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TODAY IN COMIC BOOK HISTORY15515

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August 20

Zatanna first appeared in Hawkman #4 (August 20, 1964). She is the daughter of magician Giovanni Zatara, a member of the mystical Homo magi race. Zatanna makes her living as a stage illusionist prior to discovering her magical abilities while investigating the disappearance of her father. Her original costume is based upon her father’s costume but substituting fishnet stockings and high heels for slacks. Zatanna is one of the most powerful sorceresses in the DC universe, whose abilities are apparently genetic. As a tribute to her father and as a focal point, she usually casts spells by speaking verbal commands backwards. She has proven capable on many occasions of casting spells by speaking normally, and, in rarer occasions, the ability to use magic for simple tasks without speaking. The limits of her powers have never been clearly established.


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Love the comic history. Thanks for sharing OGJackster!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Doc_Cop
Love the comic history. Thanks for sharing OGJackster!

Thanks, the plan is, I'll try to post and update this daily
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Collector Briten private msg quote post Address this user
Will it be mostly mainstream stuff or can we expect obscurity too?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Briten
Will it be mostly mainstream stuff or can we expect obscurity too?

I don't know. It depends on what I find. Please feel free to help
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Collector Darkseid_of_town private msg quote post Address this user
Any project worth doing that begins with Zatanna could never be a bad thing!
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Collector Stardust_Memories private msg quote post Address this user
Also, the amazing spider man, Andrew Garfield, was born on this day. If that counts as comic book history.
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August 21

Brick Bradford was a redheaded aviator who continually encountered fantastic situations. His strip began on August 21, 1933. Initially, the strip was focused on Earth-bound, aviation-focused adventures, but, as the strip developed, Brick Bradford increasingly featured fantastic elements. Brick Bradford became more of as pace opera/adventure story, with its tales of dinosaurs, lost civilizations, intergalactic villains, robots and subatomic worlds. In the daily strips Brick kept company with his friend, Sandy Sanderson, scientist Kalla Kopak, and June Salisbury, Brick’s girlfriend and daughter of his ally, Van Atta Salisbury. The Sunday strips featured completely different characters and plots. Here Brick was often accompanied on his adventures by Professor Horatio Southern and his daughter April, who was Brick’s love interest. Brick’s enemies included Dr. Franz Ego, a spy; Avil Blue, inventor of a giant robot; and the “Assassins”, descendants of the Middle Eastern sect of the same name.


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TURNING POINTS by Maggie Thompson





Here’s the latest installment of Maggie Thompson’s ongoing look at important beginnings, middles, and ends, this time for August 20-26, 2021...

135 years ago August 20, 1886 Sergio Tofano is born. The Italian artist creates Signor Bonaventura.

115 years ago August 21, 1906 Animator, cartoonist, director, and producer Isadore “Friz” Freling is born.

115 years ago August 26, 1906 Frank Crane’s Val the Ventriloquist begins.

115 years ago August 26, 1906 Artist Buford Tune is born; he’s known for Dotty Dripple.

110 years ago August 26, 1911 Science fiction writer and brother of Jack Binder Otto Binder is born. The Fawcett writer (and co-writer of “Adam Link”) creates and co-creates many comics characters.

105 years ago August 21, 1916 French artist Auguste Vimar dies at age 64.

95 years ago August 25, 1926 Comedian, TV personality, and writer Arthur Finger is born. As Art Finley, he writes captions for the Art’s Gallery feature in the San Francisco Chronicle.

90 years ago August 25, 1931 Pioneering French writer-artist Marcel Arnac dies in an accident at age 44.

80 years ago August 24, 1941 Writer-artist Jim Scancarelli is born. He takes over the Gasoline Alley strip at the death of Dick Moores.

75 years ago August 25, 1946 (Spoiler!) Breathless Mahoney dies in Dick Tracy.

70 years ago August 22, 1951 Elsewhere Productions editor-writer Ken L. Jones is born.

65 years ago August 22, 1956 Artist Anna-Maria B. Cool is born.

65 years ago August 23, 1956 Artist Jos Speybrouck, a pioneer of Belgian Christian comics, dies following an operation at age 65.

65 years ago August 24, 1956 Writer-artist A.D. Condo, known for The Outbursts of Everett True, dies at age 63.

55 years ago August 22, 1966 Charles Schulz’ Peanuts introduces Peppermint Patty. Speaking of Linus, she asks, “Is he cute? If he is, tell him your very good friend, ‘Peppermint’ Patty says, ‘Hello.’”

55 years ago August 24, 1966 Writer Mark Lucas is born.

55 years ago August 24, 1966 Bulgarian artist Boris Angelushev dies at age 63.

50 years ago August 22, 1971 The Freckles and His Friends strip by Henry Formhals ends.

45 years ago August 23, 1976 Artist Keron Grant is born. He works on such comics as Son of Vulcan, Iron Man, and Spider-Man.

40 years ago August 25, 1981 Dell comics artist Guillermo Cardoso dies at age 59.

30 years ago August 24, 1991 Artist and teacher Reynold Brown dies at age 73. The poster artist assisted on Hal Forrest’s Tailspin Tommy.

20 years ago August 25, 2001 Chuck Cuidera dies at age 85. The Golden and Silver Age artist was known for work on Blue Beetle and co-created Blackhawk.

