Bully Says: Comics Oughta Be Fun!

Friday, May 06, 2022

Today in Comics History, May 6, 1896: I'm learning to fly / But I ain't got wings / Coming down / Is the hardest thing

'Mr. Watson, com e here, I need you.' 'I can't here you! You're talking to me on a kite!'

"Amazing Men of Aviation" in Amazing Man Comics #12 (Centaur, May 1940); text, pencils, and inks by Joseph A. Kaliff
Yes, Amazing Man Comics #12! The one where Billy Batson kills a bull by saying SHAZAM!

'WHAT THE HEY I JUST CAME OVER HERE TO SHARE MY COOKIES

'WHAT THE HEY I JUST CAME OVER HERE TO SHARE MY COOKIES

from "Aman the Amazing-Man" in Amazing Man Comics #12; script by A. L. Kirby, pencils and inks by Louis Glanzman and Sam Glanzman as Sam Decker
I hate you, Billy Batson.

Today in Comics History, May 6, 1972: You think time runs slowly in the Marvel Universe? Try being in Vietnam.

'Looks liek your tank oil is burnin' a little rich there, Ed.'

'Look, the giant coffee beans are already here!'

In the jungle behind them, an ape hangs his head in shame.

from The 'Nam #79 (top), 80 (middle), and 83 (bottom) (Marvel, April, May, and August 1993), script by Don Lomax, pencils and inks by Wayne Vansant, colors by John Kalisz, letters by Phil Felix

Today in Comics History, May 6, 1626: White man behavior in America gets off to a predictable start

And what's more, they paid for them with apes.

from "Historical Almanac" in Real Fact Comics #21 (DC, July 1949), pencils and inks by Joe Kubert

Thursday, May 05, 2022

Today in Comics History, May 5: Happy birthday, John B. Stetson!

Born on this day in 1830: American hat manufacturer, inventor of the ubiquitous wide-brimmed hat worn by cowboys on the range, in movies and TV, and yes, in comics: John B. Stetson!

Before the invention of the Stetson, men just wore rocks on their heads, and they liked it that way.

Before the invention of the Stetson, men just wore rocks on their heads, and they liked it that way.

from "Billy Brand" in from World's Finest Comics #18 (DC, Summer 1945), creators uncredited and unknownS
Happy Birthday, pardner! I tip my little stuffed ten-fluid-ounce hat to you!

Wow, his face is more shiny than Mr. Benedict Shiny of Shinytown.

Wow, his face is more shiny than Mr. Benedict Shiny of Shinytown.

'Drink heartily, old timer.' 'Neighhhh!I ordered it with a little umbrella in it!'

from "Along the Trail" in Tim McCoy (1948 series) #18 (Charlton, February 1949); script, pencils, inks, and letters by Mario DeMarco
It's true! Many a cowboy has been saved by throwing a hat at a bull! We will stop and say "Oh, thank you!" and saunter away, proudly wearing our new hats.

Not if we see you first, and we will, with that GIANT-ASS HAT.

Not if we see you first, and we will, with that GIANT-ASS HAT.

"Don't Touch My Hat" by Lyle Lovett (Curb/MCA, 1996), written by Lyle Lovett
Well, heck, now I'm hungry for Arby's.

Today in Comics History, May 5, 1885: San Franciscans marvel at the invention of Rice-a-Roni

'Where'd ya get it?' 'I won a year's supply on Match Game '85!'

from Two-Gun Kid: Sunset Riders #1 (Marvel, November 1995), script by Fabian Nicieza, pencils by Christian Gorney, inks by Michael Halblieb, colors by Marie Javins, letters by Richard Starkings

Television advertisement for Rice-a-Roni (1962)

Today in Comics History, May 5, 1945: Now is the Winter Soldier of our discontent

Following his near-death in the rocket explosion that put Captain America on ice, Bucky's comatose body is retrieved and arrives in the Soviet Union.

'But I was playing poker with Uncle Ben and Gwen Stacy!'

'But I was playing poker with Uncle Ben and Gwen Stacy!'

from Captain America (2005 series) #11 (Marvel, November 2005), script by Ed Brubaker, pencils and inks by Steve Epting, additional inks by Mike Perkins, colors by Frank D'Armata, letters by Randolph Gentile
This right fits in with Mark Gruenwald's suggested canon that Baron Zemo's rocket launch and Captain America's disappearence happened on May 2, 1945. (As seen here.)

