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 June 16-22, 2023…

195 years ago June 22, 1828 “Harlot’s Progress” by William Hogarth and “Monkeyana, or The Gambler’s Progress” by Thomas Landseer appear in William Innell Clement’s Bell’s Life in London #330.

145 years ago June 20, 1878 Felix Hess is born. The Dutch artist creates the first regularly appearing comics series by a local artist in a Dutch periodical, according to Lambiek.

125 years ago June 17, 1898 Animator and artist artist Earl Duvall is born. He co-creates “Bucky Bug” with Al Taliaferro and draws a variety of Disney connected material, as well as working for Warner Bros.

125 years ago June 19, 1898 Animator and artist Paul D. Robinson is born. He creates the Etta Kett strip.

120 years ago June 21, 1903 Caricaturist Al Hirschfeld is born.

110 years ago June 21, 1913 Indonesian artist Siauw Tik Kwie is born.

105 years ago June 22, 1918 Dutch writer-artist Andries Brandt is born. The prolific Toonder Studio writer creates Tina en Debbie and Roel Dijkstra and is especially known for writing Horre, Harm en Hella.

100 years ago June 19, 1923 Moon Mullins by Frank Willard and Ferd Johnson begins.

100 years ago June 21, 1923 Prolific Brazilian artist and teacher João Mottini is born.

95 years ago June 20, 1928 Martin Landau is born. Though best known for his work as an actor in such series as Mission: Impossible and for his Oscar winning performance in Ed Wood, he begins his career as a cartoonist and assists Gus Edson on The Gumps during the 1940s and 1950s.

95 years ago June 22, 1928 Arthur Burdett Frost dies at age 77. The Life writer-artist was especially known for such works as Stuff and Nonsense and illustrations of Joel Chandler Harris’ “Uncle Remus” stories.

85 years ago June 22, 1938 Artist Fred Carter is born. He works anonymously with Jack Chick starting in 1972, producing “Chick Tracts” and The Crusaders.

80 years ago June 16, 1943 King Features artist Nicholas Afonsky dies at age 51. He worked on such strips as Little Annie Rooney and Secret Agent X-9.

80 years ago June 20, 1943 Penny by Harry Haenigsen begins.

75 years ago June 17, 1948 Cartoonist and painter Bob “Chance” Browne is born. He draws Hi and Lois.

75 years ago June 18, 1948 Colorist Linda Lessmann is born.

70 years ago June 18, 1953 Writer-artist-editor Mark E. Gruenwald is born. Best known for his work for Marvel Comics and his detailed knowledge of its continuity, he writes and creates characters for such series as Captain America, Quasar, D.P. 7, and Squadron Supreme. The character Mobius introduced in the first episode of the Disney+ Loki series in 2021 is modeled on Gruenwald, and it involves the Time Variance Authority, with which he is involved. (Did you spot all the Gruenwald Easter Eggs in Loki?)

70 years ago June 20, 1953 French artist Émile-Joseph Pinchon dies at age 72. He was known for “Bécassine” and “Frimousset.”

70 years ago June 22, 1953 Award-winning writer-artist Al Gordon is born.

60 years ago June 16, 1963 Artist Gary Thomas Washington is born.

55 years ago June 18, 1968 Marcie first appears in Charles Schulz’ Peanuts strip.

50 years ago June 17, 1973 Dutch artist Peter Lutz dies at age 73.

45 years ago June 19, 1978 Garfield by Jim Davis begins.

45 years ago June 22, 1978 Artist William Reusswig dies at age 75.

40 years ago June 17, 1983 Superman III opens, directed by Richard Lester and starring Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Richard Pryor, and Annette O’Toole. It’s the last Superman film produced by Alexander and Ilya Salkind.

35 years ago June 16, 1988 Italian writer-artist Andrea Pazienza dies of a heroin overdose at age 32. He was best known for the graphic novel Pompeo.

35 years ago June 16, 1988 The Superman convention “Neverending Battle” (also known as International Superman Expo) begins in Cleveland, Ohio, celebrating Superman’s 50th anniversary.

30 years ago June 18, 1993 French artist Claude Pascal dies at age 62.

10 years ago June 19, 2013 Fantagraphics vice president and writer-editor-co-publisher-translator Kim Thompson dies of lung cancer at age 56.