Today in Comics History, February 29: Happy birthday, Willi Smith!

Born on this day in 1948: Willi Smith, noted designer and innovator in the fashion industry.

What does Willi have to do with comics? Well...



covers of Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21 (Marvel, September 1987), pencils and inks by John Romita, Sr.

Today in Comics History, September 27: Happy birthday, Avril Lavigne!

Born on this day: Grammy-Award-winning singer/songwriter Avril Lavigne ("Complicated," "Sk8er Boi," "Don't Tell Me," "My Happy Ending" and more)! What's that gotta do with comic books, you ask? Well...


covers of Avril Lavigne's Make 5 Wishes Vol. 1 and 2 (Del Rey, April 2007-July 2007), art by Camilla d'Errico

Today in Comics History, September 19: Schoolchildren can no longer read these captions

from Spectacular Spider-Man #149 (Marvel, April 1989), script by Gerry Conway, pencils and inks by Sal Buscema, colors by Bob Sharen, letters by Rick Parker

Today in Comics History, August 10, 20XX: Happy birthday, Peter Parker*!

*...Peter Parker of Earth-18157, that is...the separate and substantially simpler reality created for IDW's publication of the Marvel Action series of all-age comics. Golly, if only Marvel had a company that published comic books, huh?


from Marvel Action: Chillers #2 (Marvel/IDW, October 2020), script by Jeremy Whitley, pencils and inks by Gretel Lusky, colors by Nahuel Ruiz, letters by Valeria Lopez
But do we have a canon birthday for "our" PP, our Friendly Earth-616 Spider-Man? Well, not exactly. But I wouldn't miss checking this space on August 26. You have been warned! There will be a test (in my Milk and Cheese voice)!

Today in Comics History, May 5: Happy birthday, Aunt May! (Or: Aunt May's birthday present from Peter is a five-pack of Dos Equis and a sombrero)

This is an expanded and updated version of a post originally published May 5, 2016.

Today (ignore the caption that sez "Tomorrow"...dunno what that's doin' there): it's the two hundred and eighth birthday of everybody's favorite Marisa Tomei impersonator, Aunt May Reilly Parker Octavius Terwilliger Jameson!


from Amazing Spider-Man Annual (1964 series) #20 (Marvel, November 1986), script by Christopher Priest (as Fred Schiller and Ken McDonald), pencils by Mark Beachum, inks by Bob Wiacek, colors by Bob Sharen, letters by Jim Novak
Yes oh yes, but which day is Aunt May's birthday on?

Today in Comics History, December 24, Christmas Eve: All I Want for Christmas Is a Dye Job Like Movie Rogue's

from Amazing Spider-Man (1963 series) #420 (Marvel, February 1997), script by Tom DeFalco, pencils by Steve Skroce, inks by Bud LaRosa, colors by Bob Sharen, color separations by Graphic Color Works, letters by Richard Starkings

Today in Comics History, December 24, Christmas Eve: Your Friendly Neighborhoodless Spider-Man

from Amazing Spider-Man #314 (Marvel, April 1989), script by David Michelinie, pencils and inks by Todd McFarlane, colors by Bob Sharen, letters by Rick Parker

Today in Halloween Comics History, October 31: Peter Parker sings racist anthem

from Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man (1976 series) #38 (Marvel, January 1980), script by Bill Mantlo, breakdowns by Sal Buscema, finishes by Chic Stone, colors by Bob Sharen, letters by Diana Albers
See? Parker's as "white as a sheet." Like the sheet you're gonna wear for your meeting later, Petey?


What kinda party are you joinin', Pete? Does it rhyme with Yahtzee?!?


(PS: Peter Parker is not a racist, a Klansman, or a Nazi. He is, however, incredibly socially inept.)

Today in Comics History, October 13: NYC Mayor Abe Beame decides to charge Spider-Man sixty million dollars for his unpaid parking tickets

from Peter Parker, The Spectcaular Spider-Man (1976 series) #1 (December 1976), script by Gerry Conway, breakdowns by Sal Buscema, figure finishes by Mike Esposito, background finishes and colors by Dave Hunt, letters by Joe Rosen

Today in Comics History, August 15: Everybody wants to kill Peter Parker, but nobody ever does anything about it

from The Spectacular Spider-Man (1976 series) #149 (Marvel, April 1989), script by Gerry Conway, pencils and inks by Sal Buscema, colors by Bob Sharen, letters by Rick Parker

Today in Comics History, July 22: Happy birthday, Millie Shuriff!

