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 30 through July 6, 2023…

140 years ago July 4, 1883 Cartoonist Rube Goldberg is born. The artist creates Boob McNutt and wildly inventive machinery. The sculptor is the first president of the National Cartoonists Society and the namesake of its annual Cartoonist of the Year award.

125 years ago July 6, 1898 Born as Edgar Everett Martin, Abe Martin is born. He creates the Boots and Her Buddies newspaper strip.

115 years ago July 3, 1908 Editor, journalist, writer, and folklorist Joel Chandler Harris dies of cirrhosis of the liver and acute nephritis at age 59. His collections of African American oral tradition popularized the tales, some of which were text for a newspaper strip – and some of which were later animated by Walt Disney in Song of the South.

110 years ago July 6, 1913 Red Shellcope’s Jimmie the Messenger Boy ends.

105 years ago July 2, 1918 Dutch artist and animator Wim Boost is born. He works as “Wibo” and is a staff cartoonist of De Volkskrant.

95 years ago July 5, 1928 Italian artist Paolo Del Vaglio is born. He creates the Pigy strip for Il Giornalino.

90 years ago July 1, 1933 Artist of erotic comics Dom Orejudos is born.

90 years ago July 1, 1933 Spanish artist María Pascual Alberich is born. She contributes to magazines from the publisher Toray.

90 years ago July 4, 1933 Belgian artist Charles Degotte, known for his work at Spirou, is born.

90 years ago July 5, 1933 Interviewer, convention organizer, and Steve Canyon letterer Shel Dorf is born.

85 years ago July 1, 1938 Donald Duck’s car is introduced in the newspaper strip by Bob Karp and Al Taliaferro.

80 years ago July 4, 1943 Little Iodine gets her own strip, a spinoff of Jimmy Hatlo’s They’ll Do It Every Time.

75 years ago July 1, 1948 Founded a year earlier, the Association of Comics Magazine Publishers publicly announces its formation and code of standards. Among the members whose comics carry the ACMP star are publishers Phil Keenan (Hillman), Lev Gleason (Lev Gleason), Bill Gaines (EC), Harold Moore (Famous Funnies), and Rae Herman (Orbit) and distributors Frank Armer and Irving Manheimer.

70 years ago July 6, 1953 Artist Joe Zabel is born. He is especially known for his work on Harvey Pekar’s American Splendor.

65 years ago June 30, 1958 Artist Shawn McManus is born. He is especially known for work in the Sandman, Tom Strong, and Fables universes.

65 years ago June 30, 1958 Artist Phil Lord is born.

65 years ago July 1, 1958 Artist Ray Lago is born.

65 years ago July 5, 1958 Award-winning Calvin and Hobbes writer-artist Bill Watterson is born.

60 years ago July 2, 1963 Publisher and writer Alicia Patterson dies at age 56 of complications following stomach surgery. The founder and editor of Newsday co-created Deathless Deer with Neysa McMein.

60 years ago July 4, 1963 Editor, letterer, and artist Dan Nakrosis is born.

55 years ago July 4, 1968 The first comics convention presented by Phil Seuling opens at the Statler Hilton in New York City. Called the International Convention of Comic Book Art, the event runs July 4-7. Guests of honor are Stan Lee and Burne Hogarth.

45 years ago July 4, 1978 Belgian cartoonist and illustrator Paul Cuvelier dies at age 54.

35 years ago July 1-3, 1988 The first annual Harvey Awards are presented at the Chicago Comicon.

35 years ago July 1-3, 1988 The first Dallas Fantasy Fair is held at the Sheraton Park Central.

15 years ago July 2, 2008 Political cartoonist, Az creator, and Comico co-founder Phil LaSorda dies at age 48.

5 years ago July 3, 2018 Manga artist Takahiro Satō dies of acute coronary syndrome at age 41. He created the Bachi Bachi series.

5 years ago July 5, 2018 Spanish artist and art director José Ramon Ferré Elies (who worked as “Pepe Ferré”) dies at age 69.

And here are the anniversaries spanning the month of July…

85 years ago July 1938 Detective Comics #17 introduces Sax Rohmer’s character Fu Manchu to comic books. (Note: the cover of #1 featured a villainous appearing Asian character, but he wasn’t Rohmer’s character.) The credits specify creator Rohmer and Leo O’Mealia.

85 years ago July 1938 Centaur’s Little Giant Comics #1 has been called the first small sized comic book; it contains 128 black and white pages for a dime, and several of those pages feature reprints of earlier material.

80 years ago July 1943 Neighbor Jones is introduced in an uncredited Carl Barks Donald Duck story in Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories #34.

