Here’s the latest installment of Maggie Thompson’s ongoing look at important beginnings, middles, and ends, this time for January 21-27, 2022...
115 years ago January 22, 1907 Czech artist Jan Fischer is born. He co-creates the series Rychle Sipy with Jaroslav Foglar.
115 years ago January 23, 1907 Actor Bob Steele is born. His cowboy roles lead to licensing his name and image to Fawcett comic books.
110 years ago January 29, 1912 German artist and animator Heinz Rammelt is born.
100 years ago January 26, 1922 Dell comics artist Guillermo Cardoso is born.
95 years ago January 25, 1927 Italian artist Gianni De Luca is born. He works for Il Giornalino.
85 years ago January 21, 1937 Award-winning Herman creator Jim Unger is born.
80 years ago January 25, 1942 Dutch store owner, publisher, writer, and Lambiek and Comiclopedia founder Kees Kousemaker is born.
70 years ago January 22, 1952 Award-winning Hungarian comics pioneer Ákos Garay dies at age 85. He drew comics for political and satirical newspapers.
70 years ago January 23, 1952 Artist-writer Klaus Janson is born. He’s especially known for his work with Frank Miller on Daredevil and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.
70 years ago January 23, 1952 Artist Cara Sherman-Tereno is born. She works on such titles as Wonder Woman, Arion, and First Comics’ Evangeline.
70 years ago January 25, 1952 DC, Marvel, and Crusade writer Gary Cohn is born. He co-creates Blue Devil and Amethyst.
70 years ago January 25, 1952 Comics creator and Black Age of Comics founder Turtel Onli is born.
70 years ago January 26, 1952 Dwight Decker is born. An active comics fan since 1967, he also translates comics for U.S. readers.
70 years ago January 26, 1952 Richard Alf is born. He is co-chair of San Diego’s Golden State Comic-Con in 1970, the forerunner of Comic-Con International: San Diego. The owner of the Comic Kingdom comics shop in the 1970s is also a longtime Comic-Con staffer.
70 years ago January 24, 1952 Steve Leialoha is born. He provides art for a variety of comics companies including Marvel, DC, and Harris.
65 years ago January 25, 1957 Harry J. Tuthill dies at age 71. He wrote and drew Home Sweet Home, which became The Bungle Family.
65 years ago January 26, 1957 Writer and teacher George Dewey Lipscomb dies at age 58. His biography in Invisible Men especially notes his scripts for such Classics Illustrations adaptations as David Copperfield and The Spy.
65 years ago January 27, 1957 Frank Miller is born. The writer-artist is especially known for his noir approach to projects including Ronin; Daredevil: Born Again; Batman: The Dark Knight Returns; Sin City; 300; and stories featuring Martha Washington and Elektra. He writes and directs the 2008 film based on Will Eisner’s The Spirit.
60 years ago January 22, 1962 Artist Jack Patton dies at age 61. The editorial cartoonist created the newspaper strips Restless Age and Dolly Burns (later renamed Spencer Easley).
55 years ago January 21, 1967 DC Golden Age artist Homer Fleming dies at age 84.
55 years ago January 21, 1967 The British comics magazine Pow! begins.
55 years ago January 21, 1967 The British comics magazine Mandy begins.
55 years ago January 24, 1967 Voice artist Phil LaMarr is born.
50 years ago January 26, 1972 Monster Times begins. “The world’s first newspaper of horror, sci-fi, and fantasy” is a biweekly 50¢ tabloid newspaper.
45 years ago January 22, 1977 Writer-artist James Childress commits suicide at age 35. He created the Conchy newspaper strip.
45 years ago January 24, 1977 Artist John Rosenberger dies of cancer at age 58. Sometimes working as “John Diehl,” he was known for his work for ACG and was co-creator (with Robert Bernstein) of The Jaguar and (with Robert Kanigher) of Lady Cop.
35 years ago January 23, 1987 DC writer, historian, and assistant editor Edward Nelson Bridwell dies of lung cancer at age 55. He created such characters as The Inferior Five, Angel and the Ape, and The Secret Six.
35 years ago January 23, 1987 Artist Dow O. Walling dies at age 84. He created Skeets and the Freedom Foundation Prize winner Jimmy’s Job. He was featured on the Here’s Dow TV show and was a founding member of the National Cartoonists Society.
35 years ago January 27, 1987 Artist Rod Ruth dies at age 74. An artist for Ziff-Davis pulps, he was also the first artist of The Toodles, scripted by Stanley and Betsy Baer.
30 years ago January 21, 1992 Marvel Entertainment Group stock splits two for one.
30 years ago January 25, 1992 Award-winning Italian writer-artist Guido Buzzelli dies at age 64. His work included Angelique.
30 years ago January 27, 1992 Belgian writer-artist Jacques Devos dies at age 67. He created and co-created many series for Spirou magazine.
25 years ago January 25, 1997 Tarzan and Flash Gordon comic strip artist Dan Barry dies at age 73. He also wrote and drew Indiana Jones and Predator comics for Dark Horse.
20 years ago January 21, 2002 The MTV Daria animated series ends.
20 years ago January 24, 2002 Kurt Schaffenberger dies at age 81. The award-winning artist was especially known for his work on Fawcett’s Captain Marvel and DC’s Lois Lane.
5 years ago January 21, 2017 British artist John Watkiss dies of cancer at age 55. He provided concept art for films and was especially known for his work on Conan stories for Marvel and Sandman stories for DC.
5 years ago January 21, 2017 Italian artist Alessandro Biffignandi dies at age 81. He painted covers for many Italian comics in the 1970s and 1980s.
5 years ago January 25, 2017 Prolific award-winning writer-artist Jack Mendelsohn dies of lung cancer at age 90. Although he was best known for Jacky’s Diary, which included his art, he also wrote many, many other features.
