A fictional character created by Ben Edlund in 1986 as a newsletter mascot for a chain of Boston-area comic book stores. He is an absurdist spoof of comic book superheroes. The character later spun off into an independent comic book series in 1988, and gained mainstream popularity through an animated TV series on Fox in 1994.
An American author and poet best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre. Poe is considered the inventor of the detective fiction genre and is credited with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction. On October 3, 1849, he was found on the streets of Baltimore delirious and wearing clothes that were not his own. Poe is thought by some to have been the victim of cooping before his mysterious death. He died on this day at age 40.
Note: According to a 1906 article from The New York Times, Poe parted his hair on the right. Many photos seem to show the opposite, but that’s because the image is reversed in most daguerreotypes (the photographic process of the mid-1800s). Just saying.
Larry Bird is one of the greatest NBA players of all time. He started at forward for 13 seasons with the Boston Celtics, spearheading one of the NBA’s most formidable frontcourts that won three NBA championships during the 1980s. His friendship and rivalry with Magic Johnson, whom he faced in the 1979 NCAA finals and three NBA championship series, is widely celebrated.
Note: This is 8-bit character #2 of the 13 greatest NBA players of all time.
George Herman Ruth, Jr. (AKA “the Bambino” and “the Sultan of Swat”) was a Major League Baseball player from 1914-1935. He is one of the most famous sports heroes in American culture and is considered the greatest baseball player ever. He spent his career with the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox and set numerous MLB records.
An African-American Muslim minister and human rights activist. As a spokesman for the Nation of Islam he taught black supremacy. After he left the Nation of Islam in 1964, he became a Sunni Muslim, but was assassinated a few months later while giving a speech. Here is a relevant song: “Wake Up” by Rage Against the Machine.
The 35th President of the United States. JFK was born on this day in 1917. He was assassinated in 1963 as he traveled in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas. I remain fascinated by the many conspiracy theories.
I almost had to draw a bearded Conan, but Will Ferrell helped him out with his facial hair three weeks ago. In May of last year, Conan performed on The Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour after his settlement with NBC. I am a fan of Team Coco.
I am attending WebVisions 2011 in Portland, Oregon this week.
Benjamin Franklin – No. 100
One of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America and inventor of the lightning rod and bifocals. Now he is on the $100 bill, so I’m making him my 100th 8-bit character. It’s all about the benjamins.
In mostly unrelated news, I launched my first website exactly 14 years ago today.