365 Days of Defiance, Day 120: Robot Ruckus

Panels from Justice League of America #108 (November-December 1973), script by Len Wein, pencils by Dick Dillin, inks by Dick Giordano, colors by Glynis Wein, letters by Ben Oda

Today in Comics History, April 29, 1953: Phil is thoroughly sick of Bob's elephant impression

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 April 29, 1976: Iron Fist is seen off by sentient Brillo Pad

from Iron Fist (1975 series) #6 (Marvel, August 1976), script by Chris Claremont, pencils by John Byrne, inks by Frank Chiaramonte, letters by Karen Mantlo

365 Days of Defiance, Day 119: Snappy Answers to Nazi Questions

Panels from Captain America: The 1940s Newspaper Strip #3 (October 2010); script, figure pencils, and inks by Karl Kesel; background pencils by Rich Ellis; colors by Ben Dimagmaliw; letters by Jared K. Fletcher

365 Days of Defiance, Day 118: Rap Battle from Hell

It's the Sandman and his cool slouch hat against the hell-demon who stole his hell-met. But they're not gonna arm wrestle or play chess or even Gnip-Gnop (funnest game on Earth!)...they have agreed to a battle of words. First off: "Yo' mama so fat..." Oh wait, it's a little more civilized than that.


Panels from The Sandman (1989 series) #4 (April 1989), script by Neil Gaiman, pencils by Sam Kieth, inks by Mike Dringenberg, colors by Robbie Busch, letters by Todd Klein
The purpose of the game is to name something that can destroy whatever the opponent says. Personally, I'm all for using Megaweapon, but Dream and Dreamon Choronzon are playing on a much more intellectual plane.


C'mon, somebody say "your mom" already!


OOH HE CAN'T TAKE IT THERE!


"Oh dear," says Choronzon, "I hadn't thought of that," and promptly vanishes in a puff of logic.

So remember: when you need the most powerful weapon of them all against the forces of hell, use HOPE!


Oh, and the other guy, too.

Fun with Comics: Not Lex Luthor, but an incredible simulation

Even when Lex Luthor doesn't appear iin a Superman comic book, there's some dumb bald criminal "mastermind" vieing to become the Metropolis Ace's deadliest nemesis. This guy is Hugo Renaldo, just an cheap con man and not Luthor, but Kal-El has got to ask himself "Who are all these bald men and why are they trying to destroy me?"


from "The Mad Artist of Metropolis!" in Action Comics (1938 series) #170 (DC/National, July 1952), script by John Broome (?), pencils and inks by Al Plastino
Another bald nogoodnik "I'm Not Luthor" villain (Action #177, less than a year later) is "The General," who uses abandoned Nazi weapons to battle Supes. I imagine Luthor himself would not be above using Nazi weapons, but he probably wouldn't shout about that fact as much as this schmuck.


from "Anti-Superman Weapon" in Action Comics (1938 series) #177 (DC/National, February 19532) script by Edmond Hamilton (?), pencils and inks by Al Plastino
Have you spotted any other non-Lex bald Superman nemeses? Drop a comment!

Today in Comics History, April 27: Look, comics, I don't care what you do in your spare time, but I'm gonna go read Squirrel Girl

from Carnage (2016 series) #6 (Marvel, May 2016), script by Gerry Conway, pencils and inks by Mike Perkins, colors by Andy Troy, letters by Joe Sabino

365 Days of Defiance, Day 117: Well, he said "give it to me!"

Panels from Legion of Super-Heroes #125 (March 2000), script by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, pencils by Angel Unzueta, inks by Jaime Mendoza, colors by Tom McCraw, letters by Comicraft

Fun with Comics: AW GEEZ PERRY, NO

from "Tests of a Warrior!" in Action Comics #200 (DC/National, January 1955), pencils by Wayne Boring, inks by Stan Kaye

Today in Comics History, April 26, 1959: The verdict is given on Ed Wood's Plan Nine from Outer Space

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, April 26: Official debut of that weird-ass font they use for Thor's dialogue

from Carnage (2016 series) #6 (Marvel, May 2016), script by Gerry Conway, pencils and inks by Mike Perkins, colors by Andy Troy, letters by Joe Sabino

