David Letterman, some like him, some love him, some don’t, but Letterman’s has earned his place in pop culture. Letterman began his hosting 33 years ago, beginning with his February 1, 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC, and ending with the May 20, 2015 broadcast of the Late Show with David Letterman on CBS. Letterman hosted 6,028 episodes of Late Night and Late Show!! This surpassed friend and mentor Johnny Carson as the longest-serving late night talk show host in American television history. In 1996, David Letterman was ranked No. 45 on TV Guide ' s 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time.
More importantly than any of that, Letterman has also spent some time in the comics. Here are some of his appearances over the years….
1. Letterman starred in issue #239 of the Avengers comic book in 1984
2. Frank Miller’s “The Dark Knight Returns” (1986)
Although, Letterman’s last name isn’t mentioned, it’s obvious that Miller intended to place Joker in a parody of “Late Night with David Letterman”. The parody is spot on, and even includes a nod to Paul Shaffer.
3. American Splendor #12
American Splendor is a series of autobiographical comic books written by Harvey Pekar and drawn by a variety of artists. The first issue was published in 1976 and the most recent in September 2008. Harvey Pekar was also a recurring guest on David Letterman’s show.