10 years ago August 22, 2011 Bernhard-Viktor Christoph-Carl von Bülow dies at age 87. The award-winning German writer-artist and director was better known as “Loriot” and also worked as “Pirol.” He created the cartoon dog named “Wum,” which he voiced himself.
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August 22

An entomologist named Roderick Rose, the Hellgrammite subjects himself to a mutagenic process that transforms him into a grasshopper-like insectoid. He possesses superhuman strength and leaping abilities, the power to secrete adhesives and weave transformative or imprisoning cocoons, and a durable exoskeleton. A number of his schemes revolve around transforming others into weaker, subordinate versions of himself, leading to clashes with Batman and The Creeper in his debut appearance in Brave and the Bold #80 (August 22, 1968).


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August 23

Sally Brown is the younger sister of Charlie Brown. She was first mentioned in early 1959 and throughout a long series of strips before her first appearance on August 23, 1959. Sally has flipped blonde hair with a cluster of curls. She wears a polka dot dress. Sally is the complex little sister of Charlie Brown. On one hand, she is good-hearted, sweet, and innocent. However, on the other, she can be lazy, naive, slow, obsessive, insecure, and sometimes even self-centered and manipulative. Sally has a “take it easy” approach to life, preferring to slide by while doing as little work as possible. Her favorite past time is sitting in her beanbag chair watching TV. Sally has a good heart and a strong moral sense; like her older brother she is extremely sensitive to the unfairness of life.


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August 24

Maria Stark was born Maria Collins Carbonell. She first appeared in Iron Man #104 (August 24, 1977). In her adulthood, Maria married Howard Stark, and together they had a son that was not her biological son: Anthony “Tony” Stark. Maria was unsuccessful in preventing Tony from seeing Howard’s alcoholism, something Tony would later face on his own. On the Ides of March, Maria and Howard were killed in a ‘planned’ car accident. Afterward, Tony ran his father’s company and started a charity in his mother’s name which donated funds to finance various charities and renovation projects.


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August 25

Intergang was run by a gangster named Bruno Mannheim. Its first appearance was in Jimmy Olsen #133 (August 25, 1970). He was, however, getting orders and weaponry from Darkseid, who was using Intergang to help track down the Anti-Life Equation. It is a potent foe who can seriously challenge the most powerful superheroes. Post-Crisis , Morgan Edge was the leader of Intergang until he suffered a heart attack due to stress. While he believed he was working for Darkseid, his Apokoliptian contact was actually Desaad, whose only aim in supplying him with weaponry was to cause suffering. While he was in the hospital his legitimate businesses were taken over by his father Vincent Edge, and Intergang was taken over by Ugly Mannheim, who trained on Apokolips with Granny Goodness. A later retcon has it that Mannheim was the original leader of Intergang, dealing knowingly with Desaad. How Edge took over is unrevealed.


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@OGJackster
I'm hoping to put a pause on comic book purchases for a while, but in order to do that, I probably have to quit reading this thread...or the forum in general. My purchase tonight, I'm thinking it may actually be a decent long term book for value:




BTW, this is the picture from the Ebay listing, whatever is going on in the background has nothing to do with me!
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August 26

Krona is an Oan scientist who became obsessed with observing the origins of the universe itself, despite an ancient legend that said discovering that secret would cause a great calamity. He first appeared in Green Lantern #40 (August 26, 1965). Krona constructs a machine that pierces the temporal barrier and views the beginnings of time itself. Krona catches a glimpse of the hand of creation depositing the speck that would become the entire cosmos. His machine explodes at that instant, and the universe is shattered causing the creation of the Multiverse as the universe replicates into an infinite number of parallel universes. At this same moment, the Anti-Matter Universe is created, unleashing evil into the cosmos; thus, the Monitor and the Anti-Monitor are born. As punishment for this act, Krona is transformed into pure energy by his fellow Oans and is sent to forever wander the cosmos. Krona’s actions are what caused the Oans to become the Guardians of the Universe.


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August 27

Colleen Wing was born in the mountains of Honshu, Japan, to Professor Lee Wing and a mother whose ancestors were samurai and daimyo. After her mother’s death, Colleen’s late maternal grandfather, Kenji Ozawa taught her the ways of the samurai. Professor Wing learned from a monk that young warrior Iron Fist would come from that land to seek vengeance on his father’s killer and sent Colleen to meet him. Professor Wing and Colleen befriended Iron Fist, and Colleen has acted as his ally in many of his exploits. In Colleen’s first appearance in Marvel Premiere #19 (August 27, 1974), she met Iron Fist, and she aided him in battling the Cult of Kara-Kai. Years later, Colleen went back to New York City to visit her father there. Upon arrival, she got caught in a gun battle by the local Manhattan police and some thugs. Luckily, she was rescued by officer Misty Knight, who eventually became her best friend. Later, when Knight’s right arm was severely injured by a bomb explosion and was amputated, Colleen encouraged Knight to rise above her depression and return to an active role in life. Colleen and Knight formed a partnership as private investigators and called their firm Nightwing Restorations, Ltd. Due to Wing’s samurai-style training and both partners’ expertise in the Asian martial arts, they were dubbed “the Daughters of the Dragon.”


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TURNING POINTS by Maggie Thompson


Here’s the latest installment of Maggie Thompson’s ongoing look at important beginnings, middles, and ends, this time for August 27 through September 2, 2021...


