For almost a century Pluto was known as the ninth planet. Yet the designation was stripped away in 2006 when the celestial body was down graded to a dwarf planet.
American astronomer Clyde Tombaugh is credited for finding Pluto on Feb. 18, 1930. Hence, why today is known as Pluto Day.

For we four-color connoisseurs, today is better represented by the mustard colored mutt from the Disney collection.

Mickey Mouse series one issue one

Faithful Pluto the dog first appeared in comic books in Mickey Mouse series one in 1931.

Mickey Mouse comic books were originally published in Italy and the United Kingdom in the early part of the 1930s. America followed suit with Mickey Mouse Magazine series in 1935.

Publishing chores changed hands throughout the years until the Disney family settled in with Dell Comics Four Color one-shots in 1943. It was another 10 years before they were given a regular series that ran through 1990.

Looking at the calendar, there seemed to be too big a gap between Observe the Weather Day and the start of the countdown to Valentine’s Day. So, here’s a quick filler to bridge the hole between events.

And with that, welcome to Pop Art Day.

Drowning Girl

Artist Roy Lichtenstein is regarded as the father of pop art. His use of Ben-Day dots offered a commercial print quality with its pixelated effect.

Though not originally considered a high art form, Lichtenstein’s appreciation of the mass-market entertainment was his inspiration. Wham! and Drowning Girl are two of his more iconic pieces.

Though initially branded as plagiarism, pop art was eventually accepted by the comic book community. In 1965 the National Cartoon Society commissioned Lichtenstein for a piece. He was also the first of honor at the event.

Whaam!

If you’ve looked outside to see what the weather is like, you’ve already celebrated today’s non-holiday.

Today is Observe the Weather Day which has its roots in the birth of astrology in Babylonia around 650 BC. Around 360 BC scholar Aristotle jotted down weather patterns in his book Meteorologica. Fast forward 60 years and Indian astronomers began developing techniques to predict weather patterns. In 1854 Naval Officer Francis Beaufort and Robert FitzRoy start their campaign for forecasting to become a science, giving birth to weather observation as known today.

The Flash (1959) 110

And, that in a nutshell, is a history of weather forecasting.

Today’s emcee will be Flash foe Weather Wizard, first appearing in The Flash 110.

Created by John Broome and Carmine Infantino, Weather Wizard – aka Mark Mardon – originally wielded a wand crafted by brother Clyde to control weather patterns. The wand eventually drove Mardon insane, but DC’s New 52 cured him, allowing his return.

As part of The Flash’s Rogue’s Gallery, Mardon has appeared outside of comic books in a plethora of multi-media formats.

So, depending on the weather, choose an appropriate activity for the day which might include a review of today’s man of the hour and a little Weather Channel to fully appreciate the strides made to keep you warm and dry.

January days seem so long though they grow dark too early.
Still suffering from the big holidays hangover, it’s almost like work trying to find anything mildly interesting to survive the month.

Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man 98 (1976)

This non-holiday caught my attention and triggered a memory of a Spidey villain from years past. Who better than The Spot to host National Polka Dot Day?

Why someone established a day for polka dots is beyond me. It just exists. The word first appeared in the 1857 Philly publication Godey’s Lady’s Book.

Since their introduction as a form of ladies wear fashion, polka dots have transferred to everything from napkins to fingernails. They are a fashion statement and fashion stigma depending which way the whims of haute couture are blowing.

For our purposes polka dots are a means of transportation.

Dr. Johnathon Ohnn made his debut in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man 97 as a Kingpin minion. The MIT grad was under orders to recreate Cloak’s – of Cloak and Dagger fame – means of teleportation.

A laboratory mishap caused Ohnn to become the means of transference himself, peppered in black polka dots that are pathways to wherever his desire may lie.

Al Milgrom, writer, and Herb Trimpe, artist, are his creators.

Spot would also come to life as part of Marvel’s animated universe. He starred in his self-titled episode in 1994 on Fox Kids animated Spider-Man series and in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse in 2018 and Spider-Man: Across the Universe in 2023.

