Today in Comics History, March 2, 1969: Charles Cullen is killed in a freak pie-to-the-face accident

from "See the Doomed Spirit" in Ghosts (1971 series) #82 (DC, November 1979); pencils, inks, and letters by Bill Payne, colors by Adrienne Roy

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!

13,000.

Today in Comics History, March 2, 1909: Racist Santa doesn't trust the Inuits

from "North to the Pole" in Real Heroes #14 (Parents' Magazine Press, May 1946), creators uncredited and unknown

Today in Comics History, March 2: Happy birthday, Mel Ott!

Mel Ott, professional Major League Baseball player, was born today in 1909. His nickname "Master Melvin" is about as cool as you can get without being Iron Man, and he's a National Baseball Hall of Famer who played for the New York Giants from 1926 through 1947.

Was he in comic books? Well, that's a silly question to ask this blog!


"Mel Ott" from The Amazing Willie Mays one-shot (Eastern Color, September 1954), pencils and inks by Frank Fogarty
Hey, he won a breakfast food poll! Hmm, wonder what that breakfast food mighta been?


from Parents' Magazine Institute comics indicia-dated May 1946
Here's a barely legible scan from a microfiche from a comic feature, which only goes to prove: I'll put anything in this space for completeness!


from "Sportettes" in More Fun Comics #35 (DC, September 1938); text, pencils, and inks by Sheldon Moldoff
And here's Mel being challenged by Tiny Captain Lou Albano!


from "Sporting Facts" in Funny Picture Stories v.2 #7 (Centaur, April 1938); text, pencils, and inks by Gill Fox
Now, let's have a guessing game. Riddle me this: what is the least likely cast of comic book characters you'd expect Mel Ott to crossover with? The Marvel Universe? Watchmen? Herbie the Fat Fury? No, it's Richie Rich and the Harvey Freaks of Nature!


from Richie Rich, Casper and Wendy: National League one-shot (Harvey, July 1976), script, pencils, and inks by Warren Kremer
I do hope Willie Mays told Richie "Do it yourself, rich white boy!"

Happy birthday, Mel! I'm sorry I had to associate your birthday with Richie Rich.

Today in Comics History, March 2: Happy birthday, Tatjana Wood!

Born on this day: comic book colorist Tatjana Wood! You'll recognize her name from a jillion DC Comics, bringing her skill to titles like The New Teen Titans, Action Comics, Superman, Camelot 3000, Sgt. Rock, G.I. Combat, Ghosts, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Camelot 3000, Alan Moore's Swamp Thing, the Vertigo Animal Man, Adventure Comics, Who's Who...pretty much every li'l corner of the vast DC Universe! In addition she colored a huge number of DC's covers from about 1973 through the mid-eighties (including all the comics during certain periods). She's also a dressmaker and tapestry artist, as we find out in this DC Comics profile.


from DC Comics cover-dated November 1979
Wood is also the ex-wife of comics artist Wally Wood (they were divorced in 1966), and sometimes made uncredited contributions to Wood's artwork in the 1950s EC comics. And: two-time Shazam! Award winner for colorist!


biographical entry in "Behind the Panels" from Atom Bomb and Other Stories (Fantagraphics, 2019), text by Arthur Lortie
Whatever the comic, Tatjana's coloring always helps it shine, and she rightly is considered one of the modern legends in comics art. Join with me in wishing her a happy birthday today!

Today in Comics History, March 2: Happy birthday, Laraine Newman!

