Today in Comics History, March 25: Happy birthday, Paul Michael Glaser!

Born on this date: actor, director, and writer Paul Michael Glaser, who's been in Fiddler on the Roof, Butterflies Are Free, The Great Houdini, Princess Daisy and more. He's directed The Running Man, The Air Up There, Band of the Hand, Kazaam, episodes of Miami Vice and more, but he'll always have a place in our seventies-fond hearts as Detective Dave Starsky (face it, how many of you actually knew his first name? Or that he's the dark-haired one?) in the 1970s TV action series Starsky & Hutch!



from "Slobsky & Hunch" Crazy Magazine #21 (Marvel, November 1976), script by Len Herman, pencils and inks by Murad Gümen

Today in Comics History, March 25: Happy birthday, Elton John!

This is an expanded and updated version of a post originally published March 25, 2022.

Born on this date, already wearing a sparkly pair of sunglasses and chunky heels: Elton John, the world's only Rock Star!


cover of Look-In #37/1973 (ITV, 8 September 1973), creators uncredited and unknown

Fun with Comics: Knock his block off, Grant

from Simpsons Comics #88 (Bongo, November 2003), script by Gail Simone, pencils by John Costanza, inks by Howard Shum, colors by Art Villanueva, letters by Karen Bates

Today in Comics History, October 12: Happy birthday, Doris Grau!

Born on this day in 1924: Doris Grau, actor, voice artist, and script supervisor. You may remember her from such roles and voices in Babe, Cheers, DuckTales, The Critic as Jay Sherman's make-up artist Doris Grossman and The Simpsons as Lunchlady Doris and other characters. Following Grau's death in 1995, the character was retired from the show, although recently a similarly diesned character named Lunchlady Dora has appeared, voiced by Tress MacNeille.


"The Bongo beat" from Bongo Comics cover-dated February 1996
Happy birthday, Doris! We miss you.

Today in Comics History, September 28: Happy birthday, Confucius!

Born on this day in 551 BC: Chinese philosopher Confucius, star of many comic books and graphic novels! Why, you can't point at a comic book anywhere without finding him somewhere in the middle!


cover of Action Philosophers Giant-Sized Thing #3 (Evil Twin, November 2007), art by Ryan Dunlavey

Today in Comics History, September 14, 1814: Comic books would like to remind you that today's the anniversary of the writing of "The Star Spangled Banner," our traditional, unsingable, racist national anthem

This is an expanded and updated version of a post originally published September 14, 2012.


cover of Magic Comics #36 (David Mckay, July 1942), painting by Edgar Franklin Wittmack

Today in Comics History, September 11: Happy birthday, Brian De Palma!

Happy birthday today to Brian De Palma, director of a lotta scary 'n' violent movies I'm not allowed to see, like Carrie, Dressed to Kill, Scarface, The Untouchables, Phantom of the Paradise, and more. But I am allowed to look for gratuitous cameos of Brian De Palma in comic books, so here you go!:


from "Verti-Go-Areeno" in Simpsons Comics #115 (Bongo, February 2006), script by Chuck Dixon, pencils by Jason Ho, inks by Mike Rote, colors by Art Villanueva, letters by Chris Ungar
PS: I did get to see his Mission: Impossible movie. Ya did Jim Phelps dirty, Mr. De Palma, but happy birthday anyway!

Today in Comics History, July 18: Happy birthday, John Glenn!

Born on this date in 1921: a cat who's really far out there! I mean, he's totally up in the air, folks! You might even say that this freakzoid was the first American to orbit the Earth, in 1962! TAnd yeah, this hoopy frood was the third American in space! And a U.S. Senator (okay, that one's less cool). And he went back into space in 1997 at the age of 77! Okay, that one's totally awesome! I'm talkin' of course, about fighter and test pilot/astronaut John Glenn! Also, if you grew up in Syracuse like I do, you might know him from the totally excellent but extremely short John Glenn Boulevard, which also gave name to the area around it, thus the frequent refrain heard in our household "I'm going over to the John Glenn Wegman's." Yeah, baby!


cover of Newsday's Comics on the News with Chip Tracer #1 one-shot (Newsday, 1998); pencils, inks, and colors by Steve Geiger; background photos by NASA and Associated Press

Today in Comics History, July 16: Happy birthday, Stewart Copeland!

Born on this day: American drummer and composer Stewart Copeland of The Police (the only exception to ACAB)! Stewart has also scored many movies and TV shows including Talk Radio, Wall Street, Highlander II: The Quickening, She's Having a Baby, Good Burger, The Equalizer, Star Wars: Droids, Babylon 5, The Life and Times of Juniper Lee and more!


from Simpsons Comics #210 (Bongo, March 2014), script by Max Davison, pencils by Phil Ortiz, inks by Mike DeCarlo, colors by Art Villanueva, letters by Karen Bates
Happy birthday, Stew!

Today in Comics History, June 10: Happy birthday, Rich Hall!

