Here’s the latest installment of Maggie Thompson’s ongoing look at important beginnings, middles and ends, this time for October 28-November 3, 2016...
100 years ago November 3, 1916 Artist Harry Lampert is born. The co-creator of The Flash, cartoonist of Droopy Field Mosquito, and a gag cartoonist founds the Lampert advertising agency.
95 years ago October 29, 1921 Pulitzer Prize-winning political and World War II cartoonist Bill Mauldin is born.
90 years ago November 2, 1926 Howard Post is born. The animator, writer, editor, artist, teacher, and cartoonist is a Golden and Silver Age comic book artist and writer. He creates Anthro for DC, works for Harvey on Spooky and Hot Stuff, and creates the Dropouts comic strip.
80 years ago October 28, 1936 Dagwood Bumstead takes his first nap in the Blondie strip.
80 years ago October 29, 1936 Elzie Segar’s Thimble Theatre introduces Poopdeck Pappy, when Popeye finds his long-missing father.
70 years ago November 2, 1946 The Batman and Robin daily newspaper strip ends.
65 years ago October 30, 1951 Artist-writer P. Craig Russell is born. His work includes adaptations of operas and Oscar Wilde tales in comics format, and he draws “Ramadan” for DC’s Sandman.
55 years ago November 2, 1961 Writer-cartoonist James Thurber dies of pneumonia complications at age 66. He was especially known for his contributions to The New Yorker.
55 years ago November 3, 1961 Artist Tom Grindberg is born. His work includes Batman stories for DC and Spider-Man tales for Marvel.
50 years ago November 3, 1966 Artist Carlos Kastro is born.
40 years ago November 1, 1976 DC’s Direct Currents Hotline begins with a weekly phone message that provides company information.
35 years ago November 2, 1981 Ailing writer-artist-editor Wallace Wood commits suicide at age 54. Best-known for his work for EC, he also pioneers independent comics publishing with his Witzend magazine.
30 years ago November 1, 1986 Voice artist Paul Frees dies of heart failure at age 66. His characters include Boris Badenov.
30 years ago November 3, 1986 Tom Batiuk’s Funky Winkerbean begins a teen pregnancy storyline that runs the weeks of November 3-December 8.
25 years ago November 3, 1991 “A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream” by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess in The Sandman #19 (September 1990) wins the World Fantasy Award for short story. It is disputed whether comics are eligible in the category; in any case, it is the only comics story so far to have won a World Fantasy Award.
15 years ago November 2, 2001 Pixar’s Monsters, Inc. opens in general release. (The premiere was October 28.) It eventually takes in more than $577 million worldwide.
And here are the anniversaries spanning the month of November...
80 years ago November 1936 “Scribbly Gets a Fan” and “Scribbly Gets an Inspiration” introduce Sheldon Mayer’s Scribbly to comics in single pagers. The Funnies #2 is published by Dell. (Scribbly—and Mayer—will end up at DC.)
80 years ago November 1936 The first masked hero in comic books is introduced simultaneously in Funny Pages #6 (the first issue), Inc. and Funny Picture Stories #1, both from Comics Magazine Company, Inc. The Clock is written and drawn by George E. Brenner.
75 years ago November 1941 Hillman introduces a new series with its Air Fighters Comics #1, featuring a variety of, well, air fighters not long before America enters World War II. It’ll be a year before #2, at which point, all the characters in #1 will have been dropped and a new roster introduced. So you don’t have to remember Black Commander, Tex Trainor, Crash Davis, or the rest.
75 years ago November 1941 DC’s More Fun Comics #73 introduces Green Arrow and Speedy (and their Arrowplane) in a story by Mort Weisinger and George Papp. And, hey, Weisinger is busy, because he and Paul Norris introduce Aquaman in the same issue.
75 years ago November 1941 Wait, what? Mort Weisinger is on a roll, here! In DC’s Action Comics #42, he introduces The Vigilante in a story drawn by Mort Meskin.
75 years ago November 1941 World’s Greatest Comics’ Scoop Comics #1 introduces Master Key, Rocketman, and Rocketgirl. Master Key is a wealthy playboy with superpowers (x-ray and flashlight eyes and night vision) who dresses up to fight the bad guys. The Rocket duo wear jetpacks and fly around to fight a different bunch of bad guys. They are not related to the futuristic jetpacked Buck Rogers, introduced to comics more than a decade earlier, nor to the non-jetpacked Bulletman and Bulletgirl, introduced by Fawcett earlier, who fly because of their helmets.
75 years ago November 1941 On the cover of Archie’s Zip Comics #20, Steel Sterling says, “I’m sure proud to welcome you to Zip Comics, Black Jack!” Courteously, his buddy replies, “And I’m proud to be in the book with you.” Aw. The story is drawn by Al Camy.
