinsley, letters by Todd Klein

Today in Comics History, October 24, 2008: Ladies and Gentlemen, The Replacements

from Secret Invasion (2023 series) #2 (Marvel, February 2023), script by Ryan North, art by Francesco Mobili, colors by Jordie Bellaire, letters by Joe Caramagna

Today in Comics History, October 13, 1967: But in 1967, October 13 was a Friday, Stan. So where's my No-Prize?!

cover of Amazing Spider-Man (1963 series) #56 (Marvel, January 1968), pencils and inks by John Romita, Sr., letters by Sam Rosen

Today in Comics History, October 13, 1939: A shocked and stunned nation in 1939 cannot comprehend the startling revelation that the Daily Bugle can print its first page in color!?! For free?!?

This is an expanded and updated version of a post originally published October 13, 2022.


from The Daily Bugle: The Marvels Project tie-in promo (Marvel, 2009), art by Alex Ross

Today in Comics History, September 23, 1999: Stan Lee sneaks into J. Jonah Jameson's office and remakes the front page

house ad from Marvel Comics cover-dated December 1999

Today in Comics History, May 7, 1985: If You Want It Because You Demanded It

Just like in a post exactly one year ago, J. Jonah throws his hands in the air and just gives in to the merchandising!:


house ad from Marvel Comics cover-dated December 1984

Today in Comics History, February 3, 1972: Whaddaya know, for once, a newspaper actually really does look like that!

from Iron Man (1968 series) #46 (Marvel, May 1972), script by Gary Friedrich, pencils by George Tuska, inks by John Verpoorten, letters by Sam Rosen
This panel was brought to my attention by the @MarvelADay Twitter account, which features great illustrated synopses of classic Marvel Comics ever day! I highly recommend you oughta ollow them on Twitter (because there's still some great Tweeters out there!) Thanks, MAD!

The 1978 2017 2023 Amazing Spider-Man Mighty Marvel Comics Calendar: January Jinx

This is an expanded and updated version of a post originally published January 1, 2017.

January! It's a month of white sales, exercise machine blow-outs, and half-price calendars! That's why I never buy a wall calendar until they're marked down the day after Christmas. Granted, you might get stuck with a Taylor Swift calendar, but...I'm sorry, I can't think of an immediate drawback to that one.

in 2017, I snagged The Vintage Marvel Comics 2017 Calendar!, which also works in this year of 2023! It's bigger than me!


Each month features a larger-than-life, full-color repro of a Marvel Comic cover, performated so you can remove them for fine-art-type framing!


With twelve oversized prints to hang on my walls, I won't even need wallpaper this year!


But what I really wanted to show you was another great comic book 1978 calendar that you can use again in 2023 because, as Professor S. Miller has taught us, time keeps on slippin slippin slippin into the future. It's the Amazing Spider-Man Mighty Marvel Comics Calendar 1978!


Check out the nifty back-cover full-color flashback mural!


Who better to star in the calendar's introduction than our star of last year's 366 Days with J. Jonah Jameson, J...uh, Jonah Jameson!

None other than a guy I really respect, Matt D. Wilson, has written one of the definitive appreciations of JJJ in his "Threat or Menace: Celebrating the Brilliance of J. Jonah Jameson" on ComicsAlliance, a piece I took a lot of inspiration from when putting together 366 little salutes to Jameson. But I've just noticed that Matt sez

(The classic headline "Spider-Man: Threat or Menace?" really encapsulates the rhetoric, though it can’t be attributed to Lee. It first appears in relation to Spider-Man in 1981’s Amazing Spider-Man Annual #15, by Denny O'Neil and Frank Miller. Lee usually stuck to the more simple "Spider-Man: Menace.")

I believe I've found a definitive earlier use of the "Spider-Man: Threat or Menace?" headline here in this 1978 calendar. Matt's right, though; it's not by Lee. The text for this calendar was written by David Anthony Kraft and Jim Salicrup. Looks like I'd better update the Wikipedia article!


There's even a quick spotlight on how Spidey affects "random decent citizens," including a guy named Peter Parker. Hey, no dropping ash on Aunt May's sofa, Jonah!


