Here’s the latest installment of Maggie Thompson’s ongoing look at important beginnings, middles, and ends, this time for May 24-30, 2019...

100 years ago May 24, 1919 Award-winning artist and teacher Irwin Caplan is born. The cartoonist co-founds Graphic Studios and creates Famous Last Words for The Saturday Evening Post. He also produces the syndicated feature 48 States of Mind.

85 years ago May 25, 1934 Writer, photographer, and underground comix historian Clay Geerdes is born. He creates the newsletters Comix World and Comix Wave.

85 years ago May 26, 1934 Painter E. Silas Smith is born. He provides covers for Innovation Comics’ Dark Shadows series.

85 years ago May 27, 1934 Award-winning writer-editor Harlan Ellison is born. His comics work ranges from “Upheaval!” in EC’s Weird Science-Fantasy #24 to Dark Horse’s Harlan Ellison’s Dream Corridor.

80 years ago May 26, 1939 Award-winning writer-artist Herb Trimpe is born. His work includes The Incredible Hulk and the first appearance of Wolverine.

80 years ago May 26, 1939 Cartoonist, political cartoonist, and teacher Corky Trinidad is born. His “Nguyen Charlie” appears in Stars & Stripes.

80 years ago May 26, 1939 Artist Al Hubbard is born. He’s especially known for his work on Scamp comic book stories.

70 years ago May 25, 1949 Award-winning artist Barry Windsor-Smith is born. He is especially known for his work on Conan the Barbarian and Barry Windsor-Smith: Storyteller.

70 years ago May 27, 1949 Believe It or Not! creator Robert L. Ripley dies of a heart attack at the age of 58.

65 years ago May 27, 1954 Award-winning writer-artist, editor, and publisher Mark Wheatley is born. The work of the Insight Studios founder includes Mars, Breathtaker, Frankenstein Mobster, and Blood of the Innocent.

65 years ago May 28, 1954 Voice artist Townsend Coleman is born. His characters include The Tick and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ Michelangelo.

60 years ago May 30, 1959 Air Hawk and the Flying Doctors by John Dixon begins.

50 years ago May 25, 1969 Dutch artist Boy ten Hove dies at age 60.

45 years ago May 29, 1974 Writer-artist Aaron McGruder is born. He creates The Boondocks newspaper strip and animated series.

25 years ago May 24, 1994 Canadian artist and teacher Julien Hébert dies, age 76.

20 years ago May 30, 1999 Writer Paul S. Newman dies at age 75. Guinness Book of World Records designates him as the world’s most prolific comic book writer, with more than 4,100 published stories to his credit.