Here’s the latest installment of Maggie Thompson’s ongoing look at important beginnings, middles, and ends, this time for February 26 through March 4, 2021...

115 years ago March 4, 1906 Artist Phil Davis is born. He draws Mandrake the Magician (written by Lee Falk) for King Features.

100 years ago March 1, 1921 Swedish artist Göte Göransson is born. He creates the Western series Texas Jim.

100 years ago March 4, 1921 British artist and animator John Ryan is born. He’s best known for his creation Captain Pugwash.

95 years ago March 1, 1926 Irwin Donenfeld is born. The DC editorial director and publisher is the son of DC founder Harry Donenfeld.

90 years ago February 28, 1931 Harold C. Earnshaw’s The Pater comic strip ends.

75 years ago March 1, 1946 The National Cartoonists Society is established, as is the Billy DeBeck Memorial Award.

75 years ago March 2, 1946 British writer-artist Don Newhouse dies at age 62.

75 years ago March 3, 1946 Milton Caniff’s Male Call strip ends.

75 years ago March 4, 1946 Rip Kirby begins. The strip by Ward Greene and Alex Raymond features a Marine who becomes a private detective after World War II.

70 years ago March 4, 1951 The last installment of Jules Feiffer’s Clifford feature is published.

65 years ago February 29, 1956 Writer Wendi Lee is born.

65 years ago March 1, 1956 Christian Comic Arts Society member Ralph Ellis Miley is born.

65 years ago March 2, 1956 Artist Walter Quermann dies of a heart attack at age 58. He created the Hickory Hollow Folks feature that ran in the St. Louis Post Dispatch.

65 years ago March 2, 1956 Artist Kevin Farrell is born.

65 years ago March 4, 1956 Writer, editor, and Dark Horse Vice President of Publishing Randy Stradley is born.

65 years ago March 4, 1956 Award-winning British artist Sidney Strube dies of a heart attack at age 63. The political cartoonist and Guinness ad artist created “The Little Man” character.

60 years ago February 27, 1961 Animator and artist Nate Collier dies at age 77.

55 years ago February 27, 1966 Dick Cavalli’s Winthrop strip adopts that title after being introduced under the name Morty Meekle on January 9.

55 years ago March 1, 1966 The first episode of Perro Mundo from José Miguel Heredia is published.

45 years ago February 27, 1976 Super DC Con ’76 begins. Phil Seuling’s February 27-29 convention to celebrate Superman’s birthday is held at the Americana Hotel in New York City.

45 years ago March 2, 1976 Underground comix artist and editor Willy Murphy dies of pneumonia at age 39.

35 years ago March 4, 1986 French artist Maurice Julhès dies at age 89.

25 years ago February 26, 1996 Award-winning Dutch cartoonist Cor Hoekstra (who worked as “Cork”) dies at age 64.

25 years ago March 2, 1996 The first Big Apple Convention is held, as the Great Eastern Conventions New York show is canceled.

20 years ago March 1, 2001 Swedish animator and artist Torsten Bjarre dies at age 85.

20 years ago March 4, 2001 Fred Lasswell dies at age 84. Hired by Barney Google and Snuffy Smith creator Billy DeBeck to assist on the strip, Lasswell took it over after DeBeck’s death in 1942.

10 years ago March 4, 2011 Argentine artist and teacher Eduardo Ferro dies at age 93.

And here are the anniversaries spanning the month of March…

150 years ago March 1871 The first issue of the satirical magazine Puck is produced by Joseph Ferdinand Keppler. (It’s a German language publication in St. Louis at this point.)

85 years ago March 1936 More Fun Comics #9 (the first issue under that title) changes its size (which was used for the oversize predecessors New Fun and More Fun) to that of standard comics. Editor Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson explains the change in the issue’s introduction.

80 years ago March 1941 Wiki says the first Canadian superhero is introduced in Maple Leaf’s Better Comics #1: Vernon Miller’s Iron Man.

