Batman's Great Escapes Month, Day 17: Bullock Says: Batman Oughta Be Fun!

Panels from Detective Comics #651 (Early October 1992), script by Chuck Dixon, pencils by Graham Nolan, inks by Scott Hanna, colors by Glenn Whitmore, letters by John Costanza

Today in Comics History, August 17, 1975: Satana causes a car accident by wearing a skintight bodysuit while hitchhiking, again

from Marvel Premiere #27 [Satana] (Marvel, December 1975), script by Chris Claremont, pencils and inks by "The Tribe" (a group of Filipino artists that included Tony DeZuniga, Yong Montano, and Ernie Chan, among others), letters by Pablo Marcos, colors by Janice Cohen
But say, what day did that fatal story take place, Essential Marvel Horror, Volume 1?


from "Deathsong," re-printed in black-and-white in Essential Marvel Horror v.1 (Marvel, 2006)
Which only goes to prove: this sort of thing happens to Satana at least twice a year.

Today in Comics History, August 16: Punisher farts in court

from Punisher: The Trial of the Punisher #2 (Marvel, December 2013), script by Marc Guggenheim, pencils and inks by Mico Suayan, colors by Sunny Gho, letters by Cory Petit

Batman's Great Escapes Month, Day 16: What's black and yellow and gone when you look twice?

Panel from Batman/Riddler: The Riddle Factory one-shot (1995), script by Matt Wagner, pencils and inks by Dave Taylor, colors by Linda Medley, letters by Bill Oakley

Batman's Great Escapes Month, Day 15: He wasn't even there in the first place!

Panels from Batman #548 (November 1997), script by Doug Moench, pencils by Kelley Jones, inks by John Beatty, colors by Greg Wright, letters by Todd Klein

Today in Comics History, August 15: Everybody thinks it's funny to not tell Matt Murdock that he's walked into the completely wrong courtroom

from Punisher: The Trial of the Punisher #2 (Marvel, December 2013), script by Marc Guggenheim, pencils and inks by Mico Suayan, colors by Sunny Gho, letters by Cory Petit

Today in Comics History, August 14: Joker steals the second "H" from Daryl Hannah's name

from Detective Comics #546 (DC, January 1985), script by Doug Moench, pencils by Gene Colan, inks by Bob Smith, colors by Adrienne Roy, letters by Ben Oda

Batman's Great Escapes Month, Day 14: The day Gotham City was attacked by a giant black pudding

Panels from Batman #530 (May 1996), script by Doug Moench, pencils by Kelley Jones, inks by John Beatty, colors by Greg Wright, color separations by Android Images, letters by Todd Klein

Okay, this made me laugh.

A scene from this month's Red Lanterns Annual:


Panels from Red Lanterns Annual #1 (September 2014), script by Charles Soule, pencils and inks by Miguel Sepulveda, colors by Chris Sotomayor, letters by Dezi Sienty and Taylor Esposito
I will quibble with the fact that this annual continues a story from the regular Red Lanterns series, and is "To Be Continued" in the next issue. (Whatever happened to those done-in-one annuals we had before all the universes re-aligned? Ah well, at least it's not all-reprints.) But I LLOL'd (literally laughed out loud) at the final panel here, which plays on one of the most (in)famous sequences of the early "bwah-ha-ha" Justice League of the...good gravy, has it been that long?...late-eighties, as well as working in a gag that it could only happen in another universe.

If you missed it the first time, or, hey, if you're like me and just wanna see it again, here it is!



Panels from Justice League (1987 series) #5 (September 1987), script by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis, pencils by Kevin Maguire, inks by Al Gordon, colors by Gene D'Angelo, letterers by Bob Lappan
It's always good to see Guy Gardner again, although I don't know who glued G'Nort to his face.