Here’s the latest installment of Maggie Thompson’s ongoing look at important beginnings, middles, and ends, this time for August 27 through September 2, 2021...

150 years ago August 29, 1871 Influential writer and artist Jack Butler Yeats is born. In 1893, he creates what has been called the first serial comic strip, “Chubblock Homes,” for Comic Cuts.

140 years ago August 28, 1881 Cartoonist Ed Mack is born. He ghosts Mutt and Jeff and creates Sime the Simp and other strips.

140 years ago September 1, 1881 Dutch artist André Vlaanderen is born.

105 years ago August 28, 1916 Carlos Conti is born. The Spanish writer-artist is founder of the Creaciones Editoriales agency.

95 years ago September 1, 1926 Arab News cartoonist Emil V. Abrahamian is born.

95 years ago September 1, 1926 Artist Gene Colan is born. His work includes Avengers, Daredevil, Tomb of Dracula, and Batman.

85 years ago August 30, 1936 This day kicks off the installment of the Silly Symphonies comic strip that is the first to star Donald Duck as its lead feature.

85 years ago August 31, 1936 Dorothea by William St. John Glenn begins in The Daily Mail.

75 years ago August 27, 1946 Underground comix writer-artist, comic book publisher, and creators’ agent Denis Kitchen is born.

75 years ago August 31, 1946 Writer-artist Rick Parker is born. His work ranges from the Beavis and Butt-Head comic book to Marvel production work and PaperCutz’ Tales from the Crypt.

75 years ago September 2, 1946 Award-winning writer-artist Walter Simonson is born. The creator of Star Slammers and Beta Ray Bill works on a variety of comics including Thor.

70 years ago August 29, 1951 The first issue of the German Disney comic book Micky Maus is published.

60 years ago September 2, 1961 Sherri Wolfgang is born. She’s half of “The Dynamic Duo Inc.”

55 years ago August 27, 1966 Writer-artist Phil Hester is born. He works for many companies, including Boom! Studios and Dynamite, and creates 2008’s El Diablo for DC.

55 years ago August 28, 1966 Artist Keith Quinn is born.

55 years ago September 2, 1966 The Hanna-Barbera show The Flintstones airs its last original network episode after six seasons in ABC prime time. (NBC will pick it up for reruns in January 1967.)

55 years ago September 2, 1966 Writer-editor Francis Edward Herron dies at age 49. He was co-creator of Clock King and Golden Gladiator, Captain Marvel Jr. (with Mac Raboy), The Red Skull and Mr. Scarlet (with Jack Kirby), and Cave Carson.

40 years ago August 27, 1981 Writer-artist Fred Fox dies the day after his 79th birthday. He co-created the Ella Cinders strip with Charlie Plumb and co-created Odd Bodkins with Chase Craig.

40 years ago August 31, 1981 Greek artist Nikos Kastanakis dies at age 84 or 85.

40 years ago September 1, 1981 DC Vice President of Production Jack Adler retires after 31 years with the company.

40 years ago September 2, 1981 Montenegrin-Croatian artist Andrija Maurović dies at age 80. Lambiek says he was considered the father of Croatian and Yugoslav comics.

15 years ago August 30, 2006 Colorist Bob LeRose dies of emphysema complications at age 85.

10 years ago August 27, 2011 Family Tree by Signe Wilkinson ends.

And here are the anniversaries spanning the month of September…

80 years ago September 1941 The first magician comic book series begins with Street and Smith’s Super-Magician Comics #2. (Yeah, I know. It starts with #2. Just because is why.) “The Mysterious Blackstone matches black magic with the wild tribes of Africa,” it says here. Where it also says he’s the “world’s greatest magician.” Harry Blackstone (1885-1965) is a real magician, by the way. And the Blackstone stories are written by his buddy, Walter B. Gibson. Neat, right?

80 years ago September 1941 He’s been appearing in Walter Lantz cartoons for a couple of years, but Andy Panda’s first appearance in comic books comes in Dell’s Crackajack Funnies #39. They don’t even mention him on the cover. Aw.

80 years ago September 1941 America’s entry into World War II is months away, but there are a bunch more military and America-champ intros in comic books this month. They include Captain Courageous and Lone Warrior (Ace’s Banner Comics #3, which is the first issue; see above), Captain Flag (Archie’s Blue Ribbon Comics #16), The Fighting Yank (Pines’ Startling Comics #10), Star Spangled Kid and Stripesy (in a promo ad in DC’s Action Comics #40), and Yankee Doodle Jones (in Chesler/Dynamic’s Yankee Comics #1). There are stars and stripes all over the place.

80 years ago September 1941 Dr. Fate gets the cover, but it’s Johnny Quick whom writer-editor Mort Weisinger introduces in DC’s More Fun Comics #71. 3X2(9YZ)4A!

80 years ago September 1941 It calls them “Captain Marvel’s Squadron of Justice!” on the cover. This is the first appearance of the Lieutenants Marvel, and it’s in Fawcett’s Whiz Comics #21. (While the issue is dated September 5, there’s only one September issue in 1941, so let’s just call it “September 1941.”) Fat Billy, Hill Billy, and Tall Billy Batson are drawn by C.C. Beck in “The Vengeful Four.” The fourth wall is a bit broken in the story, by the way.