80 years ago March 1941 Captain America Comics #1 (from what is Marvel today) introduces Captain America and “young ally” Bucky Barnes in a story by Joe Simon, Jack Kirby, Al Liederman, and Syd Shores. The cover shows that “Smashing thru, Captain America came face to face with Hitler.” Socko!

80 years ago March 1941 “64 Pages of New Captain Marvel Adventures” announces the cover of Fawcett’s Captain Marvel Adventures #1. The introductory story is by science fiction writer Manly Wade Wellman and artists Jack Kirby and Dick Briefer, and the series begins a year and a month after Whiz Comics #2, which introduced The Big Red Cheese to the nation’s newsstands.

70 years ago March 1951 There are lots and lots of words (in speech balloons and captions) crowding the cover of Marvel’s Battle #1, an anthology title featuring “battle adventures of troops in combat!”

70 years ago March 1951 Marvel’s Mystic #1 contains “the most eerie stories ever told!” And, yeah, the cover-featured tale involves “The Strange Tree,” which has blood, instead of sap. Yik. “The tree will win in the end – You’ll never escape!” The anthology has four short comics stories plus a two-page text tale.

65 years ago March 1956 Fireman Farrell stars as one of the “Fire Fighters” featured in DC’s Showcase #1. Farrell may not be well remembered these days, but Showcase turns out to be pretty doggoned memorable.

60 years ago March 1961 DC’s The Flash #119 introduces Sue Dibny in “The Elongated Man’s Undersea Trap!” by John Broome, Carmine Infantino, and Joe Giella.

55 years ago March 1966 It’s self-defense, but, nevertheless, in DC’s Adventure Comics #342, The Legion of Super-Heroes expels Star Boy. “That’s no excuse, Star Boy! When you used this deadly weapon, you broke the Legion Code!” Gee whiz. Edmond Hamilton, Curt Swan, Sheldon Moldoff, and George Klein tell the story of “The Legionnaire Who Killed!” Oh and hey! “The Boy Who Betrayed Clark Kent!” by Robert Bernstein and George Papp introduces Pete Ross. (Footnote: Superboy is 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs 149 pounds. In case you were wondering.)

55 years ago March 1966 DC’s The Doom Patrol #102 (by Arnold Drake and Bruno Premiani) wraps up the three-part crossover that began with #101 (by Drake and Premiani) and continued in Challengers of the Unknown #48 (by Drake and Bob Brown).

55 years ago March 1966 With the problem of Maximus having been solved by the Fantastic Four and Inhumans (heck, he’d merely wanted to destroy all human beings), The Watcher breaks the news in Marvel’s Fantastic Four #48 that there’s a bigger threat on the way. “The Coming of Galactus!” (and, yes, The Silver Surfer) means the stress never ends. Doggone! The story is by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Joe Sinnott. (Yeah, surfing was in. You hadda be there.)

55 years ago March 1966 The cover last month said it was Marvel’s Journey into Mystery with Thor #125. This month, with #126, the title becomes Thor. “Whom the Gods Would Destroy!” is by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Vince Colletta: a story pitting Thor against Hercules. Need we point out whose series this is? (But Spoiler! Odin is the kind of dad we could do without, so everything doesn’t go Thor’s way.)

55 years ago March 1966 It’s practically a full-blown essay on the cover of DC’s Green Lantern #43. And I quote: “If you think things are mixed up with Flash flying like Green Lantern and the Emerald Crusader running like the Scarlet Speedster – wait till you see the awful mess the two superheroes get into when they try to stop … ‘The Catastrophic Crimes of Major Disaster!’ (The first Green Lantern-Flash story in three years – and well worth waiting for!)” The story is by Gardner Fox, Gil Kane, and Sid Greene. Gotta love the character name.

55 years ago March 1966 “Nothing beats The Royal Flush Gang – not even The Justice League!” Mind you, it’s Ace of said RFG (introduced in the issue) that makes the claim in DC’s Justice League of America #43. Good thing [Spoiler!] Snapper Carr is on hand in the story by Gardner Fox, Mike Sekowsky, and Bernard Sachs.