75 years ago November 1941 Marvel’s USA Comics #2 introduces Captain Terror in “The Fiends of the Seas,” drawn by Mike Suchorsky.
70 years ago November 1946 Marvel’s Terry-Toons Comics #50 introduce magpies Heckle and Jeckle to comic books. They were in the Terrytoons’ “The Talking Magpies” and “The Uninvited Pests” earlier that year.
65 years ago November 1951 Famous Funnies kicks off the series Buster Crabbe featuring him as “your favorite television cowboy star.” (When Lev Gleason eventually takes over the license, it will focus on three genres of stories featuring the star: Western, jungle, and science fiction.)
65 years ago November 1951 Charlton kicks off a long-running series with Hot Rods and Racing Cars #1. It features “Indianapolis 500 Mile Race,” “The Hot Rod Story,” “Sport Cars and Road Races,” “Soap Box Derby,” and “Adventures of Speed Davis and Buster Camshaft.” Not a big collector’s item in the comics world, it focuses on aspects of car collecting and actual racing events and shows up in collections of some automotive fans.
65 years ago November 1951 Those terrible, terrible Beagle Boys! It’s their first appearance, and the Carl Barks tale occurs in Dell’s Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories #134.
65 years ago November 1951 Marvel’s Combat Kelly #1 introduces (right you are!) Combat Kelly. “From the bloody inferno of Korea come the two-fisted exploits of Combat Kelly!”
60 years ago November 1956 “The Hand of Doom!” Eek! The first issue of DC’s House of Secrets sets it up as a Code-approved fantasy anthology title.
60 years ago November 1956 Quality’s Plastic Man #64 is the series’ last issue. It reprints stories from earlier issues.
55 years ago November 1961 Well, here you go. Welcome to the Silver Age, Marvel superheroes! Fantastic Four #1 introduces Human Torch, Invisible Girl, Mr. Fantastic, The Thing, and Mole Man. “The Fantastic Four!” is by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
55 years ago November 1961 Tales Calculated to Drive You Bats #1 is a new humor title with a monster aspect from Archie. Yeah, that title is pretty flagrant, considering that the cover of the first issue of MAD nearly a decade earlier read, “Tales Calculated to drive you Mad.” Which publication will have a longer run?
55 years ago November 1961 Dell’s Thirteen “Going on Eighteen” #1 kicks off John Stanley’s comedy of teens featuring Val, Evie, Billy, and Judy.
50 years ago November 1966 “If any one can show just cause why Barry Allen and Iris West should not be wed, let him now speak or forever hold his peace!” In “One Bridegroom Too Many!” by John Broome, Carmine Infantino, and Joe Giella in DC’s The Flash #165, Barry Allen marries Iris West.
50 years ago November 1966 In Charlton’s Fightin’ Five #40, “Introducing: The Peacemaker” introduces, well, yes, Peacemaker. The story is by Joe Gill and Pat Boyette.
50 years ago November 1966 Charlton’s Captain Atom #83 introduces Ted Kord as Blue Beetle in a story by Steve Ditko and Gary Friedrich.
50 years ago November 1966 Marvel’s Thor #134 introduces not only both High Evolutionary and a bunch of Wundagore stuff but also, in the “Tales of Asgard” back-up, Fafnir. The stories are by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Vince Colletta.
50 years ago November 1966 “It’s a catastrophe for Superman when he’s bewitched by Batman’s feline foe.” (Har!) In Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane #70, Catwoman enters the Silver Age in a story by Leo Dorfman and Kurt Schaffenberger. (By the way, the story features guest cameos by Lady Bird, Linda Bird, and Luci Baines Johnson. Just saying.)
50 years ago November 1966 The T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agent receives his own title, when Tower Comics publishes NoMan #1.
50 years ago November 1966 DC brings Plastic Man into his own Silver Age title with Plastic Man #1. “The Dirty Devices of Dr. Dome” is by Arnold Drake and Gil Kane.
50 years ago November 1966 The Amazing Spider-Man finally lets us look at Mary Jane Watson in #42. “The Birth of a Super-Hero!” is by Stan Lee and John Romita.
45 years ago November 1971 Marvel raises its prices on some comics from 15¢ to 25¢ and page count from 36 to 52. (Spoiler: It doesn’t last. After all, who would pay 25¢ for a comic book?)
45 years ago November 1971 Marvel Spotlight #1 introduces Red Wolf in a story by Gardner Fox, Syd Shores, and Wally Wood.
40 years ago November 1976 Marvel cancels a bunch of titles. Last issues are Amazing Adventures #6, Chamber of Chills #25, Jungle Action #24, Marvel Feature #7, and Skull the Slayer #8.
40 years ago November 1976 It’s “Smashing out of the TV screen—Your Saturday morning favorites—the Super Friends.” The first issue of the DC series features “The Fury of the Super Foes” by E. Nelson Bridwell, Ric Estrada, Joe Orlando, and Vince Colletta.