365 Days of Defiance, Day 116: Hail NO, Hydra

Panels from Captain America: Hail Hydra #1 (March 2011), script by Jonathan Maberry, pencils and inks by Sergio Cariello, colors by Chris Sotomayor, letters by Joe Caramagna

Today in Comics History, April 26: The Cinga rescues Orson Welles

from Carnage (2016 series) #6 (Marvel, May 2016), script by Gerry Conway, pencils and inks by Mike Perkins, colors by Andy Troy, letters by Joe Sabino

Today in Comics History, April 26, 1953: Really bright background suddenly helps hide rotoscoping of building in foreground

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, April 26: Christopher Cross finally comes up with a title for that song he's been writing

from Carnage (2016 series) #6 (Marvel, May 2016), script by Gerry Conway, pencils and inks by Mike Perkins, colors by Andy Troy, letters by Joe Sabino

365 Days of Defiance, Day 115: I will not eat them, stalk or root. I do not like them, I am Groot.

Panels from Guardians of the Galaxy (2015 series) #16 (March 2017), script by Brian Michael Bendis, pencils and inks by Valerio Schiti, colors by Richard Isanove, letters by Cory Petit, I am Groot.

365 Days of Defiance, Day 114: Revealed: the surprise ending of Secret Empire

Panels from Freedom Fighters (1976 series) #8 (May-June 1977), script by Bob Rozakis, pencils by Dick Ayers, inks by Jack Abel

365 Days of Defiance, Day 113: The blood a hero sire hath spent still nerves a hero son

Page from Captain America (1968 series) #254 (February 1981), co-plot and script by Roger Stern, co-plot and pencils by John Byrne, inks by Josef Rubinstein, colors by Bob Sharen, letters by Joe Rosen

365 Days of Defiance, Day 112: Females are strong as hell / Unbreakable!

Hey, I'm only a little stuffed bull age 6 years and 9 months (which is a very good age and three-quarters to be), but even I know that access to birth control is an essential and important right for women (and hey, for men too) in America today. So to insists the Prez-ident of the United States, Beth Ross, the Commander-in-Chief you and me and everybody in America voted for in 2016. (sob)


Panels from the Prez story "Trigger Warnings" in Catwoman: Election Night one-shot (January 2017), script by Mark Russell, pencils by= Ben Caldwell, inks by Mark Morales, colors by Jeremy Lawson, letters by Travis Lanham
Just to prove that despite having a progressively minded teenage girl in the Oval Office in this wonderful fictional universe, birth control is under attack by the US Senate because we can't have nice things. Nice things like an easy-to-access and fun-to-eat minty birth-control called "Mintopause." Heck, I('m a boy, stuffed, and only six, and I'd eat 'em.


Because a capable Prez can handle more than just one issue on her plate at the same time and yet still only ask for one scoop of ice cream, Beth is also introducing anti-gun violence legislature. Since she can't stop the sales of guns due to modern people somehow needing to have a not actually-that-well-regulated militia, Prez introduces legislation to restrict sales of ammunition. Because it's not people with guns who kill people, it's people with guns + ammunition who kill people! Of course, her proposal is gonna get vetoed by Congress faster than Superman on laundry day. Wait, I forgot to include the word "folded."


But Prez (of course in this wonderful, sweet, fictional universe), has an ace up the sleeve of her sleeveless top. If the sale of and easy access to bullets or any accessory that can be used in the discharge of a firearm (important distinction there) are federally protected by the Constitution, then what shape would you make birth control in?


Later, Prez met the Pope and everybody smiled and had a good meeting.

Today in Comics History, April 21, 19XX: Roy Rogers and Trigger die after being trapped by Black Bart in his crafty wet cement trap

from Dennis the Menace Giant (1958 series) #7 (Hallden/Fawcett, Winter 1959), script by Fred Toole, pencils and inks by Al Wiseman

365 Days of Defiance, Day 111: All this just for Instagram popularity

Splash page from the aptly named "Captain America Battles the Camera Fiend and His Darts of Doom" Captain America Comics (1941 series) #6 (Marvel/Timely, September 1941), script and pencils by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, inks by Joe Simon
Said it before, say it again: ain't no splash page like a Simon/Kirby Cap splashpage.


