Today in Comics History, August 7, 1942: THEN...KOREA GUADALCANAL

from "They Won Their Spurs! John Basilone, Marine" in It Really Happened #10 (Pines, August 1947), creators uncredited and unknown
("THEN...KOREA" is copyright ©2012 Mike Sterling and ProgressiveRuin.com.)

Stuff Bully Got: Comics from Mike Sterling's Sterling Silver Comics!

OH BOY I GOT A PACKAGE FROM Sterling Silver Comics, America's only comic book store (that's owned and run by Pal Mike Sterling!)

Stuff Bully Got: Comic books from Sterling Silver Comics!

Hooray! Today's the day I opened my pull list shipment from Sterling Silver Comics! Lookit all this cool stuff! I can't wait to read these!

Today in Comics History, February 14, 1944: The Grateful Dead Go to Monte Carlo

from Combat (1961 series) #9 [8b] (Dell, July 1963), pencils and inks by Sam Glanzman
Many thanks to "Mighty" Mike Sterling for pointing this panel out to the world!

Stuff Bully Got: Mystery Science Theater 3000 #3 plus other goodies from Sterling Silver Comics!

I couldn't find the Mystery Science Theater 3000 #3 comic in any store in NYC, so I ordered it from the always-excellent Sterling Silver Comics! Both covers!


Pal Mike Sterling threw in freebies, too! Invites to Thing and Conan's wedding...


...and a cool Marvel 2019 calendar that is going to hang in the Comics Cave at Housing Works!


Except why didn't this list my birthday on 7/1???


Thanks, Mike!

Stuff Bully Got: The MST3K Comic Book Poster

Oh boy oh boy oh boy I got a package! I wonder who's it's from...

OH BOY IT'S FROM THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH, Sterling Silver Comics in Camarillo, California!

Fun with Comics: 24-Carat Back Issues

MIKE! MIKE! MIKE! MIKE I FOUND SOME OLD COMICS HOW MUCH ARE THEY WORTH? MIKE WILL YOU GIVE ME LOTS OF $$$ FOR THESE? MIKE! MIKE! MIKE! MIKE!

365 Days of Defiance, Day 144: Make sure you don't catch Huntington's rot

Swamp Thing is possessed! And not, as we all wish, by the spirit of rock 'n' roll, but by an evil entity. Geez, it's never the spirit of rock 'n' roll. (sulks, listens to my Bob Seger albums again)


Panels from The Saga of [the] Swamp Thing (1982 series) #12 (April 1983), script by Martin Pasko, pencils and inks by Tom Yeates, colors by Tatjana Wood, letters by John Costanza
Today's 365 Days of Defiance is brought to you by the suggestion of the Godfather of Swamp Thing Blogging, "Mighty" Mike Sterling over at Progressive Ruin, one of the the World's Finest Comics Blogs Since 1969. Hey, if'n you're a fan of Mike (and who isn't?) and/for of Swamp Thing (ditto), you oughta pitch in a buck or more a month to Mike's Patreon, which helps support his excellent blog and gets you his new series of reviews of every Swamp Thing comic ever. You can free-read the first-installment here, and it looks like it's gonna be a lotta fun. Mike is a good friend and a fine human being, so his writing and his Patreon gets two hooves up from this little stuffed me. As Mike would say, Swamp Thing, won't you?

I mash up Batman and the Simpsons, which I'm pretty sure no one has ever before done on the internet

Pal Mike "Silver" Sterling posted a ponder (or is that pondered a poster) about Frank Miller's upcoming Dark Knight III: Reich 'Em If You Got 'Em over at Twitter today:

I know this is supposedly the last, but I want to see Miller do a new Dark Knight comic every decade. I want a DK by 90-year-old Miller.

— I'm Right Behind You (@mikesterling) October 5, 2015

To which I of course had to be a smartass and whip this up in the ol' BullyShop Photobooth:

@mikesterling pic.twitter.com/xXwpKwx1fp

— Boo-ly (@bully_thelsb) October 5, 2015

I believe the saying is "Simpsons did it first."

