Today in Comics History, April 8, 1944: Jim & Al

Jim & Al, folks.


from Invisible Ink: My Mother's Secret Love Affair with a Famous Cartoonist (Fantagraphics, September 2015), by Bill Griffith
Jim & Al. And that's all I gots to say about that.

Today in Comics History, December 31, New Year's Eve: Lois Lane travels back in time to kill Lana Lang

from "Lois Lane's Plot Against Lana Lang" in Lois Lane #50 (DC, July 1964), pencils and inks by Kurt Schaffenberger

Today in Comics History, December 24, 1940 and 1941, Christmas Eve: Exactly what it says on the tin

from Santa Claus vs. the Nazis (Markosia Publishing, November 2016), script by Benjamin Dickson, pencils and inks by Gavin Mitchell, colors by Miroslav Mrva and Owen Watts, letters by Benjamin Dickson
So that was Christmas Eve, 1940. But I know what you really want to see, right?:




So, this Christmas, peace on Earth, and good well to all men.

EXCEPT FOR NAZIS. KILL NAZIS. It's Santa Claus-approved!


Merry Christmas!

Today in Comics History, April 6, 1999: "Um" is fixed*

from Radio: An Illustrated Guide one-shot (WBEZ Alliance, 1999), co-script by Ira Glass; co-script, pencils, inks, and letters by Jessica Abel
*No, seriously. That's exactly what this is.

Today in Comics History, April 5, 1999: Ira Glass chairs a meeting*

from Radio: An Illustrated Guide one-shot (WBEZ Alliance, 1999), co-script by Ira Glass; co-script, pencils, inks, and letters by Jessica Abel
*No, seriously. That's exactly what this is.

Today in Comics History, March 25: Dale found the check

from American Splendor #12 (Harvey Pekar, 1987); script by Harvey Pekar, pencils, inks, and letters by Drew Friedman

Today in Comics History, January 20, 1999: Letter is faxed*

from Radio: An Illustrated Guide one-shot (WBEZ Alliance, 1999), co-script by Ira Glass; co-script, pencils, inks, and letters by Jessica Abel
*No, seriously. That's exactly what this is.

Today in Comics History, January 4, 1999: Staff meeting for This American Life gets off to a roaring start*

from Radio: An Illustrated Guide one-shot (WBEZ Alliance, 1999), co-script by Ira Glass; co-script, pencils, inks, and letters by Jessica Abel
*No, seriously. That's exactly what this is.

The Adventures of Bully: And now, a little stuffed bull on a roll of AstroTurf

365 Days of Defiance, Day 222: The Justice League versus Nazis

from "The Savage Time" on Justice League (November 9, 2002), script by Stan Berkowitz, directed by Butch Lukic and Dan Riba

365 Days of Defiance, Day 213: Batman kicks Nazis*

Batman teaming up with Sgt. Rock may seem like one of those crazy stories from Earth-Haney, but for The Brave and the Bold it's just another ordinary day in the pre-Crisis Age. Yeah, this story probably took place on Earth-2, but what does it matter? Their Nazis deserved kicking too.




Panels from The Brave and the Bold #162 (May 1980), script by Bill Kelley, pencils and inks by Jim Aparo, colors by Gene D'Angelo, letters by Jim Aparo
* Exactly what it says on the tin.

Today in Comics History, June 20, 2015: Blur plays "There's No Other Way"

from "Blurred" in Phonogram: The Immaterial Girl #1 (Image, August 2015); script by Kieron Gillen; pencils, inks, and letters by Clayton Cowles; colors by Kelly Fitzpatrick
See? Told ya.

Hey, here they are again!


"There's No Other Way" by Blur (Food, April 1991); written by Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James, and Dave Rowntree; music video directed by David Balfe
Thanks, Blur! We'll see you next June 20th. Or, next week in the discount bin at FYE.

Countdown to Halloween: Jack Kirby's Monsters! Night Four: It's just a ghost rollercoaster, step right up and get your tickets

ROLLERCOASTER! (SAY WHAT?) OF GHOSTS!


Cover of Tales of Suspense #30 (June 1962), pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Dick Ayers, colors by Stan Goldberg, letters by Artie Simek
Tonight, exactly what it says on the tin, if indeed comic books were made out of tin: it's the Ghost Who Rode a Roller Coaster! Scary, eh, kids?


Splash page from "The Ghost Rode a Roller Coaster!" in Tales of Suspense #30 (June 1962), plot by Stan Lee (?), script by Larry Lieber (?), pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Dick Ayers, colors by Stan Goldberg, letters by Ray Holloway (?)
There's a sucker born every minute in the Marvel Universe, and this guy is gonna cash in on it! Meanwhile, the Flying Zakons try to remember just exactly when it all went wrong.


In the modern post-war world of dangerous thrillride construction, more is better and danger is America's aphrodisiac, or something like that. Just like the ever-growing political tensions of the Cold War age pitted nation against nation in a nuclear race to have a number of bombs that equal at least (X+1) where the other guy's bombs=X, so too must amusement parks constantly up the ante and the kill rate of their dangercoasters! Thus was born the legendary rivalry of Knott's Berry Farms and Six Flags.


Because, yep, a great way to excite your guests is to suffocate them within an inch of their lives. That's why Disneyland inaugurated that infamous ride where, aboard Captain Nemo's submarine Nautilus, hairline cracks in the hull gradually fill up the interior until you are completely submerged under water. Walt called it "Twenty Thousand Leaks Under the Sea." Until the lawyers arrived.


Showing the legendary excellent timing of the afterlife, the Ghost Who Rode a Roller Coaster arrives just in time for the final page. And we heartily applaud his supernatural actions. You go, Girl Ghost!


Play us off, Ohio…er…Players!



Disclaimer: Absolutely no one has actually been murdered during the making of this song, or the making of this comic book. Except some Marvel Bullpen interns, and also Artie Simek.

Ten of a Kind: Cross-Eyed Modesty Blaise

(More Ten of a Kind here.)

Bully Eats Food: One of Everything

365 Days of KirbyTech, Day 6: The Zombie Gorillas of the Tyrannical Count

They're pretty much exactly what it says on the tin: they're Zombie Gorillas.


Cover of The Sandman (1974 series) #3 (July 1975), pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Mike Royer

Video: Wolverine: A Film By Woody Allen

Video: A sheep teaches a young bull to head butt

He walked through walls.

Why yes he did.


Splash panel from "He Walked Through Walls" in Tales to Astonish #26 (December 1961), pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Dick Ayers

5,500.

Today in Comics History, November 2: Catwoman rips the heads of dolls while she is massaged by cats in her underwear

from Batman #407 (May 1987), script by Frank Miller, pencils and inks by David Mazzucchelli, colors by Richmond Lewis, letters by Todd Klein