Today in Comics History, March 27: Happy birthday, Carl Barks!

Born on this day in 1901: comic book writer, artist, painter and animation story director Carl Barks. He's the creator of Scrooge McDuck, Duckburg, The Beagle Boys, Flintheart Glomgold, the Junior Woodchucks, Gladstone Gander, Gyro Gearloose, Magica De Spell and many more, and has created hundreds of Donald Duck and Scrooge McDuck stories that chronicled the adventures of the Duck Family and laid the work for future artists and for the two DuckTales animated series. He is, quite simply, "The Good Duck Artist."


from Walt Disney's Donald Duck [Halloween Special] one-shot (Fantagraphics, 2011), art by Carl Barks
Happy birthday, Unca Carl!

Today in Comics History, October 27, 1954: Walt Disney tightens his grip around the throats of the American public

from Comic Book History of Animation #4 (IDW, February 2021), script by Fred Van Lente; pencils, inks, and letters by Ryan Dunlavey, colors by Adam Guzowski

Fun with Comics: Disney licensing executive: "We don't own a comic book company, by any chance?"

cover of Disney Villains: Maleficent #1 (Dynamite, May 2023), pencils and inks by Rebeca Puebla
Other Disney licensing executive: "Not that I know of."

Today in Comics History, December 21, 1937: Small animation start-up will never go anywhere

from Comic Book History of Animation #4 (IDW, December 2020); script by Fred Van Lente; pencils, inks, and letters by Ryan Dunlavey; colors by Adam Guzowski


from Comic Book Comics #1 (Evil Twin, March 2008); script by Fred Van Lente, pencils, inks, and letters by Ryan Dunlavey

Today in Comics History, December 15, 1966: They never die, the old mice / They just fade and go on ice

from Comic Book History of Animation #4 (IDW, February 2021); script by Fred Van Lente; pencils, inks, and letters by Ryan Dunlavey; colors by Adam Guzowski

Today in Comics History, November 20: Happy birthday, Ming-Na Wen!

Born on this day: actor Ming-Na Wen, who voiced the title character in Disney's Mulan!


from Mulan (Disney Comics, 2013), absolutely no creator credits at all. Shame on you, Disney.
And Detective Ellen Yin in the 2004-2008 animated The Batman!



from The Batman Strikes! #9 (DC, July 2005), script by Bill Matheny, pencils by Christopher Jones, inks by Terry Beatty, colors by Heroic Age, letters by Pat Brosseau
And she played Melinda "The Cavalry" May in Agents of SHIELD!



covers from The Cavalry: SHIELD 50th Anniversary one-shot (Marvel, November 2015), by (top) Dale Keown and (bottom) John Tyler Christopher
Happy birthday, Ming-Na! And this time next year I hope there'll be a Fennec Shand comic book!

Today in Comics History, October 24, 1947: Hey Walt, you suck

from Comic Book History of Animation #3 (IDW, January 2021); script by Fred Van Lente; pencils, inks, and letters by Ryan Dunlavey; colors by Adam Guzowski

Today in Comics History, May 28, 1941: That's why Jorts the Cat never got his own cartoon

from Comic Book History of Animation #2 (IDW, December 2020); script by Fred Van Lente; pencils, inks, colors and letters by Ryan Dunlavey

Today in Comics History, January 1: It's bath night every year on January 1, whether the dwarfs need it or not

from Four Color #49 [Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs] (Dell, July 1944), script by Merrill De Maris, pencils by Hank Porter, inks by Bob Grant, colors by Western Publishing Production Shop

Today in Comics History, Friday the 13th (of March): The bad news is that Uncle Scrooge wants to water-ski

cover of Walt Disney's Donald Duck in Big Fishing Contest one-shot (W.G. Publications/Wogan Publications (Australia), 1950?), artist unidentified
Also, I don't think today is Donald Duck's birthday.

Teniversary Countdown #3: Wholesome funny animal comics, my fuzzy butt

Panels from "Slightly Sidetracked" in Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #10 (July 1941), script by Ted Osborne, pencils by Floyd Gottfredson, inks by Al Taliaferro, reprinted from the Mickey Mouse comic strip
And later...

Teniversary Countdown #8: Huey told Louie about a thing he saw / Had two big horns and a wooly jaw

Panels from Uncle Scrooge (1953 Dell series) #10 (June-August); script, pencils, and inks by Carl Barks, colors Western Publishing Production Shop, letters by Garé Barks

365 Days of KirbyTech, Day 111: The Sandman's Hypnosonic Whistle

"You know how to whistle, don't you?" said the hottest woman in the universe:



But for the Sandman, whistling involves — you guessed it! — a very special piece of KirbyTech: the Hypnosonic Whistle.


Panel from The Sandman (1974 series) #2 (April-May 1975), script by Michael Fleisher, pencils by Ernie Chan, inks by Mike Royer, letters by Ben Oda
Gosh, Mr. Sandman, Miss Bacall don't need no magic whistle to do that.

Today in Christmas Comics History: Donald's meds finally kick in

Panels from Donald and Mickey Merry Christmas 1947 (1947); script, pencils, inks and letters by Carl Barks, colors by Western Publishing Production Shop

Hellmouth: Dell/Gold Key, Night 18: Mickey Mouse and the Terror That Can Only Be Represented 4/7 Accurately in a Standard Comic Book

Cover of Four Color #27 [Mickey Mouse] (Dell, 1943), pencils and inks by Ken Hultgren (?)

Today in Comics History, October 15: Bird Sun Beetle Scarab Ankh (aka Happy Alexandrian New Year)

from "Guardians of the Lost Library" in Walt Disney's Uncle Scrooge Adventures #27 (Gladstone, July 1994); script, pencils, and inks by Don Rosa; colors by Scott Rockwell; letters by Mike Taylor

Bear Attack! Month, Day 30: Christopher Robin marched to Jerusalem and never came home

Panel from "The Gollywhopper Egg" in Winnie-the-Pooh #3 (September 1977), creators unknown

Bear Attack Month, Day 29: Duck, Bear, Duck!

And now, panels from the greatest Bear Attack story in the history of comics!*








Panel from Four Color #178 [Donald Duck in Christmas on Bear Mountain] (December 1947); script, pencils, inks and letters by Carl Barks

*And yes, Chris Sims, I have read that one about the Punisher and the polar bears.

Today in Comics History, June 15, 1933: Disney's live-action remake of TaleSpin is not a success

from Doc Savage (1975 magazine series) #5 (Marvel, July 1976), script by Doug Moench, pencils and inks by Tony DeZuniga, letters by Irving Watanabe
Remember: it's all based on characters created by Rudyard Kipling:

Today in Comics History: Cereal company headquarters mysteriously burns to ground

Donald Duck gag strip from Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #132 (September 1951), script by Bob Karp, pencils and inks by Al Taliaferro