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, December 28: Happy 100th birthday, Stan Lee!

Born on this day one hundred years ago in 1922: freelance writer Stan Lee, who wrote an interesting column about breaking into comics.


cover of Writer's Digest (November 1947)
Happy birthday, Mr. Lee!


from Mighty Marvel Calendars 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, and 1980 (Marvel, 1975-1979); Marvel Age #36, 60, and 96 (Marvel, March 1986, March 1988, and January 1991); text by Jim Salicrup (#36), Mike Carlin (#60), and Chris Eliopoulis and Barry Dutter (#96); pencils and inks by Ron Zalme; colors by Adam Philips (#36), Paul Becton (#60), and Marie Javins (#96). Date corrected in Photoshop on #96 because, hey, Marvel Age, you didn't get the boss's birthday right that year!
See also, and this, too.

Today in Comics History, June 28: Happy birthday, Gilda Radner!

Born on this day in 1946: the late great comedian and actress Gilda Radner, my favorite performer of the Saturday Night Live Not Ready for Prime Time Players!

But did she ever appear in comic books? Well, yes.



cover of Marvel Team-Up (1972 series) #74 (Marvel, October 1978), pencils and inks by Dave Cockrum, SNL caricature pencils and inks by Marie Severin, letters by Irv Watanabe
Gilda, like all the cast of the second season of SNL, appeared in this unlikely-to-ever-be-reprinted (so look for it in backissue racks!) Spider-Man comic!


from Marvel Team-Up #74; script by Chris Claremont, pencils by Bob Hall, inks and colors by Marie Severin, letters by Gaspar Saladino and Annette Kawecki
A lovely thing about their weird and wonderful book is that Claremont gave every cast member (plus Lorne Michaels) a spotlight scene, and here's Gilda as Weekend Update commentator Emily Litella (along with Jane Curtin).



Take a bow, Gilda and Company!



Gilda, you are very much loved and very much missed.


"Young Woman of the Month" from Young Love (1963 series) #122 (DC, November 1976), text by Ellen Spencer (who was possibly Tony Isabella?), pencils by Joe Orlando, inks by Vince Colletta
Happy birthday, Gilda Radner!

Liberty Bell March, Day 3: Six Degrees of Stan Lee

More proof that Stan Lee has met everybody!


"Bullpen Bulletins" in Marvel Comics cover-dated November 1975
Now, I'm a little surprised that aside from this Bullpen Bulletin, I'd never heard of hide nor hair of Celebrity magazine. Doing some research, I've found a [citation needed] note at the bottom of the Magazine Management Wikipedia page, accompanied by a tiny little jpg that looks suspiciously like a cheap knockoff of People. And it was! From Abraham Riesman's excellent, controversial True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee:


from True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee (Crown, 2021), by Abraham Riesman
So, unless you make a lucky score at a used bookshop or rummaging through old magazines, you're unlikely to find what the Sam Scratch Stan did with Gilliam and the Bowies. Which is kind of a pity, because even laughable Stan Lee ventures are fascinating in themselves.

Face It Tiger February, Day 18: Face front, true believer, you hit the excelsior

from Amazing Fantastic Incredible: A Marvelous Memoir (Simon & Schuster, January 2019), script by Peter David and Stan Lee, art by Colleen Doran

Today in Comics History, January 5, 1972: Q: How do you get to Carnegie Hall? A: Create Ravage 2099.

Today! (In 1972!):


from The Mighty Marvel Calendar 1977 (Marvel, 1976)


from Bullpen Bulletins in Marvel Comics cover-dated June 1972



from letter column in Sgt. Fury (1963 series) #110 (Marvel, May 1973), by Adrienne Roy
Wait...Adrienne Roy, the acclaimed colorist for DC Comics? No wonder she didn't get work at Marvel!

Edited to add on January 5, 2022 (in green)

Abraham Riesman's recent Stan biography tells a more brutal story:


from True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee (Crown, February 2021), by Abraham Riesman

365 Days of Defiance, Day 362: Why don't you listen to what The Man said (and Today in Comics History, December 28: Happy birthday, Stan Lee!)

