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 October 20-26, 2023…

130 years ago October 20, 1893 Tim Tyler’s Luck creator Lyman Young is born. (By the way, he’s the older brother of Blondie creator Chic Young.)

120 years ago October 21, 1903 Russian artist Mikhail Kupriyanov is born.

115 years ago October 21, 1908 Writer-artist Martha Orr is born. In 1934, she creates Apple Mary (a strip that eventually evolves into Mary Worth).

115 years ago October 22, 1908 José Escobar Saliente is born. The Spanish writer-artist and pioneer animator is known for his creation Zipi y Zape.

95 years ago October 26, 1928 Award-winning Argentine artist and co-founder of the publisher Frontera Francisco Solano Lopez is born.

75 years ago October 25, 1948 The Dutch Ministry of Culture declares that teachers should stop distributing dangerous and mind-corrupting comics.

70 years ago October 21, 1953 Editorial cartoonist George F. Kerr dies at age 83. He drew Golden Age Raggedy Ann and Andy stories anonymously for Dell.

70 years ago October 22, 1953 Prolific writer Steven Grant is born. His work includes his creations Whisper and 2 Guns, stories for characters ranging from Punisher to Reuben Flagg, and behind the scenes articles on the comics industry.

70 years ago October 24, 1953 Writer-editor Mindy Newell is born.

70 years ago October 24, 1953 First Comics editor Laurel Fitch is born.

65 years ago October 20, 1958 El Jabato by Victor Mora begins.

65 years ago October 23, 1958 Les Schtroumpfs are introduced in “La Flûte à Six Trous” in the Belgian comic Johan et Pirlouit by Peyo. (In the US, they’re known as “Smurfs.”)

65 years ago October 26, 1958 Cartoonist and illustrator Clare (“Dwig”) Dwiggins dies at age 84. He was best known for School Days and his work adapting Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn characters, some of which appeared in Doc Savage and Supersnipe comic books.

60 years ago October 20, 1963 Artist and letterer Paul Fricke is born.

60 years ago October 23, 1963 Award-winning writer-artist Eric Shanower is born. He is especially known for his work on Oz projects and for his Trojan War saga Age of Bronze.

60 years ago October 23, 1963 Artist Clarence D. Russell dies at age 68. His work included Pete the Tramp.

60 years ago October 24, 1963 Born Douglas Malcolm Wheatcroft, Douglas Croft dies of acute alcohol intoxication and liver disease at age 37. He was the first actor to play Robin, starring in the 1943 Batman serial.

60 years ago October 25, 1963 British artist and Punch contributor Lewis Baumer dies at age 93.

50 years ago October 25, 1973 Italian artist and actor Sebastiano Craveri dies at age 74. He created comics about Zoolandia and Formachino.

40 years ago October 23, 1983 Danish writer-artist Helge Hall Jensen (who worked as “Helge Hall”) dies at age 76. He created the Hans og Grete strip.

35 years ago October 25, 1988 Animator Eric Larson dies at age 83. He was one of “Disney’s Nine Old Men” and worked on such films as Snow White, Pinocchio, and Fantasia. He helped to recruit new animators to the studio and worked for Disney for 53 years, perhaps the longest tenure at the studio.

30 years ago October 20, 1993 Writer Gaylord DuBois dies at age 94. A major contributor to Golden Age Dell titles, he produced more than 3,000 stories (including much of its Tarzan and Western output) and created Turok.

20 years ago October 25, 2003 William J. Thailing dies at age 77. He was a vendor of science fiction, mystery, and comics collectibles and published sales lists.

15 years ago October 20, 2008 British artist Les Barton dies at age 84. He continued Billy Bunter.

15 years ago October 20, 2008 Prolific D.C. Thomson artist Ken Hunter dies at age 91.

15 years ago October 21, 2008 Comics fan Tom Fagan dies at age 76. He co-created the Rutland, Vermont, Halloween parade’s focus on comics – and appeared as a character in both DC and Marvel comics as a result.

10 years ago October 21, 2013 Spanish animator and artist José Luis Beltrán Coscojuela dies at age 82.

10 years ago October 21, 2013 Danish writer-artist Rune T. Kidde dies at age 56. He was co-founder of publishing company Baldur og Brage, cartoon studio Gimle, and comics workshop Tegneserievaerkstedt.

10 years ago October 22, 2013 Japanese manga artist Yanwari Kazama dies from liver failure at age 36.

5 years ago October 22, 2018 French artist Jacques Tabary dies at age 92.

5 years ago October 23, 2018 Italian writer-artist Roberto Renzi dies at age 95. He founded Fondazione Silvio Fossati.