Today in Comics History, August 22: Happy birthday, Kevin O'Neill!

A very happy birthday — and we wish he were here to celebrate it with us — to Kevin O'Neill, born on this day in 1953 and passed away late last year. He's written, drawn, and colored stories in 2000 AD, Toxic, Buster, Green Lantern (the infamous back-up story that resulted in him being banned by the Comics Code Authority from ever drawing a Code-approved story every again) and more! And he's the co-creator of Nemesis the Warlock, Ro-Busters, Metalzoic, Marshal Law and,...you know where I'm going with this...one of the early twenty-first century's most important comics, his collabpration with Alan Moore on several series of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. In the pentiumtulare series Ctury, he provided portraits of Moore and himself throughgout the titular century:


"Rogues in the Gallery" from The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Century: Century: 1910 (Top Shelf/Knockabout, April 2009), pencils by Kevin O'Neill

Today in Comics History, August 22: Happy birthday, Melville E. Stone!

Born on this day in 1848: eminent newspaperman and publisher Melville Elijah Stone, founder of the Chicago Daily News and the general manager of the Associated Press. Also, judging by his name, he was probably the editor of Fred Flintstone's favorite reading material, the Bedrock News-Slab.


"Headline Heroes" from Big Town #9 (DC/National, September 1951); script, pencils, inks, and letters by Mort Drucker
Congratulations on your career, your birthday, and on being drawn by Mort Drucker, Melville Stone!

Today in Comics History, August 22: Happy birthday, Bob Brown!

Born on this date in 1915: Bob Brown, who drew Tomahawk, Tales of the Unexpected, Challengers of the Unknown, Superboy, Detective Comics, Action Comics, Daredevil, The Avengers, and many more)! He's also the co-creator of Talia al Ghul, Beast Boy, Rawhide Kid, Silver Samurai, Space Ranger and others (like district attorney Blake Tower)! Please ignore the "24" on this calendar panel: he was born on August 22.


from Marvel Comics Memory Album 1977 (Marvel, 1976)
Sadly, Bob doesn't seem ti have appear in any comics as himself, but here's a touching obituary for him and fellow creators Edmond Hamilton and John Rosenburger.


from DC Comics cover-dated August 1977, text by Mike Gold
A very happy birthday to you, Bob.

Today in Comics History, August 22, 1939: No one's made him dinner since Dorothy got swept away in that cyclone

from The Last Mechanical Monster (October 2022, Abrams Comicarts), by Brian Fies

Today in Comics History, August 22: Happy birthday, Anna-Maria Cool!

Born on this day: Anna-Maria Cool (second from left below), artist on Marvel's Barbie and Barbie Fashion comics of the 1990s, which Marvel foolishly didn't re-release this year (dumbasses! Not you, Anna-Maria!).


from Marvel Age #136 (Marvel, May 1994)
Happy birthday, Anna-Maria! Hope you got to see that movie this summer. You know the one I mean.

Today in Comics History, August 22, 2010: Moloch, mo' problems

from "Troublemaker, Part Three: ...Into the Inferno" in Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom (2010 series) #3 (Dark Horse, October 2010), script by Jim Shooter, pencils and inks by Roger Robinson, colors by Wes Dzioba, letters by Blambot!

Today in Comics History, August 21, 2010, 6:20 AM: This is the most genteel Saw sequel yet

from Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom (2010 series) #2 (Dark Horse, September 2010), script by Jim Shooter, pencils and inks by Roger Robinson, colors by Wes Dzioba, letters by Blambot!
6:20 AM on a Saturday morning? Time to get up for cereal and cartoons!

Today in Comics History, August 23, 2010, 12:41 AM: With great power comes the great ability to channel surf

from Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom (2010 series) #3 (Dark Horse, October 2010), script by Jim Shooter, pencils and inks by Roger Robinson, colors by Wes Dzioba, letters by Blambot!

Today in Comics History, August 20, 2010: Yellowjacket, no!

from "Troublemaker, Part Two: Out of the Frying Pan..." in Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom (2010 series) #2 (Dark Horse, September 2010), script by Jim Shooter, pencils and inks by Roger Robinson, colors by Wes Dzioba, letters by Blambot!

Today in Comics History, August 20: Happy birthday, Robert Plant!

