Elzie Crisler Segar was born 115 years ago today. His 1919 comic strip THIMBLE THEATRE had been running for nearly a decade before the belated and unlikely introduction of its leading man, POPEYE. The ugly single-eyed sailor with unnatural strength and a strong set of values was quickly recognized as one of the great strip creations of all time and celebrates his birthday this year with the 4th in Fantagraphics’ top notch series reprinting the character’s complete run under his creator.  Although E. C. Segar died young after only about nine years on his iconic creation, POPEYE outlived him and his fame and popularity are today on or just below a par with MICKEY MOUSE and SHERLOCK HOMES.

Today, according to Wikipedia, Segar himself is aalso getting his due–”In 1977, Segar’s hometown of Chester, Illinois honored its native son with a park named in his honor. The park is home to a six-foot-tall bronze statue of Popeye, and since 1980 has been the site of the annual Popeye Picnic, a weekend-long event that celebrates the character with a parade, film festival and other activities. In 2006, Chester launched the ambitious “Popeye & Friends Character Trail,” which links a series of statues of Segar’s characters located throughout town. Each stands on a base inscribed with the names of donors who contributed to its cost, and is unveiled and dedicated during the Popeye Picnic. The 2006 debut sculpture of hamburger-loving Wimpy stands in Gazebo Park. A statue of Olive Oyl, Swee’Pea and the Jeep, located downtown near the Randolph County Courthouse, followed in 2007. In 2008, a Bluto statue was dedicated at the corner of Swanwick and W. Holmes Streets, in front of Buena Vista Bank. The 2009 statue of Castor Oyl and Bernice the Whiffle Hen stands in front of Chester Memorial Hospital. An additional 11 statues will be unveiled at the rate of one per year until 2019, when a bust of Segar at his birthplace will mark the cartoonist’s 125th birthday.”

So kick back, light up a see-gar and “Arf! Arf!” your way through some POPEYE strips today if you can to remember one of the most important cartoonists of the 20th Century!

On this day in comics history in 1927, artist Steve Ditko was born. Craig has said of Ditko, “The master, Steve Ditko, his name thrills me as his concepts and art certainly do.” Although he has shunned interviews and public appearances for more than four decades, Ditko is not a recluse and is well known for being nice to industry professionals and fans alike–even fans like the UK’s Jonathan Ross who, with Neil Gaiman in tow, essentially invaded his offices (off camera) as part of a BBC documentary entitled IN SEARCH OF STEVE DITKO a couple years back.

Probably the most principled man in comics history, Steve Ditko has long been and remains at age 82 a controversial figure for his unbridled embracing of Randian philosophy, his seemingly odd choices in his comics work (years of working for low-paying Charlton when the bigger publishers would have made him rich, leaving SPIDER-MAN and refusing to ever draw the character again, etc.), his eccentric self-published titles, his lack of visibility and seeming lack of caring in most cases and the very fact that only a handful of photographs of him have ever surfaced, the most recent I believe, being 50 years old now!

Freely credited by Stan Lee (as well as director Sam Raimi in the credits of all three films) as the co-creator of SPIDER-MAN, it was Ditko’s characters, concepts and inimitable sense of costume design that made the strip initially popular. He also created DOCTOR STRANGE, CAPTAIN ATOM and went on to create the 1960’s revamp of THE BLUE BEETLE, the iconic QUESTION, THE CREEPER and his own black and white (and black OR white!) character, MR. A.

Along with his no interviews policy, Ditko has long shunned any personal profiles but in 2008, author Blake Bell published a nice coffee table volume entitled STRANGER AND STRANGER: THE WORLD OF STEVE DITKO. Although it contained more biographical info than fans had yet seen, Ditko has always said that he would prefer his work to speak for itself.  Toward that end of the spectrum comes Craig’s upcoming book, THE ART OF STEVE DITKO (see http://theartofditko.com/).

One of the most recognizable stylists in the history of comic books, Steve Ditko’s art and writing can be a polarizing force but one can’t deny its importance. Seen here is an ultra-rare fan commissioned drawing  (part of a much larger, multi-artist piece) of THE BLUE BEETLE done in either the late 1970’s or the early 1980’s and marking one of the ONLY known times Steve Ditko ever revisited one of his classic characters.

On this date in history, the very much still with us JOE SIMON was born. Simon ranks near the top of the most influential figures in comics history for his creation of CAPTAIN AMERICA with Jack Kirby, his tenure as editor at early Timely Comics and Simon & Kirby’s long partnership that created and/or popularized kid gangs and romance comics.  He also had a long tenure packaging books for Harvey and a long run at MAD imitator SICK. He was even involved (depending on your definition) in the convoluted history of the character that eventually became SPIDER-MAN. Author of a fascinating illustrated memoir, THE COMIC BOOK MAKERS, Simon turns 94 today!

Actor Kirk Alyn was born on this day in 1910. Although little remembered today Alyn was the big screen’s very first SUPERMAN in two 1940’s serials. He appeared in a number of B westerns, cop films and serials besides, connecting to the comics field yet again as the star of BLACKHAWK. A popular Comic Book Convention guest in later years, Alyn’s cameo in the 1978 Christopher Reeve version of SUPERMAN was cut at the time of its original release but was restored on ABC in the early eighties and appears in the box set version released a few years ago. For years he sold his fun autobiography, A JOB FOR SUPERMAN, at shows and by mail order. Kirk Alyn died in 1999.

Two controversial cartoonists who’ve left their mark on the industry were born on this date–the late Bob Thaves was born in 1924 and Bil Keane was born in 1922. In both cases the reason they’re controversial stems from the alleged bland repetitiveness of their work.

On this day in 1944 Italian comic artist and illustrator Paolo Eleuteri Serpieri was born. His work on the erotic Druuna series was featured in Heavy Metal Magazine.

On this day in 1907 Milton Caniff was born. Caniff is best known, of course, for Terry and the Pirates and Steve Canyon (featured a while back in Friday’s the Flying Flick). Caniff was an Eagle Scout and received an Eagle Scout award from the Boy Scouts of America. Maybe the Boy Scouts didn’t know about Milt’s drawings that are in my new book “Clean Cartoonists’ Dirty Drawings”.

On this day in 1973 Bill Everett died. Everett was the co-creator of Daredevil. He also worked on The Hulk and Doctor Strange. And Wild Bill Everett has a sexy pin-up drawing and complete bio in my new book, “Clean Cartoonists’ Dirty Drawings”!

On this day in 1877, German comic artist Rudolph Dirks was born. Kirks moved to Chicago at the age of seven and is probably best known for The Katzenjammer Kids. He was one of the most successful comic pioneers.

On this day in 1903 Darrell Craig McClure was born. McClure was best known for his work on Little Annie Rooney and began his apprenticeship as a cartoonist and animator after working as a tailor, lumberjack, and merchant seaman.

(click to read this comic)