80 years ago September 1941 The first appearance of Shining Knight occurs in DC’s Adventure Comics #66. Sir Justin wears a suit of chain mail, rides a winged horse named Victory, and possesses special powers via an enchanted sword Merlin gives him. The story is by Henry Lynne Perkins and Creig Flessel.

80 years ago September 1941 The first appearance of Wilbur is in a story by Harvey Willard and Lin Streeter in Archie’s Zip Comics #18. (He’ll get his own series three years later.)

75 years ago September 1946 Miss Masque is introduced in Pines’ Exciting Comics #51. “The Case of the Mad Miser!” is drawn by Lin Streeter.

70 years ago September 1951 Lulu introduces “That Awful Witch Hazel” in a story she tells Alvin in Dell’s Little Lulu #39, after he declares he’s running away from home. (“I wanna make my fortune before I get too old!”) She warns, “Hazel is a witch who lives in the woods and grabs little kids who run away from home.” Watch out, Alvin! Hazel may not have held onto Lulu, but she’s going to take over storytime! This intro is by John Stanley and Irving Tripp.

65 years ago September 1956 Flintheart Glomgold (in “The Second-Richest Duck”) and Gyro Gearloose’s Little Helper are introduced in Dell’s Uncle Scrooge #15 in stories by Carl Barks.

65 years ago September 1956 Hey, let’s have that fanfare now! Though few set off celebratory fireworks at the time, it’s the start of the Silver Age with DC’s Showcase #4 which introduces the revamp of the Golden Age Flash, this time known as Barry Allen. “Whirlwind adventures of the Fastest Man Alive!” says the cover. (We all should have bought multiple copies then and there, right?) “Mystery of the Human Thunderbolt!” is by Robert Kanigher, Carmine Infantino, and Joe Kubert. And “The Man Who Broke the Time Barrier!” is by John Broome, Infantino, and Kubert. Oh, and wait five years.

60 years ago September 1961 Where’s that fanfare? OK, hit it again, folks! In “Flash of Two Worlds,” written by Gardner Fox and drawn by Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella (in DC’s The Flash #123), you know what happens? Yep, it’s the introduction of Earth-Two and the multiverse, not to mention Jay Garrick as The Golden Age Flash appearing as himself in the Silver Age.

60 years ago September 1961 Hey, it is a cool time. DC’s Showcase #34 introduces the Silver Age Atom (way different from the Golden Age hero-guy of the same name, just saying). “Birth of The Atom!” is by Gardner Fox, Gil Kane, and Murphy Anderson. (You already know, I hope, that the “Ray Palmer” name is in tribute to an influential editor (1910-1977) of science fiction pulp magazines, right?)

55 years ago September 1966 Charlton’s Captain Atom #82 introduces Nightshade in “Captain Atom vs. The Ghost” by Dave Kaler, Steve Ditko, and Rocke Mastroserio.

55 years ago September 1966 Harvey’s Spyman begins, introducing Spyman and warning civilians, “Never! Never! Never touch a radio-active bomb! (There is only one electro-robot hand on hand!” (Yep, It is so alarming, the parentheses forget to close.) “The Birth of a Hero” is by Jim Steranko and George Tuska.

55 years ago September 1966 Harvey’s Jigsaw begins, introducing Jigsaw (“Man of a Thousand Parts”). The story is drawn by Tony Tallarico. (And, yes, there are other characters named Jigsaw; this is the thousand parts guy. Who, yes again, only gets two issues.)

55 years ago September 1966 It’s the first appearance of Archie as Pureheart the Powerful in (Now, let me think. Oh, yes.) Archie as Pureheart the Powerful #1. “Mite and Maim” is by Frank Doyle, Bob White, and Mario Acquaviva.

55 years ago September 1966 After 15 years of continuous publication, DC suspends publication of Mystery in Space with #110. The Multi-Alien can’t save it (even though the suspiciously similar Metamorpho, introduced at about the same time as Ultra, seems to be doing OK). Sigh. (Mind you, #111 will come out dated September 1980 with the cover announcement “It’s back! Comicdom’s first magazine of interstellar suspense!” So there’s that.)

55 years ago September 1966 Ego the Living Planet first appears in Marvel’s Thor #132. “Rigel: Where Gods May Fear to Tread!” is by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Vince Colletta.

50 years ago September 1971 In Marvel’s The Amazing Spider-Man #100, “The Spider or the Man?” by Stan Lee, Gil Kane, Frank Giacoia, and Tony Mortellaro, the “six arms” story arc begins.

50 years ago September 1971 With #20, Charlton’s Ghost Manor changes its title to Ghostly Haunts.

50 years ago September 1971 Charlton’s Haunted begins. (Charlton finds a spooky Code-approved word not a lot of other U.S. comics have been using since the Code came in.)

50 years ago September 1971 Yeah, it’s a scary time. DC offers “The 1st sensational issue of …” Weird War Tales. Eek! A walking skeleton on the cover? I guess the Code has changed a bit since 1954. (On the other hand, contents are mostly reprints, so things did change a while ago …)

45 years ago September 1976 DC ends The Joker with #9.

45 years ago September 1976 The influential Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art begins its first classes in Dover, N.J. Students include Stephen Bissette, Tom Yeates, and Rick Veitch.

45 years ago September 1976 Remember when Marvel comics were “still only 25¢”? Well, forget it. Marvel raises prices from 25¢ to 30¢, keeping the page count at 36. Don’t worry. I’m sure the price won’t ever go up again.

