Today in Comics History, March 21: Happy birthday, Al Williamson!

Born on this day in 1931: Al Williamson, comics artist on the Flash Gordon and Secret Agent X-9 strips, EC's Valor, Weird Science and Weird Fantasy, Warren's Creepy and Eerie, the Star Wars comic strip and book, and the proverbial many, many more!


text page from Crime SuspenStories (1950 series) #17 (EC, June 1953)

Today in Comics History, October 24: Happy birthday, Al Feldstein!

Born on this day in 1925: comic book writer, editor, artist and cover designer Al Feldstein (Haunt of Fear, Crime SuspenStories, Tales from the Crypt, Vault of Horror, Shock SuspenStories, Weird Science, Weird Fantasy, Weird Science-Fantasy, and many more) and executive editor of MAD magazine from 1956 to 1985. As the kid standing before the poster of superheroes said, wow!


from Crime SuspenStories (1950 series) #10 (EC, April 1952), text by Al Feldstein (signed as Wm. M. Gaines)

Today in Comics History, October 14: Happy birthday, Bob Oksner!

Born on this day in 1916: Bob Oksner, comic book scripter, penciller, and inker on hundreds of books like The Adventures of Jerry Lewis, Leave It to Binky, Marvel Mystery Comics, Action Comics, Superman, The Adventures of Bob Hope, The Adventures of Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis, Sergeant Bilko, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl and many, many more!


from DC Comics cover-dated November 1962
Award-winning artist? You betcha!


from DC house ad from DC Comics cover-dated November 1971, letters by Gaspar Saladino
Olypmics judge Bob Oksner awards Superman a 9.7 on his dive, and the judges agree...hey, what's the big deal, Julie Schwartz?!?


from DC Comics Presents #81 (DC, May 1985), plot and pencils by Keith Giffen, dialogue by Robert Loren Fleming, inks by Bob Oksner, colors by Anthony Tollin, letters by Bill Pearson
Happy birthday, Bob!

Today in Comics History, September 23, 1999: Stan Lee sneaks into J. Jonah Jameson's office and remakes the front page

house ad from Marvel Comics cover-dated December 1999

Today in Comics History, October 27, 1987: You'd better get out of Pittsburgh while you can, folks

house ad in "Bullpen Bulletins" from Marvel/New Universe comics dated January 1988

Today in Comics History, June 20, 2012: The only happy marriage left in the Marvel Universe

house ad for Astonishing X-Men (2004 series) #51 (Marvel, August 2012), pencils and inks by Dustin Weaver, colors by Rachelle Rosenberg

Hulk smash puny Billy Mays!

Who needs product spokespersons like Vince "Shamwow" Offer, Tony "Tanqueray" SInclair, George "Grill" Foreman or Sally "Would you like to earn more money? Sure, we all would!" Strothers when you've got the entire stable of Marvel's superheroes (and villains) at your command to shill your Marvel-encrusted products? Just imagine: Iron Man for Stan Lee's Marvel Vermouth! Dr. Strange for the Amazing Marvel Saw-Flo-Steinberg-in-Half Set! Howard the Duck for Uncle Joey Q's Deep Fried Duck Wings? Or maybe...Professor X...for t-shirts?!?:


house ad from Marvel Comics cover-dated September 1965)