365 Days of Star Wars Comics, Day 183: Archie's Generic Celebrities in a Galaxy Far, Far Away

I'm still pretty busy picking up all the confetti and streamers from my birthday party yesterday, so in order to catch up, here's a guest submission for 365 Days of Star Wars Comics, sent in by my good pal Mister Mike Sterling. Thanks, Mike! He's sent me a cover that I can only describe as another entry in the long list of Archie's Generic Celebrities: Not Actually Threepio and Artoo!


Cover of Mad House #111 (February 1978), artist uncredited
Thanks again, Mike! A slice of day-old birthday cake is being emailed to you now as we speak! Also: HAPPY MIKE'S GIRLFRIEND'S BIRTHDAY! Bullincidentally.

Today in Comics History, November 14, 1933: Mike Sterling opens new business; forgets to make it a comic book shop

from Savage Wolverine #17 (April 2014); script, pencils, inks, and colors by Richard Isanove; letters by Cory Petit
But lo, I tell a lie, exaggerate for comic purposes, and I kids the Mike Sterling, because he actually did open his own comic book shop, and you can read about it here on Mike's blog Progressive Ruin and visit the official website for Sterling Silver Comics* right here!

*Confession: I didn't get the pun in the store's name until many, many days after Mike announced it. I AM TERRIBLE.

Paper Doll Month, Day 30: They're the cross-dressing Stone Age family

Yes, what once started out as a cute and charming toy for little girls to cut out and play with, has eventually produced this: Gender-Swapped Flintstones Paper Dolls.


"Fred and Barney Paper Dolls" from The Flintstones and the Jetsons #4 (DC, November 1997), pencils by Glen Hanson (?)
Yep, it's from an issue where Fred and Barney wish that they could have the "easy life" Wilma and Betty do, staying home in the house day after day while they have to slave away in the rock quarry, so Harvey Korman The Great Gazoo makes it so!


Cover of The Flintstones and the Jetsons #4 (DC, November 1997); pencils, inks, and colors by Glen Hanson
But hey, what happened to Wilma and Betty, you ask?


DON'T ASK

In concluding this Paper Doll Month: I'm sorry that I wasn't able to bring you anything from Bunty, but I'm pleased that I was able to keep my promise of no Katy Keene.

A special Movin' On Up to the East Side Bull-Prize to my good pal "Marvelous" Mike Sterling for getting this altogether wacky comic into my sweaty little hooves!

Happy Tenth Blogiversary, Mike Sterling!

I love Mike Sterling as much as I Love, Angel

SPOILER WARNING: Okay, first you need the set-up and for that you need to click on over to the post entitled "Today’s Word of the Day Is...", over on pal Mike Sterling's Progressive Ruin blog.











Have you clicked over and read that? Good! Now you can scroll down for my smart-ass rejoinder!












[Altered] panel from Goofy Comics #24 (February 1948)

Stuff Bully Got for Free Comic Book Day: I was born so beautiful but now I'm ugly

Hey, what did you get on Free Comic Book Day?


Panel from Uglydoll Comics (Free Comic Book Day 2013) one-shot (May 2013), script by Travis Nichols, pencils and inks by Ian McGinty, colors by Space Goat Productions, LLC
That's weird, because I got comics! Lots and lots of lovely free comic books from my favorite comic book store in the whole universe, Bergen Street Comics here in lovely Brooklyn. (Stop in and say hi to Tom and Tucker!) They had a big assortment for me, but I missed out on (by my own fault of lateness!) a copy of one of my most eagerly awaited FCBD books, the new tie-in to David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim's lovable felt friends, Uglydoll Comics! But never fear...once he learned I missed out on it, my good pal "Marvelous" Mike Sterling promised to send me a copy.


Hooray, Mike! Mike's from my second favorite comic book store, Ralph's Comic Corner as well as being a comics blogger extraordinary for the multiple award-winning* Progressive Ruin—home for all things Swamp Thing and Sluggo-related since 1969. Mike's also a big proponent and champion of Free Comic Book Day (see his post on Ralph's very successful Free Comic Book Day 2013 here). How big a champ of FCBD is he? So big he mailed me a free comic! Thank you, Mike! I say in HTML-coded bold letters. Heck, let's make 'em in HTML color! THANK YOU MIKE! I have enjoyed this comic book, very very very much!


