Today in Comics History, April 5, 1988: Mysterious phone call more important than Bugs Bunny, so I call no way

from Psi-Force #25 (Marvel/New Universe, November 1988), script by Fabian Nicieza, pencils by Graham Nolan, inks by Mike Witherby, colors by Nel Yomtov, letters by Rick Parker

365 Days of Defiance, Day 95: This sort of scene better be in the movie

Panels from The Legend of Wonder Woman (2015 digital series) #19 (March 2016); script and pencils by Renae De Liz; inks, colors, and letters by Ray Dillon]

Today in Comics History, April 4, 1959 and 1988: Debut, Max Lord of Earth-555

Curiously, April 4 is a quiet day on Earth-616, in the Marvel Universe. On a peaceful day like today, the X-Men play softball, Peter Parker goes out for a lovely picnic with his best girl (Gwen Stacy, Mary Jane Watson, Debra Whitman, Felicia Hardy, Cindy Moon, or any assortment or one or another), and Jarvis continues his spring cleaning.

But April 4 is not a quiet day in the New Universe of Earth-148611, just down the road and outside your window (oh no! someone has stolen your window!) You see, everyone's been caught in The Draft, which is an ill wind that blows nobody any good. And Windy has stormy eyes that flash at the sound of lies! It's her paranormal power ever since the White Event.



from (top) The Draft one-shot (Marvel/New Universe, July 1988), script by Mark Gruenwald and Fabian Nicieza; pencils by Herb Trimpe; inks by Kyle Baker, Mike Gustovich, Klaus Janson, Lee Weeks, and Keith Williams; colors by Michael Higgins; letters by Jim Novak
and (bottom) Psi-Force #23 (Marvel/New Universe, September 1988), script by Fabian Nicieza, pencils by Graham Nolan, inks by Mike Witherby, colors by Nelson Yomtov, letters by Rick Parker
Not to mention that The Pitt (a big hole in the ground where Pittsburgh used to be) is slowly settling into sludge, making it even more difficult to fill with rich delicious My-T-Fine chocolate pudding:


tText page diagram from Justice #24 (Marvel/New Universe, October 1988)
Meanwhile (meaning 29 years previously), in the newer newuniverse (Earth-555, where is where they make all the fictional phone calls to), young Tony Stark is having the best day ever!



from newuniversal #1 (Marvel/New Universe, September 2008), script by Kieron Gillen, pencils and inks by Greg Scott and Kody Chamberlain, colors by Val Staples, letters by Ed Dukeshire
Oh wait. I did that wrong. Worst day ever. Worst day.

(whistles "Iron Man" theme as I walk away)

365 Days of Defiance, Day 94: When Captain America wields his mighty pencil

Hey good people! I'm trying to catch up on this feature, so in the meantime, would it hurt you to do some work on it? No, it would not.

So get out your pen or pencils or crayon or El Marko and help Cap and Bucky fight the Nazi menace! Can you help Captain America save Bucky? Can you help Captain America find the spies in this picture? Can you believe you're actually drawing on your copy of a Golden Age Timely comic? Stimpy, you fool! You've ruined its priceless value!


Panels from "Sentinels of Liberty Secret Club News" in Captain America Comics #6 (Marvel/Timely, September 1941)

Today in Comics History, April 3, 1876: There was too much fighting on the dance floor

Yesterday, Marty McFly and Doc Emmett Brown took off willy-nilly for April 2, 1876. Why, whatever could have gone so horribly wrong to send them to that period of time? What possibly?




from Back to the Future: Citizen Brown #5 (IDW, September 2016), script by Eric Burnham, pencils by Alan Robinson, inks by Alan Robinson and Jaime Castro, colors by Maria Santaolalla, letters by Shawn Lee
Better fix that, guys. Forward into the past!

365 Days of Defiance, Day 93: I think I've got something in my eye...I've just been chopping onions, stop asking me.

Panels from Justice League of America #184 (November 1980), script by Gerry Conway, breakdowns by George Pérez, finishes by Frank McLaughlin, colors by Gene D'Angelo, letters by Ben Oda

365 Days of Defiance, Day 92: One! Two! Three! Four! What are we fighting for!

Oh no! The Fantastic Four have been captured! And Stan 'n' Jack take maybe a little too much pleasure in imagining their terrible fates!