Born today, so ya better wish her a happy birthday: Laraine Newman, actor, writer, and comedian! She was one of the first generation of Saturday Night Live's Not-Ready-for-Prime-Time Players (and you know what that means, Marvel Team-Up collectors!) as well as appearing in films, TV shows, and as a voice actress for some fairly big animated movies like Despicable Me and its sequels, The Secret Life of Pets, Sing, Wreck-It-Ralph, Toy Story 3, Monsters Incorporated and many more! She was also one of the two voices of Batman villain Baby Doll from Batman: The Animated Series (the other was Alison La Placa).


from Batman: The Adventures Continue #6 (DC, March 2021), script by Alan Burnett and Paul Dini, pencils by Ty Templeton, inks by Ty Templeton and Sean Parsons, colors by Monica Kubina, letters by AndWorld Design
But Laraine's biggest starring role in a comic book has got to be the one we always turn to when we get to celebrate a SNL alumni, the one that'll never get a reprint so it's best to look for it in the longboxes at your LCS: Marvel Team-Up #74, teaming up the original* *okay, the second season Not-Ready-for-Prime-Time Players with your friendly 30 Rock-visiting Spider-Man!



cover of Marvel Team-Up #74 (Marvel, October 1978), pencils and inks by David Cockrum, Saturday Night Live pencilled and inked by Marie Severin, letters by Irv Watanabe
Here's a cramped corner panel to introduce everyone: Laraine is at the upper-right in green, and clockwise from her: John Belushi, Jane Curtain, Garrett Morris, DeForest Kelley, Jimmy Carter, and that's NBC anchorwoman Maria Shriver comin' in though the door.


from Marvel Team-Up #74; script by Chris Claremont, pencils by Bob Hall, inks and colors by Marie Severin, letters by Gaspar Saladino and Annette Kawecki
You, readers of my blog, well-know this story by now: Belushi has accidentally come into possession of a high-tech ring belonging to the Silver Samurai, and his goons are scouring the NBC Studios looking for it, faced off by Spider-Man and the cast of the show. Here's Laraine dressed up as Ms. Marvel for a skit. Excuse me while my eyes momentarily bug out over the table and my tongue rolls out to make a carpet. ... Ahem. That's better.


And she helps out Dan Ackroyd attack the baddies in full military style using fire extinguishers. Hey, you kids! Those aren't for fooling around with! Make sure Lorne has these recharged after this stunt!


Now, if you're feeling clever, you might proclaim at moi right now: "Hey, Laraine Newman played Connie in SNL's Conehead sketches, and Marvel did a Coneheads miniseries, so she also appears in that!" And you would be wrong, for I am nothin' if not a little stuffed nit-pickler. The Marvel Coneheads comics are based upon the Coneheads movie (1993), and Laraine did not play Connie in the movie: Michelle Burke (Dazed and Confused did! (Laraine did appear briefly in the movie as alien Laarta, but that character's not in the comic book.)

So with a hearty thank you to Marvel Team-Up #74, we bid a very happy birthday to Laraine Newman!

Today in Comics History, March 2, 1776: Superman supports the military, but even he can't figure out why this history of the Marines is in his comic book

text story "Birth of the Leathernecks" in Superman (1939 series) #50 (DC/National, September 1949); pencils, inks, and colors by Raymond Perry (?)

Today in Comics History, March 2, 1936: Wait, the Alamo didn't fall until March 6. Somebody's giving out military secrets!

from "Remember the Alamo" in Stamp Comics #6 (Youthful, August 1952), pencils and inks by Walter Palais

Today in Comics History, March 2, 1942: President Roosevelt gives control of the military to General Ziffel, whole hog

from "Army Air Chief Henry 'Hap' Arnold" in Real Heroes #7 (Parents' Magazine Press, November 1942), creators unknown

Today in newuniversal History, March 2, 2006, 11:54 PM: Not everybody makes it out alive of Day 1

from newuniversal #3 (April 2007), script by Warren Ellis, pencils and inks by Salvador Larroca, colors by Jason Keith, letters by Rus Wooton
That wraps this up: there's not many more March 2 timed and dated panels in the newuniversal comics, and to be fair, there's not that many newuniversal comics left anyway. After a six-issue miniseries and a small handle of one- (and two-) shots, the line dwindles away and the story has no conclusion. Compared to the original New Universe, the newuniverse has a pretty short life.


