Author: Aaron Rosenberg

On This Day: ‘Daily Planet’ EiC Perry White

  • News
  • March 12, 2008

Born in Metropolis’ Suicide Slum, Perry White’s first job was copy boy at the Daily Planet, a job that interested him in the newspaper journalism that would soon become his life.

Perry was already a well-respected reporter for the paper, having returned after stints in Chicago and Gotham City, when the Daily Planet’s owner, Lex Luthor, decided to get rid of the paper. Perry found an investor who was willing to save the Planet on the condition that Perry become editor. Though reluctant to give up writing, Perry agreed.

Since then, except for brief stints for personal or professional reasons, Perry has remained the Daily Planet’s Editor-in-Chief. Though he won a Pulitzer himself years ago, for his exclusive interview with Superboy, Perry’s greatest achievement may be his two finest hires: a pushy girl named Lois Lane and a mild-mannered Midwesterner named Clark Kent.

Happy Birthday, Chief!

On This Day: The Crimson Avenger

  • News
  • March 11, 2008

Lee Walter Travis was raised to wealth and privilege but nonetheless developed a social conscience, becoming a member of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade during the Spanish Civil War and then turning to publishing and producing a progressive paper called The Globe Leader. It was while attending a Halloween costume ball in 1938, however, that he discovered his true career.

A band of crooks robbed the party and shot several people, including Travis’ fellow reporter Claudia Barker. She died in his arms and Travis, enraged, pursued and subdued the crooks, leaving them for the police to find afterward. His costume—a red trenchcoat, fedora, and mask—and Claudia’s last words and favorite motto, “Qui Vindicet ibit” (“The avenger will come”) combined to create tales of a strange “Crimson Avenger.” Travis had found his calling.

The Crimson Avenger was later one of the Seven Soldiers of Victory and part of the All-Star Squadron. Years later, Travis sacrificed his own life to save an entire city, steering a deadly tanker well away and staying at the helm until it exploded. The Crimson Avenger first appeared in Detective Comics No. 20, predating Batman by a full seven issues.

On This Day: The First Telephone

  • News
  • March 10, 2008

On this day in 1876, Alexander Graham Bell conducted his first successful experiment with his newest invention, the telephone. He used it to summon his assistant, Thomas Watson, with the now-famous words, “Mr. Watson—come here—I want to see you.”

It’s been over 130 years since then, and we’re still addicted to calling people we could just as easily walk over and see in person.

On This Day: Rick Burchett

  • News
  • March 9, 2008

Comic book artist Rick Burchett was born in 1952. He originally worked in advertising in St. Louis, Missouri but was always a comic book fan. In the early 1980s he switched to comics professionally and worked for several smaller comic book publishers before joining DC.

His first DC title was Blackhawk, but that was quickly followed by Batman, Superman, The Flash, Green Lantern, and others. Burchett has won two Eisner Awards, for his art on The Batman and Robin Adventures and Batman: The Gotham Adventure.

His most recent work has been on Marvel’s She-Hulk.

 

On This Day: Zatara the Magician

  • News
  • March 8, 2008

zatara-2548297

Giovanni “John” Zatara was born today in 1919 and by his mid-20s had a successful career as a stage magician while concealing an awesome secret—he could do real magic!

Zatara was descended from the Homo Magi, a race of magic-wielding humans, and learned the secrets of harnessing that power—speaking backwards—by reading the diaries of his direct ancestor, Leonardo Da Vinci. Zatara used his magic to help people between his shows, and during World War II he was part of the All-Star Squadron.

His daughter, Zatanna, became both a stage magician herself and a superhero, fighting for a time as part of the Justice League of America. Zatara gave his life to save her when they and several others fought the demonic Great Evil Beast.

