"Glory of Love" by Peter Cetera (Warner Bros., 1986), from the movie The Karate Kid Part II (Delphi V Productions, 1986), starring Ralph Macchio and Noriyuki "Pat" Morita
No, no, no...that's the wrong Ralph. We're talkin' about comics writer and editor Ralph Macchio (writer on Marvel Two-in-One, Thor, Avengers, X-Men Adventures; editor for Marvel's black-and-white series, Daredevil, Spider-Man line, Ultimate Comics; and much more)!
Sharin' your birthday can be tough, so let's get some Ralph love in here. (Caution: definitions of "Ralph Love" may vary from county to county. Please check local and municipal restrictions before engaging in Ralph love.)
from Marvel Age #36 (Marvel, March 1986), text by Jim Salicrup, pencils and inks by Ron Zalme, colors by Adam Philips
Born on this day: painter Joe Jusko, whose illustrative work has graced many fantasy/science fiction books and collections, including the groundbreaking 1992 Marvel Masterpieces trading cards that initiated the painted trading card boom of the 1990s!
from Marvel Age (top) #117 and (bottom) 118 (Marvel, October-November 1992), photographs by Christopher Ebel
Born today in 1924: actor, producer, and director Carroll O'Connor, who was the star of Ben Grimm's favorite TV show! (Also, I imagine the Thing liked In the Heat of the Night, but that wouldn't premiere for another 16 years.)
from Marvel Team-Up (1972 series) #3 (Marvel, July 1972), script by Gerry Conway, pencils by Ross Andru, inks by Frank Giacoia, letters by Artie Simek
Born on this day: Ron Wilson, prolific comics penciller of many Marvel covers as well as interiors for books like Captain America, The Defenders, The Avengers, Hulk, What If...?, Luke Cage: Power Man, Masters of the Universe, Marvel Comics Presents and many more, but especially his long run depicting my favorite Marvel character, the ever-lovin' blue-eyed Mr. Benjamin J. Grimm, in the pages of The Thing, Marvel Two-in-One, and Fantastic Four!
from Mighty Marvel Calendar 1976, 1977, 1978, and 1979
Born on this day in 1926: Danny Crespi: letterer, artist, and Marvel's Art/Production Supervisor in the '70s and '80s. A much beloved figure of the Marvel Bullpen, Danny was homaged several times in the comics!
from Mighty Marvel Calendar 1977, 1978, and 1979; and Marvel Age #26 (Marvel, May 1985), text by Jim Salicrup, pencils and inks by Ron Zalme
from What If...? (1977 series) #34 (Marvel, August 1982), text by Rick Parker
from Marvel Two-in-One #27 (Marvel, March 1977), script by Marv Wolfman, pencils by Ron Wilson, inks by Pablo Marcos, colors by Len Wein, letters by John Costanza
Panels from Marvel Two-in-One Annual #7 (1982); script by Tom DeFalco; pencils by Ron Wilson; inks by Bob Camp, Mike Esposito, Frank Giacoia, Dan Green, Armando Gil, and Chic Stone; colors by George Roussos; letters by Jim Novak
from Marvel Two-in-One #100 (Marvel, June 1983), script by John Byrne, pencils by Ron Wilson, inks by Frank Giacoia and Kevin Dzuban, colors by George Roussos, letters by Joe Rosen
Left: Marvel Two-in-One (1974 series) #96 (February 1983); layouts by Ed Hannigan, pencils by Ron Wilson, inks by Frank Giacoia
Right: Silver Surfer (2016 series) #4 (July 2016); pencils and inks by Michael Allred, colors by Laura Allred (Click picture to Man-Size-Kleenex-size)
Okay, let's try this thing one more time. Third time lucky to get Ben Grimm some pancakes? Old Blue Eyes is even making them himself, comics!
Panels from Marvel Two-in-One #69 (November 1980); script by Mark Gruenwald and Ralph Macchio, pencils by Ron Wilson, inks by Gene Day, colors by George Roussos, letters by John Costanza
I object to the portrayal of Ben Grimm using pre-boxed pancake mix! He oughta have a great made-from-scratch recipe that Aunt Petunia taught him! Anyway, thanks Suzie, fer savin' the pancakes. IT'S SLOBBERIN' TIME!
from Marvel Two-in-One Annual #7 (Marvel, 1982); script by Tom DeFalco; pencils by Ron Wilson; inks by Bob Camp, Mike Esposito, Frank Giacoia, Dan Green, Armando Gil, and Chic Stone; colors by George Roussos; letters by Jim Novak
Panels from Marvel Two-in-One #40 (June 1978), plot by Roger Slifer, script by Tom DeFalco, breakdowns by Ron Wilson, finishes by Pablo Marcos, colors by Phil Rachelson, letters by Annette Kawecki
from Marvel Two-in-One (1974 series) #97 (Marvel, March 1983), script by David Michelinie, pencils by Ron Wilson, inks by Jon D'Agostino, colors by Glynis Oliver, letters by Rick Parker
Cover of Strange Tales #98 (July 1962), pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Steve Ditko, colors by Stan Goldberg, letters by Artie Simek
The Champion came down to Earth
He was lookin' for some guys to hit
Splash page of "No Human Can Beat Me!" from Strange Tales #98 (July 1962), plot by Stan Lee (?), script by Larry Lieber (?), pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Paul Reinman, colors by Stan Goldberg, letters by Ray Holloway (?)
He challenged humanity so hard
Our heads from our bodies split
He beat us all at wrasslin'
Tossin' every guy outta the ring
He knocked a baseball outta Yankee Stadium
To Long Island with just one swing
He challenged the greatest weight-lifter
By picking up his stand
He golfed eighteen straight holes in one
And not one ball into sand
He climbed the mightiest mountains
In just one leap and hop
He beat us all at every game
From checkers to Gnip Gnop
But then a guy named Johnny
Made the Champion start losin'
He said 'Don't come back, you son of a bitch Earth's the best there is at snoozin'.
If you're, like me, a fan of the Ever-Lovin' Blue Eyed Thing, this tales probably reminds you of one of the great comics of the eighties, Marvel Two-in-One Annual #7, in which Cosmic Elder the Champion of the Universe challenges all of Earth mightiest heroes to a boxing match:
Page from Marvel Two-in-One Annual #7 (1982); script by Tom DeFalco; pencils by Ron Wilson; inks by Bob Camp, Mike Esposito, Frank Giacoia, Dan Green, Armando Gil, and/or Chic Stone; colors by George Roussos, letters by Jim Novak
But it's only Mister Grimm who can go the distance in the ring, round after round.
The Thing brings into four-color life that famous saying by Winston Churchill:
"Never, never, never give up."
Alongside with Superman vs. Muhammad Ali, it's one of the greatest comic book boxing stories of all time.
And it ends in a draw.
So, remember, in the words of Mister Charles Daniels:
Johnny said, "Devil, just come on back if you ever wanna try again,
I done told you once, you son of a bitch, I'm the best that's ever been."
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