Here’s the latest installment of Maggie Thompson’s ongoing look at important beginnings, middles, and ends, this time for May 10-16, 2024...
185 years ago May 14, 1839 Léonce Petit is born. The pioneering artist is called the “French Töpffer.”
155 years ago May 12, 1869 Influential Swedish writer-artist Albert Engström is born. The pioneer of the modern Swedish comic strip creates the tramp Kolingen, perhaps the oldest recurring Swedish comics character.
150 years ago May 12, 1874 Dutch writer-artist Jan Feith is born. He writes picture books and draws an overview of Dutch history in silhouettes.
135 years ago May 10, 1889 Australian artist Jimmy Bancks is born. He creates the Ginger Meggs comic strip.
135 years ago May 16, 1889 Dutch artist and teacher Joan Collette is born. He draws illustrated jokes.
130 years ago May 15, 1894 Feg Murray is born. He creates “True Stories about Stamps” for True Comics and is known for “Seein’ Stars.”
120 years ago May 11, 1904 Influential surrealist artist Salvador Dalí is born. In addition to his many other creations, his Les Mystères Surrealistes de New York runs as a comic strip.
115 years ago May 10, 1909 Spanish artist and animator Arturo Moreno is born. He co-founds Diarmo Films and such series as Punto Negro en el País del Juego.
115 years ago May 11, 1909 Austrian caricaturist Ferdinand von Řezníček dies at age 40.
110 years ago May 12, 1914 Dutch writer Bertus Aafjes is born.
110 years ago May 12, 1914 British writer-animator and film director Joy Batchelor is born. With her husband, John Halas, she founds the cartooning company Halas and Batchelor.
105 years ago May 12, 1919 Artist, puppeteer, and TV producer Vic Herman is born. He works on creating and/or designing such characters as Elsie the Cow and Reddy Kilowatt, creates the character Winnie the WAC, and helps create Little Dot.
100 years ago May 14, 1924 Marmaduke creator Brad Anderson is born.
100 years ago May 16, 1924 The first issue of the Russian children’s magazine Murzilka is published.
95 years ago May 10, 1929 Irving Knickerbocker publishes the first episode of Mac.
95 years ago May 13, 1929 Artist Howard Nostrand is born. He’s known for his work on horror comics and Harvey’s 3D titles as well as the Bat Masterson newspaper strip.
90 years ago May 12, 1934 Waldyr Igayara de Souza is born. The Brazilian writer-artist and editor creates Paulistinha and sets up his own comic art school.
85 years ago May 12, 1939 German artist and teacher Leo Leonhard is born.
75 years ago May 12, 1949 Noted for drawing the Deathless Deer comic strip, artist Neysa McMein dies at age 61.
75 years ago May 15, 1949 Writer-artist Victor Ramon Mojica is born.
70 years ago May 12, 1954 Artist Neil D. Vokes is born.
70 years ago May 16, 1954 Artist Jay Paul Jackson dies of a heart attack at age 64. His work included newspaper features and pulp magazine illustrations.
60 years ago May 16, 1964 The Beano introduces Malcolm Judge’s Billy Whizz.
55 years ago May 10, 1969 Artist George Klein dies of cirrhosis of the liver at age 53 or 54. With a career starting in the Golden Age, he went on to ink many Superman stories and inked early issues of Fantastic Four.
55 years ago May 13, 1969 Writer-artist Andrew Pepoy is born. He works on characters including Superman, Sonic the Hedgehog, Katy Keene, and Little Orphan Annie and creates Simone & Ajax.
55 years ago May 15, 1969 The first episode of Čtyřlístek by the Czech Republic’s Jaroslav Němeček is published.
40 years ago May 7, 1984 French writer-artist Robert Giordan dies at age 61. He worked with his brother, Raoul, specializing in science fiction and action adventure tales.
35 years ago May 10, 1989 Shonen Jump features the first Tankoben volume of Dragon Ball Z.
35 years ago May 14, 1989 The first Motor City Comic Con begins at the Dearborn Civic Center in Michigan; it runs May 14-16.
30 years ago May 16, 1994 Dutch artist Dorul Van Der Heide dies at age 90.
25 years ago May 10, 1999 Shel Silverstein dies of a heart attack at age 68. The first published cartoon book of the cartoonist, satirist, singer-songwriter, and poet collected his “Take Ten” work in Grab Your Socks! – and much of his early work appeared in Playboy.
25 years ago May 12, 1999 Cartoonist Saul Steinberg dies at the age of 84.
20 years ago May 11, 2004 French artist Aristophane Boulon (who worked as “Aristophane”) dies at age 37.
20 years ago May 12, 2004 New Yorker cartoonist Syd Hoff dies at age 91. The children’s book author created the Tuffy strip and drew political cartoons as “A. Redfield.”
20 years ago May 15, 2004 Writer-artist Jack Bradbury, a Disney Studios animator known for funny animal comic books, dies at age 89.
20 years ago May 15, 2004 Artist Gill Fox dies at age 84. With a career beginning in the Golden Age, he was known for Side Glances and political cartoons and edited Quality titles including Police Comics.
20 years ago May 16, 2004 Romanian artist Remus Dimitrie Sbiera (who worked as “Sool Sbiera”) dies at age 67.
15 years ago May 13, 2009 Award-winning editorial cartoonist and cartoon historian Draper Hill dies at age 73.
10 years ago May 12, 2014 Swiss artist H.R. Giger dies of injuries from a fall at age 74. He was especially known for his designs for Alien.
10 years ago May 16, 2014 Spanish artist Guillem Cifré dies at age 61 or 62.
5 years ago May 10, 2019 Spanish artist Jorge Longarón dies at age 86. He drew the Friday Foster strip written by Jim Lawrence.
5 years ago May 10, 2019 Argentine-Spanish artist Miguel Angel Repetto dies at age 90.
