Here’s the latest installment of Maggie Thompson’s ongoing look at important beginnings, middles and ends, this time for December 14-20, 2018...
110 years ago December 15, 1908 Dutch writer-artist Frans Funke Küpper is born.
100 years ago December 16, 1918 A.E. Hayward’s Somebody’s Stenog begins.
100 years ago December 19, 1918 Robert L. Ripley’s Ripley’s Believe It or Not begins.
90 years ago December 17, 1928 Artist Dick Dillin is born. He’s especially known for his work on Blackhawk and The Justice League of America.
80 years ago December 17, 1938 The Beano introduces Hugh McNeill’s “Pansy Potter.”
75 years ago December 19, 1943 Ken Alvine is born. He creates “How to Draw Cartoons” books and videos.
70 years ago December 16, 1948 Artist Andy Mushynsky is born.
65 years ago December 15, 1953 Writer J. Marc DeMatteis is born. He works on series featuring such characters as The Defenders, Captain America, Spider-Man, and members of The Justice League, co-creates (with Jon J. Muth) Moonshadow and (with Mike Ploog) Abadazad, and writes the autobiographical Brooklyn Dreams (illustrated by Glenn Barr).
65 years ago December 17, 1953 Radio, film, and TV producer and comics writer of Red Ryder and King of the Royal Mounted Stephen Slesinger dies of a gastric hemorrhage at age 51. Wiki calls him the “father of the licensing industry,” representing such characters as Tarzan and Winnie the Pooh.
65 years ago December 19, 1953 The Beano #586 introduces Leo Baxendale’s “Minnie the Minx.”
60 years ago December 19, 1958 Writer-artist Lurene Haines is born. She writes A Writer’s Guide to the Business of Comics.
55 years ago December 15, 1963 Actress and singer-songwriter Helen Slater is born. She plays Supergirl in the 1984 film, voices Talia in Batman: The Animated Series, and plays roles on Smallville and Supergirl.
50 years ago December 17, 1968 Colorist Matt Hollingsworth is born.
50 years ago December 18, 1968 Horre, Harm en Hella by Andries Brandt begins.
45 years ago December 20, 1973 George Debels dies at age 83. The Dutch animation pioneer used a number of different names including Joe Stan and Mac Djorski.
40 years ago December 15, 1978 Superman opens. The Richard Donner-directed film stars Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder, and publicity announces, “You’ll believe a man can fly.” You bet!
30 years ago December 19, 1988 Writer Robert Bernstein (also known as “R. Berns”) dies of heart failure at age 69. He co-created Congorilla [with Howard Sherman], Aqualad [with Ramona Fradon], and The Jaguar [with John Rosenberger], among others.
15 years ago December 20, 2003 Argentine artist Horacio Saavedra dies at age 49 or 50. He specialized in comics featuring Disney and Warner Bros. characters and co-founded SB Pruducciones studio with Oscar Saavedra.
10 years ago December 16, 2008 Artist Vic Donahue, who worked in the Joe Simon and Jack Kirby shop, dies at age 90.
