Not usually referred to as the oldest profession in the world, farming began approximately 12,000 years ago.

National Farmer’s Day commemorates the settlement of former hunters and the domestication of livestock October 12 each year.

Currently there are about two million farms in the United States. Those farms provide approximately $1 trillion dollars to the US economy. Each of those farms feed nearly 166 persons each year. Agricultural jobs sponsor 50,000 jobs per year.

No one is sure exactly when National Farmer’s Day began, though it was originally called National Old Farmer’s Day. The October 12 date is used due to the harvesting time frame. Normally this is at the end of harvesting allowing farmers a much-deserved break and time for revelry.

Howard the Duck (1979) 1

Representing the day is a Howard the Duck story from his inaugural magazine issue, Fowl of Fear!

Recovering from recent adventures detailed in the waning Howard the Duck comic book series, titular star, Beverly and her Uncle Lee drive back to Cleveland, OH, to start anew.

Along the way, some foreshadowing and reviewing is done before a blowout causes the traveling trio to seek shelter at an appropriately foreboding farm house on the hill.

They are received by the sinister Mr. Chicken who divulges his poultry program designed to increase the size and succulence of his commercially crafted chickens.

Mr. Chicken meets his deserved end with the help of Howard, Bev and Uncle Lee.

They continue their travels to Cleveland and eight more issues of adventures including a Christmas story in the third issue of his magazine.

Fowl of Fear is unremarkable beyond Bill Mantlo taking up animal rights regarding production of mass-produced foods early on in the struggle for decency in humane practices in those regards. Much has been documented over the years in relation to those operations.

The National Farmer’s Day observed today honors those humane methods of raising food to feed the world. Celebrate with something home grown and a little of the forward fowl who allowed us to look at ourselves and society with fresh eyes.

Today we go down the rabbit hole for 24 hours of “silliness.”

National Mad Hatter Day is a day to explore the more whimsical side of our personalities. Modeled after Alice in Wonderland’s namesake, Mad Hatter Day teaches us to put aside the seriousness and unleash the silliness; ditch the dialectics for the doltish.

The fictional character was created by illustrator and political cartoonist, Sir John Tenniel. The phrase, mad as a hatter, is taken from him.

In the 19^th century, hats were considered status symbols. The finer the “hat” couture, the higher the believed social standing. Hatter, his real name, became associated with wearing hats with labels. The 10/6 didn’t stand for a size, but the cost.

When National Mad Hatter Day was proposed, October 6 was chosen due to the 10/6 tucked in the hat band. It was inaugurated in 1986 by a group of computer programmers, then officially recognized in 1988.

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Jervis Tetch is the easy emcee choice for the day.

Making his debut in Batman (1940) issue 49, Tetch is a technological talent able to craft mind control devices. Usually these are hidden in a hat or other headwear.

He is the child of Bill Finger and Lew Sayre Schwartz, first appearing in 1948.

His backstory consists of an unhealthy interest in both hats and Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and the sequel, Through the Looking Glass. When agitated, the chapeau criminal reverts to rhyming often adding quotes from the Wonderland works.

Tetch would appear only once in the Golden Age of comic books. His Silver Age appearances would be explained away as made by an imposter. The original Tetch did not reappear until Detective Comics (1938) 510 in 1981.

His imposter would return also, but not until six years later in Detective Comics issue 573.

The Mad Hatter’s canonical comic book mind control devices were first used in Detective Comics 525.

Though impersonated in the comic books during the 1960’s, the character would appear several times on the live-action Batman series of the same decade. Tetch was portrayed by David Wayne.

Benedict Samuel would play the villain in the 2014-19 Gotham series and by Liam Crandle in the third season of Batwoman on The CW.

Ted Knight voiced the animated version of The Mad Hatter in The Batman/Superman Hour show. Roddy McDowall would do the honors for the Batman: The Animated Series, The New Batman Adventures, Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond and Batman: The Brave and the Bold.

For the Young Justice Outsiders, Dwight Schultz brought the character to life with his vocalization.

The Mad Hatter has also appeared in the Lego Batman video games as well as Batman: Arkham.

So, rather than bother yourself with the question, “how is a raven like a writing desk,” go find some Batman back issues, a silly hat and enjoy a day away from sanity.

(Yes, we’ve used the Mad Hatter in a prior non-holiday, but why reinvent the wheel for a day tailor made for him?)

