Werewolf By Night and the Godfather of Soul

I watched the great documentary on the 1974 Ali-Foreman fight in Zaire, When We Were Kings, tonight and was surprised when a Marvel comic made a quick cameo. Not only did 1974's Werewolf By Night #23 make an appearance, but it was being read by James Brown. Hell yes.

The Godfather of Soul clearly digs his werewolves.

A timely find: Marvel's subtle reference to the Clarence Thomas hearings

Flipping through NFL Superpro #5 tonight (don't ask), I had to pause and look at the "Bullpen Bulletins" page packed with whimsical news about Marvel's staff and books. Right under a sketch of Quasar and next to an announcement of the upcoming Operation: Galactic Storm was the "January Coolometer" for 1992:

See what's on top? It seems the Marvel office was offering subtle commentary on the then-recent confirmation process for Justice Clarence Thomas. The January street date for the issue means it probably went to press about three months prior, in October-November 1991. As the timeline notes, the initial allegations of sexual harassment by Anita Hill emerged in the media on October 6. Hill testified against Thomas in the Senate Judiciary Committee beginning on October 11 and the nation was swept up in the drama of sex, law, and politics. Thomas was later confirmed on October 15 by a 52-48 vote, the narrowest margin ever for a successful Supreme Court nominee. Pretty nifty to see a reference to the Thomas hearings show up in the funnybooks.

Either way, it's not as bad as the preemptive hit job that DC pulled on Robert Bork:

I'm guessing this seemed less perverse when it was published

From Marvel Super Special #4: The Beatles Story (1978)

Prince would be proud.