55 years ago March 1966 The Freak gets the cover of Marvel’s Tales of Suspense #75, but it’s the back-up Captain America story in which mercenary Batroc and Sharon Carter (also known as Agent 13) first appear. “30 Minutes to Live” is by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Dick Ayers, and John Tartaglione.

50 years ago March 1971 Marvel’s Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD #18 reprints stories from five years earlier and is the last issue. For a while.

50 years ago March 1971 It used to be Marvel’s Tower of Shadows. With #10, the series changes its name to Creatures on the Loose. “The Skull of Silence” features Robert E. Howard’s King Kull in a story by Roy Thomas and Bernie Wrightson.

50 years ago March 1971 Marvel’s Ka-Zar #3 is the last issue and is mostly reprints. (He’ll be back.)

50 years ago March 1971 In “The Saga of the D.N.Aliens” by Jack Kirby, Vince Colletta, and Murphy Anderson, the DNA-modified clone Dubbilex is introduced in DC’s Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen #136.

50 years ago March 1971 That’s the issue date of Etcetera #1, produced by Paul Kupperberg and Paul Levitz (though it actually came back from the printer on February 17, 1971, according to Kupperberg). “TCR is dead. In a few months the comic world will mourn the passing of NEWFANGLES. That leaves fandom without a major, regular newszine. ETCETERA is here to fill that gap.”

45 years ago March 1976 Here’s the thing: Detective Comics #457 introduces Leslie Thompkins in “There Is No Hope in Crime Alley” by Denny O’Neil, Dick Giordano, and Terry Austin, which revisits Batman’s origin story. But what is a stunner for the fans is that the issue is one of the many that also mark the moment when DC raises its cover price for its regular titles from a quarter to 30 cents. Outrageous! Who can afford this allowance-buster?

45 years ago March 1976 In Marvel’s Daredevil #131, the psychopathic assassin Bullseye is introduced in a story by Marv Wolfman, Bob Brown, and Klaus Janson. “Bullseye never misses!” And, you’ll note, the series still has the cover price of a quarter. Hah! I knew we could depend on you, Marvel! You’ll never raise that price! (Well, not until the September 1976 issues, anyway. Sigh.)

45 years ago March 1976 Marvel Comics’ editor in chief post goes from Marv Wolfman to Gerry Conway to Archie Goodwin.

45 years ago March 1976 DC Super Stars (reprints) and the company’s Four Star Spectacular (reprints) begin.

45 years ago March 1976 DC’s Freedom Fighters #1 begins new stories of the Golden Age’s Black Condor, Uncle Sam, Doll Man, The Human Bomb, and Phantom Lady. This issue is by Gerry Conway, Martin Pasko, Ric Estrada, and Mike Royer.

45 years ago March 1976 DC’s Karate Kid #1 brings the Legion character “smashing into our time!!” (the 20th century) in “My World Begins in Yesterday” by Paul Levitz, Ric Estrada, and Joe Staton.

45 years ago March 1976 Hey! Marvel’s Omega the Unknown #1 is “the most fantastic first issue of all!!” It says so on the cover! Yes, with two exclamation points! He’s “the last survivor of an alien world” in a story by Mary Skrenes, Steve Gerber, and Jim Mooney.

45 years ago March 1976 DC’s Tor #6 is the last issue of DC’s reprints of the Joe Kubert 1950s series from St. John.

45 years ago March 1976 Marvel’s Master of Kung Fu #38 introduces martial artist Shen Kuei (also known as “Cat”) in a story by Doug Moench, Paul Gulacy, and Dan Adkins.

40 years ago March 1981 Marvel’s direct-only Dazzler #1 sells 400,000 copies. She first appeared a year earlier in Uncanny X-Men #130, but now she gets her own series in a direct sales distribution experiment that includes key characters as guests.

40 years ago March 1981 Marvel Preview magazine changes its name to Bizarre Adventures with #25 and features Black Widow, Lady Daemon, and Daughters of the Dragon on the cover.

