Wednesday, February 16, 2022

Today in Comics History, February 16, 1942: Wonder Woman scribbles "These guys suck" continuously throughout the entire meeting


from All-Star Squadron #30 (DC, February 1984), script by Roy Thomas, pencils by Mike Machlan and Richard Howell, inks by Sam de la Rosa and Mike Machlan, colors by Gene D'Angelo, letters by David Cody Weiss

Roy helpfully notes at one point that this story is an adaptation of the original tale from All-Star Comics #12. Oh, sure, Roy, easy for you to say! You've got unlimited access to the DC Vault of expensive Golden Age comic books and we don't...oh wait, hey!


from All-Star Comics (1940 series) #12 (DC/All-American, August 1942), script by Gardner Fox, pencils and inks by Jack Burnley

It's pretty much the same story, except hecka more racist. Here's a couple of the actually reprintable panels.


In conclusion, when you have the world's foremost woman warrior on your team, don't just have her take notes and fetch coffee. That's what Black Canary is there for...oh hey! Hey! Stop throwing rocks at me!

Today in Comics History, February 16: Richard Ryder can no longer have babies


from Guardians of the Galaxy (2020 series) #2/164 (Marvel, April 2020), script by Al Ewing, art by Juann Cabal, colors by Federico Blee, letters by Cory Petit

Which of course leads to marital strife between these two. Well, I can see that...huh?!?


from Guardians of the Galaxy (2020 series) #11/173 (Marvel, April 2021), script by Al Ewing, art by Juann Cabal, colors by Federico Blee, letters by Cory Petit

Tuesday, February 15, 2022

Today in Comics History, February 15: Happy birthday, Red Blaik!

Born on this day in 1897: Earl Henry "Red" Blaik, football player, coach, Army officer, and College Football Hall of Fame inductee. No word on whether he ever ate Wheaties, though.


from "Red Blaik" in King Comics #67 (David McKay, November 1941), pencils and inks by [Jack?] Burnley

Happy birthday, Red!

Face It Tiger February, Day 15: "Excuse me, but are those...Romita Jeans?"


from Superman: The Man of Steel #7 (DC, January 1992), script by Louise Simonson, layouts by Jon Bogdanove, finishes by Dennis Janke, colors by Glenn Whitmore, letters by Albert De Guzman

Today in Comics History, February 15, 1937: Robert Crumb decides to change his career to cartooning


from "The Scourge of the South" in Crime Must Pay the Penalty #3 (Ace, August 1948), creators unknown

Monday, February 14, 2022

Today in Comics History, February 14: Super-Deformed Robin Hopes You Had a Great Valentine's Day


Today in Comics History, February 14: I hope that's a magic marker Cass is holding, and not A HUMAN EYE


variant cover art of Batgirls #3 (DC, April 2022), art by Rian Gonzales

Today in Comics History, February 14: Steve and Diana / Sittin' in a tree / Discussing Army cutlery


from "Bittersweet" in DC Love is a Battlefield one-shot (DC, April 2021), script by Crystal Frasier, pencils and inks by Juan Gedeon, colors by Ulises Arreola, letters by Marshall Dillon

Today in Comics History, February 14: Perry and the Wall / Sittin' in a tree / Exchanging secrets military


from "Loose Lips" in DC Love Is a Battlefield one-shot (DC, April 2021), script by Mark Russell, pencils and inks by Nik Virella, colors by Rómulo Fajardo Jr., letters by Wes Abbott

Today in Comics History, February 14, 1866: Another daring robbery by The Gang with Poor Publicity


from "Young Jesse James" in Cowboy Western Comics (1948 series) #17 (Charlton, July 1948), pencils and inks by Tex Blaisdell

Oh, according to the title of the story (always a good place to check), they were robbed by Kid Jesse James. Still, you'd think he could afford a banner or a placard or some SEO or something to keep his name out in front of the easy-robbed public.


What do you rightly think, ma'am?





Today in Comics History, February 14, 1929: Everybody run / A baby's got a gun


from "To My Valentine" from Headline Comics v.2 #11 [23] (Prize, March 1947), script by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby (?), pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Joe Simon (?), letters by Howard Ferguson

He can afford cigars but stiffs the store clerk on a greeting card? Why, that's low-down, dirty and not-so-nice! Also: where the heck do you get a green suit?


Wow, Mob is so easily impressed with Other Mob's cosplay!


HEY KIDS, COMICS! Thanks, Jack Kirby!


They marked the case unsolved? Well, I'm pretty sure it was gangsters.


Let this be a lesson...to you that crime doesn't pay!!


(PS: Crime actually often pays.)