"Stan's Soapbox" from Marvel comics cover-dated December 1968 (top) and October 1978 (bottom)
You'd maybe think that my favorite Stan Lee quote would be "with great power there must come great responsibility" or "'Nuff Said!" or or "Face front, true believer!" But no. My favorite Stan Lee quote is this:


Excelsior, Stan. And happy birthday.

366 Days with J. Jonah Jameson, Day 170 and Today in Comics History, June 18, 1974: JJJ rant exiled to bottom cover of front page

from Marvel Treasury Edition #1 [The Spectacular Spider-Man] (Marvel, September 1974); script by Gerry Conway, pencils and inks by Marie Severin
(Click picture to tabloid-size)

Stan Lee's even making movie cameos in comics now

Panels from Uncanny Avengers (2015 series) #9 (July 2016), script by Gerry Duggan, pencils and inks by Pepe Larraz, colors by David Curiel, letters by Clayton Cowles

Teniversary Countdown #23: And then, it happened!

Here's one of my favorite sequences from a comic book's issue #10, to celebrate my ever-closer-growing tenth anniversary of blogging! HEY STOP RIPPING OFF BATMAN '66 JACK


Panels from Fantastic Four (1961 series) #10 (January 1963), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Dick Ayers, colors by Stan Goldberg, letters by Artie Simek
Followed by The World's Greatest Comic Caption:

Ten of a Kind #385: Happy Birthday, Mr. The Man! (Today in Comics History, December 28)

(More Ten of a Kind here.)

Today in Comics History, Thanksgiving Day: What is Stan Lee thankful for?

Basically, the continued and ongoing success of Marvel Comics.


"Stan's Soapbox" from Marvel Comics cover-dated February 1976
And also for the success of his new comic, Stan Lee's Mighty 7, now available from Stan Lee Comics where ever fine comics are sold, True Believers!


from Stan Lee's Mighty 7 #3 (Archie, September 2012), script by Tony Blake and Paul Jackson with Stan Lee, pencils by Alex Saviuk, inks by Bob Smith, colors by Digikore STudios, letters by John Workman

Stan Lee Saturdays #19: Wedding Crashers

Say, who were those mysterious figures Nick Fury was barring from Sue and Reed's wedding yesterday? Answers below in green!


Panels from Fantastic Four v.1 #3 (1965), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Vince Colletta, letters by Artie Simek

Stan Lee Saturdays #18: The Day Stan Took Full Credit for a Story Written by an Alien

Page from "The Giant Monster of Midnight Valley!" in Kid Colt Outlaw #107 (November 1962),
script by Stan Lee, pencils and inks by Jack Keller

Stan Lee Saturdays #17: When even Stan is confused, it's time for a reboot

Panels from X-Men #-1 (July 1997), script by Scott Lobdell, pencils by Carlos Pacheco, inks by Art Thibert, colors by Chris Lichtner and Aron Lusen, letters by Richard Starkings and Kolja Fuchs

Stan Lee Saturdays #16: That boy needs therapy

Panel from "Liltin' Limericks" in Not Brand Echh #13 (May 1969),
script by Roy Thomas and Phil Seuling, pencils and inks by Tom Sutton

Stan Lee Saturdays #15: Well, that explains the multiple Deadpool titles too

Panel from What If? v.1 #19 (February 1980), script by Peter Gillis, pencils by Pat Broderick, inks by Mike Esposito, colors by Roger Slifer, letters by Tom Orzechowski

Stan Lee Saturdays #14: The Giant Floating Head of Lee Compels You

Cover of Strange Spécial Origines (French comics reprint magazine) #136 (April 5, 1981),

Stan Lee Saturdays #13: I shot Stan Lee, but I did not shoot the Punisher

Panel from Fred Hembeck Destroys the Marvel Universe one-shot (July 1989), script and pencils by Fred Hembeck, inks by Joe Staton, colors by Gregory Wright, letters by Rick Parker

Stan Lee Saturdays #12: Who They Are and How They Came to Be

Splash page from "The Real Origin of the Avengers!" in Avengers Classic #1 (August 2007), script by Stan Lee, pencils and inks by Kevin Maguire, colors by Chris Sotomayor, letters by Rus Wooton