Here’s the latest installment of Maggie Thompson’s ongoing look at important beginnings, middles, and ends, this time for May 20-26, 2022...

180 years ago May 25, 1842 French artist Paul Léonnec is born.

150 years ago May 26, 1872 British artist and Punch contributor Alfred Henry Forrester (who worked as “Alfred Crowquill”) dies at age 67.

145 years ago May 20, 1877 Swedish artist Nils Larsson is born.

115 years ago May 22, 1907 Georges Remi is born. Signing his work as “Hergé,” he creates the long-running adventure hero Tintin.

110 years ago May 24, 1912 Reuben Award-winning artist Alfred Andriola is born. His strips include Charlie Chan, Dan Dunn, and Kerry Drake.

105 years ago May 21, 1917 Garth strip artist Frank Bellamy is born. His other work includes Dan Dare and Heros the Spartan.

95 years ago May 22, 1927 Polish writer-artist and historian Szymon Kobylinski is born.

90 years ago May 21, 1932 Animator and artist Raoul Barré dies of cancer at age 58. The French-Canadian comic strip pioneer was the first Canadian comic artist to publish in French. The inventor of the “peg and slash system” of animation techniques was credited with being the first to co-establish an animation studio (Barré-Bowers Studios) and first to create an animated series around one recurring character.

80 years ago May 20, 1942 Gail Beckett is born. She’s a colorist and letterer for Dark Horse, Malibu, and Marvel.

80 years ago May 25, 1942 Argentine artist Lucho Olivera is born.

70 years ago May 21, 1952 Lawrence Tureaud is born. As Mister T, he stars in the Mister T Ruby-Spears cartoon and appears in comic books both as the character he plays on The A-Team and in the Now Comics series Mr. T and the T-Force.

65 years ago May 25, 1957 Writer-artist Marc Hempel is born. Though he may be best known for his Sandman art, he’s also the creator of Gregory and Tug & Buster and co-creator of Blood of the Innocent, Breathtaker, and Mars.

65 years ago May 25, 1957 NBM Publishing founder Terry Nantier is born.

60 years ago May 22, 1962 Dixie Dugan comic strip artist John H. Striebel dies at age 70.

60 years ago May 23, 1962 The New York Times runs an 18-panel Pogo strip as a TV Guide ad.

60 years ago May 24, 1962 Artist Vic Forsythe dies at age 76. He created the Joe Jinks comic strip.

55 years ago May 24, 1967 Comics creator Everette Hartsoe is born. He’s best known for Razor.

55 years ago May 25, 1967 Award-winning Canadian cartoonist Michael de Adder is born. He’s president of the Association of Canadian Editorial Cartoonists.

55 years ago May 25, 1967 Carol Day by David Wright and Peter Meriton ends.

55 years ago May 25, 1967 British artist and Carol Day comic strip creator David Wright dies at age 54.

55 years ago May 26, 1967 Award-winning writer-artist James Kochalka is born. He’s cartoonist laureate of Vermont and a daily online comic strip diarist.

50 years ago May 21, 1972 The Captain Kate strip by Jerry and Hally Skelly ends.

50 years ago May 21, 1972 The Rose of Versailles (Berusaiyu no Bara) by Riyoko Ikeda begins in Margaret magazine.

50 years ago May 23, 1972 Italian artist and animator Nino Pagot dies at age 64. He co-created Calimero and The Dynamite Brothers film with his brother, Toni Pagot.

50 years ago May 23, 1972 Rerun van Pelt is introduced in Charles Schulz’ Peanuts.

50 years ago May 26-29, 1972 The EC Fan Addict Convention is the first “annual” EC con and is held at the Hotel McAlpin in New York City.

50 years ago May 26, 1972 Prolific French writer-artist Robert Dansler dies at age 71. He’s one of the primary artists for the Artima publishing company.

45 years ago May 25, 1977 Norwegian artist Christian Kittilsen dies at age 70.

45 years ago May 25, 1977 Dutch writer-artist Frans Mandos dies at age 67.

45 years ago May 25, 1977 Star Wars opens, starring comics fan (and voice artist) Mark Hamill. (The first issue of the Marvel series that adapts Star Wars is by Roy Thomas and Howard Chaykin and is already on sale.)

25 years ago May 24, 1997 Already-merged British girls’ magazines Mandy and Judy merge with Bunty.

10 years ago May 26, 2012 Award winning Herman creator Jim Unger dies at age 75.

5 years ago May 24, 2017 Major longtime Spirou contributor Belgian writer-artist Pierre Seron dies at age 75.

5 years ago May 25, 2017 Italian writer-translator-artist Marcello Albano dies at age 55.