Today in Comics History, February 14, Valentine's Day: Patsy Walker is sweet on an insane dog-man

from "[Valentine's Day]" in Miss America v.1 #5 (Marvel/Timely/Miss America, February 1945), pencils by Ken Bald, inks by Dan Barry
Any comment, Buzz Baxter?


from Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD (1989 series) #35 (Marvel, May 1992), script by Scott Lobdell, pencils by M. C. Wyman, inks by Don Hudson and Fred Fredericks, colors by Kevin Tinsley, letters by Phil Felix

Comics Do Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice, Act 4: "Our house is Hellcat, and thou, a merry Daimon.'"

from "Patsy Goes Courting!" Patsy Walker (1945 series) #21 (Marvel/Timely, March 1949), script and pencils (and inks?) by Al Jaffee

Today in Comics History, February 13: Love Finds Patsy Walker

from "[Valentine's Day]" in Miss America Magazine v.1 #5 (Marvel/Timely, February 1945), pencils by Ken Bald, inks by Dan Barry

Today in Comics History, May 14: Happy Birthday, Bobby Darin — we miss you

from (left) Patsy Walker #92 (Marvel, December 1960), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Al Hartley, inks by Sol Brodsky (?), letters by Artie Simek, and
(right) "The Disc Jockey's Delight!" in Kathy #22 (Marvel, April 1963), script by Stan Lee, pencils and inks by Stan Goldberg
Bobby Darin, one of my very favorite vocalists, would have been 80 years old today.


from "Bobby Darin" in Ms. Tree [Rock & Roll] Summer Special #1 (Renegade Press, August 1986), script by Max Allan Collins, pencils by Terry Beatty
Much of Max Allan Collins's narrative of his love for Darin's music in this touching story parallels my discovery and love for the work of Darwyn Cooke, a great comics creator who died today.


It occurs to me that our generation and fandom will define our aging by our discovery of, love for, and the deaths of our comics creator icons, who pass mostly unknown by the general public but mourned and beloved by our close group, united by awe and admiration.


May we remember, every time we hear a song by Bobby Darin or one of our favorite musicians passed, or read the comics of Darwyn Cooke or another lost creator, the joy and excitement of our first discovery of them, a epiphany that followed throughout our fandom.



Bobby Darin
1936-1973

from DC: The New Frontier #6 (DC, November 2004); script, pencils, and inks by Darwyn Cooke; colors by Dave Stewart; letters by Jared K. Fletcher
Click panel to Darwyn Cooke-size

Darwyn Cooke
1962-2016

Today in Comics History, October 12: Entire Walker family goes bat-crap insane

from Patsy Walker #38 (Marvel/Atlas, January 1952); script, pencils and inks by Al Jaffee

Paper Doll Month, Day 28: Patsy Walker, Then and Now

"Patsy's Fashion Page" from Patsy Walker #119 (February 1965), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Sol Brodsky, inks by Vince Colletta, letters by Sam Rosen


"Patsy Walker's Battlesuits" from Marvel Romance Redux: I Should Have Been a Blonde one-shot (July 2006), new script by Jeff Parker, new colors by Tom Smith, new letters by Dave Lanphear

Paper Doll Month, Day 1: We'll miss you, Stan Goldberg

It's September 1! (Did you remember to say "rabbit, rabbit" first thing this morning?) That means it's time for another month-long feature to amuse and edumacate you while I try to untangle all the files that make up the long-on-hiatus 365 Days of KirbyTech feature. This month, all month, you'll need a printer, cardboard, a glue-stick, and sharp scissors (or, a parent or guardian with sharp scissors). That's right, it's a month during which you can create your very own personal papyrus platoon based on this feature — it's Paper Doll Month! And I absolutely promise you: no Katy Keene!

That said, it's a bittersweet beginning to the feature as we salute one of the greatest artists of comics in all genres (but especially teen and comedy books), Stan Goldberg, who passed away yesterday. Stan was an extraordinary artist who, altho' he frequently drew within a publisher or line's house style, gave his own distinctive and energetic feel to his work. Even if he was uncredited (or, in the case of Marvel's teen/comedy/romance titles, frequently credited as Sol Brodsky), you could identify his art. Just as Carl Barks was commonly known as "The Good Duck Artist" in Disney comics before creator credits were printed, I've always considered Stan Goldberg as "The Good Archie Artist." (I really like Dan DeCarlo too, but so many fo my favorite stories are by Goldberg.)

He was an accomplished colorist responsible for the vast majority of the covers of the Atlas and early Marvel Age, and he was fluent in several styles. Here's examples of his paper doll work for Marvel's Patsy Walker and supporting characters:




Paper doll pages from Patsy and Hedy #107 (August 1966), art by Stan Goldberg, letters by Sam Rosen
Okay, okay, maybe these aren't "technically" paper dolls and they don't have tabs, but it's my blog and I say it's paper dolls and to heck with it.

One Night in Rutland: 1981

(Okay, let's try this: instead of 1977, Part 2 as I promised last night, let's visit Rutland, Vermont in 1981 for tonight. Then, tomorrow, I'll take you to the rest of 1977. why? Because I didn't find the comic book until late this afternoon because I was looking for a comic titled Deadman/Phantom Stranger instead of DC Super Stars. D'oh!)

Although the glory days of superheroes visiting rutland, Vermont, for the annual Halloween Parade was the early 1970s, it still remained an occasional stop on the tour route for big demonic crossover super-battles well throughout the 1980s: at least as well as it could, with the competition from Disney World being what it was. Let's step boldly into the era of Reagan and Thatcher to see Marvel's famous non-team, the Defenders, fight a foe almost as supervillainesque as those two. Who could it be? Could it be...Satan???

Why yes. Yes, it could.

Two-page splash spread from Defenders #100 (October 1981), script by J. M. DeMatteis, pencils and inks by a whole lotta guys undoubtably struggling to get this thing in on schedule, colors by George Roussos, letters by Janice Chiang and Shelly Leferman

(Click picture to Satan-size)

Looking for Mr. Kirby

Panels from Patsy and Hedy #88 (June 1963), script by Stan Lee, art by Al Hartley

Well, see, that's your problem right there. Nobody's gonna recognize Kirby if he looks like this:




Because everybody knows Kirby looks like this:


Cover of FOOM! #11 (September 1975), art by John Byrne and Joe SInnott

So, if you want to recognize Kirby when you pick him up at the cosmic boom tube station, keep an eye open for the guy who looks like this:



And so say all of us!