Today in Comics History, October 16, 1973: Lies, dripping off your mouth like dirt / Lies, lies in every step you walk

It's fun to look back now through old issues of Gold Key's UFO Flying Saucers and seeing all the ridiuclius stuff we believed Project: Blue Book was hiding from us (Bigfoot hitching a ride with Elvis on a flying saucers? tghere's no way that couldn't happen!), but every now and then they let us in on the flip side of that star-eyed ignorance: stuff they couldn't believe even back then in the UFO-crammed 1970s. Enter Gold Key's four-color version of Amazing Randi (no relation to my dear Randi): the skeptical, fraud-exposing Hoaxmaster! The first myth busted: that he bought that suit and top hat at retail! (Hoaxbuster never pays full price!)


from "The Hoaxmaster Knows -- and Tells All!" in UFO Flying Saucers #4 (Western/Gold Key, November 1974), pencils and inks by Frank Bolle

Today in Comics History, October 16, 1931: Evel Knievel immediately jumps the ravine to honor the memory of Roy Dusek

Hey, remember Roy Dusek from September 9? Sure (says Sally Strothers), we all do! That's because we put up a plaque or a statue or maybe a banner that memorizlized him right on this here bridge:


from "The Incarnadine Bridge!" in Ghosts (1971 series) #97 (DC, February 1981), script by Mimai Kin, pencils by Dick Ayers, inks by Rodin Rodriguez
Oh, so not a statue. We just put him inside a pillar of cherry Jell-O™. Why, you might even say that he got his...just desserts.


Wasn't that spooky, kids? Even Bully was scared, and let me tell you, Bully doesn't scare easily.

Hey wait, wasn't it Tully Mason that had gone missing?

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, October 16, 1985: Rorschach hums "Everybody's Talkin' at Me" to himself

from Watchmen #2 (DC, October 1986); script by Alan Moore; pencils, inks, and letters by Dave Gibbons; colors by John Higgins


"Everybody's Talkin'" by Harry Nilsson (RCA Victor, 1968), written by Fred Neil, from the movie Midnight Cowboy (United Artists, 1969), screenplay by Waldo Salt, directed by John Schlesinger
(I don't much like that suitcase he has there.)

Today in Comics History, October 16: Furby invented

from "The Bouncing Ball of Doom!" in Strange Tales #131 (Marvel, April 1965), co-plot and script by Stan Lee, co-plot and pencils by Bob Powell, inks by Dick Ayers

Today in Comics History, October 16: Happy birthday, Joe Sinnott!

Born on this day in 1926: comics artist (best known as an inker) Joe Sinnott, who should always be included within the names that built the Marvel Age. He inked extensive runs on Fantastic Four, The Avengers, The Defenders, Thor, and has worked on pretty nearly every major Marvel title.


from Mighty Marvel Comics Calendar 1976-1979 (March, 1975-1978)
Joe was arguably the finest inker on Jack Kirby's Fantastic Four (and Thor!), and, I'd propose, on John Byrne's FF run too!

Aw geez, that pun in the last panel.


from Marvel Age #34, 58, and 94 (Marvel, January 1986, January 1988, and November 1990); text by Jim Salicrup (#34), Mike Carlin (#58), and Chris Eliopoulis and Barry Dutter (#94); pencils and inks by Ron Zalme; colors by Adam Philips (#34), Paul Becton (#58), and Marie Javins (#94)

Today in Comics History, October 16: Happy birthday, Bob Hall!

Born on this day: comics artist and writer Bob Hall! He's drawn Emperor Doom, Batman: Joker Time, Spider-Man (Amazing and Spectacular), The Avengers, Squadron Supreme, Weird War Tales, Super-Villain Team-Up, Shadowman and more)! He's the co-creator of West Coast Avengers and the sole creator of the Armed and Dangerous series from Valiant!



from (top) Marvel Age #94 (Marvel, November 1990), text by Chris Eliopoulis and Barry Dutter, pencils and inks by Ron Zalme, colors by Renee Witterstaetter
; (bottom) "Bullpen Bulletins" in Marvel Comics cover-dated August 1988
Hey look! In this Dennis the Menace story which features comics creators Owen Fitzgerald and Al Wise as hootin' hollerin' rodeo stars...


from "Welcome to the Rodeo, Folks!" in Dennis the Menace (1959 series) #61 (Hallden/Fawcett, August 1962), script by Fred Toole, pencils and inks by Owen Fitzgerald
...could this possibly be our Bob Hall here, bronco-bustin' a bull that's obviously OUT OF HIS MIND on freakin' COCAINE?


Happy birthday, Bob!

Today in Comics History, October 16, 1846: New innovation completely takes all the fun out of surgery

from "The Pain Killer" in M.D. #1 (EC, April 1955), creator uncredited and unknown

Today in Comics History, October 16, 1985: Clyde Wynant goes to a funeral

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

Today in Comics History, October 16, 1941: The question "Mr. Mayor, when did you stop beating your wife?" is asked at a press conference

from Green Hornet (2013 series) #1 (Dynamite, March 2013), script by Mark Waid, pencils and inks by Daniel Indro, colors by Marcio Menyz, letters by Troy Peteri
Also on this date: Dynamite Comics cleverly gets away on a technicality with not having to worry about getting the license for the name Green Hornet:

Today in Comics History, October 16, 1910: I never knew his middle name was "Young"

from The New Deadwardians #7 (DC/Vertigo, November 2012), script by Dan Abnett, pencils and inks by I. N. J. Culbard, colors by Patricia Mulvihill, letters by Travis Lanham

Today in Comics History, October 16, 1910: A pub is dedicated to Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein

from The New Deadwardians #6 (DC/Vertigo, October 2012), script by Dan Abnett, pencils and inks by I. N. J. Culbard, colors by Patricia Mulvihill, letters by Travis Lanham

Today in Comics History, October 16, 1990: Why yes, Superboy is tall

from Superman: Secret Identity #1 (DC, January 2004), script by Kurt Busiek; pencils, inks, and colors by Stuart Immonen; letters by Todd Klein