I'll skip right to the exciting bit: after an entire story spent tracking down chasing down the evil Camera Fiend and his Kodak of Death, Bucky invites Cap to make a class appearance at a school filled with camera nuts! Who do you think will be the villain, huh? Could it be the guy in the green suit? Say, where do you get a green sHEY STOP SHOOTING POISON NEEDLES AT ME!


Luckily, among the kids in the class are Bucky's Sentinels of Liberty (including a guy named, yes, Tubby). Unluckily, among the janitors in the school are the Camera Fiend's Janitors of Injustice! Hey, it's all fun and games until you kids wreck the water heater!


Hey, what word do you think was in this balloon before it was replaced with a hastily re-lettered "mugs?" I like to this it was "whippersnappers."


Once again Jack Kirby throws kids who aren't old enough to vote into the dangerous fray of fighting Nazis and fifth columnists. Geez, Jack, Tubby woulda had a thriving career in the post-war economy as a Duncan Hines frosting taster if you hadn't had killed by the Red Skull in Captain America's Easily Expendable Sentinels of Liberty #16!


But I kids the Sentinels of Liberty. Later on they more or less became the Young Allies, who, as the Wikipedia entry tells us, literally beat up all three major Axis leaders: Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and Hideki Tojo. With erasers! So let Captain America salute those junior justice juys guys, and may we all learn to throw erasers at evil!

Today in Comics History, April 21, 1988: The new Flash is a jerk

from D.P. 7 #23 (Marvel/New Universe, September 1988), script by Mark Gruenwald, pencils by Paul Ryan, inks by Danny Bulanadi, colors by Paul Becton, letters by Janice Chiang

365 Days of Defiance, Day 110: And that's how Kevin Sorbo came to star in a little syndicated action show called Thor: The Legendary Journeys

Panels from Journey into Mystery Annual #1 (July 1965), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Vince Colletta, colors by Stan Goldberg, letters by Sam Rosen

365 Days of Defiance, Day 109: Be the change that you wish to see in the world

Panels from The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl (2015 series) #14 (January 2017), script by Ryan North, pencils and inks by Erica Henderson, colors by Rico Renzi, letters by Travis Lanham and Clayton Cowles

Today in Comics History, April 18, 1946: Girl is hurt because some people are skeptical...those jerks

from "From Film to Life" in Blackstone Master Magician Comics #1 (Vital, March 1946), script by Walter B. Gibson

365 Days of Defiance, Day 108: You inspired my battleship!

Panels from USAvengers #3 (April 2017), script by Al Ewing, pencils by Paco Medina with Carlos Barberi, inks by Juan Vlasco with Carlos Barberi, colors by Jesus Aburtov with Andres Mossa, letters by Joe Caramagna

Today in Comics History, April 18: If it ain't one thing, it's Hulk's mother

from The Incredible Hulk (1968 series) #402 (Marvel, February 1993), script by Peter David, pencils by Jan Duursema, inks by Tom Wegrzyn, colors by Steve Buccellato, letters by Joe Rosen

Today in Comics History, April 17, 1957: Lester gets Betty and Veronica mixed up again

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

365 Days of Defiance, Day 107: Don't Let the Commies Drive the Moon

Panels from Fantastic Four (1961 series) #13 (April 1963), script by Stan Lee, pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Steve Ditko, colors by Stan Goldberg, letters by Artie Simek
Yay, Reed! An excellent treatise on resistance. Hmm, but the Invisible Girl's scaredy-cat attitude in the same panel kind of ruins what should be a really powerful defiant moment. Let's see if we can fix that. Take two, Sue!


Ah! That's much better.

365 Days of Defiance, Day 106 and Today in Comics History, April 16, 1942: Goosio salutes you

Today in Comics Actual History, April 16, 1942!


from "Malta, Stronghold of Courage" in Real Life Comics #11 (Pines, November 1942), creators unknown
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