Here’s the latest installment of Maggie Thompson’s ongoing look at important beginnings, middles, and ends, this time for June 26 through July 2, 2026…

135 years ago June 28, 1891 Artist William Campbell (who works as “Billy Cam”) is born.

120 years ago June 26, 1906 French writer-artist Victor Géruzez (who worked as “Crafty”) dies at age 66.

115 years ago June 30, 1911 British Amalgamated Press artist Terence Wakefield is born.

115 years ago July 2, 1911 Alice Nielsen Cobb is born. The Western editor helps develop Walt Disney’s Comics & Stories.

105 years ago June 26, 1921 Writer-artist Warren Kremer is born. While he is best known for creation of such Harvey characters as Richie Rich, Hot Stuff, and Stumbo, he also works on such characters as Casper and Little Audrey, as well as on Marvel’s Star Comics line.

105 years ago July 1, 1921 Boots and Her Buddies by Edgar (“Abe”) Martin begins.

100 years ago June 27, 1926 Bulgarian writer-artist, editor, producer, animator, and professor Donyo Donev is born.

100 years ago June 28, 1926 New Yorker cartoonist George Booth is born.

100 years ago July 2, 1926 Dutch artist Gerard Wiegel is born. He is especially known for his Professor Cumulus newspaper comics feature.

100 years ago July 2, 1926 Artist Mel Keefer is born. He draws Charlton war comics, Dell Western comics, and several newspaper strips including Mac Divot and Stan Lynde’s Rick O’Shay.

95 years ago June 26, 1931 In Thimble Theatre, E.C. Segar identifies spinach as the source of Popeye’s power.

95 years ago June 26, 1931 Belgian writer-artist Gill Van Dessel (who works as “Mister Kit”) is born.

85 years ago June 27, 1941 Walt Disney Productions’ The Reluctant Dragon opens. The release combines live-action and animated sequences, provides a tour of the new Disney studios, and demonstrates animation production.

80 years ago June 28, 1946 Science fiction and fantasy writer Robert Asprin is born. His work includes the MythAdventures series.

75 years ago June 28, 1951 Artist and letterer Tom Floyd is born.

75 years ago June 29, 1951 Keno Don Rosa is born. The writer-artist is best known for stories based on the world of Carl Barks’ Disney ducks.

75 years ago June 30, 1951 The Dutch comic book Tom Poes Weekblad ends.

75 years ago July 2, 1951 Artist Sam Cobean dies in a car crash at age 37. He was especially known for his thought balloon magazine cartoons.

70 years ago June 27, 1956 French science fiction and fantasy artist and animator Philippe Adamov is born.

65 years ago June 27, 1961 Jackson “Butch” Guice is born. The artist on a variety of DC and Marvel series co-creates (with Andy Lanning and Dan Abnett) Resurrection Man and is on the creative team (others being Mark Waid and Mike Perkins) introducing Ruse.

65 years ago June 27, 1961 Writer-artist Bernie Mireault is born. He creates Mackenzie Queen, The Jam, and Dr. Robot.

65 years ago June 28, 1961 Artist Craig Brasfield is born.

65 years ago June 30, 1961 Writer-editor Christopher Priest is born as James Christopher Owsley. (He changes his name legally in the 1990s.) He works at Marvel and DC, co-creates the series Quantum and Woody, Xero, and The Crew, and joins other creators in the launch of Milestone Media.

65 years ago June 30, 1961 French artist Félix Jobbé-Duval dies at age 82.

65 years ago July 1, 1961 Colorist Julianna Ferriter is born.

60 years ago June 27, 1966 Dark Shadows begins, created by Dan Curtis for ABC-TV. Dynamite, Gold Key, Hermes, and Innovation are eventually licensed to feature its characters.

60 years ago June 27, 1966 Writer, artist, and editor Andrew T. Walls is born.

60 years ago June 30, 1966 Steve Firchow is born. The colorist is featured in the DVD How to Color Comics the (Extra Cool) Firchow Way.

55 years ago June 26, 1971 The last episode of Marten Toonder’s Koning Hollewijn is published.

55 years ago July 2, 1971 Artist Art Helfant dies at age 72. He was especially known for Golden Age filler gag strips in comics.

50 years ago June 27, 1976 French artist Albert Dubout dies at age 71.

45 years ago June 26, 1981 Opus is introduced in Berkeley Breathed’s Bloom County comic strip.

