Today in Comics History, April 1, 198X, April Fools' Day: Joker Regrets He's Able to Lunch Today

from Ambush Bug Stocking Stuffer #1 one-shot (DC, February 1986), script by Robert Loren Fleming, pencils by Keith Giffen, inks by Bob Oksner, colors by Anthony Tollin, letters by John Costanza

Today in Comics History, April 1, April Fools' Day: Into the mouth of madness

from "The Joker's Crime Costumes" in Batman (1940 series) #63 (DC/National, February 1951), script by Bill Finger, pencils by Dick Sprang, inks by Charles Paris, letters by Ira Schnapp

Today in Comics History, August 1: Dreadful birthday, dear Joker!

This is an expanded and updated version of a post originally published August 1, 2022.

According to the Super DC Calendar 1976, today's the birthday of the Clown of Crime: you know him, you love him, you're terrified out of your wits by him: The Joker!


from Super DC Calendar 1976 (DC, 1975), letters by Ben Osa

Today in Comics History, April 1, April Fool's Day: Mmmmmm, bat pie

from Batman (1940 series) #63 (DC, February 1959), script by Bill Finger, pencils by Dick Sprang, inks by Charles Paris, letters by Ira Schnapp

Today in Comics History, April 1, 198X, April Fool's Day: You Are Foolishly Invited....

from Ambush Bush Stocking Stuffer #1 (one-shot) (DC, February 1986), script by Robert Loren Fleming, pencils by Keith Giffen, inks by Bob Oksner, colors by Anthony Tollin, letters by John Costanza

Today in Comics History, December 31, 11:55 PM, New Year's Eve: Jingle Bells, Joker Smells

from Batman: The Adventures Continue (2020 series) #8 (DC, March 2021), script by Alan Burnett and Paul Dini, pencils by Ty Templeton, inks by Sean Parsons, colors by Monica Kubina, letters by Josh Reed

Today in Comics History, December 31, New Year's Eve: Oooh, Joker, I really hate to tell you this about HBO Max, but...

from Batman: The Adventures Continue (2020 series) #8 (DC, March 2021), script by Alan Burnett and Paul Dini, pencils by Ty Templeton, inks by Sean Parsons, colors by Monica Kubina, letters by Josh Reed

Today in Comics History, December 31, New Year's Eve: Okay, everybody listen to what the clown said

from Batman: The Long Halloween #4 (DC, March 1997), script by Jeph Loeb, pencils and inks by Tim Sale, colors by Gregory Wright, color separations by HeroicAge, letters by Richard Starkings

Today in Comics History, December 26: Even Joker isn't crazy enough to allow unsafe driving habits

from "Harley Loves Joker" in Harley Quinn (2016 series) #17 (DC, June 2017), script by Paul Dini and Jimmy Palmiotti, pencils by Bret Blevins, inks by Jay Bone, colors by Alex Sinclair, letters by Dave Sharpe

Today in Comics History, December 25, Christmas: It's always infuriating when you realize you forgot that one person on your Christmas card list

from Batman/Catwoman #3 (DC/Black Label, April 2021), script by Tom King, pencils and inks by Clay Mann, colors by Tomeu Morey, letters by Clayton Cowles

Today in Comics History, December 5: Whoa, that's gonna leave a mark

variant cover of Heroes in Crisis #5 (DC, March 2019), by Ryan Sook
(Wait a minute...who took that Poloroid?)

Anyway, that means today is the day this took place:


from Batman #427 (DC, Winter 1988), script by Jim Starlin, pencils by Jim Aparo, inks by Mike DeCarlo, colors by Adrienne Roy, letters by John Costanza
However, see April 27 for a conflicting date of these events!

In either case, Mike Sterling over at Progressive Ruin turns the whole she-bang into a nifty gif! Thanks, Mike! It shall remain in my nightmares.

Enjoy the Thanksgiving Day Parade, Part 6: He seems to have an invisible touch

The Joker is invisible (highlight that space for the answer!) and causing mayhem at the Thanksgiving Day Parade! Maybe it should be called novemberhem?


from Detective Comics #138 (DC/national, August 1948), script by Bill Finger (?), pencils and inks by Dick Sprang
Luckily, the Batman, the Most Realistic Crime-Fighting Character in Comics, also takes an invisibility formula and pursues the Joker up a giant parade balloon of himself! Man, you gotta admire the Batman franchise for not getting silly until 1966, right? When both are captured, Robin detects which one is the real Batman um, you could feel for which on has on a mask and pointy ears) by asking one question! What do you think that question was?


