Today in Comics History, March 19: Happy birthday, Bruce Willis!

Born on this day: actor Bruce Willis (Moonlighting, Die Hard, Hudson Hawk, The Fifth Element, 12 Monkeys, Unbreakable and many more)! Happy birthday, Bruno!

He gets around in comics. Here he is (with tuff guy pals Arnie and Sly) being intimidated by Lobo! Why, that's at least one and one quarter action movie heat right there in those three guys alone!


from Guy Gardner: Warrior #29 (DC, March 1995), script by Beau Smith, pencils by Phil Jimenez, inks by John Stokes and Dan Davis, colors by Gene D'Angelo, letters by Albert DeGuzman

Today in Comics History, September 2: Happy birthday, Paul Reinman!

from "Mystery Elephant!" in Midnight Mystery #3 (ACG, May 1961), pencils and inks by Paul Reinman, letters by by Ed Hamilton
Born today in 1910: comics artist Paul Reinman, one of the big penciller/inkers of the Golden and Silver Ages, with work on Wonder Woman, Kid Colt Outlaw, Two Gun Kid, Adventures into the Unknown, Pep Comics, Strange Tales, Sensation Comics, Journey into Mystery, Tales to Astonish, The Avengers, and more! He inked Jack Kirby on Fantastic Four #1 and The X-Men #1!

And thanks to American Comics Group's tendency to put the story creators on the header for their weird tales of the unknown in Midnight Mystery (along with a caricature of whatever pseudonym Richard Hughes was using for that story), he got to introduce his own work. Albeit with the same caricature every time!




from (top) "The Knell of Doom!" in Midnight Mystery #1 (ACG, January 1961), script by Richard Hughes as Zev Zimmer, pencils and inks by Paul Reinman, letters by by Ed Hamilton
(middle) "A Slight Change of Luck!" in Midnight Mystery #4 (ACG, July 1961), script by Richard Hughes as Shane O'Shea, pencils and inks by Paul Reinman, letters by by Ed Hamilton
(bottom) "Revolt of the Robot!" in Midnight Mystery #7 (ACG, October 1961), script by Richard Hughes as Pierre Alonzo, pencils and inks by Paul Reinman, letters by by Ed Hamilton
Happy birthday, Paul Reinman!


from (left) "Meet the Gang in the Merry Marvel Bullpen" in Marvel Tales Annual #1 (Marvel, September 1964);
(right) Fantastic Four Annual #7 (Marvel, November 1969), photograph by Al Hewetson

Today in Comics History, June 16: Happy birthday, Jack Keller!

Born on this day in 1922, comic book artist Jack Keller! Jack worked for Quality (Blackhawk), Marvel/Atlas (Kid Colt, Outlaw) and Charlton (lots of hot rod titles including Grand Prix, Hot Rod Racers, Hot Rods and Racing Cars, Teenage Hotrodders, Drag 'n' Wheels, Surf 'n' Wheels, World of Wheels), and others!


from Marvel Tales Annual #1 (Marvel, September 1964)
Keller drew a short series of comic book stories starring his son Robbie's real-life forays into model and Pinewood Derby Racing, and guest-stars in this one! Also guest-starring: the usual terrible Charlton plastic-late smeared printing process!



from "The Last Chance" in Hot Rods and Racing Cars #88 (Charlton, December 1967); script, pencils, and inks by Jack Keller
Happy birthday, Jack!

Today in Comics History, April 22: Happy birthday, Sol Brodsky!

Born on this talent-blessed day in 1923: Sol Brodsky, writer, artist, production manager, and one of the trues greats and an immeasurable creative legend behind the Marvel Universe.


from Mighty Marvel Calendar 1979 and 1980 (Marvel, 1978 and 1979)
Sol drew covers and stories for Timely/Atlas/Marvel, including Battlefield, Millie the Model, Combat Kelly, Crime Can't Win, Patsy Walker, Adventures into Terror, Tales to Astonish, Marvel Tales, Girl Comics, Crime Exposed, Mystery Tales, the giveaway comic Adventures of the Big Boy, and many others.


from Amazing Fantastic Incredible: A Marvelous Memoir (Simon & Schuster, January 2019), script by Peter David and Stan Lee, art by Colleen Doran
He designed the logos for Fantastic Four (also inking #3-4) and Amazing Spider-Man with Artie Simek, among many other feats. And he co-founded Skywald Comics! Whew!