Panels from Fantastic Four (1961 series) #16 (July 1963), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Dick Ayers, colors by Stan Goldberg, letters by Artie Simek
Are they gonna give up? Heck no!


And they do it like this:

Today in Comics History: Wild West Nick Fury is really in a rush somewhere

from Back to the Future: Citizen Brown #5 (IDW, September 2016), script by Eric Burnham, pencils by Alan Robinson, inks by Alan Robinson and Jaime Castro, colors by Maria Santaolalla, letters by Shawn Lee
Say, where are Marty and the Doc (They're Marty and the Doc! Yes, Marty and the Doc! That one's a doc / The other's Michael J. Foc...s.)? We'll find out tomorrow! (Or, if you have a time machine, right now.)

Today in Comics History, April 1, 2X23: Two-fisted drinking is invented

from The Fuse #16 (Image, November 2015), script by Antony Johnston, pencils and inks by Justin Greenwood, colors by Shari Chankhamma, letters by Ryan Ferrier

Bully Eats Food Drinks Soda: Best served in a float with with hot mustard ice cream

Oh boy. Chicken McNugget-flavored Easter soda from Jones Soda Co.!


Aw man, disappointing: it's all dark meat.

Today in Comics History, April 1, 2999: 1990s multiple pouches make a sudden fashion comeback one thousand years later

from Superman Forever one-shot (DC, June 1998), script by Dan Jurgens, pencils by Paul Ryan, inks by Dennis Janke, colors by Glenn Whitmore, color separations by Digital Chameleon, letters by Albert DeGuzman

365 Days of Defiance, Day 91: Events like these are occurring right now on Capitol Hill

...well, maybe not exactly like this, but metaphorically pretty close, because here's Usurper President Benedict Arnold stringing Batgirl and Robin from a gallows and forcing them to solve The Prisoner's Dilemma:


Panels from "The Invader from Hell!" in Batman Family #1 (September-October 1975), script by Elliot S! Maggin, pencils and inks by Mike Grell
To quote another great American statesman, Haw haw! Barbara and Dick have worked together to defeat the deathtrap, both simultaneously sacrificing themselves but saving each other through cooperation. Now that's a team-up!


All your carefully constructed plans are now scrambled eggs, Benedict! And even our mysterious villain — could it be...Satan? (Yes.) — agrees that you can't fight the American Spirit! Especially when the American Spiurit is encased in purple spandex and little green pants.


This is the canonical first Batgirl/Robin team-up. "How did you and Dick meet, Barbara?" "Well, we fought the ghost of American traitor Benedict Arnold, who was brought back to life by Satan wearing a hastily inked g-string." "Ha ha ha ha! No, really, please!" "Um...we met on Tinder."


The Pre-Crisis DC Universe: There's no stopping us now from printing stories about The Devil and Benedict Arnold fighting Batgirl and Robin™.

Today in Comics History, April 1: First appearance, Fake-Ass Mr. Mxyzptlk of Earth-57780

from "There's No Fool Like an April Fool" in Spidey Super Stories #10 (Marvel, July 1975), script by Jean Thomas, pencils by Win Mortimer, inks by Mike Esposito and Tony Mortellaro, letters by Artie Simek

Today in Comics History, March 31, 1959: Dr. Benton Quest has just seen the first Iron Man movie

from newuniversal: 1959 #1 (Marvel/New Universe, September 2008), script by Kieron Gillen, pencils and inks by Greg Scott and Kody Chamberlain, colors by Val Staples, letters by Ed Dukeshire

Today in Comics History, March 31, 1986: Subscribers line up in droves to get cheap issues of Cybernauts

Subscription ad from Marvel Comics cover-dated April 1986

365 Days of Defiance, Day 90: Fight On

Panels from DC: The New Frontier #6 (November 2004); script and pencil by Darwyn Cooke, inks by Darwyn Cooke and J. Bone, colors by Dave Stewart, letters by Jared K. Fletcher

Today in Comics History, March 31, 1988: In the New Universe, weeks become days, and they run in reverse

from The Draft one-shot (Marvel/New Universe, July 1988), script by Mark Gruenwald and Fabian Nicieza; pencils by Herb Trimpe; inks by Kyle Baker, Mike Gustovich, Klaus Janson, Lee Weeks, and Keith Williams; colors by Michael Higgins; letters by Jim Novak
Wait, is it March 31 or two weeks before March 29?!? The world may never know, but this panel would be correct if the caption read March 15 or thereabouts.

