Here’s the latest installment of Maggie Thompson’s ongoing look at important beginnings, middles, and ends, this time for December 4-10, 2020...
145 years ago December 9, 1875 Artist and German comics pioneer Adolf Schrödter dies at age 70.
120 years ago December 6, 1900 Dutch artist Rein Stuurman is born.
115 years ago December 4, 1905 Munro Leaf is born. Known for writing The Story of Ferdinand (illustrated by Robert Lawson), he’s a cartoonist whose “Watchbirds” feature runs in Ladies’ Home Journal and whose kids’ novel Sam and the Superdroop attacks comics.
115 years ago December 7, 1905 South African political cartoonist Thomas Ochse Honiball is born. He creates the Oom Kaspaas comic strip.
115 years ago December 10, 1905 Finnish artist Eeli Jaatinen is born.
100 years ago December 7, 1920 Actress Frances Gifford is born. She plays Nyoka Meredith in the Republic serial Jungle Girl (1941), a role Fawcett licenses for its series. (She also plays a Disney artist in a 1941 documentary paired with The Reluctant Dragon.)
90 years ago December 6, 1930 French cartoonist Mic Delinx is born. He’s best known for La Jungle en Folie (co-created with Christian Godard).
90 years ago December 6, 1930 Mel Cummin’s Good Time Guy ends.
70 years ago December 10, 1950 Voice artist Gregg Berger is born.
65 years ago December 8, 1955 British artist Brett Ewins is born. Known for his work for 2000 AD, he launches Deadline with Steve Dillon.
60 years ago December 4, 1960 Comic book and storyboard artist and teacher Geof Isherwood is born. He creates LINCOLN-16.
60 years ago December 8, 1960 Writer, artist, and editor Jonathan Peterson is born. His career includes work for DC, Image, and WildStorm.
60 years ago December 9, 1960 Swedish artist Gunila Stierngranat dies at age 58. She drew Lilla Lena och Jon Blund.
55 years ago December 4, 1965 Writer Jill (Beth) Miller is born.
55 years ago December 5, 1965 Writer-editor Daniel Howard Fogel is born. He edits projects for Last Gasp, Cherry Comics, Carnal Comics, and Kitchen Sink.
55 years ago December 6, 1965 Award-winning writer-editor Paul Jenkins is born. He begins his career editing at Mirage and Tundra and goes on to write for companies including DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, and Boom! Studios.
55 years ago December 8, 1965 Writer-artist John Mundt is born. He creates Adventures of Monkey.
55 years ago December 8, 1965 British staff artist for D.C. Thomson Jack Gordon dies at age 74 or 75.
55 years ago December 9, 1965 The last episode of Professor Pi by Bob van den Born is published.
50 years ago December 7, 1970 Rube Goldberg dies at age 87. The cartoonist of wildly inventive machinery was a sculptor, creator of Boob McNutt, first president of the National Cartoonists Society, and namesake of its annual Cartoonist of the Year award.
50 years ago December 9, 1970 Artist Harrison Cady dies, age 93. He created a Peter Rabbit that had no connection to Beatrix Potter’s rabbit of the same name.
45 years ago December 6, 1975 Bongo Comic Group Director of Operations Bob Zaugh is born.
40 years ago December 8, 1980 Newspaper strip artist on Good time Guy Mel Cummin dies at age 85.
35 years ago December 6, 1985 Magician and writer Walter B. Gibson dies at age 88. He was especially known for creating the mythos surrounding The Shadow.
30 years ago December 10, 1990 The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic strip begins.
25 years ago December 4, 1995 Macedonian animator, director, and artist Petar Gligorovski dies at age 57.
25 years ago December 5, 1995 Artist, editor, packager, and publisher L.B. Cole dies at age 77. His comics company affiliations included Holyoke, Star Publications, and Dell Comics. Known for his eye-grabbing Golden Age covers, he also created Wiggles the Wonderworm.
25 years ago December 10, 1995 Award-winning writer-artist Franco Bonvicini dies at age 54 when he is hit by a car. As “Bonvi,” he created the satiric Sturmtruppen and (with Guido De Maria) Nick Carter strips.
25 years ago December 10, 1995 Indonesian writer-artist Ganes T.H. dies at age 60. He created Si Buta dari Gua Hantu.
15 years ago December 7, 2005 Dutch artist Ben van ’t Klooster dies at age 81. He worked for Marten Toonder Studios and created Filo Fop.
10 years ago December 8, 2010 Dutch artist Onno Docters van Leeuwen dies at age 69. Although he wasn’t a comics artist, he provided art and designs for the Lambiek comics shop.