Here’s the latest installment of Maggie Thompson’s ongoing look at important beginnings, middles, and ends, this time for December 3-9, 2021...
140 years ago December 7, 1881 Prolific artist Gene Carr is born. Lambiek credits his Lady Bountiful as “the first balloon comic in which a female character plays a starring role.”
135 years ago December 3, 1886 Marjorie Organ is born. One of the first female American comics artists, she creates Reggie and the Heavenly Twins and The Wrangle Sisters.
130 years ago December 8, 1891 Writer-artist Percy Crosby is born. He creates Skippy.
120 years ago December 5, 1901 Producer, director, voice artist, and entrepreneur Walt Disney is born. The co-founder of Walt Disney Productions wins the most Academy Awards and nominations.
115 years ago December 7, 1906 German comics translator Erika Fuchs is born. She works for more than half a century translating such material as Carl Barks’ Duck stories.
110 years ago December 3, 1911 Artist Amadee Wohlschlaeger is born. He drew the Weatherbird newspaper feature for 49 years and created the Herkimer strip.
110 years ago December 4, 1911 Circus Solly by George Frink ends.
105 years ago December 7, 1916 Artist and vaudeville show performer [“The Singing Cartoonist”] Art Bowen commits suicide at age 35.
100 years ago December 3, 1921 Leonard Dworkins (also known as Leon Gordon) is born. He’s the artist on newspaper strips Skyroads and Buck Rogers.
100 years ago December 3, 1921 Hans Kresse is born. The Dutch creator of Eric de Noorman is a prolific realistic artist on features ranging from Tarzan, Bonanza, and Disney material to his own creations.
100 years ago December 4, 1921 Golden Age artist and later storyboard artist Art Saaf is born. His work includes Princess Pantha, Supergirl, and Highlights for Children.
100 years ago December 6, 1921 Writer-artist Charles Wojtkoski is born. He’s best known as the creator of Blue Beetle, for his work on such characters as Blonde Phantom and Nyoka, and for later work at Charlton and Marvel.
90 years ago December 9, 1931 Award-winning British writer-artist Frank Dickens is born. He creates the gag a day feature Bristow and co-founds the British Cartoonists’ Association.
85 years ago December 8, 1936 Marvel and Scholastic Books vice president Michael Hobson is born.
80 years ago December 4, 1941 Swedish artist Axel Bäckman dies at age 73.
75 years ago December 6, 1946 Marlene Stevens is born. She co-writes comics with Rolf Stark.
75 years ago December 7, 1946 “Morris” begins Lucky Luke in Le Journal de Spirou Almanach #47 with the story “Arizona 1880.”
65 years ago December 9, 1956 Austrian artist Uriel Birnbaum dies at age 62.
60 years ago December 3, 1961 Cartoonist and writer-artist Donald Simpson is born. The creator of Megaton Man also works as “Anton Drek.”
60 years ago December 6, 1961 Artist Robin Riggs is born and is known for work for Marvel UK titles and IDW.
60 years ago December 6, 1961 Original art dealer Valarie Jones is born. She co-founds (with Steve Donnelly) New Comics Group and is editor in chief from 1987 to 1990.
60 years ago December 6, 1961 Artist Ralph Yardley dies at age 83. He creates the strips Have You Seen Alonzo? and Do You Remember?
55 years ago December 6, 1966 Artist Leonard Kirk is born. He’s known for work including Supergirl and Marvel Adventures: The Avengers.
45 years ago December 5, 1976 Award-winning animator and artist Tack Knight dies at age 81. He created the newspaper strips Little Folks and Baby Sister.
45 years ago December 6, 1976 French artist Pierre Donga dies at age 68.
40 years ago December 9, 1981 Belgian artist Édouard Van Overstraeten dies at age 90.
35 years ago December 6, 1986 Artist August Lenox dies at age 77 or 78. He was especially known for his wildlife, Western, and funny animal comics for Dell and Gold Key.
30 years ago December 3, 1991 Alex Graham dies of cancer at age 74. The Fred Basset creator also produced the March 1953 New Yorker cartoon classic “Kindly take us to your president.”
25 years ago December 7, 1996 Artist Paul Ollswang dies at age 50 or 51.
25 years ago December 7, 1996 Italian animator and artist Giuseppe Perego dies at age 81. He was known for working on Italian Disney comics.
25 years ago December 7, 1996 Serbian artist Desimir Zizovic Buin dies at age 76.
20 years ago December 6, 2001 Danish writer Carla Hansen dies at age 95. She teamed with her husband, artist Vilhelm Hansen, to produce the funny animal strip Rasmus Klump.
15 years ago December 5, 2006 Brazilian artist and teacher Joacy Jamys dies of a stroke at age 35. The founding member of Singularplural Quadrinhos edited fanzines and contributed to many international magazines.
15 years ago December 9, 2006 Golden Age artist, popular convention guest, and Green Lantern creator Marty Nodell dies at age 91.
10 years ago December 7, 2011 Artist, researcher, DC creative consultant, and award-winner Jerry Robinson dies at age 89.
5 years ago December 4, 2016 Influential award-winning French writer-artist Marcel Gotlib dies at age 82. He co-created the magazines L’Écho des Savanes and Fluide Glacial and co-created Les Dingodossiers with René Goscinny and Superdupont with Jacques Lob.
5 years ago December 8, 2016 Award-winning Dutch writer-artist Peter van Straaten dies at age 81. The political cartoonist created Vader en Zoon.