Today in Comics History, January 8, 1952: Cell phones not yet invented, so dining together is awkward

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, January 8: And a lust for gold, and a lust for gold / Keeps us alive, keeps us alive

from "Leland Stanford: Railroad Pioneer of the West" in Real Life Comics #11 (Pines, May, 1943), pencils and inks by Maurice Gutwirth
I have cut the flashback off at this point because in the very next panel there is some pretty foul racism. Sigh. Oh, comics, will you never learn?

Today in Comics History, January 8: Happy birthday, Eric Stephenson!

Born on this day: Eric Stephenson, comic book publisher (Image Comics), writer (Spider-Man Unlimited, Webspinners: Tales of Spider-Man, Bloodstrike, Brigade, Supreme, Youngblood), editor (Extreme Studios, Image) and creator (Long Hot Summer, Nowhere Men, They're Not Like Us)!


from "The Extreme Scene" promo page in Image/Extreme Studios comics cover-dated December 1993
Being Publisher and Chief Creative Officer of Image apparently comes with a big office — so big that it takes a double-page spread to show it off!

from Airboy (2015 series) #1 (Image, June 2015); script by James Robinson; pencils, inks, colors, and letters by Greg Hinkle
(Click picture to EXTREME!-size)
Here's Eric with his Image Comics bros! From left to right: Marc Silvestri, Erik Larsen, Eric Stephenson, Robert Kirkman, Jim Valentino, and Todd McFarlane.


from I Hate Image FCBD 2017 Special (Image, May 2017); script, pencils, and inks by Skottie Young, colors by Jean-Francois Beaulieu, letters by Nate Piekos
Happy birthday, Eric Stephenson! And we hope you're not the same Eric Stephenson who is punching his way through this gladiator arena.


from America's Got Powers #1 (Image, April 2012), script by Jonathan Ross, pencils by Bryan Hitch, inks by Andrew Currie and Paul Neary, colors by Paul Mounts, letters by Chris Eliopoulos

Today in Comics History, January 8: Happy birthday, Ken Steacy!

Born on this day in Canada (so you know he's nice!): comics artist Ken Steacy (The Original Astro Boy, Jonny Quest, Night and the Enemy, The Sacred and the Profane, his own creation Tempus Fugitive, Marvel Fanfare, Robotech: The Graphic Novel, and many more)!


from "Editori-Al" in Marvel Fanfare (1982 series) #23 (Marvel, November 1985); script, pencils, and inks by Al Milgrom
Happy birthday, Ken, and keep 'em flyin' high!


from Tempus Fugitive #1 (DC, April 1990)

Today in Comics History, January 8: Happy birthday, John Wellington!

Born on this day, comic book colorist John Wellington (The Punisher, Bullwinkle and Rocky, Detective Comics, Power Pack and much more)!


from Marvel Age #86 (Marvel, March 1990), text by Chris Eliopoulis and Barry Dutter, pencils and inks by Ron Zalme, colors by Gregory Wright
Happy birthday, John!

Today in Comics History, January 8: Happy birthday, Queen Hippolyta!

Born on this day in ⬛⬛⬛⬛ (a true lady never reveals her birth year in antiquity), the woman the kids call Mrs. Wonder Woman's Mom: Queen Hippolyta! Or sometimes, in the Golden Age, Hippolyte. Just don't call her late for dinner! Ha! I slay me! No, seriously, she's really going all in on that cornbread.


from Super DC Calendar 1976 (DC, 1975), letters by Ben Oda
Here in actual untouched and certainly not colored for comic books footage, a true depiction of Hippolyta celebrating her birthday! Aw, she's just glad Diana came home for it and to drop off her laundry.


from "Menace of the Mermen!" in Wonder Woman (1942 series) #93 (DC, October 1953), script by Robert Kanigher, pencils by Harry Peter
Now, here's a patented, designed-for-your-amusement (and/or confusion) DC (Flash) Fact!: despite codifying Hip's birthday as January 8 in the Super DC Calendar 1976, an earlier 1962 story had already set her birthday as May 18! What's the deal with that? (Personally, I think Bob "The DC Answer Man" Rozakis was asleep at his desk that day!)


from Wonder Woman (1942 series) #113 (DC, July 1962), script by Robert Kanigher, pencils by Ross Andru, inks by Mike Esposito, letters by Gaspar Saladino
But that's a tale for another day. Specifically, May 18. See ya then!

Today in Comics History, January 8, 1966: First comic book appearance, R. Lee Ermey

from The 'Nam #1 (Marvel, December 1986), script by Doug Murray, pencils and colors by Michael Golden, inks by Armando Gil, letters by Phil Felix

Today in Comics History, January 8, 1950: Manhattan takes the blue-tailed-fly

from Doomsday Clock #7 (DC, November 2018), script by Geoff Johns, pencils and inks by Gary Frank, colors by Brad Anderson, letters by Rob Leigh

Today in Comics History, January 8, 1880: Emperor Norton has fallen and he can't get up

from The Sandman (1989 series) #31 (DC, October 1991), script by Neil Gaiman, pencils and inks by Shawn McManus, colors by Daniel Vozzo, letters by Todd Klein
I think that the following page-and-a-bit is my favorite single scene of them all from Neil Gaiman's Sandman.



Where have you gone, Emperor Norton?



Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you.


from "Sure as Shootin'" in Desperado #4 (Lev Gleason, October 1948); text, pencils, and inks by Claude Moore

Today in Comics History, January 8, 19,654 BC: Doc and Marty meet the Flintstones

from Back to the Future #16 (IDW, February 2017), story by John Barber and Bob Gale, script by John Barber, pencils and inks by Emma Vieceli, colors by Jose Luis Rio, letters by Shawn Lee

Today in Comics History, January 8, 1942: The US Government vows to never ever turn their backs on the Gaines family

House ad from All-Flash Quarterly #4 (DC, Spring 1942)

Today in Comics History, January 8: Happy birthday, Graham Chapman!

Born on this day in 1941: comedian, writer, and actor Graham Chapman of Monty Python's Flying Circus!


Panel from Comics: Monty Python one-shot (April 2014), script by Chris Canibano, pencils and colors by Juan Luis Rincón, letters by Gary Scott Beatty

Today in Comics History, January 8, 1854: The Man Without Fear is Born

from Starman (1994 series) #5 (DC, March 1995), script by James Robinson, pencils by Tony Harris, inks by Wade Von Grawbadger, colors by Gregory Wright, letters by John Workman