Duck, Cap! Those speech balloons are coming right for you!

Duck, Cap! Those speech balloons are coming right for you!

from Captain America (1968 series) #332 (Marvel, August 1987), script by Mark Gruenwald, pencils by Tom Morgan, inks by Bob McLeod, colors by Ken Feduniewicz, letters by Diana Albers

Today in Comics History, May 5, Cinco de Mayo: Happy Batto de Mayo!

Here's possibly the greatest English-language Cinco de Mayo comic book story – perhaps one of the very few? It's a time for celebration...

'Bruce, you just can't put 'batarang' on the board.' 'It's a word.' 'It's a registered trademark!'

'Bruce, you just can't put 'batarang' on the board.' 'It's a word.' 'It's a registered trademark!'

...or, and bear with my on the one...soon to be the BEST Cinco de Mayor ever?

from "Cinco De Madness" in Batman: Li'l Gotham #5 (DC, May 2013); co-script, pencils, art, and colors by Dustin Nguyen, co-script by Derek Fridolfs; letters by Saida Temofonte
...for ♥ romance ♥...

'...I'll KILL you, Dick!'

She's got every member of the Birds of Prey under there!

...for puns...

'Note: puns may not be officially codified into the Cinco de Mayo details for celebration.'

...and for tacos!

I make tacos a little bit differently, Bane, so there BETTER be peanut butter in there!

🎶 'How do you handle a hungry luchador?' 🎶

Happy Cinco de Mayo, everybody!

Haw, haw! It's funny because he's an arrogant little brat!

Not Today in Comics History, May 5, Cinco de Mayo: Calendar Man would have never made this crucial error

from The Joker 2021 Annual (DC, January 2022), script by Matthew Rosenberg and James Tynion IV; pencils, inks, and colors by Francesco Francavilla; letters by Tom Napolitano

Today in Comics History, May 5, Cinco de Mayo: ¡Ese Dennis ciertamente es una amenaza!

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, here's some Mexican adventures of Dennis the Menace! Or, as Mexican comic books call him, Daniel el travieso!

They're pretty much exactly the same as American Dennis comics, except they're nacho-flavored.

They're pretty much exactly the same as American Dennis comics, except they're nacho-flavored.

Anyway, the Mitchells, fleeing government agents for what Dennis did to the White House bathroom, have crossed the border and are now in the Mexico that isn't New Mexico...Mexico!

'Back home at Chi'Chi's, I jus' put nacho cheese in their pockets!'

'Back home at Chi'Chi's, I jus' put nacho cheese in their pockets!'

'Now Dennis, you remember we're not allowed inside the church of any organized religion anymore.' 'The Lutherans haven't banned us yet, Henry.'

from Dennis the Menace Giant #8 [Dennis the Menace in Mexico] (Hallden/Fawcett, Winter 1962), script by Fred Toole, pencils and inks by Al Wiseman
Next to Carl Barks, I consider Al Wiseman to be one of the finest draftsman of architecture in humor comics!

'Hey Dad! There's a Mayan priest up here who wants to sacrifice me to the sun! Izzat okay?' 'Well...' 'HENRY!'

'Hey Dad! There's a Mayan priest up here who wants to sacrifice me to the sun! Izzat okay?' 'Well...' 'HENRY!'

Do not fight bulls, Dennis! Be their pal instead!

'Just a guy playing with a cow.': How all of John's relatives describe hjim.

'Upon reaching the center of the ring, the bull slaps ythe matador in the face with a dueling glove and the matador has his choice of weapons. He chooses the long-range rifle.'

And now, the bullfight commences! Not shown: the bull sharpening his pointy, pointy horns.

Oh wow, THESE panels look familiar!

'En vivo desde la Ciudad de México...es Toro Gigante del Sábado!'

¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo, Daniel, Dennis, whatever your name is!

Pancho Vanilla.