After a season of overindulgence, today may seem ironic as it is Prohibition Remembrance Day.

Iron Man 128 (1968)

January 16, 1919, saw the ratification of the 18th Amendment prohibiting the production, transportation and sale of alcohol in the United States. Prohibition was lifted Dec. 5, 1933, with the 21st Amendment, but during its time allowed the rise of organized crime to take hold.

Iron Man issue 128 was chosen to commemorate the day as the lauded Demon in a Bottle saga concludes.

Playboy Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, was long known for his daliances with both ladies and liquor. Writers David Michelinie and Bob Layton, with art by John Romita, Jr., Layton and Carmine Infantino, brought his reliance on alcohol to the forefront with Iron Man issues 120-28 in 1979.

So influential was the story arc, Iron Man 2 director Jon Favreau chose to include a druken Iron Man battling his own bottle in an abbreviated version of issues 120-28.

Help for those with substance abuse is available by dialing 988.

In the meantime, hunt down the originals or trade to this compeling story.

If planning a little after Christmas travel, here’s a thought:  Benin, Africa – for January 10. That puts you right in the heart of the Fete du Vodoun Festival.

Literally translated, that’s Vodoun Festival, also known as Traditional Religions Day.

Strange Tales 169

Vodoun was officially declared a religion in Benin in 1996. It begins with the slaughter of a goat in honor of the spirits. The remainder of the celebration is filled with singing, dancing and the imbibing of liquor, especially gin.

If that sounds a little intimidating or your passport is just expired, maybe something a little closer to home. Like a comfy chair and a copy of Strange Tales 169. The book features Dr. Jericho Drumm, created by Marvel publisher Stan Lee, writer Len Wein and artist John Romita Sr.

Included in the village that spawned and raised him was Marvel editor-in-chief Roy Thomas who suggested the name Doctor Voodoo. Fortunately cooler heads prevailed and he was christened Brother Voodoo. Gene Colan handled the art chores.

Brother Voodoo began his journey through the Marvel U in Strange Tales 169 through 173 and culminated the initial adventure as a backup story in Marvel’s horror magazine Tales of the Zombie issue six.

Brother Voodoo continues to this day, though Marvel did receive some negative letters from religious groups in the beginning. The Sci-Fi Channel announced in 2003 an ongoing series, but it never materialized.

Remember that scene in the first Superman movie? The one where he flies counterclockwise around the world to turn back time to save Lois? Yeah, that one. You can even hear John Williams’ theme.

Well, there are many who say that can’t happen.

Are they the modern-day sceptics preaching the world is flat? We’ll leave that up to you while we celebrate, of all things, World Rotation Day.

If you are on the side of the non-believer’s fence, you believe Earth’s rotation is independent of time; there isn’t an arrow linked to time and motion. You are entrenched in the belief time flows in one direction: forward. Meaning, Superman could not reverse time by reversing the Earth’s spin.

But, wait.

Superman: The Movie

What if we hypothesize Superman didn’t reverse the rotation of the Earth? What if it was merely an illusion – like the wagon wheel effect – and only appeared to spin backward? That it is only Superman flying in reverse, traveling back in time?

That seems to be a popular general consensus around the world wide web.

Of course, the whole scene could have been handled in a much easier and less confusing manner if Supes had just popped over to his buddy, the Flash’s, and jumped on the Cosmic Treadmill.  The Cosmic Treadmill, first introduced in The Flash (1959) 125. Not only did the treadmill allow Flash the ability to travel through time, but to parallel Earths. Which led, eventually, to the Crisis on Infinite Earths.

The treadmill is powered by cosmic rays that use radioactive pulses to either send the user into the past or the future depending on what was input into the programmable interface – and also allow easier travel to alternate Earths by matching the vibrational frequency of the Earth in question. Once arrived, Flash was required to maintain an internal vibrational frequency of his current Earth. To return, he simply relaxed, allowing the vibrations to stop.

World Rotation Day is celebrated on January 8 to commemorate the day in 1851 when French physicist Leon Foucault proved that the Earth rotates on its axis. The day also serves as an opportunity to learn more about the Earth’s rotation and its effects on time, weather, gravity and astronomy.