Today in Comics History, February 14: DON'T HITCHHIKE


from "Lady Cop" in Gang Busters #9 (DC, April 1949), script by Phil Evans, pencils and inks by Dan Barry

Face It Tiger February, Day 14: This was a nice moment, but it was in Part 14 of a part 14 story so you might have missed it. I certainly did.


from "Maximum Carnage, Part 14 of 14: The Hatred, the Horror and the Hero: Chapter 1" in Spider-Man: Unlimited (1993 series) #2 (Marvel, August 1993), script by Tom DeFalco, breakdowns by Mark Bagley, finishes by Sam de la Rosa, colors by John Kalisz, letters by Chris Eliopoulos

Today in Comics History, February 14: Well, it was the best Valentine's Day until Mary Jane, out of jealousy, murdered Jill


from Amazing Spider-Man (1999 series) #4 (April 1999), script by Howard Mackie, pencils by John Byrne, inks by Scott Hanna, colors by Gregory Wright, letters by Richard Starkings

Today in Comics History, February 14: Scare Mail

"Previously, on The Haunt of Fear..."


from "Poetic Justice!" in Haunt of Fear #12 (DC, March 1952), co-plot by Bill Gaines, co-plot and script by Al Feldstein, pencils and inks by Graham Ingels, colors by Marie Severin, letters by Jim Wroten

Today: geez, people, don't send poison pen Valentines. (Didja notice I worked in "poison pen" just like the Old Witch would? Except with less cackling.)




Wow. That's NOT NICE. I woulda sent you a nice Valentine, Mr. Elliott, but you're fictional. Anyway, so what happened next certainly can't be as bad as that.


OH COME ON EC COMIC oh wait what did I expect?

So that must be the end of the story because there's surely no way that Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein would throw in another twist ending, right?


Oh my! That certainly is justice, served when it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight!

Today in Comics History, February 14: Happy Hawkiversary, Katar and Shayera Hol!

Married this day on the planet Hawkitania Thanagar: Hawkman and Hawkwoman! They didn't hire a wedding planner, so for all the arrangements of the ceremony and receptions, they had to wing it.


from Super DC Calendar 1976 (DC, December 1975), letters by Ben Oda

The Take-Off Two first appeared in The Brave and the Bold (of which they are both) #34, and unusually for a comic book couple, they've already been married for several years, so no double-sized, frought with danger collectors' item wedding special comic for them! (Barry Allen can tell ya they're best avoided, really.)


from Brave and the Bold #34 (DC, February 1961), script by Gardner Fox, pencils and inks by Joe Kubert, letters by Gaspar Saladino

Just in case you're upset there isn't a wedding in this issue...there is! Who says this isn't the Daring DC Age of Nuptial Necessity?!


And the Hawks lived happily ever after without any Three's Company-style misunderstandings or man-hungry husband-stealing neighbors.


"Say, Shayera, you don't think we'll arouse any suspicion being hidden aliens here on Earth, do you?" "Certainly not with this hu-mon clothing I copied from a book titled Costume and Style of the Edwardian Age, Kator dear!"


Here's a much later comic (altho' still set in a Pre-Crisis era) with the Hawks celebrating Valentine's Day without mentioning that it's their anniversary, but still, it's a good thing that Hawkman didn't buy her a bowling ball for the occasion.


from "Love in the Air" in DC Comics Presents: Hawkman #1 one-shot (DC, September 2004), script by Kurt Busiek, pencils by Walter Simonson, inks by Bob Wiacek, colors by Michael Atiyeh, letters by John Workman

Hey look, it's Man-Stealin' Mavis! This is set before she got her own popular treasury edition, Mavis Trent Commits Adultery with the DC Universe.


Say, Carter, since your first story shows you two already married, how did you and Shiera meet-cute? Let's have a flashback, shall we?


Everybody loves Valentine's Day, right, Commissioner Emmett?...oh. It's hard to put your foot in your mouth with those gigantic talons, but Hawkman managed it.


Then, I dunno, Simonson drew some symbolic doves into the panel; look, I don't write these, I just read 'em.


Ah, sweet khy'tarishk! (That's Thanagar for "l'amour.") As they go on through their married life, we wish all the best to these crazy kids. Here's to many more, Hawkman and Hawkw...whoops, their origin's been retconned in the middle of that sentence.

Today in Comics History, February 14: "You know, a Whitman's Sampler can be deadly if you sample it." "But a Hershey's Kiss can be even deadlier if you eat it."


from Batman: Dark Victory #5 (DC, April 2000), script by Jeph Loeb, pencils and inks by Tim Sale, colors by Gregory Wright, color separation by Heroic Age, letters by Richard Starkings

Sunday, February 13, 2022

Face It Tiger February, Day 13: The Power of Three


from Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows (2015 series) #5 (Marvel, November 2015), script by Dan Slott, pencils by Adam Kubert, inks by Scott Hanna, colors by Justin Ponsor, letters by Joe Caramagna

Today in Comics History, February 13: At this point you can probably just guess the stamps were poisoned or a knife pops out of the envelope or something like that


from "Poetic Justice!" in Haunt of Fear #12 (DC, March 1952), co-plot by Bill Gaines, co-plot and script by Al Feldstein, pencils and inks by Graham Ingels, colors by Marie Severin, letters by Jim Wroten

This is the story that's "gently borrowed from" (and which I made plenty of alt-text jokes about) in Atlas's Adventures into Terror #31. Tune it tomorrow to see the shocking conclusion of this EC version! Arroooo! Wasn't that scary, kids? Even Count Bully was scared, and he doesn't scare easy, let me tell you.

Today in Comics History, February 13: Love Finds Patsy Walker


from "[Valentine's Day]" in Miss America Magazine v.1 #5 (Marvel/Timely, February 1945), pencils by Ken Bald, inks by Dan Barry