Today in Comics History, January 4: Pietro sighs and co-signs off on Wanda's bank loan

"Next Issue" page from Scarlet Witch (2023 series) #1 (Marvel, March 2023); pencils, inks, and colors by Russell Dauterman

Today in Comics History, January 4: Happy birthday, George Selkirk!

Born on this day in 1908: Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame member George Selkirk, Major League baseball player and MLB front office executive, who inherited Babe Ruth's famous No. 3 uniform during his stint with the New York Yankees.


"Sports Features" from King Comics #16 (David McKay, July 1937), pencils and inks by Jack Burnley
Happy birthday, George!

Today in Comics History, January 4, 1918: This sex-swapped version of the Pandora story is weirdly unsettling

from the Atomictot story in All Humor Comics #13 (Quality, Spring 1949), pencils and inks by Gill Fox
This post was suggested by faithful reader and frequent commenter Blam, who's provided a lot of date references in comics that I'll spotlight throughout 2023 in this series. Thanks, Blam!

Today in Comics History, January 4, 1939: W.B. Yeats has a hard time starting his thank-you letter for the Christmas socks

from The Dreaming (1996 series) #35 (DC/Vertigo, April 1999), script by Caitlín Kiernan, pencils and inks by Rebecca Guay, colors and color separations by Daniel Vozzo, letters by Todd Klein

Today in Comics History, January 4, 1854: We won't be marooned as long as we've got a Johnson

from "Ghost Ship!" in Crypt of Terror (1950 series) #19 (EC, August 1950); script, pencils, and inks by Al Feldstein, letters by Jim Wroten

Today in Comics History, January 4, 2016: ♫ Woke up / Got out of bed / Grabbed a cab / As aforesaid ♫

from Yellow Cab (IDW, May 2022), by Christophe Chabouté, based on the novel by Benoît Cohen

Today in Comics History, January 4, 1971: The Brothers Buscema figure out how to con Stan out of one panel's pay

L: from The Avengers (1963 series) #85 (Marvel, February 1971), plot by Len Wein, script by Roy Thomas, pencils by John Buscema, inks by Frank Giacoia, letters by Mike Stevens
R: from The Avengers (1963 series) #86 (Marvel, March 1971), plot by Len Wein, script by Roy Thomas, pencils by Sal Buscema, inks by Jim Mooney, letters by Shelly Leferman

Today in Comics History, January 4: Happy birthday, Johnny Lujack!

No, no, not Johnny Paycheck, but Johnny Lujack, born today in 1925! NFL quarterback for the Chicago Bears (1948-1951), Heisman Trophy winner, AP Athlete of the year 1947, three-time national champion and two-time unanimous All-American (1946, 1947)!

Oh yeah! Wheaties Cereal comic book ad spokesathlete, too!


advertisement from DC Comics cover-dated January 1952
Johnny is still living in 2022 at the age of 97, so hop on over to his house and wish him a happy birthday! I betcha he can still outrun and outpass me.

Today in Comics History, January 4: Happy birthday, Chic Stone!

Born on this very day in 1923: comic book and commercial artist and inker Chic Stone (who I consider one of the best inkers of 1960s Jack Kirby FF pencils)! But Chic also drew and inked an astonishing array of comics stories and characters. Among them: Batman, Superboy, Thor, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, AMC plastic model advertisements, Garrison's Gorillas, The A-Team, and lots and lots of work at Archie Comics!


from Marvel Tales Annual #1 (Marvel, September 1964)
Happy birthday, Chic Stone!

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Today in Comics History, January 4: Happy birthday, Bruno Premiani!

Hey, remember yesterday when we celebrated the birthday or DC editor Murray Boltinoff and I showed you some pretty keen panels from Doom Patrol spotlighting an appearance by Murray! Well, I hope y'all loved those panels, because one day later, here they are again, to celebrate the other creative soul in that comic story, artist Bruno Premiani, born on this day in 1907!




from The Doom Patrol (1964 series) #121 (DC, September 1968), script by Arnold Drake, pencils and inks by Bruno Premiani, letters by Ben Oda
Bruno was the co-creator of The Doom Patrol (and all its heroes, villains, and supporting characters from the 1963-68 run), and he also co-created with Bob Haney those adolescent adventures The (Original) Teen Titans! Ah, at last someone to blame for Cartoon Network running Teen Titans Go! 23 hours a day! In addition, he's drawn stories for DC's Tomahawk, Johnny Peril, and World's Finest Comics, Prize's Western Love and Black Magic, Gilberton's Classics Illustrated and The World Around Us series, and, as we like to say around her, lots more! He's also the author (with Beatriz Premiani) and illustrator of El Caballo, an excellent history and anatomy of our equine friends, which oughta help you out quite a bit with drawing your Mind Horse!

A very happy birthday to you, Bruno Premiani!

Today in Comics History, January 4, 198?: Spider-Man poses dramatically against stucco

from Amazing Spider-Man (1963 series) #324 (Marvel, November 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, January 4, 1999: Staff meeting for This American Life gets off to a roaring start*

from Radio: An Illustrated Guide one-shot (WBEZ Alliance, 1999), co-script by Ira Glass; co-script, pencils, inks, and letters by Jessica Abel
*No, seriously. That's exactly what this is.

Today in Comics History, January 4, 1975: Nighthawk crosses over to DC Universe; steals Silver St. Cloud from Bruce Wayne

from Giant-Size Defenders #4 (Marvel. April 1975), script by Steve Gerber, pencils by Don Heck, inks by Vince Colletta, colors by Petra Goldberg, letters by Gaspar Saladino

Today in Comics History, January 4, 2002: So long, Vesper Fairchild...looks like you didn't survive the experience!

cover of Batgirl #27 (DC, June 2002), art by Damion Scott, Robert Campanella, and Patrick Martin

Today in Comics History, January 4, 1976: The Rice-a-Roni Rough Riders roar into town

from Bay City Jive #3 (WildStorm, September 2001), script and letters by John Layman, pencils by Jason Johnson, inks by Sean Parsons, colors by David Baron

Today in Comics History, January 4, 1948: Batman and Robin are attacked by bands of roving exposition balloons

from "Batman — Boss of the Big House!" in Detective Comics #169 (DC, March 1951), pencils on some Batman and Robin figures by Bob Kane, other pencils by Lew Sayre Schwartz, inks by Charles Paris

Today in Comics History, January 4, 1948: Big George goes to the big chair in the big house. Bigly.

from "Batman — Boss of the Big House!" in Detective Comics #169 (DC, March 1951), pencils on some Batman and Robin figures by Bob Kane, other pencils by Lew Sayre Schwartz, inks by Charles Paris

Today in Comics History, January 4: Mr. Filth's PR campaign is a success

from The Vinyl Underground #1 (DC/Vertigo, December 2007), script by Si Spencer, pencils by Simon Gane, inks by Cameron Stewart, colors by Guy Major, letters by Jared K. Fletcher

Today in Comics History, January 4: Maybe Commissioner Gordon should have read his train ticket more carefully

from Batman #404 (DC, February 1987), script by Frank Miller, pencils and inks by David Mazzucchelli, colors by Richmond Lewis, letters by Todd Klein