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 December 13-19, 2024…

155 years ago December 15, 1869 Fred Leipziger is born. The artist draws Doings of the Van Loons for the McClure syndicate, which may be the first contracted daily newspaper strip.

120 years ago December 17, 1904 Abe Martin of Brown County by Kin Hubbard begins.

110 years ago December 13, 1914 Writer David Vern Reed is born (as David Levine). He’s especially known for his Batman stories for DC.

110 years ago December 14, 1914 Writer-artist-editor Jack Cole is born. He’s known for creating Plastic Man, for his work as part of Will Eisner’s Spirit team, and for his color cartoons for Playboy.

105 years ago December 18, 1919 Ken Reid is born. The British writer-artist works on DC Thomson features for The Beano and The Dandy.

105 years ago December 19, 1919 E.C. Segar’s Thimble Theatre begins, introducing Olive Oyl.

100 years ago December 16, 1924 Polish artist Jerzy Skarzynski is born.

100 years ago December 18, 1924 Italian animator and artist Francesco Maurizio Guido (who works as “Gibba”) is born.

95 years ago December 13, 1929 Spanish artist Ángel Badia Camps is born.

95 years ago December 14, 1929 Artist Pete Millar is born. A leading artist of hot-rod cartoons and comics, he co-creates CARtoons magazine with Carl Kohler, then creates Drag Cartoons magazine.

95 years ago December 19, 1929 Estonian artist Olimar Kallas is born.

90 years ago December 13, 1934 Vater und Sohn by E.O. Plauen begins.

90 years ago December 16, 1934 The American Weekly prints the first episode of the Salvador Dalí strip Les Mystères Surrealistes de New York.

85 years ago December 18, 1939 Swedish artist Bruno Liljefors dies at age 79.

75 years ago December 15, 1949 The Dutch comics magazine Doe Mee ends.

75 years ago December 17, 1949 Artist-writer Greg Walker is born. He’s especially known for his work on the Beetle Bailey and Hi and Lois comic strips.

70 years ago December 17, 1954 Artist Michael Cherkas is born. With Larry Hancock, he co-creates The Silent Invasion and Suburban NightmaresThe New Frontier.

70 years ago December 17, 1954 Writer and marketer Beau Smith is born. He creates Wynonna Earp.

70 years ago December 19, 1954 Writer-artist-editor Eliot R. Brown is born.

65 years ago December 16, 1959 Clifton by Raymond Macherot begins.

65 years ago December 16, 1959 Writer-artist Steve Mattson is born.

65 years ago December 16, 1959 Writer-editor Dean Clarrain, noted for work on Archie’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures, is born.

65 years ago December 14, 1959 Writer David Quinn is born. He’s best known for co-creation of Faust with Tim Vigil.

60 years ago December 16, 1964 Artist Phil Davis dies of a heart attack at age 58. He co-created (with Lee Falk) Mandrake the Magician for King Features.

55 years ago December 13, 1969 The last issue of the British Lady Penelope comic is published.

55 years ago December 16, 1969 Golden Age artist Elmer Cecil Stoner dies at age 72. The “Phantasmo” creator worked for a number of companies, including DC, Timely, Street & Smith, Fawcett, Dell, and EC.

50 years ago December 15, 1974 Radio personality, cartoonist, and Abie the Agent creator Harry Hershfield dies at age 89.

35 years ago December 17, 1989 “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire” is the first half-hour animated airing of The Simpsons by Matt Groening, following appearances on The Tracey Ullman Show.

35 years ago December 18, 1989 Danish artist Henning Gantriis dies at age 71. He was known for his “Livets Gang iLidenlund” feature.

30 years ago December 14, 1994 French artist Lucien Nortier dies at age 72.

30 years ago December 18, 1994 French artist and editor Albert-Georges Badert dies 10 days before his 80th birthday.

30 years ago December 18, 1994 French writer-artist Albert-Georges Badert dies at age 79.

25 years ago December 14, 1999 Indonesian artist Jan Mintaraga (also known as Suwalbiyanto Soemodihardjo) dies of lung cancer at age 58.

25 years ago December 15, 1999 Swedish artist Rune Andréasson dies at age 74. He created Bamse.

25 years ago December 16, 1999 Belgian artist Marcel Remacle dies at age 73. He worked for Spirou and was known for “Le Vieux Nick.”

15 years ago December 14, 2009 Brazilian novelist and artist Minami Keizi dies at age 64. He co-founded the publishing house EDREL (Editora de Revistas e Livros) and M&C Editores.

10 years ago December 16, 2014 French artist Bruno De Dieuleveult dies at age 72.

10 years ago December 17, 2014 Montreal comics store Komico suffers a fire. (The business will move to a different address.)

10 years ago December 18, 2014 Dutch artist Arno van Dijk dies of cardiac arrest at age 69.

5 years ago December 19, 2019 Dutch writer Jules Deelder dies at age 75.

5 years ago December 19, 2019 Belgian director, journalist, actor, and comics writer Freek Neirynck dies at age 70.