45 years ago September 1976 “Featuring the human rocket’s power-packed origin!” Nova #1 introduces Nova, “Marvel’s newest bombshell!” The issue (yes, it’s 30¢) is by Marv Wolfman, John Buscema, and Joe Sinnott.

45 years ago September 1976 Marvel’s The Eternals #3 introduces Sersi in “The Devil in New York” by Jack Kirby and John Verpoorten. (Yes, it’s 30¢, too. Seriously. Regular Marvels are now that price. Don’t make me tell you again.)

40 years ago September 1981 It’s a “special collector’s edition”! DC’s Arak, Son of Thunder #1 doesn’t introduce Arak (who got a preview a month ago in The Warlord #48), but now he has his own series. “The Sword and the Serpent!” is by Roy Thomas, Ernie Colón, and Tony DeZuniga.

35 years ago September 1986 DC cancels Superman with #423 after 47 years of continuous publication. The “historic last issue” features the first part of the two-part “Imaginary Story” by Alan Moore (drawn by Curt Swan and George Pérez) “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?” (The tale concludes in Action #583.) (Fear not. The series will relaunch with Adventures of Superman #424, dated January 1987).

35 years ago September 1986 Speaking of Alan Moore, he and Dave Gibbons kick off DC’s Watchmen limited series, introducing The Comedian, Doctor Manhattan, Nite Owl, Ozymandias, Rorschach, Silk Spectre, Hooded Justice, and Captain Metropolis.

35 years ago September 1986 DC wraps up its DC Comics Presents with #97.

35 years ago September 1986 The character has yet to be fully revealed, but [Spoiler!] it’s Venom who’s introduced in Marvel’s Web of Spider-Man #18. “The Longest Road!” is by David Michelinie, Marc Silvestri, and Kyle Baker. (Hey! The Marvel cover price is 75¢ by now! OK, OK, I just thought I’d mention it.)

35 years ago September 1986 Marvel’s Classic X-Men #1 begins by reprinting a chunk of Giant-Size X-Men #1.

35 years ago September 1986 Marvel’s Power Man and Iron Fist #125 is the final issue, as announced on the cover.

30 years ago September 1991 Marvel’s Wonder Man #1 features “Making It Big” by Gerard Jones, Jeff Johnson, and Terry Austin. Simon Williams was introduced in The Avengers #9 (October 1964), but many things have changed.

30 years ago September 1991 Sorry, but Archie’s Everything’s Archie #157 is the last issue. On a brighter note, I think you can track down other Archie titles on the comics racks, if you look.

30 years ago September 1991 The first issue of Wizard carries a Todd McFarlane cover combining Spider-Man with a wizard’s costume and wand. The issue features a McFarlane interview, previews of “new hot comics,” and a “Silver Age to present” price guide.

25 years ago September 1996 Leave It to Chance #1 from Image is by James Robinson and Paul Smith. The series wins the year’s Eisner Award for Best New Series.

25 years ago September 1996 “Heroes” by Archie Goodwin and Gary Gianni appears in DC’s Batman Black & White #4. It wins the Eisner Award for the year’s Best Short Story.

25 years ago September 1996 Kurt Busiek’s Astro City #1 from Homage Comics features “Welcome to Astro City” by Kurt Busiek, Brent Anderson, and Will Blyberg. It wins an Eisner Award for Best Single Story/Single Issue.

25 years ago September 1996 Marvel cancels Fantastic Four with #416 (it’ll be back in November with Fantastic Four #1, by the way); The Avengers with #402 (hey, coincidence, the same sort of thing happens to Avengers!); and Iron Man with #332. (I think I’ve detected a pattern.)

25 years ago September 1996 Writer-artist Rob Liefeld leaves the Image group.

15 years ago September 2006 “The true story of a real life romance,” True Story Swear to God by Tom Beland, begins from Image.

10 years ago September 2011 Although such issues as Action #1 are cover-dated November, this month is when DC begins its release of 52 new titles as The New 52.

5 years ago September 2016 April saw Marvel’s Deadpool and the Mercs for Money #1, which kicked off five issues. Now, there’s Deadpool & the Mercs for Money #1 with some variants. The story is by Cullen Bunn and Iban Coello.

5 years ago September 2016 Archie’s Betty and Veronica wrapped up the series with #278 in December 2015. Now, Archie’s starting Betty and Veronica again with a bunch of variants of #1. And I do mean a bunch. But, yeah, it just runs #1-3. (There will be more.)