365 Days of Defiance, Day 89: You Work for Me

Panels from Dark Reign: The List: Amazing Spider-Man one-shot (January 2010), script by Dan Slott, pencils by Adam Kubert, inks by Mark Morales, colors by Dean White, letters by Joe Caramagna

365 Days of Defiance, Day 88: I thought you could maybe use this today

Panels from The Adventures of Captain America #1 (September 1991); script by Fabian Nicieza; pencils by Kevin Maguire; inks by Joe Rubinstein; colors by Paul Mounts; letters by Richard Starkings
Four issues later...


Panels from The Adventures of Captain America #4 (January 1992); script by Fabian Nicieza; pencils by Kevin Maguire, Steve Carr, and Kevin West; inks by Terry Austin; colors by Paul Mounts; letters by Richard Starkings

365 Days of Defiance, Day 87: Stop Admiring Force

Flash! Ah-uh, no, that's the wrong one. Here's Jay Garrick, the Golden Age Flash, champion of Earth when he and his friends are kidnapped to an alien planet to serve as gladiators in the space-pits!


Panels from "The Planet of Sport" in All-Flash #31 (October-November 1947), script by Robert Kanigher, pencils and inks by Everett E. Hibbard
Say, does the Flash ever, ever, ever, give up?


No! the Flash never, never, never gives up! (Aw, you shoulda guessed that.)


Also you guys: STOP ADMIRING FORCE. That's a great message for today, too. Thanks, Golden Age Flash!

365 Days of Defiance, Day 86: We got a right to start a little fight

Bonanza! The long-running saga of homesteader and patriarch Ben "Adama" Cartwright and his three sons Screwy, Buoy, and Ratatouille, riding the range and setting maps on fire! And I think they have some cows, too. Also: making certain that righteousness and social justice are shotgunned all over the Ollllld West!


Panels from Bonanza (1962 series) #01070-207 (Dell, May-July 1962), script by Gaylord Du Bois, pencils and inks by Tom Gill
A Native American is framed for the attempted murder of a doctor in a hotel room in the Old West, but while everyone from the Sheriff to the Town Drunk™ is eager and ready to hang Charles Red Deer, keen observer of human events and frontier dad Ben Cartwright knows better, and not just about Alpo dog food.


Confronting the rabid lynch mob of the Old West, Ben and sons (Charles Ingalls, Trapper John Sr., and...well, Hoss) immediately spring to the defense of the sixth and fourteenth amendments and especially the very sounds-like-a-case-of-the-Old-West Coffin v. United States, which established the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. In a land of frontier two-gun justice of the Old West, this is as radical a concept as giving a Native American man the same rights as a white man. But Cartwright, as we have seen for fourteen rip-raoring seasons on NBC, is a champion of right and equality. Especially when the Cartwrights get to express those views by pointing their big-ass guns of the Old West.


Cartwright hears the evidence and agrees that Red Deer can be taken into custody as a material witness. he makes the town constable promise to keep Red Deer safe and protected from lynch mobs.


Of course in the very next scene the townspeople form a lynch mob. Geez, the American Constitution just isn't good enough for you people, huh?


YAY DAN BLOCKER personally I would read an entire Silver Age series of Dan Blocker punching a-holes. And then all heck of the Old West breaks out:


The Cartwrights get Red Deer safely away to the Ponderosa (your steak grilled to order and all the baked potatoes you can eat for $7.99) while Ben returns to the scene of the crime of the Old West just in time to catch the true attempted murderer, the son of Dennis Moore (Dennis Moore: galloping through the sward)


So you see, justice on the frontier doesn't always have to end with a rope slung over a tree, thanks to the forward-looking sensibilities and beliefs of the Cartwright family. Ben raised 'em right, to defend the weak, to fight for the people, and to always seek the truth...of the Ollllllllld West.

365 Days of Defiance, Day 85: Just a man with a man's courage

Panels from King: Flash Gordon #3 (April 2015), script by Ben Acker and Ben Blacker, pencils by Lee Ferguson, inks by Lee Ferguson and Marc Deering, colors by Omi Remalante, letters by Simon Bowland