If you haven’t done it yet, finish reading this THEN go take down your Christmas tree. Today is National Take Down Your Christmas Tree Day.

Batman 33 (1940)

It’s also the Feast of the Epiphany or Three Kings.

Western Christianity celebrates this as the day the Magi, or three Kings, first saw the Christ child. Some traditions designate today as Little Christmas. The traditional date of the feast is January 6. Yet, it has been celebrated in some countries on the Sunday after January 1.

While Robin does his best Chevy Chase impression on the cover, the issue brings only one holiday story to the table. In the Search for Santa Claus, the Dynamic Duo spend Christmas Eve keeping a Santa clone from misadventure. Three faux Santas visit three locations, a children’s hospital, an orphanage and a theater; to spread yuletide cheer. One is a missing relative of three would be killers hoping to eliminate a branch of the family tree from a fortune in inheritance.

The opening story stars the Penguin in Crime on the Wing.

If you don’t have a Batman Golden Age omnibus, maybe find this story in digital form as a reward for taking the tree down for another year.

I’ve been waiting a while to dust this one off, but now I can finally count Dazzler as part of the Four Color Holiday stable.

Today is Pop Music Chart Day.

Pop Music Chart Day is celebrated January 4 to honor the original Billboard Magazine’s Hit Parade publication. That was over 85 years ago, but worth remembering.

Dazzler’s, aka Alison Blaire, rise to comic book fandom was a long and complicated one.

Depending on who you listen to, either Casablanca Records or Marvel first approached the other with the concept of a disco singer and a mulitmedia event. Marvel Comics was already familiar with Casablanca due to their collaboration through the rock group KISS. The company and band had partnered to create a comic book in magazine format showcasing KISS as super heroes in 1977.

By 1979 disco music was at its apex and about to spiral out of public favor. That didn’t stop Neil Bogart, Casablanca head honcho, and Marvel Editor Jim Shooter from working to create a singer who would not only star in her own comic book, but be part of the record label and even a film.

Names bandied about for the movie included actress Bo Derek, while John Romita, Jr., Marvel penciler, envisioned the character more along the lines of singer Grace Jones. Her original name was to be the Disco Dazzler, but writer Roger Stern saved her from typecasting by shortening her moniker to simply Dazzler.

During production, Casablanca began to experience financial troubles and their end of the agreement become a moot point. Marvel continued and debuted the new character, now a mutant able to transmute sound into light, in Uncanny X-Men 130 in 1980. The book also serves as one of the opening salvos of the Dark Pheonix Saga.

Dazzler next appeared in Amazing Spider-Man issue 203 and Fantastic Four 217, both in April 1980.

Though the multimedia event orignally planned was cancelled, Dazzler was given the distinction of being the first Marvel ongoing series exclusively offered through the direct market. The premiere issue was cover dated May 1981 with a print run of 400,000 copies.

The original series ran 42 issues, 1981-85 with a seperate graphic novel.

She continues to be part of the Marvel Universe with a large following, but her early days will always be her best.

Today is New Year’s Day. We know today is New Year’s Day, so let’s focus on something else.

Hedrek Night of the Mummers

January 1st is also known for its Mummers Day Parade in Philadelphia, PA.

This tradition began in 1778 when the British wished General William Howe well with a sendoff parade, much like the modern-day Mummers Parade. While a Philly resident, George Washington encouraged a continuation of the event. It morphed into something more closely resembling our current Halloween, but with a decidedly more adult bent to the festivities: revelers would wander from house to house reciting poetry and telling jokes for alcohol and cake.

By the mid 1800s the ribald revelry was scaled back, and – in 1901 – Philadelphia officially adopted the Mummers Parade, a tradition that continues to this day.

DCI Hedrek Stern stars in a book using the annual event as a backdrop for a string of murders that may or may not be supernatural in nature.

Night of the Mummers is illustrated by David Hitchcock and written by Professor of Forensic Psychology Laurence Alison.