Here’s the latest installment of Maggie Thompson’s ongoing look at important beginnings, middles, and ends, this time for October 8-14, 2021...

140 years ago October 14, 1881 British writer Reginald Arkell is born. He scripts Bosch the Soldier, drawn by Alfred Leete.

135 years ago October 10, 1886 Pioneering French writer-artist Marcel Arnac is born.

135 years ago October 10, 1886 French editor and writer-artist Alain Humbert dies at age 51. He created the satirical paper La Lanterne de Boquillon.

115 years ago October 13, 1906 Writer Joseph Samachson is born. He co-creates Martian Manhunter with Joe Certa.

105 years ago October 9, 1916 Filipino editor-artist Mars Ravelo is born. He creates superheroines Varga and Darna and founds the company RAR.

105 years ago October 14, 1916 Award-winning writer-artist Bob Oksner is born. With a career beginning in the Golden Age, he produces comics including many licensed humor titles from DC (featuring such characters as Jerry Lewis, Bob Hope, and Sgt. Bilko) as well as superhero series, writes Dondi, and co-creates Soozi.

100 years ago October 12, 1921 Art Clokey is born as Arthur Farrington. He creates Gumby and Davey and Goliath.

95 years ago October 8, 1926 Writer-artist Lars Jansson is born. Tove Jansson’s brother, he writes and draws the Moomin comic strip after she gives it up.

95 years ago October 10, 1926 Cartoonist Orlando Busino is born. He creates Gus for Boys’ Life.

95 years ago October 11, 1926 French writer-artist-editor Albert Robida dies at age 78. He co-founded La Caricature with Georges Decaux in 1880 and often dealt in science fictional material.

95 years ago October 14, 1926 The first Winnie-the-Pooh book is released in Great Britain, created by Alan Alexander Milne. (The teddy bear first appeared in Punch February 13, 1924, but wasn’t named until December 24, 1925.) Disney will acquire the character in 1961 and release the first animated film in 1966.

90 years ago October 12, 1931 Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy strip begins daily continuity and introduces Tess Trueheart.

85 years ago October 9, 1936 Artist Mar Amongo is born. He contributes to DC comics during the 1970s and 1980s.

85 years ago October 12, 1936 Underground cartoonist and editor Willy Murphy is born.

80 years ago October 8, 1941 Animator, writer-artist, and teacher Win Smith dies at age 53. He was the second artist to draw the Mickey Mouse comic strip, created Penguin Pete and Looney Luke, and was one of the first comic book artists to draw Bugs Bunny for Dell.

80 years ago October 13, 1941 Already a feature in freestanding Sunday newspaper comic book sections, Will Eisner’s The Spirit adds a spinoff daily strip from The Register and Tribune Syndicate.

80 years ago October 14, 1941 Venezuelan writer-artist Leoncio Martínez (who also worked as Leo) dies at age 52.

65 years ago October 14, 1956 Actress, writer, and comedian Arleen Sorkin is born. She’s especially known for voicing (and partly inspiring) the first appearances of Harley Quinn in Batman: The Animated Series.

60 years ago October 9, 1961 Award-winning writer-artist Matt Wagner is born. He creates Mage and Grendel.

45 years ago October 11, 1976 The Virtue of Vera Valiant begins. It’s a newspaper strip written by Stan Lee and drawn by Frank Springer.

45 years ago October 13, 1976 Marvel International begins publication of the weekly Captain Britain comic book. Writer Chris Claremont and artists Herb Trimpe and Fred Kida introduce the Captain Britain character.

40 years ago October 12, 1981 Artist, writer, and editor Lawrence Lariar dies at age 72. He was the cartoon editor of Parade magazine and edited a series of “Best Cartoons of the Year” anthologies.

40 years ago October 14, 1981 Artist Jim Raymond dies of cancer at age 64. He drew the Blondie newspaper strip for 40 years.

35 years ago October 10, 1986 Award-winning cartoonist, commercial artist, and Short Ribs creator Frank O’Neal dies at age 65.

35 years ago October 11, 1986 Animator and director David Hand dies at age 86. A Disney Legends-honored creator, he was the supervising director of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Bambi. He also established Gaumont British Animation.

25 years ago October 14, 1996 Texas Slim and Lovey Dovey creator Ferd Johnson dies at age 90. He was the long-time writer-artist of Moon Mullins.

15 years ago October 13, 2006 Award-winning artist and animator Hilda Terry dies at age 92. Creator of the Teena comic strip, she was the first woman to join the National Cartoonists Society.

5 years ago October 8, 2016 Writer-artist-publisher Lyn Chevli dies at age 84. She was a feminist underground comix pioneer.

5 years ago October 10, 2016 Pioneering Peruvian political cartoonist Carlos Roose Silva dies two days after his 87th birthday.

5 years ago October 12, 2016 Belgian artist Benoît Gillain dies at age 78. He was known for the advertising comic strip Bonux-Boy.