And so did all my pals!


Thanks again, Mike! You rock! In that totally rocking way, of course.

(And by the way, since you can never watch it enough, here's me and my Uglydoll pal Ox in a little video I like to call "Go West." Because we did.)



*I am not certain if Mike has actually won any awards for Progressive Ruin, but gosh darnit, he oughta have. Even if he hasn't, he as at least won...my little stuffed heart!

366 Days with Alfred Pennyworth, Day 73

Panels from Detective Comics #385 (March 1969*), script by Bob Kanigher, pencils by Bob Brown, inks by Joe Giella,

It's not Batman's birthday today (that was February 19) but it is the birthday of two pals of Alfred and mine: friends and fellow bloggers, Mike Sterling and Andrew Weiss. Go on over to their blogs and wish 'em a happy birthday! (I don't know why they don't just stay six, though.) Happy Birthdays, Mike and Andrew!


*This comic book is as old as Mike Sterling!

"Sluggo is always an option."

Say it ain't so, Mike Sterling! Today Mike is so busy fielding phone calls about when the Watchmen prequels are going to be available, and if there will be accompanying pogs, that he hasn't had time to do a complete post for the day! Don't worry, Mike! I will help you out! I hereby donate this post to Progressive Ruin so Mike can have a day to relax! Kick up your heels and dance, Mike!

NO, SLUGGO

panels from Four Color #1034 [Nancy and Sluggo Summer Camp] (Dell, September 1959)

YOU CAN'T BE ON "MYTHBUSTERS"

Even though I know how much you want to meet Kari Byron.

Halloween Cards to Send to Your Boo

It's the most wonderful time of the year!, sang Andy WIlliams in his popular 1970s Halloween TV special, The Andy Williams Family Gets Eaten by Zombies (And the Cookie Bear*). And what a time for the most terrifying monster of today...the American shopping center! You'll no doubt be hopping into your Crypt-Mobile two or three times a night before the sun comes up to fetch candy, decorations, makeup, costumes, spooky CDs, and one of those Swiffers™ that works really good on blood.

Here's at Comics Oughta be Spooky!, I, Boo-ly the Little Terror-Stuffed Bull, am providing a special time-saving service: cut-out and mail Halloween cards, fresh from a back issue of The House of Mystery, brought to you especially by Cain, who would like to remind you that you're all going to heck so see you there, and also that Neil Gaiman did not create him, so read some horror comics once in a while, fanboys! I'm only reporting what he hissed at me, folks.

Please get your parents' permission to use scissors and cut out the following House of Mystery Halloween Monster Cards! Oh wait I left out a step: print the cards out first. Please do not attempt to cut them out of your monitor.



from House of Mystery #228 (December 1974-January 1975), scripter and illustrator uncredited

Hey, look, at that last one...it's everybody's favorite green-eyed ever-lovin' Swamp Thing, and by everybody I mean Mike Sterling. Let's make it a Happy Halloween for the amazing Mister S. and all send that card to him, okay? Let's see how many he can get. I'm hoping it's enough that he will curse my name on his deathbed!

Speaking of Swamp Sterling and Mike Thing...



National asks college students to stand up for their rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of DC Comics! Yes, truly it was the decade of students taking to the streets and occupying college coffeehouses to protest the war in Vietnam, the Kent State shootings, and the inability to find out what Aquaman was up to that month. Maybe we'll even get an entire course based upon comic books! ... Nawww, that'll never happen.

But if they did have such a course, and if it was called "Swamp Thing 101" (not to be confused with Swamp Thing #101...)



...I would hope Professor Sterling would be teaching it. I'll be right up front to get my college credit!


*Anyone who gets this reference can be my bestest pal for life.

Sluggo Sez: Don't Ask, Just Buy It!

Buy Resurrection #8, featuring
a story by Chris Sims, today!

And a special tip o' the nose ring to Mighty Mike Sterling for the joy and wonder that is Sluggo Saturday.

Happy Sixth Blogiversary, Mike Sterling!

Roll on over to Progressive Ruin and wish him a happy anniversary, why doncha?


Early photograph of Mike Sterling. He's the one on the right.