Today in Comics History, August 1: Happy birthday, Claudius!

Ave Claudius! And happy birthday to ya too, because today's your birthday (born August 1, 10 BC), Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus! Better known to the world as jus' plain Claudius, which makes it easier to write birthday cards to him, especially when you had to chistle 'em into slate tablets. "Happy birthday, Claude!" (thunk) Not that he wasn't mighty enough to pick 'em up:


from "[I Made an Airplane]" in Kid Eternity (1946 series) #5 (Quality, Spring 1947), pencils and inks by Pete Riss (?) or Witmer Williams (?)

Fun with Comics: How Bertie Wooster would have handled Nazis

from the Junior Rangers story in Headline Comics v.1 #7 (Prize, Spring 1944), art by Henry Kiefer (?)

Today in Comics History, November 23, 1849: Invention of the dictionary takes a weird turn

from "The Doctor Is Missing" in Headline Comics v.2 #11 (23) (Prize, March 1947), script by Joe Simon and/or Jack Kirby (?), pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Joe Simon (?), letters by Howard Ferguson

Today in Comics History, November 5, 1605: This scene does not occur in today's story

Take a big steamin' gawk at this cover...


cover of Headline Comics v.2 #11 (#23) (Prize, March 1947), pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Jack Kirby or Joe Simon (?)
...which features this tagline in a font nearly bigger than the title!

Today in Comics History, August 30, 1850: Whatcha doin', Professor Webster? Just hangin' around?

from "The Doctor Is Missing" in Headline Comics v.2 #11/23 (Prize, March 1947), co-script and inks by Joe Simon (?), pencils (and co-script?) by Jack Kirby, letters by Howard Ferguson

Today in Comics History, February 14, 1929: Everybody run / A baby's got a gun

from "To My Valentine" from Headline Comics v.2 #11 [23] (Prize, March 1947), script by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby (?), pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Joe Simon (?), letters by Howard Ferguson
He can afford cigars but stiffs the store clerk on a greeting card? Why, that's low-down, dirty and not-so-nice! Also: where the heck do you get a green suit?


Wow, Mob is so easily impressed with Other Mob's cosplay!


HEY KIDS, COMICS! Thanks, Jack Kirby!


They marked the case unsolved? Well, I'm pretty sure it was gangsters.


Let this be a lesson...to you that crime doesn't pay!!


(PS: Crime actually often pays.)