5 years ago September 2016 There’s a number of added DC “Rebirth” first issues out there (not to mention variants of last month’s first issues). Those first issues are Batgirl (“Beyond Burnside Part One” by Hope Larson and Rafael Albuquerque); Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps (“Sinestro’s Law Part 1: The Last Lantern” by Robert Venditti, Rafa Sandoval, and Jordi Tarragona); Justice League (“The Extinction Machines, Part One” by Bryan Hitch, Tony S. Daniel, and Sandu Florea); Nightwing (“Better than Batman Part 1” by Tim Seeley and Javier Fernández); and Titans (“The Return of Wally West. Part One. Run for Your Life” by Dan Abnett, Brett Booth, and Norm Rapmund).
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Jack Kirby was born today in 1917, 'nuff said.
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August 28

Thunder is the super-powered alter-ego of Cece Beck, a young girl from the planet Binderaan, circa 9,000 A.D. Her first appearance was the first The Power of Shazam! Annual #1 (August 28, 1996). The power of Shazam is bestowed upon Thunder not by the wizard Shazam himself, but his successor Captain Marvel. By the time of Beck’s life, Captain Marvel has become an old man. Whenever Beck invokes the name “Captain Marvel”, she is struck by magical lightning, bestowing upon her all the powers of the Marvel Family. After a mission to the 20th century, Thunder is sent to the 30th century, when pro-science terrorists attack and destroy the Rock of Eternity, a major source of all magic. After subduing some of the terrorists with the help of members of the Legion of Super-Heroes she is offered membership, which she accepts while continuing her mission to collect all the scattered pieces of the Rock.


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August 29

Deadman is a ghost, formerly a circus trapeze artist named Boston Brand who performed under the name Deadman, a stage persona including a red costume and white corpse makeup. His first appearance in Strange Adventures #205 (August 29, 1967). When Brand is murdered during a trapeze performance by a mysterious assailant known only as the Hook, his spirit is given the power to possess any living being by a Hindu god named “Rama Kushna,” in order to search for his murderer and obtain justice. As a living human, he is an Olympic-level athlete well-trained in acrobatics. As a disembodied spirit, Deadman could not be seen or heard by most others, was able to pass through objects, and could fly or float. He was able to possess any living being, control their actions, and could communicate with people through another’s body.


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August 30

National Comics Publications v. Fawcett Publications was a decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in a twelve-year legal battle between National Comics (now DC Comics) and the Fawcett Comics division of Fawcett Publications, concerning Fawcett’s Captain Marvel character being an infringement on the copyright of National’s Superman. The litigation is notable as one of the longest-running legal battles in comic book publication history. On August 30, 1951 it was found that Captain Marvel was an illegal copy of Superman. The suit resulted in the dissolution of Fawcett Comics and the cancellation of all of its superhero-related publications, including those featuring Captain Marvel and related characters. In the 1970s, National, rebranded as DC Comics, licensed the rights to Captain Marvel and revived the character. DC Comics then purchased the rights completely in 1980.
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August 30

National Comics Publications v. Fawcett Publications was a decision by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in a twelve-year legal battle between National Comics (now DC Comics) and the Fawcett Comics division of Fawcett Publications, concerning Fawcett’s Captain Marvel character being an infringement on the copyright of National’s Superman. The litigation is notable as one of the longest-running legal battles in comic book publication history. On August 30, 1951 it was found that Captain Marvel was an illegal copy of Superman. The suit resulted in the dissolution of Fawcett Comics and the cancellation of all of its superhero-related publications, including those featuring Captain Marvel and related characters. In the 1970s, National, rebranded as DC Comics, licensed the rights to Captain Marvel and revived the character. DC Comics then purchased the rights completely in 1980.


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August 31

Ruriko Tsumura was a gentle painter in Japan, dedicated to capturing beauty’s essence on canvas. That life came to an abrupt end during a freak explosion on a pleasure cruise. She washed ashore on a Caribbean island, barely alive, much of her body damaged beyond repair. The mysterious Freakmaster’s advanced surgeons rebuilt her as a cyborg warrior; bound by honor, she vowed to serve him though he eventually tainted her immortal soul. Now known as Steel Wind, Freakmaster sent her to a number of carnivals which then suffered disaster and economic ruin. At the Quentin Carnival, she replaced stunt cyclist Johnny Blaze, even defeating him in a contest when he was distracted by Zarathos (the demon bound to him as the Ghost Rider). She first appeared in Ghost Rider #75 (August 31, 1982).


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September 1

Edgar Rice Burroughs was born on September 1, 1875, in Chicago, Illinois, the fourth son of businessman and Civil War veteran Major George Tyler Burroughs and his wife Mary Evaline (Zieger) Burroughs. After his discharge, Burroughs worked a number of different jobs. He drifted and worked on a ranch in Idaho. Then, Burroughs found work at his father’s firm in 1899. He married his childhood sweetheart Emma Hulbert in January 1900. In 1904, he left his job and worked less regularly, first in Idaho, then in Chicago. By 1911, after seven years of low wages, he was working as a pencil-sharpener wholesaler and began to write fiction. During this period, he had copious spare time and he began reading many pulp fiction magazines. In 1929 he recalled thinking that “if people were paid for writing rot such as I read in some of those magazines, that I could write stories just as rotten. As a matter of fact, although I had never written a story, I knew absolutely that I could write stories just as entertaining and probably a whole lot more so than any I chanced to read in those magazines.” Aiming his work at the pulps, Burroughs had his first story, Under the Moons of Mars, serialized by Frank Munsey in The All-Story under the name “Norman Bean” to protect his reputation. Under the Moons of Mars inaugurated the Barsoom series and earned Burroughs US $400 ($9,808 today). Burroughs soon took up writing full-time and by the time the run of Under the Moons of Mars had finished he had completed two novels, including Tarzan of the Apes. Tarzan remains one of the most successful fictional characters to this day and is a cultural icon.