40 years ago March 1981 “DC Proudly invites you to join in The 500th Anniversary Celebration of Detective Comics.” Well, no, it’s not the 500th anniversary, but it is #500, and the contents are cool – including one by Shadow writer Walter Gibson (especially appropriate, considering that Batman’s first story was inspired by a Shadow pulp magazine tale – just saying).

40 years ago March 1981 DC’s Mystery in Space #117 is the last issue of that science fiction anthology series.

40 years ago March 1981 “Featuring Etoain Shrdlu,” Weirdo begins from Last Gasp, misspelling “Etaoin Shrdlu” (just saying) but offering lots of material from Robert Crumb.

40 years ago March 1981 DC’s House of Mystery #290 announces, “Beginning: an unforgettable new series … ‘I … Vampire!’” and introduces heroic vampire Andrew Bennett in a story by J.M. DeMatteis and Tom Sutton.

35 years ago March 1986 Marvel’s X-Factor #2 introduces Artie Maddicks, an X-Factor ward (who later becomes a ward of Generation X and interacts with other young supers, mutants, whatevers) in a story by Jackson Guice, Bob Layton, and Joe Rubinstein.

30 years ago March 1991 Epic’s The Last American #4 is the last issue. “Twilight’s Last Gleaming” is by Alan Grant, John Wagner, and Michael McMahon.

30 years ago March 1991 Marvel Comics Presents #72 says, “Before Wolverine there was Weapon X.” Barry Windsor-Smith provides the background of Weapon X.

30 years ago March 1991 Marvel’s Epic line’s Stalkers #12 is the last issue. “Final Issue Forest Frolic!” says the cover; it features stories written by Jan Strnad and Mark Verheiden and drawn by Val Mayerik.

30 years ago March 1991 Marvel’s Darkhawk #1 kicks off with “Dawn of the Darkhawk!” The story is by Danny Fingeroth and Mike Manley and introduces Darkhawk and his family.

30 years ago March 1991 The Linear Men are introduced in DC’s Adventures of Superman #476. The members (including Rip Hunter) resolve time paradoxes. The story is by Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding.

30 years ago March 1991 Marvel’s The Incredible Hulk #379 contains “Hit and Myth” by Peter David, Dale Keown, and Mark Farmer. It introduces The Pantheon, among whose members are Delphi, Ajax, and Hector. (Tip: The group will return three decades later in Maestro: War and Pax.)

30 years ago March 1991 Marvel’s The New Mutants #99 by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza features the departure of Sunspot and introduces Shatterstar and Feral. (Note: The cover says, “When Sunspot leaves … can the end be far behind?” The last issue is #100, so there’s that.)

25 years ago March 1996 DC’s Sandman ends with #75. “The Tempest” is by Neil Gaiman, Charles Vess, John Ridgway, Bryan Talbot, and Michael Zulli. Characters include William Shakespeare, Anne Hathaway, Ben Jonson, and Christopher Marlowe.

20 years ago March 2001 Queen & Country #1 begins the Oni series with “Broken Ground” by Greg Rucka and Steve Rolston. The series wins the year’s Eisner Award for Best New Series.

15 years ago March 2006 In Daughters of the Dragon #1, Marvel kicks off the Misty Knight and Colleen Wing miniseries with “On the Run” by Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Khari Evans.

15 years ago March 2006 In New Mangaverse #1, Marvel kicks off a five-issue “Rings of Fate” miniseries by C.B. Cebulski and Tommy Ohtsuka.

5 years ago March 2016 Marvel begins the Spider-Man/Deadpool series with “Isn’t It Bromantic?” by Joe Kelly, Ed McGuinness, and Mark Morales. Oh – and with a bunch of variant editions.

5 years ago March 2016 Valiant releases a bunch of variants to start A&A: The Adventures of Archer & Armstrong. “Are in the Bag!” is by Rafer Roberts, David Lafuente, and Ryan Winn.

5 years ago March 2016 “The Coulson Protocols Episode One: Lola” kicks off an Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. series from Marvel. The installment is by Marc Guggenheim and Germán Peralta.