Today in Comics History, July 23, 1979 and 2029: Once again, comics predicted 2023

from "Some Place Where the Sun Don't Shine" in House of Mystery (1951 series) #282 (DC, July 1980), script by Bob Ingersoll, pencils by Mike Sekowsky, inks by John Celardo, colors by Jerry Serpe, letters by Shelly Leferman
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, July 23, 1930: Poor guy didn't even get a picture next to his obit in a comic book

from "Hop Harrigan's History of American Aviation" in All-American Comics (1939 series) #26 (DC/J.R. Publishing, May 1941); text, penils, and inks by Jon Blummer

Today in Comics History, July 23: Happy birthday, Mike Vosburg!

Today the birthday boy is comics writer/artist/storyboarder Mike Vosburg (Sisterhood of Steel, G.I. Joe, The Savage She-Hulk, Bloodshot, Archer & Armstrong, and more)! He designed and drew the comic book covers you saw on the TV series Tales from the Crypt!


from Marvel Age #31 (Marvel, October 1985), text by Jim Salicrup, pencils and inks by Ron Zalme, colors by Andy Yanchus
Plus, he's the creator/scripter/artist on Epic's Heavy hitters miniseries Offcastes! Here, female and male friends associates weigh on his aethestic of designing female characters for the series.


from Offcastes #1 (Marvel/Epic, July 1993), script and art by Mike Vosburg
Mike was also the first artist to draw Christy Marx's creator-owned series The Sisterhood of Steel. Here, he and Christy bid the reader a fond farewell in a pin-up at the end of the first miniseries's final issue.



from The Sisterhood of Steel #8 (Marvel/Epic, February 1986), script by Christy Marx, pencils and inks by Mike Vosburg
Happy birthday, Mike!


from Offcastes #1

Today in Comics History, July 23: Happy birthday, Kelley Jones!

Born on this day: Kelley Jones, comics artist extraordinaire! He's renowned for his work on such DC titles as Sandman and the Batman books, but look, it's Marvel who's wishin' him a happy birthday here! (Explanation after the jump!)


from Marvel Age #31 and 55 (Marvel, October 1985 and October 1987); text by Jim Salicrup (#31) and Mike Carlin (#55); pencils and inks by Ron Zalme; colors by Andy Yanchus (#31) and Paul Becton (#55)

Today in Comics History, July 23, 1998: You've got to hand it to him

from The Invisibles (1997 series) #17 (DC/Vertigo, August 1998), script by Grant Morrison, pencils by Chris Weston, inks by Ray Kryssin, colors by Daniel Vozzo, letters by Todd Kleing

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 23, the future: The crew of the NSEA Protector gives up, surrenders

from Galaxy Quest: The Journey Continues #3 (IDW, March 2015), script by Eric Burnham, pencils and inks by Nacho Arranz, colors by Esther Sanz, letters by Gilberto Lazcano

Today in Comics History, July 23: The Crosshawk is invented

from World's Finest Comics #157 (DC, May 1966), script by Edmond Hamilton, pencils by Curt Swan, inks by George Klein, letters by Joe Letterese
But don't place the blame for this vandalism, despite the circumstantial evidence, on the Super-Sons! No, I think we all know who the real vandal is:


from Looney Tunes "Daffy Doodles" (Warner Bros. Cartoons, 1946), story by Warren Foster, directed by Robert McKimson, starring the voice of Mel Blanc as Daffy

Today in Comics History, July 23, 1943: Tiny army men invade Robert Kanigher's typewriter

cover of Our Army at War #278 [Sgt. Rock] (DC, March 1975), pencils and inks by Joe Kubert

Today in Comics History, July 23, 1952: Harry Truman's mail-order pies arrive

from Meta-4 #3 (First, April 1991), script by Stefan Petrucha, pencils by Ian Gibson, inks by Joe Staton, colors by Julia Lacquement, letters by Pat Owsley

Today in Comics History, July 23, 1965: Giitoy Saohn and Monote Thn Plom

from "The Tick-Tock Traps of the Time Commander" in The Brave and the Bold #59 (DC, April 1965), script by Bob Haney, pencils by Ramona Fradon, inks by Charles Paris
Say, where when is Green Lantern?

Today in Comics History, July 23, 2005: Green Arrow hitches a ride with U.S. Army; takes them all out to see strippers

from Arrow #4 (DC, October 2012), script by Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kreisberg, pencils and inks by Eric Nguyen, colors by David Lopez and Santi Casas, letters by Wes Abbott

Today in Comics History Not-Too-Distant-Future, July 23, 2024: Everything's coming up Milhouse!

from "Wedgie Issue" in Bart Simpson #72 (Bongo, June 2012), script, pencils and inks by Carol Lay; colors by Nathan Hamill; letters by Karen Bates