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, May 10: Happy birthday, Bono!

This is a much-expanded and -updated version of a post originally published October 06, 2011.

Born on this day: rock singer/songwriter, frontman of U2 (the band, not the submarine), and activist Bono (pictured here with Chico Marx).


from Justice (1986 series) #20 (Marvel/New Universe, June 1988), script by Peter David, pencils by Lee Weeks, inks by Mike Gustovich, colors by Janet Jackson, letters by Agustin Mas
Bono because famous in the Marvel Universe for being one of the archenemies of the She-Hulk!


from The Sensational She-Hulk (1989 series) #24 (Marvel, February 1991), script by Simon Furman, pencils by Bryan Hitch, inks by John Beatty, colors by Glynis Oliver, letters by Jim Novak
Bono and his band of lyrical leprechauns is available for all your party, christening, or bar mitzvah occasions!


from Penguin: Pain & Prejudice #1 (DC, December 2011), script by Gregg Hurwitz, pencils and inks by Szymon Kudranski, color by John Kalisz, letters by Rob Leigh
Well, we all know who Mr. One-Name is, right? Then your assignment...should you choose to accept it...describe in the comments who you think was in the photo with him and what they were doing. (Keep it clean and funny, folks!) Even better yet...Photoshop your own copy of the snapshot. (I can't stress that "keep it clean" bit too strongly here.)

Hotter-than-98.6 degrees Bully pal Aaron Fever provided us with this suggestion:


Me, I think I've figured out why a certain band from Athens, Georgia broke up:


Happy birthday, Bono, you nut, you crazy guy, you!


from "Web-Singers" in Toyfare #57 (Wizard, May 2002), by Pat McCallum, Tom Root, Zach Oat and Justin Aclin

Today in Comics History, May 8: Happy birthday, Moebius!

Born on this day in 1938: French writer and artist Jean Giraud, better known to the world as Moebius, one of the greatest twentieth-century names in comics and co-creator of Blueberry and The Incal.


from The Art of Moebius (Marvel/Epic, 1989)
Does Moebius exist within the Marvel Universe? You bet your doux bippée he does — and he loves palling around with Doctor Strange!



from Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #9 (Marvel, November 1989), script by Roy Thomas and Dann Thomas, pencils and inks by Butch Guice
Reminder: do not get Moebius mixed up with Michael Morbius!


from "These Boots Were Made for Daywalkin'!" in Toyfare #88 (Wizard, October 2004), by Pat McCallum, Tom Root, Zach Oat and Justin Aclin
Now here's Morbius. By Moebius!


cover of Marvel Tales (1966 series) #253 (Marvel, September 1991), pencils by Moebius, inks by Sylvain Despretz
Special thanks and a neck-bitten No-Bull Prize to pal Rob London for bringin' this cover to my attention!
Just remember: this is not the genuine Moebius towering over Dan Dare here like some great...towering thing.


from "The Doomsday Machine, Part 7" in 2000 AD prog 85 (IPC, 7 October 1978), script Nick Landau and Roy Preston, pencils and inks by Dave Gibbons, letters by Peter Knight
Bon anniversaire, M. Moebius!


from Marvel Age #119 (Marvel, December 1992)

A Month of... Board Games! Day 12: With some white Play-Doh and a black marker, any game can be the Twisted Toyfare Theatre game

Yes, it's the board game of the only decent thing Wizard magazine ever did*: Twisted Toyfare Theater!

Left: "Twisted Toyfair Theatre: The Board Game" in Twisted Toyfair Theatre v.7 (2006); art by Ryan Dunleavy
(Click picture to Robot Chicken-size)

Remember: do not attempt to play this game without having an advanced degree in Mego-ography!

*Well, that and Witchblade #500.

A Month of... Pancakes! Day 27: Trading Pancakes

Panels from "Twisted Toyfare Theatre: Up and Adamantium" in Toyfare #106 (June 2006
Yes, Twisted Toyfare Theatre: the fumetti strip that couldn't figure out how to end a sequential gag on the final panel of the page.

366 Days with J. Jonah Jameson, Day 63: I honestly and without irony admit I do miss Toyfare

Panels from "Twisted Toyfare Theatre: Walk Like a Man-Wolf" in Toyfare #104 (April 2006); by Pat McCallum, Zach Oat, and Justin Aclin; with Jon Gutierrez, Andrew Kardon, and Chris Ward

365 Days of Star Wars Comics, Day 337: Jedis are jerks

Panels from "Twisted Toyfare Theatre: Sith Sandwich" in Toyfare #98 (October 2005), by Pat McCallum, Zach Oat, and Justin Aclin; with Jon Gutierrez, Andrew Kardon, and Chris Ward

Today in Comics History, May 16, 2002: Toyfare predicts a better movie than what we actually got

from "Mr. Spidey Goes to Coruscant" in Toyfare #26 (Wizard, October 1999), by Pat McCollum, Tom Root, and Douglas Goldstein

Comics Within Comics Month, Day 16: And there was never any urban poverty, ever again

Panels from "Twisted ToyFare Theatre: Twenty, Twenty, 24 Hours to Go" in ToyFare #70 (June 2000)



Cover of The Falcon #4 (February 1984), pencils by Mark Bright, inks by Joe Rubinstein


Why yes. Yes, it is.



Panels from The Falcon #4 (February 1984), script by Christopher Priest (as Jim Owsley), pencils by Mark Bright, inks by Mike Gustovich, colors by Steve Mellor, letters by Clem Robins

Fake Ads Are Fun, Day 3: Batteries sold separately

Top: from Twisted Toyfare Theatre #3 (July 2003)
Bottom: from Twisted Toyfare Theatre #5 (April 2005)

(Click picture to ad-ercize)

Today in Comics History, Passover: A Very Ben Grimm Passover Special

The Thing and all his Jewish pals want to wish you a happy, joyful, and clobberin' Passover!



"Twisted Toyfare Theatre" from Toyfare #94 (June 2005)