Today's the birthday of Millie Shuriff! You probably don't recognize the name, so stop, collaborate and listen: she has the third-longest employment at Marvel Comics (after Stan Lee and Flo Steinberg), hired in 1956 when the company was still known as Magazine Management (the "Atlas" era). Starting out as a freelancer, Millie later was hired full-time by Stan to serve as Marvel's bookkeeper and the person who cut vouchers for freelancers to get paid, and without paid freelancers, you don't get pages. See, without Millie Shuriff, there would be no Marvel Comics!


from Marvel Vision #30 (Marvel, June 1998)

Today in Comics History, July 9: Happy birthday, Virginia Romita!

Happy birthday today to Marvel's famous and beloved Production Traffic Manager Virginia Romita!


from Marvel Age #31, 55, 91, and 103 (Marvel, October 1985, October 1987, August 1990, and August 1991); text by Jim Salicrup (#31), Mike Carlin (#55) and Chris Eliopoulis and Barry Dutter (#91 and 103); pencils and inks by Ron Zalme; colors by Andy Yanchus (#31), Paul Becton (#54) and Renee Witterstaetter (#91 and 103)

Today in Comics History, June 23, 1999: Stan Lee clearly has blackmail material on J. Jonah Jameson

from Peter Parker: Spider-Man (1999 series) #8 (Marvel, August 1999)

There Is No Hope in Crime Alley, Night 17: There Is No Hope in Central Park

from Infinity Wars: Arachknight #1 (Marvel, December 2018), script by Dennis Hopeless*, pencils by Alé Garza, inks by Victor Olazaba, colors by Ruth Redmond, letters by Joe Caramagna
*See?

Today in Comics History, May 28: Happy birthday, Morrie Kuramoto!

Born on this date in 1921: Mamoru "Morrie" Kuramoto, production artist and letterer at Timely and Marvel Comics.


from (left) Mighty Marvel Calendar 1980 (Marvel, 1979), and
Marvel Age #29 (Marvel, September 1985), text by Jim Salicrup, pencils and inks by Ron Zalme

Today in Comics History, May 25, 1977: And also with you

from "May the 25th Be with You" in Marvel Comics Presents (2019 series) #4 (Marvel, June 2019), script by Daniel Kibblesmith, pencils and inks by Pere Pérez, colors by Rachelle Rosenberg, letters by Joe Caramagna
Happy 45th Birthday, Star Wars! Your AARP card is in the mail.

Today in Comics History, May 3, 1989: Temperature in Hell rises to a balmy 49 degrees F

from "Spidey versus J.J.J.!!" in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #23 (Marvel, September 1989); script, pencils, and inks by Fred Hembeck; letters by Rick Parker (?)

Comics Do Shakespeare: All's Well That Ends Well, Act 1: Exit, Punched by Buscema

from The Spectcaular Spider-Man (1976 series) #157 (Marvel, November 1989), script by Gerry Conway, breakdowns by Sal Buscema, finishes by Mike Esposito, colors by Bob Sharen, letters by Rick Parker

Today in Comics History, April 12: Happy birthday, Tama Janowitz!

Born on this day: novelist Tama Janowitz, author of Slaves of New York, A Cannibal in Manhattan, By the Shores of Gitchee Gumee, Area Code 212 and more! She is the only Brat Pack writer who teamed up with Spider-Man, aside from those issues of Spidey Super Stories that guest-star Bret Easton Ellis.


from Spectacular Spider-Man #144 (Marvel, November 1988), script by Gerry Conway, pencils and inks by Sal Buscema, colors by Bob Sharen, letters by Rick Parker
To this little stuffed reader's admittedly beady black button eyes, Tama Janowitz spent a tremendous amount of time in that issue flirting with then-married Peter Parker.


She always seemed to want to go out for a meal. Well, maybe she was just hungry.

(PS: you are never allowed to leave a book signing just because you want lunch. That's a big no-no! You don't leave your autograph hunters waiting like that. Friendly bookstore staff will bring you things to nibble on and drinks if it's a food-mergency. Take it from me, a little stuffed book publishing professional veteran.)


Still, if you were puttin' the moves on a married man, Tama, ya maybe shoulda picked somebody else, because…


Was Peter tempted by Tama? Well, sure, we all do! But in the end...


Say, Tama, would you like to appear in a sequel to this comic book? Maybe even become a regular member of the Spider-Man cast?


from Spectacular Spider-Man #151 (Marvel, June 1989)
Happy birthday, Tama!

Today in Comics History, March 20: Happy birthday, Abe Beame!

Born today in 1906, the real-life 104th Mayor of New York City, Abraham "Abe" Beame! he was in office when the city went virtually bankrupt! And also, as this story tells us, he had to deal with Spider-Man. Don't look to him, Abe! He hasn't got any money, either!


from Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man (1976 series) #1 (Marvel, December 1976), script by Gerry Conway, breakdowns by Sal Buscema, figure finishes by Mike Espositp, background finishes and colors by Dave Hunt, letters by Joe Rosen