Not often do we get to celebrate two holidays for the price of one within a comic book, but we do today.

Calling on The Funky Phantom to act as emcee covers both National Get Funky Day and, as a ghost, Halloween month.

This Scooby-Doo clone mimicked the tone and plot of most Mystery Gang episodes. It loosely relied on the vernacular of the day with its title to entice young viewers to tune in on Saturday mornings.

Funky Phantom (1972) 1 Gold Key

Overall, it was not one of Hannah-Barbera Productions best outings, but the animated series does have a certain dated charm after the passage of four decades.

The premise behind The Funky Phantom, as explained in the opening theme, had a trio of teens seeking shelter from a storm. Sneaking into an old house, they attempt to reset the grandfather clock only to unleash colonial-era poltergeists Jonathan Wellington “Mudsy” Muddlemore and his pet cat Boo. To escape British Redcoats during the Revolutionary War, the two hid inside the clock, but were unable to get back out and died within. Upon being released, the two buddy up with the teens and solve mysteries.

Mudsy may sound familiar to viewers. His voice acting was done by Daws Butler, better known as Snagglepuss.

The series lasted a mere 17 episodes while a comic book version saw 13 hit newsstands. Gold Key and Whitman each featured adaptations of animated episodes as well as original material.

Funk as a musical genre originated in the mid-1960s featuring a mixture of soul, jazz and rhythm and blues usi

Funky Phantom (1972) 1 Whitman

ng the bass line as its guide.

The Godfather Soul James Brown is given much credit for streamlining the style. By 1976 funk had cemented itself in the mainstream that Wild Cherry produced a danceable one-hit wonder Play That Funky Music, White Boy that topped the charts September 18 of that year.

It wasn’t until after Hurricane Matthew hit Florida the Funkytown Fitness center in St. Augustine inaugurated National Get Funky Day on October 5 to get people out of “their comfort zones” and celebrate life.

To get in the groove, a recommended playlist includes: Give Up the Funk by Parliament, More Bounce to the Ounce by Zapp, Super Freak by Rick James, Brick House by the Commodores, Superstition and Higher Ground by Stevie Wonder, Get Down on It by Kook & the Gang, Funky Town by Lipps Inc and Sex Machine by James Brown.

At the risk of seeming insensitive, we’re taking today, Confucius Day, and coupling it with the first appearance of Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu.

I say, “…not to seem insensitive…” in that I’m using a Bronze-Age fictional Chinese comic book character to represent a revered, real-life Chinese philosopher, poet and politician.

Rest assured; no slight is intended.

Confucius is believed to have been born Sept. 28, 551 BC in the 22^nd year of the reign of Emperor Xiang. His birth name was Kong Qiu, but was referred to as Master Kong.

Though his father died when Confucius was three and raised in poverty, the future master became a studious child, excelling in his learnings. At 22, Confucius started his first private school in China. Several of his earliest students became noblemen and political administrators.

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In his 50s, Confucius was named his home-town’s Grand Minister of Justice. As his status grew, so did his teachings, first across China and, later, the world.

Confucius’s birthday is also observed as Teacher’s Day in China and Taiwan because Confucius believed in education without discrimination. Confucius disciples came from different social classes, and he accommodated them all.

The philosopher/fighter we defer today is a creation of two Americans as told in the form of a completely American creation. Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin wished to adapt the popular Kung Fu television series of the time into comic book form. After DC Comics turned a deaf ear to their pitch, the duo approached Marvel Comics.

By this time the two wished to create their own martial arts master.

Editor-in-Chief Roy Thomas gave the go ahead with the caveat Marvel’s recently acquired license of Sax Rohmer’s Dr. Fu Manchu be incorporated into the mythos.

Shang-Chi debuted in Special Marvel Edition issue 15. He proved popular enough to make two more appearances in the former reprint book before earning his own title.

With issue 17, Special Marvel Edition became The Hands of Shang-Chi, Maser of Kung Fu. The book would outlast the martial arts fad of the 1970s running to 1983 and issue 125.

Along the way, Shang-Chi would star in four giant-size editions, an annual a Special Collector’s Edition, The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu special one, and make regular appearances in The Deadly Hands of Kung Fu magazine.

The 1980s and early 1990s afforded Shang Chi a much-needed rest, but he would continue to guest in specials and other Marvel character books.

