Here’s the latest installment of Maggie Thompson’s ongoing look at important beginnings, middles and ends, this time for May 20-26, 2016...
105 years ago May 20, 1911 Pulp magazine and comic book writer Gardner Fox is born. He creates or co-creates many superheroes including the Golden Age Sandman, Flash, Doctor Fate, Hawkman, and The Justice Society of America and the Silver Age Justice League of America.
65 years ago May 21, 1951 Clifford McBride dies at age 50. He created Napoleon and Uncle Elby.
65 years ago May 23, 1951 Artist John Bolton is born. He’s known for his art for such fantasy works as The Books of Magic and the comics version of Hellraiser.
60 years ago May 21, 1956 Writer-editor and Caliber Comics Publisher Gary Reed is born.
60 years ago May 25, 1956 Artist Sal Velluto is born. He’s especially known for his work on Black Panther, Bloodshot, Justice League Task Force, Marc Spector: Moon Knight, and The Phantom.
55 years ago May 26, 1961 Writer-artist-publisher Verzell Keith James is born.
55 years ago May 26, 1961 Colorist Rachelle A. Menashe is born.
20 years ago May 20, 1996 Jon Pertwee dies of a heart attack at age 76. He was the third to play the role of The Doctor on the BBC Doctor Who series; as such, his likeness appeared in a number of comics stories based on the role.
20 years ago May 21, 1996 Actor and bullwhip expert Lash LaRue dies of emphysema at age 78. His cowboy roles led to licensing his name and image in Fawcett comics.
20 years ago May 24, 1996 Diamond Comic Distributors launches the toll-free Comic Shop Locator Service.
15 years ago May 22, 2001 Fan and researcher Rich Morrissey dies of a heart attack at age 47.
10 years ago May 26, 2006 X-Men: The Last Stand opens. It’s the third in the X-Men-titled series sometimes regarded as a trilogy, following X-Men (2000) and X2 (2003) and out grossing those films.
5 years ago May 21, 2011 Award-winning cartoonist Bill Rechin dies of esophageal cancer at age 80. He created Out of Bounds with Don Wilder and Crock with Wilder and Brant Parker. He served as NCS president in 1989.
5 years ago May 26, 2011 Kung Fu Panda 2 opens, DreamWorks Animation’s sequel to Kung Fu Panda (2008). It out grosses the first in the series.