Today in Comics History, February 2, Groundhog Day: Okay, I just give up on trying to figure out how to backwards-ize Bizarro-speak

from "Puzzle of the Wild World!" in Action Comics #388 (DC/National, May 1970), script by Cary Bates, pencils by Curt Swan, inks by George Roussos, letters by John Costanza

Today in Comics History, February 2, 2022: Gift of a check suddenly tremendously ages Aunt Petunia Grimm since Fantastic Four #238

from Clobberin' Time #3 (Marvel, July 2023), story and art by Steve Skroce, colors by Bryan Calenza, letters by Joe Sabino

Today in Comics History, February 2, Groundhog Day: Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? Nancy knows.

Nancy (United Feature Syndicate, February 2, 1949), by Ernie Bushmiller

Today in Comics History, February 2: Happy birthday, Fred Apostoli!

Born on this day in 1913: Fred Apostoli, world champion middleweight boxer (1937) and inductee into the Ring Magazine Hall of Fame, the World Boxing Hall of Fame, and the International Boxing Hall of Fame. That's almost as much fame as Irene Cara! The below feature was originally published in the syndicated Sport Features Sunday pre-1937, so when King Comics reprinted it, they oughta have crossed out that "near!"


"Near Champs" from King Comics #30 (David McKay, September 1938), pencils and inks by Jack Burnley
With a pedigree like that (Fred, not Seabiscuit), you'da thought he'd appear a lot in comic books, right? Well, he did appear in the prestigious Action Comics...but just as a reference to another boxer named Fred, Freddie Steele.


from "Odds 'n Ends" in Action Comics (1938 series) #8 (DC, January 1939), pencils and inks by Sheldon Moldoff
Even tho' you didn't get to box against Superman, Fred, have a happy birthday!

Today in Comics History, February 2, 1952: Door-to-door salesman gets really lucky

from Fantastic Four (2023 series) #1/694 (Marvel, January 2023), script by Ryan North, pencils and inks by Iban Coello, colors by Jesus Aburtov, letters by Joe Caramagna

Today in Comics History, February 2, Groundhog Day: This is one time where comics really fail to capture the true excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather

Barnaby (Field Enterprises Syndicate, February 2, 1944), by Crockett Johnson

Today in Comics History, February 2, Groundhog Day: Mr. Wilson contemplates reenacting the final scenes of Fargo with Dennis

from "Febrrruary" in Dennis the Menace Bonus Magazine Series #160 (Hallden/Fawcett, January 1977), creators uncredited and unknown (Owen Fitzgerald?)

Today in Comics History, February 2, 1941: Perry White makes Clark Kent sit on story for ten months

from "Crime Without Motive" in Crime Fighting Detective #19 (Star, June 1952), pencils and inks by R. Louis Golden

Today in Comics History, December 4, 1951: Ex-convict seized, apparently upside-down

from "Crime Without Motive" in Crime Fighting Detective #19 (Star, June 1952), pencils and inks by R. Louis Golden
Wait, why is a newspaper reporting a 10-month old story?

Today in Comics History, February 2: Happy birthday, Tommy Smothers!

Born on this day: comedian, musician, and yo-yo expert Tom Smothers, half of comedy team The Smothers Brothers!


from MAD #122 (October 1968), script by Ronnie Nathan, art by Jack Rickard


from MAD #136 (July 1970), script by Stan Hart, art by George Woodbridge
I grew up with the comedy record of Aesop's Fables: The Smothers Brothers Way...


...and I didn't learn until much later how controversial they were with their sociopolitical TV comedy on CBS!


from MAD #142 (April 1971), script by Arnie Kogen, art by Angelo Torres
Happy birthday, Tommy! Tell that brother of yours to get you a good gift. After all, Mom always did like him best.


from Simpsons Comics #162 (Bongo, January 2010), script by Ian Boothby, pencils by Phil Ortiz, inks by Mike DeCarlo, colors by Art Villanueva, letters by Karen Bates

Today in Comics History, February 2: Happy birthday, James Joyce!