Happy birthday today to one of my favorites: comedian, actor, writer, documentarian and musician Rich Hall (Fridays, Not Necessarily the News (the "Sniglet" creator!), Saturday Night Live, QI, One Crazy Summer, Arthur Christmas, Rich Hall's Fishing Show, Rich Hall's Cattle Drive (he took me in his convertible to see The Eagle Has Landed at the drive-in), Rich Hall's Inventing the Indian, and many more)!


from Simpsons Comics #130 (Bongo, May 2007), script by Ian Boothby, pencils by Phil Ortiz, inks by Mike DeCarlo, colors by Art Villanueva, letters by Karen Bates
Happy birthday, Rich!

Today in Comics History, February 3: Happy birthday, Elizabeth Blackwell!

Born on this day in 1821: Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States. From 1821 to 1827, nothing happened to her. Then, suddenly:


from "The Story of Elizabeth Blackwell" in Wonder Woman (1942 series) #19 (DC, September 1946), script by Alice Marble, pencils and inks by Alfonso Greene

Today in Comics History, January 6: Lenny continues to teach us the true meaning of Christmas

from Simpsons Comics #79 (Bongo, February 2003), script by Ian Boothby, pencils by John Costanza, inks by Howard Shum, colors by Art Villanueva, letters by Karen Bates

Today in Comics History, December 25, Christmas: The Gospel According to St. Leonard

from Simpsons Comics #79 (Bongo, February 2003), script by Ian Boothby, pencils by John Costanza, inks by Howard Shum, colors by Art Villanueva, letters by Karen Bates

Today in Comics History, December 17, 1903: Compared to other realities, our Wright Brothers totally suck

This is an expanded and updated version of a post originally published December 17, 2014.

Today in American History (not just comics, altho' they overlap, as you shall see): one of the most important technological steps forward in humanity as the Wright Brothers finally realized our dream of flying. (Insert your own lost luggage joke here.)


from "Scoops...Pictures to Remember" in Real Fact Comics #1 (DC, March 1946), pencils and inks by George Roussos
Because the name of the comic book is Real Facts, i assure you that is fact, brother, just exactly as it happened, maybe minus Lex Luthor there underneath the yellow hat. Exciting, huh?

Today in Comics History, November 29: Happy birthday, Howie Mandel!

Born on this day: funnyman Howie Mandel (Gremlins, Walk Like a Man, St. Elsewhere, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Bobby's World, America's Got Talent, Deal or No Deal and more)!


from "Down Home Doctorin' Time" in Simpsons Comics #74 (Bongo, September 2002), script by Gail Simone, pencils by Joey Nilges, inks by James Huang, colors by Art Villanueva, letters by Karen Bates
Happy birthday, Howie!

Today in Comics History, November 24, 1963: Where were you when Oswald pied?

from "Krusty's 11" in Simpsons Comics #50 (Bongo, August 2000); script by Doug Tuber, Tim Maile, and Steve Luchsinger; pencils by Nathan Kane and Edwin Aguilar; inks by Scott McRae and Nathan Kane; colors by Nathan Kane, Chris Ungar, and Art Villanueva, letters by Karen Bates

Today in Comics History, November 21: Happy birthday, Björk!

Born on this day: Icelandic pop pixie (and perennial favorite in the Bull household) Björk! She is absolutely one of my most-loved musicians ever.


from Hawkeye (2012 series) #18 (Marvel, May 2014), script by Matt Fraction, pencils and inks by Annie Wu, colors by Matt Hollingsworth, letters by Chris Eliopoulos

Today in Comics History, November 20: Happy birthday, Jill Thompson!

Born on this day: comic book writer and artist Jill Thompson (Sandman, Wonder Woman, Elementals, Black Orchid, more; co-creator of Beasts of Burden, creator of Scary Godmother)!


from cover of Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror #5 (Bongo, September 1999), pencils and inks by Bill Morrison, colors by Nathan Kane
Chibi Vertigo editor Shelley Bond (left) and Jill Thompson self-portrait!:


from Vertigo X Anniversary Preview one-shot (DC/Vertigo, April 2003), by Jill Thompson

Today in Comics History, November 20: Happy birthday, Dick Smothers!

Born on this day in 1938: Comedian and musician Dick Smothers, half of comedy team The Smothers Brothers!



(top) "A CBS-TV Summer Memo to the Smothered Brothers" in MAD #122 (October 1968), script by Ronnie Nathan, pencils and inks by Jack Rickard;
(bottom) from "More "So How Come..."?" in MAD #136 (July 1970), script by Stan Hart, pencils and inks by George Woodbridge

Today in Comics History, November 15: Happy birthday, Ed Asner!

Born on this day in 1929: actor and activist Ed Asner (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Lou Grant, Roots, Up, Freakazoid!, Superman, and much more!)




from MAD #149 (March 1972), 155 (December 1972), and 205 (March 1970), scripts by Tom Koch and art by Angelo Torres on all
Ed has been an inspiration to many of us with his progressive views and forward thinking. Also, his choice of reading material is sublime. We miss ya lots, Ed!


from MAD (2018 series) #10 (DC, December 2019)
Please join me in wishing Ed Asner a very happy birthday!


from Simpsons Comics #103 (Bongo, February 2005), script by Ian Boothby, pencils by Phil Ortiz, inks by Mike DeCarlo, colors by Art Villanueva, letters by Karen Bates