Batman's Great Escapes Month, Day 13: I'm not quite certain why Gordon ever even turns away

Page from Batman and Robin (2011 series) #13 (December 2012), script by Peter J. Tomasi, pencils by Patrick Gleason, inks by Mick Gray, colors by John Kalisz, letters by Carlos M. Mangual

Batman's Great Escapes Month, Day 12: And now, a little something for the ladies

Panel from "Midnight Rustler of Gotham City!" in Detective Comics #449 (July 1975), script by Elliot S! Maggin, pencils by Ernie Chan, inks by José Luis Garcia-López

Today in Comics History, August 12: Well, that'll happen

from Fearless Dawn #3 (Asylum, January 2010); script, pencils, and inks (and letters?) by Steve Mannion; colors by Frank Forte and Steve Mannion

Today in Comics History, August 11, 1973: Walkman remains not yet invented, Peter Quill's mom dies anyway

from "Starlord: First House: Earth!" in Marvel Preview #4 (Marvel, January 1976), script by Steve Englehart, pencils and inks by Steve Gan, letters by Tom Orzechowski

Batman's Great Escapes Month, Day 11: Batman plays a puckish little trick on the man who murdered his ward in the previous issue

Panel from Batman #429 (January 1989), script by Jim Starlin, pencils by Jim Aparo, inks by Mike DeCarlo, colors by Adrienne Roy, letters by John Costanza

Batman's Great Escapes Month, Day 10: Mystery Batman Theater 3000

Panels from "Double-Cross — Fire!" in Detective Comics #424 (June 1972), script by Frank Robbins, pencils by Bob Brown, inks by Dick Giordano

Batman's Great Escapes Month, Day 9: Like father, like son. Think about it.

Panels from Batman #465 (Late July 1991), script by Alan Grant, pencils by Norm Breyfogle, inks by Steve Mitchell, colors by Adrienne Roy, letters by Todd Klein

Batman's Great Escapes Month, Day 8: Batman is a jerk to Robin (again)

Panels from Detective Comics #705 (January 1997), script by Chuck Dixon, pencils by Graham Nolan, inks by David Roach, colors by Gloria Vasquez, letters by John Costanza

How to Recognize Different Characters from the Marvel Universe from Quite a Long Way Away

Batman's Great Escapes Month, Day 7: How can he disappear so fast?! Those ears alone take ten seconds to go around a corner!

Panels from Batman #527 (February 1996), script by Doug Moench, pencils by Kelley Jones, inks by John Beatty, colors by Greg Wright, letters by Todd Klein

Today in Comics History, August 7: Mafia don Salvatore Testa testifies under oath what his favorite Jack Warden TV series is

from Punisher: The Trial of the Punisher #2 (Marvel, December 2013), script by Marc Guggenheim, pencils and inks by Mico Suayan, colors by Sunny Gho, letters by Cory Petit

Today in Comics History, August 7, 1819: Thousands of Jim Morrison fans are inspired by graffiti on Jules Dulot's grave

from Hellboy in Hell #5 (Dark Horse, December 2013); script, pencils, and inks by Mike Mignola, colors by Dave Stewart, letters by Clem Robins

Batman's Great Escapes Month, Day 6: Batman teaches everyone to hide under garbage

Panels from Batman, Inc. (2011 series) #6 (June 2011), script by Grant Morrison, pencils and inks by Chris Burnham, colors by Nathan Fairbairn, letters by Pat Brosseau

Batman's Great Escapes Month, Day 5: Commissioner Gordon sneaks a smoke behind the Batman

Panels from Legends of the Dark Knight (2012 digital series) #74 (November 2013), script by Doug Wagner, pencils and inks by Matthew Dow Smith, colors by Wendy Broome, letters by Saida Temofonte

Batman's Great Escapes Month, Day 4: Batman successfully escapes intimacy

Panels from Batman #644 (Late October 2005), script by Bill Willingham, pencils by Giuseppe Camuncoli, inks by Sandra Hope, colors by Jason Wright, letters by Jared K. Fletcher

Batman's Great Escapes Month, Day 3: I'll show myself out

Panels from Batman #440 (October 1989), script and co-plot by Marv Wolfman, co-plot by George Perez, pencils by Jim Aparo, inks by Mike DeCarlo, colors by Adrienne Roy, letters by John Costanza

Batman's Great Escapes Month, Day 2: Beam me up, Alfred

Panels from Detective Comics #466 (December 1976), script by Len Wein, pencils by Ernie Chan, inks by Vince Colletta

Batman's Great Escapes Month, Day 1: Keep Your Eye on the Batman

As the late great Mr. Sammy Davis Jr. once reminded us, "keep your eye on the sparrow."



