Today in Comics History, May 12: Happy birthday, Charles Biro!

Born on this day in 1911: comic book writer and artist Charles Biro, who started up at the Harry Chesler Shop, Hillman Publications (where he co-created Airboy) and MLJ (Archie) Comics, but he's become best known as one of the great creatives of Lev Gleason Comics, where he worked extensively on Daredevil Comics, co-created Crime-Buster, and edited and created for the seminal Crime Does Not Pay.


"The 3 That Gave You the Big 3: Daredevil, Boy, Crime Does Not Pay" from Lev Gleason Comics cover-dated September 1946

Today in Comics History, May 12: Happy birthday, Yogi Berra!

Born on this day in 1925: Yogi Berra, champion baseball player and manager, malapropist, and cartoon bear.


from Yogi Berra one-shot (Fawcett, 1951), script by Charles Dexter, pencils and inks by Kurt Schaffenberger

Today in Comics History, May 12-18: These...are The Days of the Week

from The Adventures of Tintin v. 16: Destination Moon (Methuen, 1959); script, pencils, and inks by Hergé; translation by Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper and Michael Turner

Today in Comics History, May 12, 1965: Millford town council eagerly endorses depths and lengths

from House of Secrets (1996 series) #12 (DC/Vertigo, September 1997), script by Steven T. Seagle, pencils and inks by Guy Davis, colors by Kevin Somers, color separations by Heroic Age, letters by Todd Klein
(Kevin Somers correctly predicts the color of the tie. Same as it ever was.)

Today in Comics History, May 12, 989: That's not Old English, you twit

from "Second Choice" in House of Secrets (1956 series) #85 (DC, April 1970), script by Gerry Conway, pencils by Gil Kane, inks by Neal Adams, letters by John Costanza

Today in Comics History, May 12, 1810: Boy, he really didn't like that Kevin Costner movie

from "The Banshee Bride of Ballybrooke" in Ghosts (1971 series) #94 (DC, November 1980), script by Mimai Kin, pencils and inks by Win Mortimer, 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, May 12: Happy birthday, Florence Nightingale!

Born on this day in 1820: Florence Nightingale, charter member of the Legion of Super-Heroes, who could change into a bird and...oh, excuse me, I've made another one of my silly mistakes.


from Amazing Man Comics #12 (Centaur, May 1940); script, pencils, and inks by by Joseph A. Kaliff

Today in Comics History, May 12, 1920: We will return to Skull with a Gun Comics after this break

from "Frankie Yale, the "Al Capone" of Brooklyn" in Skull with a Gun Comics Murderous Gangsters #1 (Avon, July 1951), creators uncredited and unknown

Today in Comics History, May 12, 1942: What, Green Lantern treason story? Now that sounds interes...oh, a war bond rally, okay, yeah, sure, let's go with that.

from Young All-Stars #10 (DC, March 1988), script by Roy Thomas and Dann Thomas, pencils and inks by Brian Murray, colors by Gene D'Angelo, letters by Jean Simek

Today in Comics History, May 12, 1898: Hands Across Europa is a dismal failure

back cover of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen #3 (America's Best Comics, May 1999), pencils and inks by Kevin O'Neill, colors by Benedict Dimagmaliw

Today in Comics History, May 12, 1986: Bullies harass Patrick Stewart

from Back to the Future #25 (IDW, October 2017), co-plot by Bob Gale, co-plot and script by John Barber, pencils by Marcelo Ferreira and Athila Fabbio, inks by Maria Keane, colors by Jose Luis Rio, letters by Shawn lee

Today in Comics History, May 12, 1956: Peace Conference inaccurately named

from Captain America (2005 series) #11 (Marvel, November 2005), script by Ed Brubaker, pencils and inks by Steve Epting, additional inks by Mike Perkins, colors by Frank D'Armata, letters by Randolph Gentile

Today in Comics History, May 12, 1960: I don't much like this newest sequel to Pixar's Planes franchise

from "Log of the Snorkel Wolf Pack" in Atomic War! #3 (Ace, February 1953), creators uncredited and unknown

Today in Comics History, May 12, 1918: Perfect Dentistry Comics presents...

from "The New C.O." in Aces High #1 (EC, March 1955), script by Carl Wessler, pencils and inmks by Jack Davis, colors by Marie Severin, letters by Jim Wroten

Today in Comics History, May 12: Rebecca Cross's mother had better things to do over the past month

from Alias #11 (Marvel/MAX, September 2002), script by Brian Michael Bendis, pencils and inks by Michael Gaydos, colors by Matt Hollingsworth, letters by Richard Starkings and Jason Levine

Today in Comics History, May 12, 1959: Heisenberg's Theory of Indeterminacy is proven when Professor Glass's slide rule disappears from his pocket from one second to the next

from Watchmen #4 (December 1986), script by Alan Moore; pencils, inks, and letters by Dave Gibbons; colors by John Higgins


from Before Watchmen: Dr. Manhattan #1 (DC, October 2012), script by J. Michael Straczynski, pencils and inks by Adam Hughes, colors by Laura Martin, letters by Steve Wands
It was a story so dramatic that it was reported on the national news!


from Before Watchmen: Nite Owl #1 (DC, August 2012), script by J. Michael Straczynski, pencils by Andy Kubert, inks by Joe Kubert, colors by Brad Anderson, letters by Nick Napolitano
Remember: future events such as these will affect you in the future!


from the Space Cabbie story "Through the Time Barrier!" in Mystery in Space #39 (DC, August 1957), script by Otto Binder, pencils by Gil Kane, inks by Bernard Sachs
So yeah, another busy day in Comics History.

Today in Comics History, May 12, 1982: Same As It Ever Was

from "Dead Men Do Tell Tales!" in Superman Family #220 (DC, July 1982), script by Tamsyn O'Flynn, pencils by Bob Oksner, inks by Vince Colletta, colors by Tom Ziuko, letters by John Costanza

Today in Comics History, May 12, 1944: My pal Johanna flies a World War II mission

from The Flash (2011 series) #8 (June 2012), co-script, pencils and inks by Francis Manapul; co-script and co-colors by Brian Buccellato; co-colors by Ian Herring; letters by Wes Abbott