On This Day: Peter Gross and Cully Hamner

  • Uncategorized
  • March 7, 2008

lucifer26p7-3369061

Peter Gross has been working in comics since the 1990s, when he self-published the black-and-white series Empire Lanes. He’s best known for his work on DC’s Books of Magic and Lucifer but he also did artwork for Marvel’s Dr. Strange, Sorcerer Supreme and Hellstorm: Prince of Lies lines and for Dark Horse titles Chosen and The Mask: The Hunt for Green October. Gross also taught at the Minneapolis College of Art & Design, where he helped set up a comic art program.

Cully Hamner has done art on such series as The Authority, Green Lantern, Uncanny X-Men, and Spider-Man. These days he’s best known for his work on the relaunched Blue Beetle series for DC, initially written by Keith Giffen.

On This Day: Garth (a.k.a. ‘Tempest’)

  • News
  • March 6, 2008

tempest_garth-9720928

Born on March 6, Garth had a difficult childhood. The son of King Thar and Queen Bera of the Idyllists (a colony of Atlantis, located in the Hidden Valley), Garth was exiled and sentenced to death at birth because of a mystic prophecy. Somehow he survived and lived alone for many years beneath the waves before finally meeting Aquaman.

Garth became the underwater hero’s sidekick, Aqualad, and later joined the Teen Titans. Years later, after the two had a falling out, Garth was trained by Aquaman’s father Atlan, who unleashed Garth’s full mystic potential. Garth renamed himself "Tempest" and defeated his necromancer uncle, Slizzath, in an attempt to transform the Hidden Valley into a necropolis.

Since then, Garth has been an ambassador to the United Nations, a husband (to the heroine Dolphin), a father, and a Teen Titan, and has reconciled with Aquaman. Currently, Garth is powerless and searching for his family—here’s hoping he finds them before his next birthday!

On This Day: Pat Dugan

  • News
  • March 5, 2008

One of those rare heroes whose career has spanned not only two eras but two names and superhero motifs, Patrick “Pat” Dugan (born March 5 sometime in the late-1910s) was already an adult and working as an auto mechanic on July 4, 1941, when he met young Sylvester Pemberton III.

The two became the Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy to stop Nazi spies and later joined the All-Star Squadron and then the Seven Soldiers of Victory. Lost in time during the late ’40s, they were rescued years later by the Justice League of America and returned to the present day, where Dugan married and raised a son. Dugan later worked with Infinity, Inc.

After his first marriage failed, Dugan remarried and moved to Blue Valley, Nebraska. When his stepdaughter Courtney Whitmore became the second Star-Spangled Kid, Dugan developed a robotic suit of power armor and became S.T.R.I.P.E. so he could keep an eye on her.

On This Day: Glenn Hauman

  • News
  • March 4, 2008

Glenn Hauman was born on March 4, 1969. He’s been involved in comics since junior high school, when he studied under the legendary John Buscema. Years later he joined the industry officially, working in production at DC.

Since then Glenn’s done writing, production, layout, editing, and interactive development at several places, including DC, Apple Comics, and Simon & Schuster. Currently he’s the Vice-President of Operations and Production Manager for ComicMix, the colorist for Jon Sable Freelance, and one of the first and foremost (and tallest!) of our merry crew.

Happy birthday, big guy!

 

On This Day: Simon Bisley and Milt Gross

  • Uncategorized
  • March 4, 2008

abcwarriors1-5358878Simon Bisley, British comic book artist, was born in 1962. Bisley is best known for his work on the British series ABC Warriors, Sláine, and Heavy Metal Dredd, and the DC comic Lobo. His style uses paints and airbrushing as well as inks, and shows strong influences from both Frank Frazetta and Bill Sienkiewicz. Bisley also combined design elements from rock album covers and graffiti.

Milt Gross, an American comic book writer, illustrator, animator, was born in 1895. He wrote his comics in a Yiddish-inflected English. Gross is best known for his comic Gross Exaggerations and the woodcut novel He Done Her Wrong: The Great American Novel and Not a Word in It.

 

Categories

Archives

Everything you need to make great comics!

comicmix-pro-300x69-2

Nucleus X

Bookshop Zaks