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 March 11-17, 2022…

175 years ago March 17, 1847 French artist Jean Ignace Isidore Gérard Grandville dies at age 43.

170 years ago March 13, 1852. The first printed symbolic figure of Uncle Sam makes his debut in an uncomplimentary New York Lantern cartoon by Frank Henry Bellew.

160 years ago March 17, 1862 Dutch artist Patrick Kroon is born.

130 years ago March 13, 1892 Ethel Hays is born. The writer-artist is known for her creation of several comics features featuring flappers: Ethel, Flapper Fanny, Marianne, and Vic and Ethel.

130 years ago March 16, 1892 The first issue of the Swedish illustrated children’s magazine Kamratposten is published.

125 years ago March 11, 1897 Albert Engstrom begins the cartoon heavy Swedish humor magazine Strix.

120 years ago March 15, 1902 Australian writer-artist Alex Gurney is born. The creator of the Bluey and Curley strip earlier develops the first Australian strip based on continuing characters (Stiffy and Mo, a radio comedy).

105 years ago March 11, 1917 The Spanish comics magazine TBO begins.

105 years ago March 12, 1917 German teacher and artist Werner Klemke is born.

100 years ago March 16, 1922 Jørgen Mogensen is born. The Danish artist creates Poeten og Lillemor.

95 years ago March 11, 1927 French artist-editor-publisher Edouard Pépin dies at age 84.

95 years ago March 16, 1927 Award-winning Italian writer-artist Gino d’Antonio is born. He creates Il Storia del West and Bella e Bronco for Bonelli.

95 years ago March 16, 1927 Voice artist Dick Beals is born. Although he is best known as the voice of such characters as Gumby, Davey Hansen, and Speedy Alka-Seltzer, he also creates a wide variety of other child voices for use in animation.

85 years ago March 15, 1937 Artist Dan Adkins is born. He draws science fiction magazine illustrations and works on a variety of comics, including Doctor Strange and T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents.

85 years ago March 15, 1937 Influential fantasy writer Howard Phillips Lovecraft dies of cancer at age 46.

85 years ago March 17, 1937 British artist Harold C. Earnshaw dies at age 50. He created the Daily Mirror comic strip The Pater.

80 years ago March 15, 1942 Tailspin Tommy (drawn by Reynold Brown by this time) ends.

75 years ago March 14, 1947 Comic strip writer-artist Tom Batiuk is born. He creates Funky Winkerbean, John Darling, and Crankshaft.

70 years ago March 14, 1952 Brian Walker is born. Mort Walker’s son, he works in the Walker comics studio, helps produce material including Hi and Lois, and writes comics histories.

65 years ago March 14, 1957 Artist Mike DeCarlo is born. His work includes comics featuring Warner Bros. characters.

65 years ago March 16, 1957 Writer-artist-editor and Cat-Head Comics publisher Steve Lafler is born. He’s especially known for Dog Boy.

60 years ago March 12, 1962 Comic book and comic strip artist Graham Nolan is born. His work includes Batman, Phantom, Rex Morgan, and Sunshine State.

60 years ago March 15, 1962 Windrider Games head, former Fantasy Flight Games game producer, and games designer Steve Kimball is born.

50 years ago March 15, 1972 Writer Robert S. Elinskas is born.

50 years ago March 17, 1972 Award-winning Cuban artist Antonio Rubio (born Antonio V. Rubio Nuñez) dies of cardiac arrest at age 51. He was founder and president of the Cuban Cartoonists Association.

45 years ago March 11, 1977 Walt Disney’s The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh opens, linking three already produced featurettes with a fourth.

45 years ago March 13, 1977 The last installment of Conchy by James Childress is published. (He’d committed suicide January 22.)

45 years ago March 15, 1977 Tintin contains a teaser for “Thorgal” by Jean Van Hamme and Grzegorz Rosiński, which will begin next week.

45 years ago March 17, 1977 Russell Patterson dies of heart failure at age 83. The award-winning artist, art teacher, designer, and comic strip creator was best known for Mamie.

30 years ago March 12, 1992 Hans Kresse dies at age 70. The Dutch creator of Eric de Noorman was a prolific realistic artist on features ranging from Tarzan, Bonanza, and Disney material to his own creations.

20 years ago March 15, 2002 Underground comix creator Rand Holmes dies at age 60 of Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He was best known for his Harold Hedd comic strip.

20 years ago March 16, 2002 Dutch artist Paul Schindeler dies at age 46.

15 years ago March 12, 2007 Writer Arnold Drake dies at age 83 of pneumonia and septic shock. With Leslie Waller, Matt Baker, and Ray Osrin, he co-created the pioneering graphic novel It Rhymes with Lust. He later co-created such features as Deadman (with Carmine Infantino), The Doom Patrol (with Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani), and Guardians of the Galaxy (with Gene Colan).

15 years ago March 15, 2007 Underground comix expert and King Features Syndicate Editor in Chief Jay Kennedy drowns in a riptide at age 50.

10 years ago March 11, 2012 Artist Sid Couchey dies at age 92 of Burkitt’s lymphoma. He was a prolific anonymous Harvey Comics contributor to features starring such characters as Richie Rich, Little Lotta, and Little Dot.

10 years ago March 15, 2012 Prolific writer-artist Fran Matera dies at age 87 of prostate cancer. He took over Steve Roper and Mike Nomad in 1985, and his other work included contributions to Charlton’s comics and “Chuck White” for Treasure Chest.

5 years ago March 12, 2017 New Zealand artist Murray Ball dies at age 78. Known for his comic strip Footrot Flats and for his contributions to Punch including “Stanley the Palaeolithic Hero,” he was made an officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

5 years ago March 16, 2017 Underground comix pioneer writer-artist Skip Williamson dies of multiple organ failure (a week and a half after fellow underground star Jay Lynch) at age 72. He was known for such creations as “Snappy Sammy Smoot.”

5 years ago March 17, 2017 Dutch artist Joost Rietveld dies at age 85.