80 years ago July 1943 “Visit the ‘Crime Clinic’ with Batman & Robin.” DC’s Detective Comics #77 introduces The Crime Doctor by Bill Finger, Bob Kane (according to the credits), and George Roussos.

75 years ago July 1948 The American Journal of Psychotherapy Vol. 2 #3 publishes Fredric Wertham’s “The Psychopathology of Comic Books.”

70 years ago July 1953 Marvel’s Lorna the Jungle Queen #1 introduces Lorna, “one valiant girl, alone and unafraid.” “The Coming of Lorna” is by Don Rico and Werner Roth. (In less than a year, she’ll be downgraded to Lorna the Jungle Girl. Just saying. She does get to keep her series numbering.)

65 years ago July 1958 Brainiac and his pet space monkey, Koko, make their first appearance in Action Comics #242. “The Super-Duel in Space” by Otto Binder and Al Plastino also adds the Bottle City of Kandor to the Superman mythos. Supes calls it “the greatest challenge of my life.”

65 years ago July 1958 “Amazing interplanetary adventures of a bold new hero of the future!” Space Ranger begins his interplanetary adventures in DC’s Showcase #15, when he is challenged to solve “The Great Plutonium Plot.” The story is by Gardner Fox, Edmond Hamilton, and Bob Brown.

60 years ago July 1963 Marvel’s Gunsmoke Western #77 is the last issue. “It hadda happen sometime, didn’t it?” (The cover advises readers, “Marvel Comics Group ushers in the Marvel Age of Comics!”)

60 years ago July 1963 “America’s most exciting superhero captured by the world’s most dreaded supervillain!” Doctor Octopus first appears in Marvel’s The Amazing Spider-Man #3 and accidentally calls Spider-Man “Superman” in a story by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.

60 years ago July 1963 The Human Torch and his foes are all over the cover of Marvel’s Strange Tales #110. But the issue introduces the world of Doctor Strange in “Dr. Strange Master of Black Magic!” by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee. Although it’s the first appearances of Doctor Strange, The Ancient One, Wong, and Nightmare, the story hints that Strange has been around for a while, since his “name is spoken in whispers.”

60 years ago July 1963 Dr. Bruce Gordon accidentally creates Eclipso in DC’s House of Secrets #61. The title of the story by Bob Haney and Lee Elias, “Eclipso, the Genius Who Fought Himself,” gives a hint regarding the villain’s true identity. As does the cover text: “Fantastic Eclipso … hero and villain in one man!”

55 years ago July 1968 Trashman by Spain Rodriguez begins in the East Village Other newspaper.

55 years ago July 1968 “Nobody Laughs at The Jester!” in Marvel’s Daredevil #42. The story (by Stan Lee, Gene Colan, Dan Adkins, and [for one panel] Jim Steranko) features the first appearance of the revenge seeking foe.

55 years ago July 1968 Marvel’s The Avengers #54 introduces The New Masters of Evil in “…And Deliver Us from – The Masters of Evil!” by Roy Thomas, John Buscema, and George Tuska. Oh, and it’s the first appearance of Ultron.

55 years ago July 1968 DC’s House of Mystery #175 introduces the host Cain in a feature written and drawn by Editor Joe Orlando. (Any resemblance between Cain and a guy named Len Wein … Well, you know.)

55 years ago July 1968 Uh oh! In Marvel’s Thor #154, Ulik frees Mangog, who’s introduced in the issue – as are Toag, Muggers, Inc., and The Legion of the Lost. The story is by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Herb Trimpe, and Vince Colletta.

50 years ago July 1973 In DC’s World’s Finest Comics #218, Metamorpho is added as the backup feature after a brief run in Action Comics.

50 years ago July 1973 DC’s “Origin issue”: Adventure Comics #428 introduces Black Orchid in a story by Sheldon Mayer and Tony DeZuniga.

50 years ago July 1973 “Maybe you’re hot stuff back in Transylvania, but nobody messes around with – Blade – the vampire slayer!” Marvel’s Tomb of Dracula #10 introduces Blade in “His Name Is … Blade!” by Marv Wolfman, Gene Colan, and Jack Abel.

45 years ago July 1978 “Presenting – a brand-new series – teaming Superman with DC’s most sensational superstars!” (In this case, it’s Flash.) DC Comics Presents begins.

45 years ago July 1978 DC’s Karate Kid ends with #15 (though the story continues in Kamandi #58).

40 years ago July 1983 In “Lifelines” by John Byrne, Ron Wilson, and Joe Sinnott, Marvel’s The Thing #1 features The Thing’s return to Yancy Street.

40 years ago July 1983 DC’s Rōnin #1 is written and drawn by Frank Miller.