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September 2

The Sentinels are a variety of mutant-hunting robots. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, they first appeared in The X-Men #14 (September 2, 1965). Sentinels are technologically advanced and have exhibited a wide variety of abilities. They are armed (primarily with energy weapons and restraining devices), capable of flight, and can detect mutants at long range. They possess vast physical strength, and their bodies are highly resistant to damage. Some are able to alter their physical forms or re-assemble and reactivate themselves after they have been destroyed. Some Sentinel variants have the ability to learn from their experiences, developing their defenses during an engagement. Several groups of the robots have been created or led by a single, massive Sentinel, called Master Mold. Some sentinels are also equipped with an inconspicuous logic loop in case they should go rogue to convince them that they are mutants as demonstrated in the tri-sentinel.


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September 3

Born about 80 years in the future, Bishop was the son of Aboriginal mutant refugees who fled to America from Australia a day before Australia was devastated by a nuclear attack. He debuted in Uncanny X-Men #282 (September 3, 1991). He was raised in a mutant concentration camp in the aftermath of the Summers Rebellion, an uprising in which mutants and humans joined forces to destroy the Sentinels. Bishop has a distinctive M brand over his right eye, used to identify mutants in his era. When Professor Xavier’s insane son — the mutant Legion — went back in time to assassinate Magneto, Bishop was one of the X-Men sent to stop him. When they failed, and Legion accidentally killed Professor Xavier, Bishop was the only time-traveler to remain when history was altered and became the Age of Apocalypse. He eventually convinced the Magneto of that era that the existence of this reality was wrong, and with a great amount of sacrifice, managed to correct the error and stop Legion. After the timeline reset itself, Bishop received some of his counterpart’s unsettling memories of the Age of Apocalypse.


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TURNING POINTS by Maggie Thompson

Here’s the latest installment of Maggie Thompson’s ongoing look at important beginnings, middles, and ends, this time for September 3-9, 2021...

150 years ago September 4, 1871 French writer-artist Georges Delau is born. He signs his work “Georges Delaw” and is known for Les Mille et un Tours de Placide Serprolet.

145 years ago September 6, 1876 Teacher and New Yorker and editorial cartoonist Boardman Robinson is born.

135 years ago September 5, 1886 Pioneering artist Nell Brinkley is born. She’s especially known for her “Brinkley Girl” art.

105 years ago September 9, 1916 The last issue of Ally Sloper’s Half Holiday is published (although it does come back now and then).

95 years ago September 7, 1926 Voice artist Don Messick is born. His characters include Scooby-Doo, Papa Smurf, and Dr. Benton.

80 years ago September 7, 1941 Comic strip Biff Baker begins, written by Ernest Lynn and drawn by Henry Schlensker.

80 years ago September 9, 1941 The cartoonist of Love Is …, Kim Casali, is born as Marilyn Judith Grove.

75 years ago September 9, 1946 Bernard Segal’s Honey and Hank (also known as Elsworth) begins.

70 years ago September 4, 1951 Writer-artist, underground comix cartoonist, and comics and animation historian and critic Scott Shaw! is born.

70 years ago September 9, 1951 Michael Keaton is born. The actor plays many comics-connected roles including Batman and Birdman.

65 years ago September 6, 1956 Flash Gordon, Jungle Jim, Secret Agent X-9, and Rip Kirby creator Alex Raymond dies in a car crash at age 46.

60 years ago September 3, 1961 Artist, designer, and editor Pat Redding Scanlon is born (as Pat Redding). She’s especially known for work at Marvel and United Feature Syndicate.

55 years ago September 8, 1966 Tarzan begins as a weekly NBC hour-long prime time series starring Ron Ely. The Gold Key series will now and then put the subtitle “TV Adventures” on the cover, starting with #165 (March 1967), which features Ely.

55 years ago September 8, 1966 Following previews of “The Cage” and “Where No Man Has Gone Before” at the 24th World Science Fiction Convention over Labor Day Weekend, NBC begins to broadcast Star Trek. The Gold Key series will begin with a photo cover on the October 1967 issue.

55 years ago September 9, 1966 Time Tunnel (also previewed at that convention) begins on ABC-TV. It only gets a couple of issues from Gold Key (starting with the February 1967 issue), and the cover features only a small black and white photo insert from the show itself.

50 years ago September 6, 1971 The 75 Years of the Comics exhibition opens at the New York Cultural Center. The display contains more than 300 items, and Maurice Horn is a consultant on the event.

50 years ago September 9, 1971 Simpsons writer-producer Matt Selman is born.

45 years ago September 6, 1976 Dutch artist Hans Ducro dies at age 52.

40 years ago September 4, 1981 Filming wraps on John Huston’s Annie movie.

35 years ago September 4, 1986 Golden Age artist Edd Ashe dies at age 78. He drew such characters as The Human Torch, Mike Shayne, and Don Winslow of the Navy.

30 years ago September 4, 1991 Canadian artist Bing Coughlin dies at age 85. He was known for his Herbie military comic strip and was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for his cartoon work.

30 years ago September 5, 1991 Influential Marvel Vice-President – New Product Development Carol Kalish dies of a brain aneurysm at age 36. She worked as a writer, editor, retailer, and sales manager in the course of her career.

25 years ago September 3, 1996 Bulgarian teacher and artist Petar Grigorov dies at age 73.

15 years ago September 4, 2006 Argentina celebrates its first “Dia de la Historieta.”

15 years ago September 5, 2006 Teacher, artist, and puppeteer John McLusky dies at age 83. He was the first artist of Ian Fleming’s James Bond comic strip.