Happy birthday today to Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin (and a strong and successful solo career as well)! Did you ever think you'd appear in a comic book, Robert? Well, here he is, with Zeppelin drummer John Bonham on the right. Drawn by Bill Sienkiewicz, at that!


from Moon Knight (1980 series) #26 (Marvel, December 1982), script by Doug Moench, pencils and inks by Bill Sienkiewicz, colors by Christie Scheele, letters by Joe Rosen
What? Sienkiewicz isn't amazing enough for ya? how about Mike Allred?!?


from Red Rocket 7 #4 (Dark Horse, November 1997); script, pencils, and inks (and letters?) by Mike Allred; color sand color separations by Laura Allred
Happy birthday, Robert!

Today in Comics History, August 20, 1941: Criminals are simply bush league

from "Special Agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation" in True Comics #41 (Parents' Institute Press, December 1944), creators uncredited and unknown

Today in Comics History, August 20: Happy birthday, Jeff Johnson!

Born on this day: comic book artist Jeff Johnson (Way of the Rat, Wonder Man, Detecrtive Comics, Green Lantern, Amazing Spider-Man, Weapon X, and more)!


from CrossGen Comics cover-dated June 2003

Today in Comics History, August 20, 2010: Happily, a crowded candy store is spared the brunt of a superhero brawl

from "Troublemaker, Part One: Lust and Leviathan" in Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom (2010 series) #1 (Dark Horse, July 2010); script by Jim Shooter; pencils, inks, and colors by Dennis Calero; letters by Nate Piekos

Today in Comics History, August 20, 1672: Based on the novel The Blue Tulip

from Classics Illustrated #73 [The Black Tulip] (Gilberton, July 1950), script by Ken Fitch, pencils and inks by Alex Blum

Today in Comics History, August 20: Happy birthday, Jacqueline Susann!

Born on this day in 1918: novelist Jacqueline Susann, author of books like Valley of the Dolls, The Love Machine, Once Is Not Enough, and other novels that truly put her at the forefront of twentieth-century literature as one of the giants.




from "Valley of the Dollars" in MAD #121 (September 1968), script by Larry Siegel, pencils and inks by Mort Drucker
Happy birthday, Jacqueline! Hang on, I'll throw away all those Tic-Tacs you dropped.


from Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (Paramount, 1986), directed by Leonard Nimoy

Today in Comics History, August 17: Happy birthday, Rachel Pollack!

Towards the middle of 1992, as Grant Morrison began to wind down their groundbreaking run on Doom Patrol, a curious set of missives began to appear on its letters page:



from letter columns in Doom Patrol (1987 series) #57 and 60 (DC, July and October 1992)

Today in Comics History, August 17: Happy birthday, Jonathan Franzen!

Born on this day: award-winning novelist and essayist Jonathan Franzen, author of The Corrections, Freedom, Crossroads, and more. He's also written essays published in The Best American Comics Criticism and The Complete Peanuts!


from The Complete Peanuts v.4: 1957-1958 (Fantagraphics, September 2005
So a very happy birthday to ya, Jonathan!


"Jonathan Franzen Says No" in Baking with Kafka (D+Q, October 2017), by Tom Gauld

Today in Comics History, August 15, 2010: A police report not involving touching fentanyl? That is unusual!

from "Fallout" in Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom/Magnus, Robot Fighter FCBD 2010 one-shot (Dark Horse, May 2010), script by Jim Shooter, pencils and inks by Dennis Calero, colors by Dennis Calero, letters by Blambot

Today in Comics History, August 15, 1899: "...Also, anti-Semitism."

from "The Automobile Industry" in True Comics #65 (Parents Magazine Press, October 1947), creators uncredited and unknown

Today in Comics History, August 15, 1968: This is the nicest posting to the 'Nam I've ever seen

from "The Village War" in Semper Fi #2 (Marvel, January 1989), script by Michael P. Palladino, pencils by Andy Kubert, inks by John Severin, colors by Steve Mellor

Today in Comics History, August 15, 1958: Sam Beckett buys cheap beer with his new fake ID

from Quantum Leap #4 (Innovation, April 1992), script by Steven Dorfman, illustrated by Mark Jones and Andy Price, colors by Scott Rockwell, letters by Vickie Williams

Today in Comics History, August 15: Happy birthday, Kingpin!

Born on this day: the bouncing baby boy (23 pounds 8 ounces) who would grow up to become the Kingpin, Wilson Fisk! How old is he? Well, until somebody cuts him in half and counts the rings, he's not telling.


from Marvel Age #104 (Marvel, September 1991), text by Chris Eliopoulis and Barry Dutter, pencils and inks by Ron Zalme; colors by Renee Witterstaetter
There's no actual canon source within a comics story to assign this date, but the Marvel Age Calendar assigns this date, so until there's a scene in Daredevil where Fisk is blowing out candles, let's celebrate today with lots of cake! Happy birthday, big guy!