Jack Kirby thought pretty highly of him, too.



from Jack Kirby: The Epic Life of the King of Comics (Ten Speed, July 2020), script and art by Tom Scioli
I can scarcely sum up even a fraction of Brodsky's contribution to comics here. I highly recommend picking up a backissue of Marvel Age #22, a great obituary and history with lots of fond memories from his friends and co-workers of Sol Brodsky and his work.





from Marvel Age #22 (Marvel, January 1985)
Here's a couple of brief obituary-salutes to Sol from other issues of MARVEL AGE. The second one is written by Jim Shooter.



from Marvel Age #20 and 21 (Marvel, November and Decemebr 1984)
Of course, as I try to feature in these birthday threads, Sol Brodsky appeared in Marvel Comics as well. Check him out here shocked by the beached Namor! Can you find 'im?



from Sub-Mariner (1968 series) #19 (Marvel, November 1969), script by Roy Thomas, pencils and colors by Marie Severin, inks by Johnny Craig, letters by Artie Simek
But Sol's best-known appearance within the comics was as Earth-1228's Human Torch, along with his co-workers as the Fantastic Four!





from What If...? (1976 series) #11 (Marvel, October 1978); script and pencils by Jack Kirby; inks by Mike Royer, Bill Wray, Scott Shaw!, and Dave Stevens; colors by Carl Gafford; letters by Mike Royer
We miss you, and Happy Birthday, Sol Brodsky!



from from Marvel Tales Annual #1 (Marvel, September 1964)
Fantastic Four Annual #7 (Marvel, November 1969), and
1975 Mighty Marvel Convention Program Book (Marvel, 1975), photograph by Michele Wolfman

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 2: Happy birthday, Don Heck!

Born on this day in 1929: Dashing Don Heck, longtime Golden Age and Marvel artist! He molded the backbone of the MCU (and thus should have been swimming in cash dollars, alas) by co-creating Iron Man, the Wasp, Black Widow, Hawkeye, The Swordsman, Mantis, Wonder Man, Polaris, and Havok, as well as drawing The Avengers, The X-Men, Amazing Spider-Man, Strange Tales, Tales to Astonish, Strange Worlds, World of Fantasy, Journey into Mystery and more, and stints on the comic strips The Phantom and Terry and the Pirates. Plus work on DC's Wonder Woman, Justice League of America, Lois Lane, The Flash, and lots of others. And the proverbial, much, much, more! Whew! Busy Don!


from The Mighty Marvel Calendar 1976 (Marvel, 1975) and Marvel Age#97 (Marvel, February 1991)

Same Story, Different Cover: Burn baby burn, burn that mama down

L: Marvel Team-Up #109 (September 1981), cover art by John Romita, Jr. and Bob Wiacek
R: Marvel Tales #232 (Mid-December 1989), reprinting Marvel Team-Up #109, cover art by Todd McFarlane
(Click picture to I Will Surviveasize)


By the way, those caption boxes you can't read on Marvel Tales #232?:

She's a mutant! He's a non-mutant! Would you like to be a mutant too? ... When Spidey, Paladin, and Dazzler team up, it's just got to be a...Critical Mess! (Whoops...we meant mass!)

Same Story, Different Cover: We had a team-up. You were amazing.

L: Amazing Spider-Man #201 (February 1980), cover art by John Romita, Sr. and Bob McLeod
R: Marvel Tales v.2 #218 (December 1988), reprinting Amazing Spider-Man #201, cover art by Mike Zeck

(Click picture to .50 caliber-size)

Same Story, Different Cover: When will my reflection show who I am inside?

L: Marvel Tales #104 (December 1951), cover art by Russ Heath
R: Weird Wonder Tales #9 (April 1975), reprinting Marvel Tales #104, cover art by Ron Wilson and Frank Giacoia

(Click picture to full-length-size)

Same Story, Different Cover: All that money spent on the memorial and they still spelled her name wrong

L: Amazing Spider-Man #121 (June 1973), art by John Romita, Sr.
R: Marvel Tales #192 (October 1986), reprinting ASM #121 (and #122), art by John Romita, Sr.

(Click picture to tragedy-size)

Same Story, Different Cover: You come and go, you come and go

L: Marvel Team-Up #100 (December 1980), art by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson
R: Marvel Tales #250 (June 1991), reprinting MTU #100, art by Marshall Rogers

(Click picture to double-size anniversary-size)