Today in Comics History, May 5, 1937: Wolverine gets ready for World War II

'Knives sharpened! Forks re-tined! Spoons re-curved! Onions peeled! Slippers worn! Hamsters thribbled!'

from Doc Savage (1988 series) #19 (DC, May 1990), script by Mike W. Barr, pencils by Rod Whigham, inks by Steve Montano, colors by Anthony Tollin, letters by Bill Oakley

Today in Comics History, May 5, 1910: Courtroom artist is really rushed to finish this one

'Court is now in sessions, the Honorable Wilson Fisk presiding.

from "The Train That Wasn't There!" in Journey into Mystery #27 (Marvel/Atlas, October 1955), pencils and inks by Bob Powell

Today in Comics History, May 5, 1934: Los Angeles Times forgets how to justify text

SOMEbody got a Macintosh Plus for their birthday.

from Queen of Kenosha (Animal Media, October 2018), script by Howard Shapiro, art by Erica Chan

Today in Comics History, May 5: Daily Star licenses Green Arrow® logo from DC Comics

from the aptly titled "Green Arrow Sought for Questioning in Murder" in World's Finest Comics #277 (DC, March 1982), script by Mike W. Barr, pencils by Trevor Von Eeden, inks by Rodin Rodriguez, colors by Tom Ziuko, letters by Phil Felix

Wednesday, May 04, 2022

Today in Comics History, May 4, 1885: First meeting of The League of Extraordinary Heads of State

'Wait! The King of Bullsylvania isn't here yet!' 'He'll be here soon. He stopped off in Chicago for The Great Cookie Exposition of 1885.'

from Two-Gun Kid: Sunset Riders #1 (Marvel, November 1995), script by Fabian Nicieza, pencils by Christian Gorney, inks by Michael Halblieb, colors by Marie Javins, letters by Richard Starkings

Today in Comics History, May 4, 1891: The Adventure of the Little Bull's Blog

'What sort of bush do you suppose that is up on the mountain, Holmes?' 'A lemon tree, my dear Watson.'

from The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen #5 (America's Best Comics, June 2000), script by Alan Moore, pencils and inks by Kevin O'Neill, colors by Benedict Dimagmaliw, letters by Bill Oakley

Today in Comics History, May 4: Happy birthday, Audrey Hepburn!

Born on this day in 1929: Audrey Hepburn, actor (Sabrina, Funny Face, The Nun's Story, Breakfast at Tiffany's, my Fair Lady, Wait Until Dark, Robin and Marian and more) and international humanitarian worker. Also a big crush of this here little stuffed bull.

I hate to interrupt the movie, you guys, but if there's any liverwurst sammiches left, can I have one?

I hate to interrupt the movie, you guys, but if there's any liverwurst sammiches left, can I have one?

from "Charades" in MAD #88 (July 1964), script by Larry Siegel, pencils and inks by Mort Drucker

Sing along!: 'I was born with this unlucky sneeze / And what is worse I came into the world the wrong way round / Pundits all agree that I am the reason why my father fell into the village pond and drowned / Hindus and Chinese, Africans and Portuguese / Everybody worry about my sneeze.'

Sing along!: 'I was born with this unlucky sneeze / And what is worse I came into the world the wrong way round / Pundits all agree that I am the reason why my father fell into the village pond and drowned / Hindus and Chinese, Africans and Portuguese / Everybody worry about my sneeze.'

Not shown: her neck is actually two feet long.

from "007" in MAD #94 (April 1965), script by Frank Jacobs, pencils and inks by Mort Drucker

'You work for the Daily Bugle? What are your views on Spider-Man?' 'He's a threat, but not really a menace.'

'You work for the Daily Bugle? What are your views on Spider-Man?' 'He's a threat, but not really a menace.'

from "Crazy Fists" in MAD #96 (July 1965), script by Dick DeBartolo, pencils and inks by Mort Drucker
Yes, Audrey Hepburn! Ask for her by name. She was an icon then and she's an icon now. Right, Twiggy?

Alas, in the next panel Twiggy turned sideways and Mike Sekowsky had to draw her as a straight line.

Alas, in the next panel Twiggy turned sideways and Mike Sekowsky had to draw her as a straight line.

from Showcase #71 [The Maniaks] (DC, November 1967), script by E. Nelson Bridwell, pencils by Mike Sekowsky, inks by Mike Esposito, letters by Ira Schnapp
So, comic book world, how do you feel about Audrey Hepburn?

Uh, that's a little creepy, Ivan. Maybe you should tone it down in keeping with the rest of the magazine? (looks at rest of magazine) Uh, never mind.

