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 February 16-22, 2024…

135 years ago February 18, 1889 Political cartoonist Harry E. Homan is born. His work includes Billy Make Believe, How to Make It, and (Vic Forsythe’s) Joe Jinks.

130 years ago February 19, 1894 Cartoonist and Puck founder Joseph Keppler dies at age 56.

115 years ago February 16, 1909 Karl Ludwig Schmidt is born. The German artist works with publisher Walter Becker as “Becker-Kasch.”

110 years ago February 17, 1914 Leo Dorfman is born. The prolific Silver Age Superman scripter also works for Gold Key.

110 years ago February 19, 1914 Australian artist Ron Vivian is born.

105 years ago February 19, 1919 Belgian artist Leo de Budt is born. He works as “Buth” and creates Thomas Pips.

105 years ago February 22, 1919 Newspaper strip cartoonist Pete Hoffman is born. He ghosts Steve Roper for Elmer Woggon and creates Jeff Cobb and Why We Say.

100 years ago February 17, 1924 Swedish writer-artist Lasse Sandberg is born.

100 years ago February 18, 1924 The Girl comic strip by Edgar Martin is renamed Boots and Her Buddies.

100 years ago February 19, 1924 Loron Taylor’s Mom ’n’ Pop begins.

95 years ago February 17, 1929 Milt Gross’ Count Screwloose begins.

95 years ago February 17, 1929 Alejandro Jodorowsky is born. The prolific writer and filmmaker may be best known for L’Incal (with artist Moebius) but he is involved with many other entertainment projects, as well.

95 years ago February 20, 1929 John Dixon is born. The Australian artist is best known for his strip Air Hawk and the Flying Doctors.

90 years ago February 18, 1934 Dutch writer-artist and professor Cor Blok is born.

80 years ago February 17, 1944 Catalan Communications editor-publisher Bernd Metz is born. His company publishes many US translations of European comics.

80 years ago February 19, 1944 Writer, director, actor, and Doctor Spektor creator Don Glut is born.

80 years ago February 21, 1944 Award-winning Argentine artist Carlos Nine is born.

75 years ago February 19, 1949 Writer-artist William Messner-Loebs is born. Among his projects, he creates Journey and co-creates Epicurus the Sage with Sam Kieth.

75 years ago February 21, 1949 Artist Frank Brunner is born. Known for his comics work on such characters as Howard the Duck and Elric and on the comic book adaptation of the Broadway play Warp, he also works in animation, including character design for Fox’s animated X-Men.

75 years ago February 22, 1949 Award-winning Austrian writer-artist Manfred Deix is born.

70 years ago February 20, 1954 Award-winning writer, artist, and colorist Steve Oliff is born. He founds Olyoptics.

70 years ago February 21, 1954 Cartoonist Roland Coe dies at age 46. His work includes the Shredded Wheat ad strip His Nibs.

65 years ago February 18, 1959 Artist Aaron McClellan is born.

60 years ago February 16, 1964 Christopher Eccleston is born. He stars in the reintroduction of the BBC’s Doctor Who science fiction TV series, so he appears in licensed comics of the character.

55 years ago February 17, 1969 Writer-artist Nelson DeCastro is born. The teacher also creates Eudaemon.

50 years ago February 16, 1974 Dutch writer, film director, and artist Alfred Mazure dies at age 59. He created the hardboiled detective character Dick Bos and the Romeo Brown strip.

45 years ago February 20, 1979 Dutch comics experts Kees and Evelien Kousemaker publish Wordt Vervolgd – Stripleksikon der Lage Landen, a historical overview of comics.

45 years ago February 22, 1979 Artist John Coleman Burroughs dies at age 65. The son of Edgar Rice Burroughs illustrated his father’s novels and associated comic strip and comic book features.

35 years ago February 19, 1989 Italian artist Athos Cozzi dies at age 79.

30 years ago February 18, 1994 Art director, editor, gag cartoonist, and David McKay comics artist Rodlow Willard dies at age 87.

25 years ago February 19, 1999 Robert (“Buck”) Coulson dies at age 70 of massive internal hemorrhage and heart failure. He and Juanita Coulson co-edited the Hugo Award-winning fanzine Yandro, and he wrote novels and reviewed science fiction for Comics Buyer’s Guide.

20 years ago February 16, 2004 Letterer Bill Oakley dies of cancer at age 39.

20 years ago February 16, 2004 Italian artist Tito Marchioro dies at age 72.

20 years ago February 20, 2004 Erik Larsen is announced as Image Comics’ new publisher.

15 years ago February 20, 2009 Spanish artist Joan Marti Aragonés (who worked as “Petronius”) dies at age 72.

10 years ago February 18, 2014 Artist Ralston Jones dies at age 87. He drew Mr. Abernathy (written by Frank Ridgeway).

10 years ago February 19, 2014 Italian artist Franco Origone dies at age 63. He co-created features with his brother Agostino.

10 years ago February 22, 2014 Dutch writer-artist and scientist Leo Vroman dies at age 98.

5 years ago February 15, 2019 German artist and animator Werner Hierl dies at age 88 or 89.

5 years ago February 17, 2019 Belgian artist and teacher Claude Renard dies at age 72.

5 years ago February 18, 2019 French artist Jacques Sandron dies at age 76. The co-creator of Godaille et Godasse (with Raoul Cauvin) worked for the Dupuis publishing house and freelanced elsewhere.

5 years ago February 19, 2019 Malaysian artist Dee, known for Hello Bos, dies at age 52.

5 years ago February 20, 2019 Dutch writer Har Brok, who wrote books about Hergé, dies at age 76.

5 years ago February 20, 2019 Dutch writer Patty Klein is knighted in the Order of the Dutch Lion.

5 years ago February 21, 2019 Spanish artist Ángel Badia Camps dies at age 89.