Today in Comics History, January 25, 1947: Daily Gazette publishes its biggest issue yet — I'm serious, this thing is like five foot tall

Well, at least I think it's 1/25/47. If you're sure it isn't (or if you're GL), get in touch with me!



from "The Terror of the Talismans, Part One" in Green Lantern (1941 series) #31 (DC/National, March 1948), script by Robert Kanigher, pencils by Irwin Hasen, inks by John Belfi

Today in Comics History, December 11, 1941: Doiby Dickles makes a terrible Nazi

from Green Lantern (1941 series) #4 (DC, Summer 1942), script by Bill Finger, pencils and inks by Martin Nodell

Today in Comics History, November 27, 1940: Building Code Under Fire

from The New Golden Age #1 one-shot (DC, January 2023); script by Geoff Johns; pencils and inks by Diego Olortegui, J. P. Mayer, Scott Hanna, Jerry Ordway, Steve Lieber, Todd Nauck, Scott Kolins, Viktor Bogdanović, Brandon Peterson, and/or Gary Frank; colors by Nick Filardi, John Kalisz, Matt Herms, Jordan Boyd, and/or Brad Anderson, letters by Rob Leig
(This would have been a few days after the first official meeting of the Justice Society of America.)

Today in Comics History, November 15: Happy birthday, Martin Nodell!

Born on this day in 1915: comic book artist Martin Nodell, co-creator (with Bill Finger) of the Golden Age Green Lantern!


from Green Lantern (1941 series) #1 (Fall 1941)

Today in Comics History, November 15, 1940: Since paper is made with wood, you could beat Green Lantern to death with this newspaper

from "[Fix the Fight Game]" in All-American Comics (1939 series) #22 (DC/All-American, January 1941), script by Bill Finger, pencils and inks by Marty Nodell as Mart Dellon, letters by Carrie Nodell

Today in Comics History, July 23, 1985: The tragedy of superhero weddings: having Doiby Dickles as your best man

Today is the wedding anniversary of Alan Scott (Green Lantern) and Molly Mayne (the Harlequin, not to be confused with Harley Quinn, who would probably hit GL with a big wooden mallet)! Did you send them a gift? I sent them a toaster from Macy's, and then it got erased in Crisis. The saddest death in Crisis on Infinite Earth: that poor toaster.


from Infinity Inc. Annual #1 (DC, December 1985); script by Roy Thomas and Dann Thomas; pencils by Ron Harris, inks by Dick Giordano, Alfredo Alcala, Richard Howell, and Tony DeZuniga; colors by Adrienne Roy and Anthony Tollin; letters by David Cody Weiss
The complainers will yell that "you couldn't publish this story today!" No, DC could publish it, but since Post-Rebirth Alan Scott is now gay, he gets married to Wildcat.

Today in Comics History, July 16, 1940: Hundreds perish in tragic train wreck just so this guy can get a cool origin story

from "[The Origin of Green Lantern]" in All-American Comics (1939 series) #16 (DC/All-American Comics, July 1940), script by Bill Finger; pencils, inks, and letters by Martin Nodell
Here's that Earth-2 origin story retold in an eighties comic!


from "The Tale of the Green Lantern" in Secret Origins (1986 series) #18 (DC, September 1987), script by (who else?) Roy Thomas, pencils and inks by George Freeman, colors by Anthony Tollin, letters by Jean Simek
How do we know this happened on July 16? Why, thanks to this fly on the wall. OH YES THANK YOU VERY MUCH DOOMSDAY CLOCK rassing frassin Doomsday Clock


from Doomsday Clock #7 (DC/Black Label, November 2018), script by Geoff Johns, pencils and inks by Gary Frank, colors by Brad Anderson, letters by Rob Leigh
Well, I guess everything is okay herOH DOCTOR MANHATTAN YOU ARE A JERK


And so, Doctor Manhattan continues to be a jerk:


from Doomsday Clock #9 (DC/Black Label, May 2019), script by Geoff Johns, pencils and inks by Gary Frank, colors by Brad Anderson, letters by Rob Leigh
OH COME ON NOW DOCTOR JERKHATTAN


MAKE UP YOUR FREAKIN' MIND


from Doomsday Clock #12 (DC/Black Label, February 2020), script by Geoff Johns, pencils and inks by Gary Frank, colors by Brad Anderson, letters by Rob Leigh
And that's why Alan Scott was the first Green Lantern. DESPITE.

