Today in Comics History, September 29, 1918: Commander Skywalker's Prussian chicken collection finally pays off

from "Frank Luke: Balloon Buster" in Real Heroes #5 (Parents' Magazine Press, July 1942), pencils and inks by Jim Ray

Today in Comics History, September 28, 1918: Commander Skywalker goes to the circus

from "Frank Luke: Balloon Buster" in Real Heroes #5 (Parents' Magazine Press, July 1942), pencils and inks by Jim Ray

Today in Comics History, March 2, 1909: Racist Santa doesn't trust the Inuits

from "North to the Pole" in Real Heroes #14 (Parents' Magazine Press, May 1946), creators uncredited and unknown

Today in Comics History, November 30, 1944: Thank you for flying Northwest

from "Double Rescue" in Real Heroes #14 (Parents' Magazine, May 1946), creators uncredited and unknown

Today in Comics History, October 29, 1936: Polly's initial plan of just not telling Helen and hoping she doesn't notice is quickly discarded

from "Conquest of Darkness" in Real Heroes #13 (Parents' Magazine Press, March 1946), creators uncredited and unknown

Today in Comics History, September 18, 1918: Michael Bay remakes Around the World in 80 Days

from "Frank Luke: Balloon Buster" in Real Heroes #5 (Parents' Magazine Press, July 1942), pencils and inks by Jim Ray

Today in Comics History, September 14, 1918: Guns don't kill balloons; planes kill balloons

from "Frank Luke: Balloon Buster" in Real Heroes #5 (Parents' Magazine Press, July 1942), pencils and inks by Jim Ray

Today in Comics History, September 12, 1918: Well, then, maybe you shouldn't have shot down the observation balloon

from "Frank Luke: Balloon Buster" in Real Heroes #5 (Parents' Magazine Press, July 1942), pencils and inks by Jim Ray

Today in Comics History, September 5, 1908: Dynamic comics artist brings exciting map action to vivid life

from "North to the Pole" in Real Heroes #14 (Parents' Magazine Press, May 1946), creators uncredited and unknown

Today in Comics History, September 3, 1939: Oh, we can't have nice things

from "Man of the People: Lord Tweedsmuir" in Real Heroes #9 (Parents' Magazine Press, February 1943), pencils and inks by Al Bare
To give Lord Tweedsmuir his kick-ass due: he is John Buchan, writer of The Thirty-Nine Steps and many other awesome British adventure novels.

We salute you and your polite Canadian attitude, Lord Tweedsmuir!

Today in Comics History, August 29, 1857: Match wits with Abe Lincoln, and see if you can figure out...whodunnit?!?

from "Murder by Moonlight" in Real Heroes #9 (Parents' Magazine Press, February 1943), creators uncredited and unknown

Today in Comics History, August 3: Happy birthday, Ernie Pyle!

Born on this day in 1900: Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ernie Pyle, one of the greatest American journalist and famed for his reporting from the front of WWII.


cover of Real Heroes #16 (Parents' Magazine Press, October 1946)
Pyle is spotlighted in this biographical comic which tells how he worked alongside America's fighting forces and brought their news and stories back home. Much like cartoonist Bill Mauldin, he was respected for writing from the soldier's point of view.





from "G.I.'s Best Friend" in Real Heroes #16, pencils and inks by Sam Glankoff

Today in Comics History, July 24, 1684: You might even say he...La Salled from France

from "La Salle: The French Cavalier Who First Explored the Mississippi" in Real Heroes #1 (Parents' Magazine Press, September 1941), creators uncredited and unknown

Today in Comics History, July 21, 1861: Battle of My People Going for a Jog

from "Stonewall Jackson: How He Earned That Nickname" in Real Heroes #5 (Parents' Magazine Press, July 1942), pencils and inks by Gus Schrotter

Today in Comics History, July 5, 1926: Naval success prompts dramatic change of font

from "Lost R.C.A.F. Patrol" in Real Heroes #6 (Parents' Magazine Press, September 1942), pencils and inks by Ed Smalle

Today in Comics History, July 4, 1939: I hope you didn't expect me to have a joke for this one, because I love Lou Gehrig

from "Scoops to Remember" in Real Fact Comics #5 (November 1946), pencils and inks by George Roussos


from "Iron Man Lou Gehrig" in Real Heroes #6 (Parents' Magazine Press, September 1942), pencils and inks by Chad Grothkopf



from "Lou Gehrig: Baseball's Iron Horse" in It Really Happened #5 (Pines, October 1946), pencils and inks by Sam Cooper (?)

Today in Comics History, June 28, 1778: Pitcher takes the mound(mouth)

from "Heroine of the Battle of Monmouth" in Real Heroes #1 (Parents' Magazine Press, September 1941), creators uncredited and unknown

Today in Comics History, June 15, 1215: Nothing smarter! Kings, watch how you rule!

Hey, can you identify this important event in history? No, it's not my birthday.


from "Real Heroes' Quiz" in Real Heroes #14 (Parents' Magazine Press, May 1946), creators uncredited and unknown
Give up? It's the Magna Carta, the foundation of English rights and law and the refuge of crackpot conspiracists in the twenty-first century!

from Treasure Chest of Fun and Fact v.12 #15 (Pflaum, March 1957), script by John Randolph, pencils and inks by Frank Borth
(Click picture to Runnymede-size)
How important is the Magna Carta? Well, the Magna Carta debuted in DC Comics several months ahead of Superman, making it the flagship character of the DC Universe! Next month it teams up with Lobo.



from "The Magic Crystal of History" in More Fun Comics #28 (DC, January 1938), pencils and inks by Homer Fleming
Now that you know all that, Mr. Mason, please answer this simple question for the class...d'oh!


from "Time Will Tell" in Jughead (1965 series) #345 (Archie, April 1986); script, pencils, inks, and letters by Samm Schwartz; colors by Barry Grossman

Today in Comics History, June 14, 1940: The Germans wore grey, this guy wore blue

from "Five Against Death" in Real Heroes #7 (Parents' Magazine Press, November 1942), creators uncredited

Today in Comics History, June 7, 1940: RAF banter reaches intolerable levels

from "The First Ace of WWII" in Real Heroes #2 (Parents' Magazine Press, December 1941), creators uncredited and unknown