Each calendar spread features a big twelve-by-twelve full-color pic illustrating Spider-Man and Peter Parker through the years, and I'll be showing them all to you at the beginning of every month throughout this year of 1978 2017 2023! First up: an Amazing Fantasy #15 flashback!


"January: A Time for Beginnings" in The Amazing Spider-Man Mighty Marvel Comics Calendar 1978 (Marvel, 1977), art by Al Milgrom ("in tribute to the one-and-only Steve Ditko")
And here you can see the January calendar itself. Check out the insane amount of detail; there's a big delight in every bite day!

(Click picture to '78 Ford LTD Landau Coupe-size)
So not only are you getting the 1978 DC Calendar, but the 1978 Marvel Calendar, all this year! Until their lawyers come down on me, so you'd better look fast. Excelsior!

Today in Comics History, December 8, 1989: "Aurora Borealis!? At this time of year, at this time of day, in this part of the country, localized entirely within the Daily Bugle press room!?"

cover of Daily Bugle #3 (Marvel, February 1997), pencils by Karl Kerschl, inks by Greg Adams

Today in Comics History, December 7, 1993: Comic strip story progresses exactly one panel forward

from The Amazing Spider-Man comic strip (King Features Syndicate, December 7, 1993), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Larry Lieber, inks by Fred Kida

Today in Comics History, November 20, 1995: We'd blame him for arson but we might get sued

from Daily Bugle #2 (Marvel, January 1997), script by Paul Grist, pencils by Karl Kerschl, inks by Greg Adams, letters by Jim Novak

Today in Comics History, November 17: Happy birthday, Ed Brubaker!

Born on this day: comic book writer Ed Brubaker, creator/co-creator of series Lowlife, Gotham Central, Criminal, Incognito, Fatale, The Fade Out, Kill or Be Killed, Deadenders, Point Blank, Sleeper and others, plus extended runs on Captain America, Winter Soldier, Detective Comics, Daredevil, X-Men, The Immortal Iron Fist, The Marvels Project, Secret Avengers, Velvet and lots more! He co-created the characters Lady Bullseye, Vulcan, Darwin, and the Immortal Weapons!


from Marvel Comics cover-dated April 2008

Today in Comics History, November 16, 1943: J. Jonah Jameson demands: "Grandpa Parker! Get me photos of Thunderbolts!"

from Thunderbolts (1997 series) #165 (Marvel, January 2012), script by Jeff Parker, pencils by Kev Walker, inks by Terry Pallot, colors by Chris Sotomayor, letters by Joe Caramagna

Today in Comics History, November 12, 1996: We now return to Backdraft starring J. Jonah Jameson

cover of Daily Bugle #2 (Marvel, January 1997), pencils by Karl Kerschl, inks by Greg Adams

Today in Comics History, October 8, 2002: Say, isn't the Daily Bugle nicknamed "The Picture Newspaper?"

from Deadline #4 (Marvel, September 2002), script by Bill Rosemann, pencils and inks by Guy Davis, colors by Dave Stewart, letters by Dave Sharpe
Oh, great, so now they're using clip art.



Hey wait, how can a newspaper have two four-star final editions on the same day?!?

Today in Comics History, October 8, 1996: If you can tell me (because I didn't label the scan and can't remember) what comic this came from, I will personally mail you a gift from

from (see above)

Today in Comics History, October 5, 1943: Captain America will always be with us! Namor will always fight alongside us! And other sure bets, in today's Daily Bugle!

from Thunderbolts (1997 series) #164 (Marvel, December 2011), script by Jeff Parker, pencils and inks by Kev Walker

Today in Comics History, October 4, 1989: Todd McFarlane and Rob Liefeld: threats or menaces?

from Amazing Spider-Man #327 (Marvel, December 1989), script by David Michelinie, pencils by Erik Larsen, inks by Al Gordon, colors by Bob Sharen, letters by Rick Parker

Today in Comics History, September 22, 2016: It's especially humiliating because the raccoon has a much better press agent

from Star-Lord (2017 series) #2 (February 2017), script by Chip Zdarsky, pencils and inks by Kris Anka, colors by Matthew Wilson, letters by Cory Petit

Today in Comics History, September 17, 1968: Toner cartridge runs out while printing sub-headline

from Daredevil (1964 series) #47 (Marvel, December 1968), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Gene Colan, inks by George Klein, letters by Artie Simek