Please raise a Guinness (but don't touch it until that head settles) along with me to wish Irish novelistist, poet, and critic James Joyce, born on this day in 1882, a very happy birthday. Sláinte, Jimbo!



from Dotter of Her Father's Eyes (Dark Horse, February 2012); script by Mary M. Talbot; pencils, inks, colors and letters by Bryan Talbot
Yes, of course if James Joyce (and hey, for no extra price, Ernest Hemingway) had to appear in a comic, it better be a Vertigo book, right?


from Shade the Changing Man (1990 series) #31 (DC/Vertigo, January 1993), script by Peter Milligan, pencils by Colleen Doran, inks by Mark Buckingham, colors by Daniel Vozzo, letters by Todd Klein
And of course, their paths violently intersect with that of Shade. Well, it was either him or Swamp Thing. And Hemingway woulda tried to smoke Swampy.


Now, one of the first things you do when the giants of literature are mystically transported to your contemporary times, is never, ever let them read their own books. And even if that should happen, what you really have to watch out for it keeping them away from reading their own biographies OH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD SHADE YOU HAD ONE JOB


from Shade the Changing Man (1990 series) #32 (DC/Vertigo, February 1993), script by Peter Milligan, pencils by Colleen Doran, inks by PAblo Marcos, colors by Daniel Vozzo, letters by Todd Klein
Well, at least there's always Trieste.


AW FOR CRYING OUT LOUD JOYCE


from Dotter of Her Father's Eyes
Happy birthday, James.

Today in Comics History, February 2, Groundhog Day: Everything you know* is wrong!

from "Forecasts and Foolery" in Real Fact Comics #19 (DC, March 1949), pencils, inks, and colors by Raymond Perry
*About groundhogs.

Today in Comics History, February 2, Groundhog Day: It's Grover Groundhog Day!

It's come to my attention (I heard it on the grapevine) that some of you folks are not familiar with the fine Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer comic books DC used to put out in the 1950s and '60s, and that's a shame, because they are really fun comics about the (non-Rankin Bass) adventures of that titular young elk with the crimson proboscis, and (my point, and I do have one) his best pal Grover Groundhog.


from "The King That Outlawed Christmas" in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Annual #4 (DC, December 1953), script by Sy Reit (?), pencils and inks by Rube Grossman
Grover's become quite a icon here 'round these parts, and for several years he was the official mascot on Groundhog Day for Comics Oughta Be Fun! If you've missed the previous posts in this series, never fear! Altho' I haven't any groundhog content for 2022, there's still plenty of old, meaty, groundhoggy posts to get yourselves aquainted with this fuzzy little fellow full of love and, if that old rhyme is correct, wood. Click on any (or all!) of the banners below to get all the posts from that year's aptly-titled Grover Groundhog Day!





And there was one entry for 2018.

So remember, kids: even when there's six more weeks of winter, there's still always time for Grover Groundhog!

Today in Comics History, February 2: "Do you want Harvey Dents? Because that's how we get Harvey Dents."

from "Two Split Seconds on Division Street" in Batman: The Audio Adventures Special one-shot (DC, December 2021), script by Ike Barinholtz and Dennis McNicholas, pencils and inks by Derec Aucoin, colors by Dee Cunniffe, letters by Pat Brosseau

Today in Comics History, February 2: Happy birthday, Sub-Mariner!

Born on this day: Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner! What, you didn't think he had a canonical birthday? Check it out:


from "Courage!" in Sub-Mariner (1954 series) #36 (Marvel/Atlas, November 1954); script, pencils, inks, and letters by Bill Everett
Happy birthday, Namor, ya ol' sea-cow, you!

Today in Comics History, February 2: Happy birthday, Farrah Fawcett!

Born on this day in 1947: Farrah Fawcett...


cover of Emma #57 (D. C. Thomson, 24 March 1979)

Today in Comics History, February 2, 1945: First Yellow Cab is a lot yellower than anyone expected

from "The Red-Headed Monster" in Crime Must Pay the Penalty #33/1 (Ace, February 1948), pencils and inks by Al Camy

Today in Comics History, February 2, 1935: Well, at least he went out with dignity

from "Walter Leganza: The Tri-State Devil" in Crime Must Pay the Penalty #2 (Ace, June 1948), pencils by Ken Battefield

Today in Comics History, February 2, 2011: Serifs cruelly ambush innocent headline

from Translucid #3 (Boom!, June 2014), script by Claudio Sanchez and Chondra Echert, pencils and inks by Daniel Bayliss, colors by Adam Metcalfe, letters by Ed Dukeshire

Today in Comics History, February 2, 1939: Captain America desperately searches for a cure to his malaria

from Captain America Annual #8 (Marvel, 1986), script by Mark Gruenwald, pencils by Mike Zeck, inks by John Beatty and Joe Rubinstein, colors by Glynis Oliver, letters by Jim Novak