13,500.

Today in Comics History, August 15, 1933: Map company outsources to abstract artist

from "The Blizzard, Chapter Six: Lighting the Fire" in Image! 30th Anniversary Anthology #6 (Image, October 2022); script by Geoff Johns; pencils, inks, and colors by Andrea Mutti, letters by Rob Leigh

Today in Comics History, August 14, 1945: Small voice from the East: "I don't like it very much!"

from Real Life Comics #29 (Pines, March 1946), creators uncredited and unknown

Today in Comics History, August 14, 1942: "Dear Elliott. How are you? I am fine."

house ad from True Aviation Comics Digest #1 (Parents' Magazine Press, 1942)

Today in Comics History, August 14, 1949: Oh no!

from Top 10: the Forty-Niners (DC/America's Best Comics, October 2005), script by Alan Moore, pencils and inks by Gene Ha, colors by Art Lyon, letters by Todd Klein
OH NO!!!


Oh! Whew.

Today in Comics History, August 14, 1945: "Better place" not available in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, Central and South America, or American South

from DC: Mech #1 (DC, September 2022), script by Kenny Porter, pencils and inks by Baldemar Rivas, colors by Mike Spicer, letters by Tom Napolitano

Today in Comics History, August 14: Happy birthday, Jimmy Palmiotti!

Born on this date: Jimmy Palmiotti, screenwriter/comic book writer/artist (Daredevil, Harley Quinn, Power Girl, Jonah Hex, All-Star Western, The Pro, Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters, Rage, and even more), co-creator of Painkiller Jane, and co-founder of Event Comics & Marvel Knights!



from (top) New West #1 (Black Bull, March 2005);
(bottom) Marvel Age #112 (Marvel, May 1992)

Today in Comics History, August 14, 1756: Blue Man Group conquers upstate New York

from "The Story of the French and Indian War" in Comic Cavalcade #10 (DC/Gainlee Publishing, Spring 1945), script by M. C. Gaines and W. W. D. Sones, pencils and inks by Allen Simon

Today in Comics History, August 14: Happy birthday, Cardew Robinson!

Born on this day in 1917: British music hall comedian and movie/TV actor Cardew Robinson! And yes, he had his own comic strip in the UK's Radio Fun (after all, that's why he gets a birthday post)!


"The Cad of St. Fanny's" in Radio Fun #1039 (Amalgamated UK, 6 September 1958), creators uncredited and unknown
Happy birthday, Cardew!

Today in Comics History, August 14, 2010: And I bring you 🎵 ENERGY 🎵

from "Fallout" in Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom/Magnus, Robot Fighter FCBD 2010 one-shot (Dark Horse, May 2010), script by Jim Shooter, pencils and inks by Dennis Calero, colors by Dennis Calero, letters by Blambot

Today in Comics History, August 13, 2010, 11:14 PM: And that's how Jim Shooter makes a superhero

And then what happens?


The New Yorker cartoon, by Sydney Harris
Well whaddaya know.


from "Solar Rise, Part Four: Self-Made Man" and in Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom (2010 series) #8 (Dark Horse, September 2011); script by Jim Shooter; pencils, inks, and colors by Agustin Alessio; letters by Nate Piekos

Today in Comics History, August 13, 2010, 11:10 PM: Nothing can possiblie go worng

from "Solar Rise, Part One: Saboteur" and "Part Two: Scared to Death" in Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom (2010 series) #5-6 (Dark Horse, February-March 2011); script by Jim Shooter; pencils, inks, and colors by Agustin Alessio; letters by Nate Piekos

Today in Comics History, August 13, 2010, 11:09 PM: Dr. Solar and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Night

It begins here! And, because it's comic books, never, ever ends.


from "Solar Rise, Part One: Saboteur" in Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom (2010 series) #5 (Dark Horse, February 2011); script by Jim Shooter; pencils, inks, and colors by Agustin Alessio; letters by Nate Piekos

Today in Comics History, August 13, 1521: Comic book gets tired of being a comic book

from "The Stories of the Aztecs and the Incas" in Sensation Comics #37 (DC/J.R. Publishing, January 1945), script by W. W. D. Sones and M. C. Gaines, pencils and inks by Allen Simon