With interest in the Marvel Universe beyond the printed page, Shang-Chi bided his time until his franchise was optioned for the big screen. In anticipation, a new title appeared and he finally debuted in theaters in 2021 in the self-titled Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

The loosely-based retelling of the 1970s four-color martial arts master met with unexpected success at the box office returning over $400 million worldwide.

To commemorate the day, follow the philosophy of the non-holiday’s namesake, but by all means, please explore the world of an underused, under-appreciated character whose story is more than worth telling…it’s worth reading.

A mascot for an entertainment franchise takes center stage as we celebrate Shamu the Whale Day.

September 26 has been set aside to honor and commemorate the original and subsequent Orcas since.

Shamu became a staple of SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment in the 1960s. The first park was built in 1964 and became known as SeaWorld San Diego followed by a site in Aurora, Ohio, then called SeaWorld Ohio. The advent of Disney World in Florida brought about SeaWorld Orlando in 1973 and SeaWorld San Antonio (Texas) in 1976.

Over time, SeaWorld’s killer whales, or Orcas, became its main attraction. Shamu was the name of the first Orca at the original San Diego site. It has since been adopted for each park and each successor over the years.

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September 26 was chosen to celebrate all the Shamus though it is based on the day in 1985 and the first surviving baby Shamu.

At least originally.

Shamu the Whale Day is currently more suited for allowing killer whales to live in their native biosphere rather than a created one. Understanding the world around us has become more common rather than adopting and adapting it to suit our needs.

For instance, the original Shamu was captured in 1965. It died in 1971 following an accident during a performance. Today, 37 years ago, marks the first Shamu who survived birth in captivity.

Even SeaWorld announced in 2016 it would no longer breed Orcas in captivity.

To better understand the 50,000 Orcas alive today, people are encouraged to inform themselves and others. This can be done through printed matter, documentaries or lectures.

When done, we recommend turning to Sub-Mariner (1968) issue 23.

Our killer whale was an Atlantean solider in the army of Warlord Krang in his attempts to wrest control of the Atlantean throne from Namor. After the failed attempt, Orka goes into hiding with his master. A psionic amplified belt turns Orka into his namesake and he aids Krang in another attempt at usurping the throne. This ends in failure as well.

Over the years, Orka went from villain to a hero of sorts. After the events of Civil War, he teamed with then current incarnation of Heroes for Hire. He was killed during the series, but resurrected during the Dark Reign storyline and, later, became a member of Namor’s Defenders of the Deep.

No matter how you choose to celebrate the day, remember we are not alone on Earth.

Today is National Ghost Hunting Day so, who ya gonna call?

After that unoriginal opening and the cover to the side, it’s a no brainer as to what we’re gonna talk about today.

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This Johnny-come-lately non-holiday began sometime before 2017 at the insistence of Haunted Travels as a way to begin the ghost hunting season and the season for haunted attractions.

The actual kick off date does shift each year, but the day remains the same. Kick off is the last Saturday in September.

While Ed and Lorraine Warren of the Conjuring franchise may be the current sweethearts of the supernatural set, the quintet from the Big Apple are still the favorites.

Saturday Night Live alum Dan Aykroyd proposed the story and script and Harold Ramis polished the finished product.

The 1984 film starred Aykroyd, Ramis, Bill Murray, Rick Moranis, Sigourney Weaver, Annie Potts and Ernie Hudson. Ghostbusters earned $240 million in the U.S. alone with another $50 million abroad on a $30-million-dollar budget.

Ghostbusters II was released in 1989 followed by the 2016 gender-changing remake and Ghostbusters: Afterlife in 2021.

Our comic book adaptation is based on the Columbia Pictures Television and DIC Entertainment collaboration The Real Ghostbusters syndicated animated series that ran from 1986-1991.

NOW Comics, founded in 1985, began publishing The Real Ghostbusters comic books March 28, 1988.

Oddly enough, NOW Comics held the North American rights while Marvel Comics held the European publishing rights. Material from both companies would be reprinted by the other at times.

NOW Comics published two volumes of The Real Ghostbusters, the first running 28 issues and a second with only four. A spin-off series featuring breakout character Slimer was launched, publishing 19 issues.

For more information on the comic book history of the franchise, read Ghostbusters: Past, Present and Future.

For more facts about ghosts, read on.