15 years ago September 6, 2006 The pop culture-oriented Geppi’s Entertainment Museum is established at Camden Yards in Baltimore. With exhibits focusing on the evolution of American popular entertainment, the facility takes visitors from era to era and includes a focus on comic books. It will close June 3, 2018, and many of its exhibits will be donated to The Library of Congress.

10 years ago September 4, 2011 Animator and artist Dave Hoover dies at age 56. Known for his work on Captain America and Starman, he co-created Wilde Knight with Gary Petras.

10 years ago September 6, 2011 Film maker, teacher, and underground comix creator George Kuchar dies of complications related to prostate cancer at age 69.

5 years ago September 7, 2016 Animator and artist Richard Thomas “Sparky” Moore dies at age 91. He worked on many Western Publishing comic books (many of them licensed Disney stories) as well as on Disney newspaper strips.
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September 4

In 1972 Marvel had wished to acquire the rights to adapt the Kung Fu television program but were denied permission by the show’s owner, Time Warner, owner of DC Comics. Marvel acquired the comic book rights to Sax Rohmer’s pulp villain, Dr. Fu Manchu, instead. They developed Shang-Chi, a master of kung fu, who was introduced as a previously unknown son of Fu Manchu. Shang-Chi first appeared in Special Marvel Edition #15 (September 4, 1973). Shang-Chi was born in the Honan province of the People’s Republic of China and is the son of Fu Manchu, the Chinese mastermind who has repeatedly attempted world conquest and had a thirst for blood. Shang-Chi was raised and trained in martial arts by his father and his instructors. He was sent on a mission to murder Dr. Petrie, but he met Fu Manchu’s archenemy, Sir Denis Nayland Smith, and learned that Fu Manchu was evil and rebelled against his father. Shang-Chi battled Midnight, and then first met his close ally, Black Jack Tarr. Shangi-Chi became an ally of Sir Denis Nayland Smith, and opposed Fu Manchu, and battled the Si-Fan assassins. Although it has never been determined exactly how extensive Shang-Chi’s fighting skills are, he has beaten numerous superhuman opponents. Shang-Chi is classed as an athlete but he is one of the best non-superhumans in martial arts and has dedicated much of his life to the art, being referred to by some as the greatest empty-handed fighter and practitioner of kung fu alive. Much of his physical abilities seem to stem from his mastery of chi, which often allows him to surpass the physical limitations of normal athletes. Shang-Chi is also highly trained in the arts of concentration and meditation and is an expert in various hand weapons including swords, staves, kali sticks, nunchaku, and shuriken.


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September 5

Jessica Campbell’s father received tickets for Disney World from his boss Tony Stark. On the way home, their car collides with a military convoy carrying radioactive chemicals. Her family is killed, and she spent several months in a coma. Upon waking, she is placed in an orphanage and adopted by the Jones family. She first appeared in Alias #1 (September 5, 2001). Jessica later discovers that her radiation exposure granted her super strength, limited invulnerability, and flight. She later witnesses a fight between Spider-Man and the villain Sandman in her school. This inspires her to use her abilities for good. At various points in her history, she has used various aliases, including Jewel, Knightress, and Power Woman. As Jewel, Jones has a fairly uneventful superhero career until she intervenes in a disturbance at a restaurant involving Zebediah Killgrave, the Purple Man. Killgrave uses his power of mind control to place Jones under his command, psychologically torturing her and forcing her to aid his criminal schemes. Jones undergoes psychic therapy with Jean Grey of the X-Men, who places a special mental command in Jones’s subconscious that would protect her from further mind control. Due to the traumatic violation of her mind by Killgrave, and the fact that she was barely noticed missing for eight months, a demoralized and depressed Jones gives up her costumed superhero life. Jones, no longer a superhero, opens a private detective agency. Killgrave, still obsessed with Jones, escaped from high-security incarceration, but with the mental defenses Grey had given her, Jones knocked him out and he was recaptured.


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September 6

Connor Hawke is the son of Oliver Queen, the original Green Arrow, and his former girlfriend Sandra “Moonday” Hawke. Connor Hawke met Oliver Queen after Oliver came to stay at the ashram where Connor had been studying for some years. He first appeared in Green Arrow #0 (September 6, 1994). Oliver who had previously retreated to the ashram decades before, looking for peace after accidentally killing a criminal, returned to the ashram under similar circumstances, haunted by the thought that he had killed his former best friend Hal Jordan. Thanks to Connor, who was a big fan of Green Arrow, Oliver was able to regain a semblance of inner peace and venture out into the world again, especially after numerous attempts on his life had been made. Connor decided to journey with Oliver and created a costume similar to his. Connor served as Oliver’s sidekick, also meeting with Eddie Fyers, the former federal agent that acted as a form of counsel for Oliver. It was during this time that Oliver learned about his connection to Connor. Oliver didn’t take it well and stormed off, agreeing to go undercover in an eco-terrorist group called the Eden Corps for the government. The mission turned out to be fatal for Oliver, as his arm was connected to a bomb in a plane that was headed for Metropolis. Rather than endanger Metropolis, and refusing to allow his arm to be amputated, he sacrificed himself to let the bomb explode away from the city. With his father dead, Connor decided to take up the mantle of Green Arrow and continue his hero’s work.


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