But if Sammy Davis Jr. had ever lived in Gotham City...



Okay, okay, point taken. Because Sammy Davis Jr. lived in Gotham City, he ought to have sung "keep your eye on the Batman." Because you know the moment you turn your back, for even just one glance at the rainswept city reflected in a moody noir fashion in your glasses, Batman will disappear on you.


Panel from Detective Comics #476 (March-April 1978), script by Steve Englehart, pencils by Marshall Rogers, inks by Terry Austin, colors by Glynis Wein, letters by Milt Snapinn
What can we take from this? First, Batman does not enjoy long goodbyes. Second, Batman is the World's Greatest Escape Artist, because there's no conversation he can't slip away from surreptitiously.

That's what August is all about. This month, all month, it's a celebration of Batman's Great Escapes, all those times he didn't stick around to hear the parting words of Commissioner Gordon (or, indeed, pretty much anybody else). If you've ever wanted to get out of a phone conversation by shooting the receiver and muttering "boring conversation anyway," take a tip from the Caped Crusader and learn, every day in August, how Batman is here today and gone today!

Top Ten other Avengers NOW changes fans are furious about

• 10. Asian Ant-Man
• 9. Inuit Black Panther
• 8. Native American Rick Jones
• 7. Even more New Universe characters join the Avengers, including Kickers Inc.
• 6. Dr. Druid
• 5. Dead Wolverine
• 4. Plaid Hulk
• 3. The new Mantis is Vietnamese and also a prostitute. Oh wait
• 2. Teen Iron Patriot
• 1. New milk chocolate Jarvis the butler melts in your mouth, not in your hand

Bear Attack! Month 2014, Day 31: I saved the bearst for last

Panels from Teen Titans (1966 series) #8 (March-April 1967), script by Bob Haney, pencils by Irv Novick, inks by Jack Abel, letters by Stan Starkman

Bear Attack! Month 2014, Day 30: 99 Bottles of Bear on the Wall

Panels from "Ursus the Ultra-Bear!" in The Age of the Sentry #2 (November 2008), script by Jeff Parker, pencils by Nick Dragotta, inks by Gary Martin, colors by Val Staples, letters by Dave Lanphear

Today in Comics History, July 29, 1985: First issue of Jim Shooter/Power Man Team-Up premieres

from Swamp Thing (1985 series) #41 (October 1985), script by Alan Moore, pencils by Stephen R. Bissette, inks by Alfredo Alcala, colors by Tatjana Wood, letters by John Costanza

Today in Comics History, July 29, 2009: Ben Grimm had better have a darn good explanation

from Fantastic Four #569 (Marvel, September 2009), plot by Mark Millar, script by Joe Ahearne, pencils by Stuart Immonen, inks by Wade Von Grawbadger and Scott Hanna, colors by Paul Mounts and Dean White, letters by Rus Wooton

Bear Attack! Month 2014, Day 29: Bearcause you demanded it

Showcase! The exciting 1950s DC comic which features the stories you demanded!


"The Story Behind Showcase" from Showcase #1 (March-April 1956), script by Jack Schiff, pencils and inks by Win Mortimer
OKAY THEN SO WHICH ONE OF YOU DEMANDED THIS?!?




Panels from "Runaway Bear" in Showcase #2 (May-June 1956), pencils and inks by Russ Heath

Bear Attack! Month 2014, Day 28: How to Get Ahead in Bearsness

Panels from Harley Quinn (2014 series) #6 (July 2014), script by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti, pencils and inks by Chad Hardin, colors by Alex Sinclair, letters by John J. Hill