40 years ago November 1976 DC provides a comic book version of the TV series Welcome Back, Kotter. “So Long, Kotter!” in #1 is by Elliot Maggin, Jack Sparling, and Bob Oksner.
40 years ago November 1976 DC’s Tarzan Family #66 (“3 thrilling adventures! 3 deadly worlds!”) is the last. It continued the numbering from Korak, Son of Tarzan, and the stories in the “giant” issue feature Edgar Rice Burroughs characters John Carter, Tarzan, Korak, and David Innes.
40 years ago November 1976 A bunch more Eternals are introduced in Marvel’s The Eternals #5. “Olympia” by Jack Kirby and Mike Royer introduces Makkari, Domo, Thena, and Zuras.
40 years ago November 1976 The previous issue only showed his shadow. Marvel’s The Amazing Spider-Man #162 lets readers get a look at Jigsaw. However, they may be more focused on the get-together of Spidey, Nightcrawler, and Punisher. “Let The Punisher Fit the Crime!” is by Len Wein, Ross Andru, Mike Esposito, and Dave Hunt.
35 years ago November 1981 Captain Victory and the Galactic Rangers #1 is one of the first titles from Pacific Comics. “New—Exciting—Original!” Stories are by Jack Kirby and Mike Royer.
35 years ago November 1981 Marvel cancels the reprint title Marvel Super Action with #37, which reprints The Avengers #76.
35 years ago November 1981 Did you know that Stick is Matt Murdock’s old teacher? Well, okay, that isn’t revealed until Marvel’s Daredevil #176. “Hunters” is by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson.
35 years ago November 1981 DC announces the start of a royalty system for writers and artists, retroactive to comics published in July: The creative team receives a royalty of 4% of the cover price on titles selling more than 100,000.
30 years ago November 1986 Destroy!! is an oversized one-shot from Eclipse. “The loudest comic book in the universe!!” carries a warning to parents: “This Comic book is exactly what you think it is: 32 pages of meaningless, overblown violence, mayhem and destruction! (Plus one Naughty Word).” (You may know Scott McCloud today primarily from his scholarly Understanding Comics in 1993. But he had understanding to convey before that.)
30 years ago November 1986 Hey! Marvel has a bunch more New Universe titles to release! Grab up those first issues of D.P. 7, Justice, Kickers, Inc., Mark Hazzard: Merc, Nightmask, and Psi-Force!
30 years ago November 1986 John Walker is introduced as Super Patriot in Marvel’s Captain America #323. “Super-Patriot Is Here” is by Mark Gruenwald, Paul Neary, and John Beatty.
25 years ago November 1991 “Introducing Weapon Omega!” Marvel’s Alpha Flight #102 says, “You’re not gonna believe the man behind the mask!” So no Spoilers here. “El Equipo Primero!” is by Scott Lobdell, Tom Morgan, and Chris Ivy.
25 years ago November 1991 Valiant’s Solar, Man of the Atom #3 introduces Toyo Harada and the Harbinger Foundation in “Reality Check” by Jim Shooter, Don Perlin, Barry Windsor-Smith, Bob Layton, and Tom Ryder.
25 years ago November 1991 Marvel brings TV’s The Pirates of Dark Water to comics. The first story, “Quest,” is by Dwight Jon Zimmerman, Kelly Ward, Mark Young, Flint Dille, and Bruce Zick.
25 years ago November 1991 The cover of Marvel’s The Uncanny X-Men #282 reads, “His name is Bishop.” So it is. Hi, Bishop! (Hi also to Malcolm and Randall.)
25 years ago November 1991 Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy #18 introduces Talon. “Punished” is by Jim Valentino and Steve Montano.
20 years ago November 1996 Marvel revamps some old series with new first issues: Avengers, Captain America, Fantastic Four, and Iron Man.
20 years ago November 1996 The first issue of Tim Truman’s The Black Lamb is released under DC’s Helix imprint.
20 years ago November 1996 Marvel kicks off a bunch of Star Trek-related titles: Star Trek Unlimited; Star Trek: First Contact; Star Trek: Deep Space Nine; and Star Trek: Voyager.
15 years ago November 2001 Jessica Jones is introduced in Marvel’s Alias #1, released under its “Max” imprint. The story is by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos and features Luke Cage, Captain America, and her.
15 years ago November 2001 The first issue of the Wolverine: The Origin miniseries is “The Hill” by Paul Jenkins, Bill Jemas, Joe Quesada, and Andy Kubert.
15 years ago November 2001 CrossGen’s Ruse #1 introduces Simon Archard, Emma Bishop, and Miranda Cross. The story is by Mark Waid, Jackson Guice, and Mike Perkins.
5 years ago November 2011 A bunch of DC begin-again provides first issues of Action Comics, All Star Western, Animal Man, Aquaman, Batgirl, Batman, etc. in “The New 52.” Collect them all!
