Here’s the latest installment of Maggie Thompson’s ongoing look at important beginnings, middles, and ends, this time for January 10-16, 2020...
170 years ago January 12, 1850 Les Aventures de Monsieur Verdreau by Louis Morel-Retz begins in L’Illustration.
115 years ago January 12, 1905 Western actor and country music vocalist Tex Ritter is born. Fawcett’s Tex Ritter Western is named for him.
115 years ago January 14, 1905 Actor and voice artist Sterling Holloway is born. His characters include Disney’s Cheshire Cat, Kaa, and Winnie the Pooh.
115 years ago January 15, 1905 Gustave Verbeek’s The Upside Downs of Little Lady Lovekins and Old Man Muffaroo comes to an end.
110 years ago January 13, 1910 Animator, writer, and voice artist Jack Mercer is born. He originates the voice of Popeye.
100 years ago January 14, 1920 Castor Oyl is introduced in E.C. Segar’s Thimble Theatre.
95 years ago January 16, 1925 Swedish artist Rune Andréasson is born. He creates Bamse.
90 years ago January 13, 1930 The Mickey Mouse newspaper strip begins from King Features Syndicate: the first published Disney comic strip, initially credited as written by Walt Disney and drawn by Ub Iwerks and Win Smith.
80 years ago January 15, 1940 Dutch writer-artist Henri Verstijnen dies at age 57.
65 years ago January 13, 1955 Writer-editor-artist Cindy Vance is born. She’s especially known for her work for Bongo Comics.
60 years ago January 11, 1960 Artist and manga translator Miyako Matsuda Graham is born.
60 years ago January 14, 1960 Revolutionary Comics publisher Todd Loren is born (as Stuart Loren Shapiro).
60 years ago January 16, 1960 Artist Steve Erwin is born. He co-creates Checkmate! (with Paul Kupperberg) and draws such characters as Deathstroke the Terminator (written by Marv Wolfman) and Mike Danger.
60 years ago January 16, 1960 The British comics magazine Judy begins.
55 years ago January 12, 1965 Artist Franchesco, known for his “Good Girl” art, is born.
55 years ago January 13, 1965 Writer-editor Anina Bennett is born. With Paul Guinan, she produces such stories as Boilerplate: History’s Mechanical Marvel and Heartbreakers.
50 years ago January 10, 1970 The first issue of the British football comic book Scorcher is released, introducing Billy Boots by Fred Baker and John Gillatt.
50 years ago January 12, 1970 Award-winning writer-artist Kaja Foglio is born (as Kaja Murphy); she’s especially known for the co-creation (with Phil Foglio) of Girl Genius.
50 years ago January 16, 1970 Award-winning writer Garth Ennis is born. He tells tales of 2000 AD’s Judge Dredd, DC’s Preacher (co-created with Steve Dillon) and Hitman, and Marvel’s Punisher.
50 years ago January 16, 1970 Cartoonist and teacher Dave Breger dies at age 61. During World War II, he retitled his Private Breger panel cartoon as G.I. Joe – creating a term which quickly became popular slang. A founding member of the National Cartoonists Society, he was also known for How to Draw and Sell Cartoons, But That’s Unprintable, and his Mr. Breger panel cartoon.
35 years ago January 10, 1985 Argentine artist José Luis Salinas dies at age 76. He was especially known for his work on King Features’ Cisco Kid strip.
25 years ago January 12, 1995 New Yorker cartoonist George Price dies at age 93.
25 years ago January 16, 1995 Spanish artist Celedenio Frejo Abregón (who worked as “Nin”) dies at age 62. He drew for the Valenciana publishing house and was known for creation of the elephant “Trompy.”
20 years ago January 14, 2000 Artist Pat Boyette dies at age 76. His comics career began at Charlton, and he went on to draw for DC, Marvel, Warren, and others.
15 years ago January 10, 2005 French writer and Charlie Hebdo co-founder Georges Bernier (known as “Professeur Choron”) dies at age 75.