40 years ago July 1983 DC’s The Brave and the Bold #200 is the last issue. (And, OK, let’s say it’s the last issue for a while.) The direct market cover carries the notation: “The new DC. There’s no stopping us now.” But yeah. It does include a cover plug for the 14-page “Special sneak preview!” inside that introduces Batman and the Outsiders (which will replace The Brave and the Bold next month).

40 years ago July 1983 “Is he friend – or the All-Stars’ deadliest foe?” A lab accident in All-Star Squadron #23 transforms Will Everett into DC’s first Amazing Man (not to be confused with ’Mazing Man, who’ll be introduced in less than three years) in “When Fate Thy Measure Takes …!” by Roy Thomas, Jerry Ordway, and Mike Machlan. (And there’s an origin story by Thomas with Rick Hoberg and Machlan embedded in “When Fate” etc.)

40 years ago July 1983 Gotham City detective Harvey Bullock first appears in Batman #361 in “The Most Successful Species!” by Doug Moench, Don Newton, and Pablo Marcos.

35 years ago July 1988 DC’s Tales of the Teen Titans #91 is the last issue of the reprint series (this time, reprinting The New Teen Titans #31, May 1987). Editor Mark Waid announces the cancellation in the issue, and The New Teen Titans does continue.

30 years ago July 1993 Archie begins the ongoing Sonic the Hedgehog series with stories by Michael Gallagher, Dave Manak, and Bill White.

30 years ago July 1993 The comics focused Hero Illustrated magazine begins from Warrior Publications. (It will win the 1995 Eisner Award for Best Comics-Related Publication.)

25 years ago July 1998 DC’s Green Lantern #100 celebrates the numbering with variant covers. “In Brightest Days Past” is by Ron Marz, Darryl Banks, and Terry Austin, and there’s more than one Green Lantern.

20 years ago July 2003 The Goon #1 by Eric Powell is released by Dark Horse. It will be an Eisner Award Winner for Best Single Issue or One-Shot.

15 years ago July 2008 Hellboy: The Crooked Man by Mike Mignola and Richard Corben begins from Dark Horse. It will win an Eisner Award for Best Limited Series.

15 years ago July 2008 DC/Vertigo’s House of Mystery starts again. “The First Drink Is on the House” is by Lilah Sturges and Luca Rossi.

15 years ago July 2008 Marvel’s Invincible Iron Man begins with the first installment of “The Five Nightmares.” It’s by Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca.

10 years ago July 2013 The Wake by Scott Snyder and Sean Murphy begins from Vertigo/DC. It will win the Eisner Award for Best Limited Series.

10 years ago July 2013 With a bunch of variant covers, Marvel’s Kick-Ass 3 begins. It’s by Mark Millar, John Romita Jr., and Tom Palmer and introduces The Juicer.

10 years ago July 2013 Following a couple of special issues, Dark Horse begins a new series for Captain Midnight (a character that originated on radio in 1938). “On the Run” is by Joshua Williamson and Fernando Dagnino.

10 years ago July 2013 Satellite Sam by Matt Fraction and Howard Chaykin begins from Image.

10 years ago July 2013 How many times has Marvel published X-Men #1? Here’s another one, this time by Brian Wood, Olivier Coipel, and Mark Morales.

5 years ago July 2018 Hah! You say you want variant covers? Marvel provides variant covers. Amazing Spider-Man #800 features “80 pages! One story! No holds barred!” The conclusion of “Go Down Swinging” is by Dan Slott, Nick Bradshaw, Humberto Ramos, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Stuart Immonen, Marcos Martin, Victor Olazaba, Cam Smith, and Wade von Grawbadger.

5 years ago July 2018 Marvel’s Avengers #1 features “The Final Host” by Jason Aaron, Ed McGuinness, and Mark Morales. (Well, actually, it’s Avengers #691, but I think we need more variant covers.)

5 years ago July 2018 Marvel’s Black Panther #1 isn’t really the first issue of the series, but I think we know how this works by now, right? “The Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda Book 1” is by Ta-Nehisi Coates and Daniel Acuña.

5 years ago July 2018 Die!Die!Die! begins from Image by Robert Kirkman, Scott M. Gimple, and Chris Burnham.

5 years ago July 2018 Invincible Iron Man #600 wraps up the series with “The Search for Tony Stark Finale” by Brian Michael Bendis, Stefano Caselli, Alex Maleev, David Marquez, Daniel Acuña, Leinil Francis Yu, Jim Cheung, Mark Bagley, Andrew Sorrentino, and Mike Deodato.

5 years ago July 2018 Marvel’s Venom #1 is actually Venom #166, but we do understand, right? Variant covers rule! The story is by Donny Cates, Ryan Stegman, and J.P. Mayer.