Malaysia, United States and Canada have the highest percentage of population who believe in ghosts, 57 percent, 47 percent and 44 percent respectively. Of those 47 percent of Americans who are believers, 30 percent claim to have been awakened by a ghost in the bedroom during their lifetime.

Countries with the lowest percentage of belief are Germany with 25 percent, the Netherlands with 23 percent and Brazil at 21 percent. Oddly enough, the first recorded poltergeist activity occurred at a farmhouse in Germany during the ninth century.

Ghosts are credited with haunting places while poltergeists haunt people.

If you believe you are being haunted, here are some tips on how to remove the offending spirit from your presence.

First, just by speaking with the ghost or poltergeist. Some are reasonable and can be negotiated with.

Next up are the tried-and-true Holy Water and spiritual cleansings.

There’s always smudging. That’s when the smoke from a smudge stick clears the spirit from the area.

White candle clearing is pretty much what is sounds like.

If feeling froggy, there’s Feng Shui, the rearranging of the room’s furniture.

To trick the spirit, pour white rice as close to the exterior of the foundation of your house as possible. Apparently, ghosts are OCD and will go out to count the grains. A couple of days later, pour salt over the rice to prevent the spirit from reentering the house.

No surprise what we’re celebrating today; the cooler temperatures, changing leaf colors and gateway to the biggest holidays of the year. Today is the first day of Autumn.

Welcome to fall.

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In North America, autumn traditionally starts with the September equinox, September 21 to 24, and ends with the winter solstice, Dec. 21 or 22. In America, Labor Day is often heralded as the end of summer, though the calendar is a little behind.

As a harbinger of things to come, Mickey and friends frolic amid the falling leaves and Jack o’ Lanterns with eight retold tales.

First up is a Donald Duck vehicle called Travelling Truants that first appeared in Dell series (1940) 169.

It’s for the Birds! captures the antics of Chip ‘n’ Dale in this six-page anthropomorphic funny book reprint.

Let Them Eat Cake showcases Brer Rabbit in this folky five-page story.

The cast of Duck Tales takes top billing in A’Haunting We Will Go!

More ducks with Donald in Jet Witch from Dell series (1940) 254, 1961.

Retro goodness continues from Li’l Bad Wolf in Let’s Talk Turkey! the first of three stories to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Next stars Pluto in The Turkey Chaser from Dell series (1940) 147, December 1952 with Chip ‘n’ Dale closing book in CD+GO The Turkey Thiever. The tale was originally published in Dell Series (1955) issue four, February 1956.

A second fall special was published the following year featuring another harvest of reprints.

As if a good read wasn’t enough to commemorate the season, here are a few facts to keep in mind:

More relationships occur in the fall, which is good ‘cuz it’s considered the sexiest time of the year. According to Nigel Barber, PhD and evolutionary psychologist, humans are seasonal breeders with men experiencing a testosterone peak in the fall.

As if that wasn’t enough, the smell of pumpkin pie is an aphrodisiac. At least for men. The smell of pumpkin pie mixed with lavender was the most powerful turn-on, increasing blood flow to…well, you get the idea.

So, while couples gear up for a long winter, remember, more babies are born in September than any other month of the year.

Just a little advice for those who finish reading early and are looking for another activity.

Short of the National Anthem, stars and stripes or mom and her apple pie, what’s more American than a hamburger?

Add a slice of cheese and you have today’s non-holiday.

National Cheeseburger Day pays respect to America’s favorite sandwich topped with a square of coagulated milk protein casein.

Stories of how the cheeseburger came to be and who created the handheld miracle date back to the 1920s. Lionel Sternberger receives credit for adding the extra topping at his father’s sandwich shop in Pasadena, CA, in 1926.

That story is challenged by a Los Angeles eatery called O’Dell’s who stated they put it on the menu in 1928. Kaelin’s Restaurant in Louisville, KY, takes credit for creating the cheeseburger in 1934.

Humpty Dumpty Drive-In of Denver, CO, does hold the distinction of having patented the sandwich name in 1935.

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For those Steak n’ Shake enthusiasts, owner Gus Belt also applied for a trademark in the 1930s.

National Cheeseburger Day was one of our first non-holiday features with Action Comics 454 in 2019.

So, it’s kind of nice to service this under appreciated delicacy with someone who knows how to eat; Jughead.

