Here’s the latest installment of Maggie Thompson’s ongoing look at important beginnings, middles, and ends, this time for February 7-13, 2025...
140 years ago February 12, 1885 Artist and animator Andrew Cleveland Hutchison is born. Known for such comic strips as Major Sunshine and Colonel Grouch, he participated in production of animated “Red Head Comedies” (1923) for the Lee-Bradford Corporation: the first cartoon series in color.
130 years ago February 9, 1895 DC artist Dennis Neville is born. The Joe Shuster assistant draws the first “Hawkman” story, which appears in Flash Comics #1.
120 years ago February 8, 1905 Welsh writer-artist Cyril Gwyn Price is born. Among his creations are The Whiskers and T.V. Tim.
115 years ago February 8, 1910 British writer Frank S. Pepper is born. He creates Roy of the Rovers and Captain Condor.
110 years ago February 8, 1915 Joë Meulepas is born. The Belgian political cartoonist (who works as “Pil”) is known for the pantomime comic strip Meneerke Peeters.
110 years ago February 10, 1915 French cartoonist Yvan Francis Le Louarn (who works as “Chaval”) is born.
110 years ago February 11, 1915 Artist Zeke Zekley is born. The George McManus assistant on Bringing up Father eventually forms his own company, Sponsored Comics, to produce advertising comics.
105 years ago February 11, 1920 Artist-writer George Mandel is born. He works through the Funnies, Inc. shop and contributes to Better Publications, Fox, Hillman, Lev Gleason, Timely, and Novelty.
100 years ago February 9, 1925 Prolific French artist Christian Gaty is born.
100 years ago February 10, 1925 Award-winning cartoonist Vahan Shirvanian is born. He creates the No Comment (which becomes Brimstone) strip for King Features.
100 years ago February 11, 1925 Artist Marvin Stein is born. He begins his career in the Golden Age working for a variety of publishers and for Bell Syndicate.
95 years ago February 8, 1930 Award-winning writer-artist Gahan Wilson is born. He’s especially known for his cartoons of fantasy horror and for his Nuts strip for National Lampoon. He’s the subject of the 2013 feature film Gahan Wilson: Born Dead, Still Weird.
85 years ago February 7, 1940 Publisher Wilford Fawcett dies. He founded Fawcett Publications in 1919, and his early magazine Captain Billy’s Whiz Bang was probably influential in the naming of Fawcett’s Whiz Comics, which began newsstand distribution with an issue dated the month of his death.
80 years ago February 12, 1945 Belgian writer-artist Luc Dupanloup (who works as “Dupa”) is born. He creates the character Cubitus (which also stars in animated shows).
80 years ago February 13, 1945 Artist Russell Keaton dies of acute melanoma at age 34. The Dick Calkins assistant created Flyin’ Jenny.
75 years ago February 7, 1950 Serbian writer-artist and comics historian Zdravko Zupan is born.
75 years ago February 9, 1950 De Lustige Kapoentjes by Marc Sleen begins in ’t Kapoentje.
70 years ago February 7, 1955 Actor and voice artist Miguel Ferrer is born. His comics connections include co-creation (with Bill Mumy) of Comet Man and Trypto the Acid Dog, performance (with co-performers Mumy, Max Allan Collins, Steve Leialoha, and John Christensen) in the Seduction of the Innocent musical group, acting as the vice president in Iron Man 3, and voicing such animated characters as Martian Manhunter and Shan Yu.
65 years ago February 7, 1960 Fairchild Publications staff artist Jim McArdle dies at age 60.
60 years ago February 7, 1965 NEA artist Ralph Lane dies at age 59 or 60. He drew Vic Flint and assisted Roy Crane on Buz Sawyer and Captain Easy.
60 years ago February 13, 1965 Einstein by Jay Heavilin and Frank B. Johnson ends.
55 years ago February 11, 1970 Cartoonist Lee W. Stanley dies at age 84. He created The Old Home Town panel cartoons.
55 years ago February 13, 1970 British cartoonist H.M. Bateman dies two days before his 83rd birthday.
50 years ago February 9, 1975 Artist Whitney Barber is born.
50 years ago February 9, 1975 Belgian writer-artist Blanche Dumoulin dies of cancer at age 80. She worked as “Davine” and was married to Spirou creator Robert Velter.
45 years ago February 10, 1980 Dan Dunn and Danny Hale creator Norman W. Marsh dies at age 81.
40 years ago February 7, 1985 New Yorker cartoonist Robert Day dies at age 84.
30 years ago February 11, 1995 New Zealand artist Sharon Alston dies of breast cancer at age 46.
30 years ago February 13, 1995 Artist Bill Perry dies at age 89. The Frank King assistant created Ned Handy.
25 years ago February 12, 2000 Cartoonist Charles M. Schulz dies of a heart attack at age 77. The award-winning creator of Peanuts maintained ongoing friendships with his fans and produced a variety of additional material, including such releases as Happiness Is a Warm Puppy and “Teen-Ager” Is Not a Disease.
25 years ago February 13, 2000 The final episode of Peanuts is published.
15 years ago February 11, 2010 Fritz Raab dies at age 74. He wrote the Taro comic strip drawn by Franz-Werner Richter-Johnsen.
15 years ago February 11, 2010 Artist Marvin Stein dies on his 85th birthday.
10 years ago February 7, 2015 Turkish artist Ugurcan Yüce dies at age 68.
10 years ago February 9, 2015 Dutch artist and teacher Lucia Steinbach dies at age 92.
5 years ago February 8, 2020 Teacher and Archie Comics artist and editor in chief Victor Gorelick dies at age 78.
5 years ago February 10, 2020 French writer-artist, editor, and self-publisher Claire Bretécher dies at age 79. Creator of Les Frustres and Agrippine and co-founder of L’Écho des Savannes, she received several awards including the Angoulême International Comics Festival Grand Prix Lifetime Achievement Award.
5 years ago February 12, 2020 French writer and colorist Hubert Boulard dies at age 49.
