Here’s the latest installment of Maggie Thompson’s ongoing look at important beginnings, middles, and ends, this time for August 7-13, 2020...
165 years ago August 11, 1855 Artist Charles Jay Taylor, known for his book Taylor Girls, is born.
140 years ago August 11, 1880 Norwegian artist and comics pioneer Jens R. Nilssen is born. He co-creates the Smørbukk character with Andreas Haavoll.
130 years ago August 12, 1890 George Debels is born. The Dutch animation pioneer uses a number of different names including Joe Stan and Mac Djorski.
130 years ago August 12, 1890 Artist Walter C. Hoban may have been born on this date (per a line in the June 21, 1919, issue of The Fourth Estate). He’s known for Jerry on the Job.
115 years ago August 13, 1905 Gene Carr’s The Bad Dream That Made Bill a Better Boy begins.
105 years ago August 11, 1915 Writer-artist Morris Weiss is born. His career starts in the Golden Age as a letterer, and he creates Margie for Timely, is the final Mickey Finn cartoonist, works on other comic strips, and proposes what becomes the Milt Gross Fund to help National Cartoonists Society members in need.
85 years ago August 11, 1935 Le Petit Journal introduces the first episode of Hector Brault’s Casimir.
80 years ago August 11, 1940 Grandma Duck is introduced (in a portrait) in the Donald Duck comic strip by Bob Karp and Al Taliaferro.
65 years ago August 9, 1955 Writer-artist Steve Gallacci is born. The founder of Thoughts & Images creates and publishes Albedo Anthropomorphics.
65 years ago August 10, 1955 Writer-artist Eddie Campbell is born. He draws and publishes From Hell (written by Alan Moore) and creates Alec and Bacchus.
65 years ago August 10, 1955 Writer Clint McElroy is born.
60 years ago August 13, 1960 Artist Bret Blevins is born. He draws The Bozz Chronicles (written by David Michelinie) and works on New Mutants and TV storyboards.
55 years ago August 8, 1965 Writer Sheldon Inkol is born.
50 years ago August 7, 1970 Cartoonist and award-winning writer Dan Vebber is born. He’s known for his work on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Simpsons, Futurama, and Daria – as well as for his long-ago creation of the Adventure comic strip, reprinted in Comics Buyer’s Guide.
50 years ago August 13, 1970 Artist, animator, and writer Dan Gordon dies in a house fire at age 68. His freelance comic book career began in the Golden Age. He worked for Famous Studios and Hanna-Barbera Productions, including on storyboards for the first Flintstones episodes. He signed his comic book work “Dang.”
45 years ago August 13, 1975 Cartoonist Thornton Fisher dies at age 87.
40 years ago August 10, 1980 Belgian writer-artist Karel Verschuere dies of cancer at age 55. He worked in the Willy Vandersteen studio and created the Bessy comic strip.
30 years ago August 7, 1990 Dutch writer-artist Phiny Dick dies at age 77. She was the wife of Marten Toonder and named his “Tom Poes.”
30 years ago August 12, 1990 Cartoonist Bernard Kliban dies of a pulmonary embolism at age 55.
20 years ago August 8, 2000 Animator and artist Glenn Schmitz dies at age 70. He worked for Disney, Hanna-Barbera, and Ruby-Spears and drew Disney comic books.
20 years ago August 9, 2000 Lewis Wilson dies at age 80. He was the first actor to play Batman on screen (in the 1943 serial Batman).
15 years ago August 10, 2005 Artist Mar Amongo dies at age 68. He contributed to DC comics during the 1970s and 1980s.
5 years ago August 7, 2015 Comedian, TV personality, and writer Art Finley dies of a heart attack at age 88. He wrote captions for the Art’s Gallery feature in the San Francisco Chronicle.
5 years ago August 8, 2015 French writer-artist Philippe Escafre (who worked as “Coyote”) dies of cardiac arrest at age 52. He created “Bébert, Clochard et Philosophe” and the biker strip Mammouth et Piston.
5 years ago August 11, 2015 Writer-artist Randy Glasbergen dies of cardiac arrest at age 58. He produced The Better Half and created Glasbergen Cartoon Service.