Short of Shaggy and Scooby or Garfield, not many four-color favorites can slam back the food the way Archie’s sidekick can. This cover is a generic representation of the chowhound in action, but also a good representation of today’s non-holiday.

Jughead’s Double Digest is as massive as some of its namesake’s sandwiches. The Double Digest is a meaty 256 pages. Or, at least it was in the beginning. It would trim back to more weight conscious – and economical – 160 pages in later years.

The book began as a quarterly publication in 1989 before ramping up to 11 issues a year even featuring new material. It would be replaced by Jughead and Archie Double Digest in 2014. It was marked the last solo Jughead title.

If sitting down with a double dose of reading and eating material, remember to wipe your fingers so as not to soil the comic book.

Oh, and see if McDonald’s is still offering its double cheeseburger for $.50 today. They did last year.

Again, no correlation between non-holiday and the cover of this comic book, but anyone who’s read Hate may guess what todays non-red numbered day is.

Today is Stay Away from Seattle Day.

Yep, yet another hard-to-believe non-holiday.

At first it may sound like a slam against the Emerald City – not L. Frank Baum’s metropolis, but the one in the north west – but it’s not. Stay Away from Seattle Day was designed to help the city’s denizens.

September 16 has been designated as a no-visit zone for Seattle, WA.

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Seattle is touted as one of the best cities in the United States in which to live. Brand names like Amazon, Microsoft and Nordstrom help populate the city by providing job opportunities. Seattle is also birthplace of Starbucks, the 1962 World’s Fair feature the Space Needle and tourism beacon Pike Place Market.

Not to confuse today’s wary welcome, Seattle natives are more than happy to accept tourism dollars, but would rather those visitors be just that: visitors. Those seeking new residence need not apply.

To celebrate, stay away. Go north, south, east or west, but not Seattle. At least not on September 16.

A more economical way to visit is to find some of the early issues of writer-artist Peter Bagge’s Hate.

Hate hit the newsstands in 1990, running a mere 30 issues, to 1998 but becoming one of the best-selling alternative comics of the decade. Celebrating the slacker life and dressed in grunge, the title was selling 30,000 copies an issue at its peak.

Buddy Bradley starred as the insecure 20-something floating on a sea of indecision and believed entitlement.

Here’s where today and Hate come together; Buddy lived in Seattle for the first 15 issues of the book, moving back to New Jersey in issue 16.

The Gen X spokesman returned in 2000 for Hate Annual, continuing the stories began the previous decade.

Bagge denounces much of the counter culture associated with Hate. According to the creator, slackers, grunge and other terms associated with the region and era were not in vogue when he started the book.

Hate continues to flare up from time-to-time. The series has been optioned for animated television series for MTV, HBO and Fox since 1995, but have yet to be developed.

So, be a Hater for a day. Discover late 20^th-century disenfranchisement showing another side of the decade other than Friends and Fraiser.

Not to be confused with Video Game Day, National Video Game Day is held Sept. 12 each year allowing the armchair enthusiast their day in the sun – so to speak.

Most video game historians consider 1971 the dawn of video games. In 1971 Computer Space was released by Nutting Associates for the commercial market. Pong followed the next year, released for arcades by Atari.

Spider-Man for the Atari 2600

It was also the year Magnavox released the Odyssey video game system. Pong followed suit in 1976 with the home-system release of Pong.

In 1977 Atari unveiled the Atari Video Computer System. The system allowed for individual games to be stored on cartridges which could be interchanged enabling the system to play more than one game.

Not until 1985 did the floodgates open with the Nintendo Entertainment System.

Over the years video games and comic book characters have intermingled. One of the earliest is Spider-Man for the Atari 2600. Marvel’s loveable web head battled the Green Goblin on a paltry 6502 microprocessor with an anemic 128 bytes of RAM on the Stella graphics chip.

The game was released in 1982 by Parker Brothers for the 2600 and Sears clone, the Sears Video Arcade. Spidey webbed his way to the top of high rise while defusing the Goblin’s bombs.

Not exciting by today’s standards, but the game was a success.

As of this writing, the most recent Spider-Man video game is 2018’s action-adventure game by Insomniac Games. The PlayStation 4 exclusive sold 3.3-million units in its first three days of release, earning an estimated $198 million.

So, take time to remember the superhero games that have come before and enjoy a day of vintage or current punch outs and puzzles as your favorite hero tackles their toughest villains.