Today in Comics History, February 8: Happy birthday, Bill Finger!

Born on this date in 1914: Bill Finger, co-creator of Batman, Robin, Joker, Riddler, Penguin, Catwoman, Commissioner Gordon, Green Lantern, Wildcat, and many other classic characters and concepts!


from Fifty Who Made DC Great one-shot (DC, 1985)
Here's a lovely memorial essay for Finger in the DC fan magazine The Amazing World of DC Comics #1 (DC, July 1974). Note that Finger here is credited, altho' not in a "created by" byline, with the invention of many iconic DC characters.


But The Amazing World of DC Comics had many contributors with many differing views. Since I don't have access to issue #10, here's a great video by Tom Brevoort about a comic story published within its pages that was truly cruel and dismissive of Bill Finger. Boo!


In fact, DC's "official" story of Batman's origin in a 1946 comic book doesn't mention Finger at all. (More on this here.)


from "The True Story of Batman and Robin! How a Big-Time Comic is Born!" in Real Fact Comics #5 (DC, November 1946), script by Jack Schiff, Mort Weisinger, and/or Bernie Breslauer; pencils and inks by Win Mortimer
From Wikipedia:

While Kane privately admitted in a 1980s audio interview with his autobiographer that Finger was responsible for "50–75% of all the creativity in Batman," for decades he publicly denied Finger had been anything more than a subcontractor executing Kane's ideas. As a result, Finger died in obscurity and poverty while the Batman brand—and Kane—amassed international fame and wealth.

At least Finger was by-lined within the pages of the comic book as the co-creator of Green Lantern straight from the first (if not necessarily later on).



from Green Lantern (1941 series) #1 (Fall 1941), script by Bill Finger, pencils and inks by Mart Nodell
It's only recently that DC Comics has credited Bill Finger with the co-creation of Batman, altho' with a "with" credit line after Bob Kane.


from Batman (2016 series) #101 (DC, December 2020)
We love you and remember you, Bill Finger, creator of Batman and so much more! Happy birthday!

Today in Comics History, April 1, 1948: Jealous of Batman's success, Green Lantern also gets himself a joke-themed nemesis

from "The April Fool's Day Crimes!" in Comic Cavalcade #27 (DC, June 1948), script by John Broome, pencils and inks by Alex Toth
Oh hey! Today also appears to be the day Doiby Dickles was killed by gangsters.

Other heroes that Green Lantern appear to be jealous of include Fawcett's Captain Marvel, what with Billy Batson working in a radio station...


And, despite the fact that they would not premiere for another thirteen years...the Fantastic Four and their trademark flare alert!


Jealous, jealous, Alan Scott. No wonder they called him the Green Lantern!

That supervillain the Fool certain is some kind of criminal joker, isn't he? (nudge nudge wink wink)


Eh, on closer inspector, he really is much more of a Riddler. Your compulsion to leave clues will continue to be your downfall, guys! I'm jus' sayin'.


Anyway, all's fool that ends fool! Happy April Fool's Day!

365 Days of Defiance, Day 69*: The Justice Society is formed to fight the fifth column by using big-ass word balloons

Panels from All Star Comics #4 (March-April 1941), script by Gardner F. Fox, pencils and inks by Everett E. Hibbard
Tune in tomorrow to see how Flash, the Master of Going Faster, deals with the enemies of America! (Hint: he goes quicker than them.)

* Nice.**
** This footnote satisfies the requirement by international internet law that all mentions of the number sixty-nine be accompanied by the word "nice."