Q: "Who's the greatest criminal henchman of them all?"

A: "Gabe!"


from the Batman and Robin serial (Columbia, 1949), directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet; riffed by Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett of RiffTrax

Today in Comics History, October 29, 1987: Early newsprint experiments in second color printing go poorly

from "Introducing the Dove Corps" in Joker 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular one-shot (August 2020), script by Denny O'Neil, pencils by José Luis García-López, inks by Joe Prado, colors by Marcelo Maiolo, letters by Clem Robins

Today in Comics History, July 31: Happy Joker's Birthday...Eve.

According to the 1976 Super DC Calendar, tomorrow's the Joker's birthday! Don't...don't buy him a present, okay?



from Batman #321 (DC, March 1980), script by Len Wein, pencils by Walt Simonson, inks by Dick Giordano, colors by Glynis Oliver, letters by Ben Oda

Today in Comics History, Day Before Memorial Day: Take that, Ted Turner

from "A Black and White World" in Batman: Batman and White (1996 series) #2 (DC, July 1996), script by Neil Gaiman, pencils and inks by Simon Bisley, letters by John Costanza
Well, that wraps up that! A relatively straight-forward story, especially for Neil gaiman! No last minute twist, no meta commentary, no...what the?!? It's starting again!


Oh, well, that explains it...huh?!?

Not Today in Comics History, May 5, Cinco de Mayo: Calendar Man would have never made this crucial error

from The Joker 2021 Annual (DC, January 2022), script by Matthew Rosenberg and James Tynion IV; pencils, inks, and colors by Francesco Francavilla; letters by Tom Napolitano

Comics Do Shakespeare: Hamlet, Act 5: For bonny sweet Robin is all my joy

from Batman #682 (DC, January 2009), script by Grant Morrison, pencils by Lee Garbett, inks by Trevor Scott, colors by Guy Major

Liberty Bell March, Day 31: "I've noticed a tendency for this blog to get rather silly. Now I do my best to keep things moving along, but I'm not having things getting silly. Those two posts earlier got very silly indeed, and that last one about Captain Fegg was even sillier. So let's put an end to it!"

The end of Liberty Bell March? Say it ain't so! Play us off, Jarvis Poker, the British Joker!:



from Knight and Squire #5 (DC, April 2011), script by Paul Cornell, pencils and inks by Jimmy Broxton, colors by Guy Major, letters by Steve Wands
Tomorrow begins a new month and a new once-a-day feature! What's it gonna be about? Well, it's April...and it's strong! Make yer guesses and come back tomorrow for the beginning of April [REDACTED]!

The Super DC Calendar for 1977 2022: Fool-Filled February!

It's that time of the month again! Especially for me! (Stop giggling! I don't know what you're all laughing about.) It's time to hang up the new calendars for February, and let's take a look at what we've got on offer here. (Flips through my extensive calendar collection, but not for too long, 'coz it's a short month.)


from "The Big Forget!" in Action Comics (1938 series) #375 (DC, April 1969), script by Otto Binder, pencils by Curt Swan, inks by Jack Abel, letters by Ben Oda
Whoops! Leaving aside the problem that Batman is appearing in a Superman story and it isn't World's Finest Comics... Seriously, Batman, you know the terms of the restraining order, World's Finest only! A Bizarro calendar is of no use to us, no no no no! (No.) Especially since it doesn't list Yraurbef 32, Bizarro World's Leap Lie Down Day, which is one of my favorites.

Here's a better calendar for this month, because even tho' it's from 1977, it works for 2022...too! (Say that three times fast. Sit down, Harvey Dent.) Cut it out and hang it on your wall, not unlike the way the Joker has hung Robin from his own chin on Mount Rushmore. Now that's a cliffhanger!

"February 1977", from Super DC Calendar 1977 (DC, December 1976), pencils by Ernie Chan, inks by Frank Giacoia
(Click picture to crimes-against-Indian-land-size)
Happy February, everyone! And stay off of national monuments!

Today in Comics History, January 1: Batman vows to finally sell that band candy

from Batman: The Long Halloween #4 (DC, March 1997), script by Jeph Loeb, pencils and inks by Tim Sale, colors by Gregory Wright, color separations by Heroic Age, letters by Richard Starkings