TURNING POINTS by Maggie Thompson

Here’s the latest installment of Maggie Thompson’s ongoing look at important beginnings, middles, and ends, this time for September 20-26, 2024…

155 years ago September 26, 1869 Cartoonist and animation pioneer Winsor McCay is born. He is best known for his creations Little Nemo in Slumberland, Dream of the Rarebit Fiend, and “Gertie the Dinosaur.” Three of his short films are in the US National Film Registry.

135 years ago September 23, 1889 Dutch artist and teacher Elle Smalhout is born.

130 years ago September 20, 1894 Heinrich Hoffmann dies at age 85. He created one of the earliest German comics, Der Struwwelpeter.

130 years ago September 21, 1894 Comic book pioneer Maxwell Charles Gaines is born. He devises newsprint comics periodicals, co-publishes All-American Publications, founds Educational Comics, and is Bill Gaines’ father.

115 years ago September 20, 1909 French artist Achille Lemot (born Désiré Achille Valentin) dies at age 62.

115 years ago September 22, 1909 Actor Rocky Lane is born. His cowboy roles lead to licensing his name and image in Fawcett comics. He also plays the comics character Red Ryder on TV but may be best known for voicing Mr. Ed (who will have his own Gold Key comics series – Mister Ed, the Talking Horse – minus Lane’s voice).

115 years ago September 22, 1909 German political cartoonist Wolfgang Hicks is born.

105 years ago September 24, 1919 Voice artist Dayton Allen is born. He voices such characters as Heckle and Jeckle, Deputy Dawg, and Professor Weirdo.

100 years ago September 20, 1924 Austrian artist Hella Schiefer is born.

100 years ago September 24, 1924 Indonesian writer-artist Nasjah Djamin is born.

100 years ago September 25, 1924 Italian artist Antonioi Sciotti is born.

95 years ago September 21, 1929 French writer and Charlie Hebdo co-founder “Professeur Choron” Georges Bernier is born.

90 years ago September 23, 1934 Boob McNutt by Rube Goldberg ends.

80 years ago September 23, 1944 The editors of the Belgian newspaper Le Soir are arrested for Nazi collaboration, Hergé’s Tintin is discontinued, and Hergé is temporarily jailed.

80 years ago September 23, 1944 Belgian writer-editor Jean-Luc Vernal is born.

75 years ago September 22, 1949 Pascal Habegger is born. The Swiss artist works as “Ab’Aigre.”

75 years ago September 23, 1949 Artist Paul C. Ryan is born. He is especially known for his work on such series as Marvel’s The Fantastic Four, CrossGen’s Ruse, the Amazing Spider-Man Sunday strip, and the Phantom daily and Sunday newspaper strip. He co-creates AC Comics’ Breed.

75 years ago September 24, 1949 Writer David Rawson is born. He co-writes (with Pat McGreal) Chiaroscuro: The Private Lives of Leonardo Da Vinci.

70 years ago September 20, 1954 Artist Doug Hazlewood is born. He is especially known for his work on The Liberty Project with writer Kurt Busiek and artist James Fry and such stories as “The Death of Superman” and “Superman: The Wedding Album.”

65 years ago September 24, 1959 The Belgian Mickey Magazine ends.

65 years ago September 26, 1959 Artist and animator Gabriel Morrissette is born. He co-creates Northguard with Mark Shainblum.

60 years ago September 26, 1964 Malaysian cartoonist Zainuddin bin Saleh (who works as “Lengkuas”) is born.

55 years ago September 25, 1969 Dutch artist and animator Frans van Lamsweerde dies at age 49. He worked at the Toonder and Geesink Studios and later for Disney and Western Printing.

50 years ago September 21, 1974 Animator and artist Paul D. Robinson dies at age 76. He created the Etta Kett strip.

45 years ago September 20, 1979 Artist Erich Gold dies at age 80. He worked in the US as “Eric Peters” and drew Abbott and Costello comic books with his wife, Lily Renée.

45 years ago September 26, 1979 The Berrys artist Carl Grubert dies at age 68.

40 years ago September 21, 1984 British artist Hugh Stanley White dies at age 79. Lambiek says he was “a pioneer in British newspaper comics with his adventure strips for Boys & Girls Daily Mail.”

40 years ago September 25, 1984 Animator and artist Emily Laverne Harding dies at age 78. One of the earliest female animators, she worked for the Walter Lantz studio and received the Winsor McCay Award for lifetime achievement.

35 years ago September 26, 1989 British Amalgamated Press artist Terence Wakefield dies at age 78.

30 years ago September 21, 1994 French artist Jef De Wulf dies at age 68.

30 years ago September 22, 1994 Writer-artist Bud Sagendorf dies of brain cancer at age 79. The Elzie Segar assistant produced Popeye stories for years.

30 years ago September 24, 1994 Dutch award-winning writer-artist Jan van Reek dies at age 70. He co-created Wipperoen with Raymond Bär von Hemmerswell.

15 years ago September 24, 2009 Award-winning Dutch Toonder Studios artist Frits Godhelp dies at age 82.

15 years ago September 25, 2009 Belgian artist Jean Vermeire dies three days before his 91st birthday.

15 years ago September 26, 2009 Argentine artist Carlos Roume dies at age 85 or 86.

10 years ago September 26, 2014 The Jack Kirby estate and Marvel reach a financial settlement, according to Hollywood Reporter.

5 years ago September 21, 2019 Musician, actor, and film producer (known for his work in horror films) Sid Haig dies at age 80.