See? I told you that without Kickers, Inc., a New Universe is just not worth it.


from Kickers Inc. #1 (Marvel/New universe, November 1986), script by Tom DeFalco, pencils by Ron Frenz, inks by Sal Buscema, colors by George Roussos, letters by Phil Felix

Today in newuniversal History, March 2, 2006, 11:49 PM: Security guards can't get Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter to run on their system

from newuniversal #2 (Marvel, March 2007), script by Warren Ellis, pencils and inks by Salvador Larroca, colors by Jason Keith, letters by Rus Wooton

Today in newuniversal History, March 2, 2006, 11:02 PM: They preempted Judge Judy for this?

from newuniversal #2 (Marvel, March 2007), script by Warren Ellis, pencils and inks by Salvador Larroca, colors by Jason Keith, letters by Rus Wooton

Today in Comics History (newuniversal), March 2, 2006, 10:55 PM: Clock is clearly an hour and 45 minutes slow

from newuniversal #2 (Marvel, March 2007), script by Warren Ellis, pencils and inks by Salvador Larroca, colors by Jason Keith, letters by Rus Wooton

Today in newuniversal History, March 2, 2006, 12:55 PM: Inspector Javert IV vows to hunt down John Tenson for the theft of a notepad and pen

from newuniversal #1 (Marvel, February 2007), script by Warren Ellis, pencils and inks by Salvador Larroca, colors by Jason Keith, letters by Rus Wooton

Today in newuniversal History, March 2, 2006, 12:53 PM: Bullet time is invented

from newuniversal #2 (Marvel, February 2007), script by Warren Ellis, pencils and inks by Salvador Larroca, colors by Jason Keith, letters by Rus Wooton

Today in Comics History (newuniversal), March 2, 2006, 12:51 PM: White Event changes Deputy Barney Fife into vigilante named One Bullet

from newuniversal #1 (Marvel, February 2007), script by Warren Ellis, pencils and inks by Salvador Larroca, colors by Jason Keith, letters by Rus Wooton

Today in Comics History (newuniversal), March 2, 2006, 11:48 AM: White Event causes Jim Shooter-analog to miss the free continental breakfast in the lobby

from newuniversal #1 (Marvel, February 2007), script by Warren Ellis, pencils and inks by Salvador Larroca, colors by Jason Keith, letters by Rus Wooton

Today in Comics History (newuniversal), March 2, 2006, 11:04 AM: White Event causes Jeep to talk

from newuniversal #1 (Marvel, February 2007), script by Warren Ellis, pencils and inks by Salvador Larroca, colors by Jason Keith, letters by Rus Wooton

Today in Comics History (newuniversal), March 2, 2006, 7:12 AM: Another failure of the health system is blamed on ObamaCare

from newuniversal #1 (Marvel, February 2007), script by Warren Ellis, pencils and inks by Salvador Larroca, colors by Jason Keith, letters by Rus Wooton

Today in newuniversal History, March 2, 2006, 6:49 AM: Birth of a comics line doomed to early cancellation

Today, 3/20/06, 06:49 UT, the White Event changes the history of Earth-555, ushering in the Warren Ellis-reimagined newuniverse.







from newuniversal #2-6 (March-July 2007), script by Warren Ellis, pencils and inks by Salvador Larroca, colors by Jason Keith, letters by Rus Wooton;
and from newuniversal: Shockfront #1 (July 2008), script by Warren Ellis, pencils by Steve Kurth, inks by Andrew Hennessy, colors by Chris Chuckry, letters by Rus Wooton

Today in Comics History (newuniversal), March 2, 2006, 6:48 AM: Clearly this is indeed a disturbing universe

from newuniversal #1 (Marvel, February 2007), script by Warren Ellis, pencils and inks by Salvador Larroca, colors by Jason Keith, letters by Rus Wooton