Uh, that's a little creepy, Ivan. Maybe you should tone it down in keeping with the rest of the magazine? (looks at rest of magazine) Uh, never mind.

from "I Love Girls" in Schizo #1 (Fantagraphics, October 1995), by Ivan Brunetti
In conclusion, here's my musical salute to Audrey Hepburn's classic opening scene in Breakfast at Tiffany's, set at one of my favorite Manhattan comic book shops:

Breakfast at Forbidden Planet (2007), directed by and starring Bully
(May take a few seconds to load and start)

Happy birthday, Audrey! XO

Today in Comics History, May 4: Happy birthday, Shaenon K. Garrity!

I'm wishin' a very happy May the Fourth birthday to pal Shaenon K. Garrity, artist, author, and editor (Narbonic, Skin Horse, Smithson, The Dire Days of Willowweep Manor, stories in the Marvel Holiday Specials, and the wonderfully titled Zombie Gnome: A Tiny Terror and The Zombie Gnome Defense Guide: A Complete Reference to Surviving the Tiniest Apocalypse)!

Does Shaenon have a picture of herself in comics, the usual criteria for being in this feature? Not that I know of or have found, no (tho' I've not yet read all she's done). But what she does have is great too: a portrait of me, yours little stuffed truly, that I commissioned last year with a donation to San Francisco's wonderful Cartoon Art Museum (you can join and/or donate here!), where she's volunteered and her husband Andrew Farago (another online pal!) is a curator. Shaenon went above and beyond with this portrait of me and golly, Shaenon, I just love this and the one Andrew drew (which I need to scan and feature soon!), absolutely* to pieces. *Not literally to pieces.

THIS IS SO FREAKIN' WONDERFUL I jus' love it.

THIS IS SO FREAKIN' WONDERFUL I jus' love it.

A very happy birthday to you, Shaenon, and many thanks and much love from this li'l stuffed fan.

Today in Comics History, May 4: Happy birthday, John Broome!

Born on this day in 1913: John Broome, prolific, pioneering comics writer on titles such as Rex the Wonder Dog, All-Star Comics, All-Star Western, Batman and Detective Comics, the Golden Age Flash and Green Lantern, the Silver Age Flash and Green Lantern (both of whom he co-created), Elongated Man stories (also his co-creation), Strange Adventures, Mystery in Space, Captain Marvel Jr., Hopalong Cassidy and others.

More of his co-creations include the Atomic Knight, The Phantom Stranger, Captain Comet, Guy Gardner, Detective Chimp, Per Degaton, Rose and Thorn, Doctor Polaris, and virtually all the early supporting cast and foes of Barry Allen, Hal Jordan, and Ralph Dibny! Truly, John Broome is the Father of the Silver Age! Which was why I was a little bit disappointed to find only one portrayal of him within comic books. But it's talllllll!:

It's the Elongated Panel!

from "The Secret War of the Phantom General" in Detective Comics #343 (September 1965), script by John Broome, pencils by Carmine Infantino, inks by Joe Giella, letters by Ira Schnapp
Happy birthday, John!

Today in Comics History, May 4, 1864: Civil War battle fought with cap pistols

'They're fightin' back, boys! Break out the Super Soakers!'

from "General U.S. Grant" in Real Life Comics #6 (Pines, July 1942), pencils by Maurice Gutwirth

Tuesday, May 03, 2022

Today in Comics History, May 3: Happy birthday, Bill Sienkiewicz!

A very happy birthday today to one of my favorite comic artists...heck, one of my favorite artist artists, the amazing Bill Sienkiewicz!

Aw, who spilled ink all over the New Mutants?

Aw, who spilled ink all over the New Mutants?

from Marvel Age #29, 53, and 89 (Marvel, August 1985, August 1987, and May 1991); text by Jim Salicrup (#29), Mike Carlin (#53) and Chris Eliopoulis and Barry Dutter (#89); pencils and inks by Ron Zalme; colors by Paul Becton (#53) and Renee Witterstaetter (#89)
Bill has pencilled and inked hundreds of comics, including classics like The New Mutants, Moon Knight, Elektra: Assassin, and hey, the finest Pop-Tart adjecent comic book ever published, Stray Toasters!

Just rememberL Bill is the comics guy whose name you should copy and paste rather than trying to spell it out for yourself!

And remember: 'sin-KEV-itch!'

from Amazing Spider-Man (1963 series) #297 (Marvel, February 1988), script by David Michelinie, pencils by Alex Saviuk, inks by Vince Colletta, colors by Janet Jackson, letters by Rick Parker
Happy birthday, Bill!