40 years ago July 2, 1986 Walt Disney’s The Great Mouse Detective opens, based on Eve Titus’ Basil of Baker Street. It is successful enough to keep the studio interested in making new animated features (and it’s the first Disney film to use computer animation extensively).

30 years ago June 28, 1996 Charles Schulz receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

30 years ago July 2, 1996 Batman Adventures and Justice Society of America artist Mike Parobeck dies from diabetes at age 30.

25 years ago June 26, 2001 Political cartoonist and Hans Christian Andersen medal-winning Finnish writer-artist Tove Jansson dies of lung cancer at age 86. She created the Moomins initially as characters in children’s books and then adapted their adventures into comic strip format.

20 years ago June 28, 2006 Superman Returns opens in US theaters, directed and produced by Bryan Singer and starring Brandon Routh as Clark Kent and (yes) Superman.

20 years ago June 30, 2006 German writer-artist Robert Gernhardt dies at age 68. He co-founded the satirical magazine Titanic.

20 years ago June 30 2006 Virginia Quinlan Smith dies at age 86. She co-created (with George J. Smith) the comic strip The Smith Family.

15 years ago June 27, 2011 Belgian writer-editor Thierry Martens dies at age 69. He edited Spirou.

10 years ago June 26, 2016 Spanish artist Angel Nadal Quirch dies at age 85. He drew for British publisher Fleetway and for a variety of other comics including some with Disney characters.

And here are the anniversaries spanning the month of July…

145 years ago July 1881 Arthur Burdett Frost’s Our Cat Eats Rat Poison is published.

100 years ago July 1926 Hergé publishes his first comic strip, The Adventures of Totor, in Le Boy Scout Belge.

85 years ago July 1941 Lev Gleason’s Daredevil Battles Hitler #1 is cover-dated almost five months before America enters World War II. (Daredevil is also cover-featured on the month’s Silver Streak Comics #12.) The Silver Streak, Lance Hale, Cloud Curtis, Dickey Dean, and Pirate Prince team with Daredevil against the Nazi leader. (The title changes to Daredevil Comics with #2.) A seeming photograph of an alarmed Hitler appears alongside the attacking comics characters, and The Yellow Claw peers over the text: “The most Terrifying Battle ever waged – Hitler stacked the cards against humanity – But – Daredevil deals the Ace of Death to the Mad Merchant of Hate! –” The episodic story is by Charles Biro, Jack Cole, Harry Anderson, and Bob Davis.

85 years ago July 1941 Centaur’s Stars and Stripes Comics #3 introduces Black Panther, drawn by Paul Gustavson. [Note: This is the character’s only appearance, so don’t get confused.]

85 years ago July 1941 Radio’s Captain Midnight has his first comic book adventure in Dell’s The Funnies #57, “Introducing the Famous Radio Feature Captain Midnight.” (Eventually, Fawcett picks up the rights.) He shares the cover with Phantasmo (“The Master of the World”).

85 years ago July 1941 The Irv Novick cover of Archie’s Pep Comics #17 is all happily about The Shield introducing The Hangman. “Here he is fellows!” And his sidekick, Dusty, is a happy camper, too. “Boy, is he a great guy! Look for him inside!!” What they don’t say is that The Hangman is here to avenge the death of his brother, The Comet (created by Jack Cole), the first comics superhero to die. The interior art is by George Storm.

80 years ago July 1946 “The Funniest Animals of All Appear in” EC’s Animal Fables #1. Cover featured are Freddy Firefly, Hector the Inspector, and Willie Weasel. Yeah, but Freddy becomes a superhero when he says, “Take Fire!” So: of interest to obsessives.

75 years ago July 1951 “OK, Marines! We’ll have to clear that hill before we can get out of here! Let’s go!” Each story in EC’s Frontline Combat #1 is written by Editor Harvey Kurtzman, some are drawn by him, and his cover features a battle involving forces surrounded at the Changjin Reservoir in Korea. Realistic stories focus on a variety of military actions.

75 years ago July 1951 Who are Pinhead and Foodini? Well, those “famous television characters” are “in a magazine all their own.” Pinhead and Foodini #1 kicks off the second series featuring the characters of the CBS kids’ show that ran from 1948 to 1951 – and of which you’ve probably never heard. This series is from Fawcett.

70 years ago July 1956 DC’s Detective Comics #233 features the origin and first appearance of Batwoman (also known as Kathy Kane) in a story scripted by Edmond Hamilton and drawn by Sheldon Moldoff and Stan Kaye. “Hurry, Batman – The Bat-Woman is beating us on this mission!” And her motorcycle seems to be faster than the Batmobile, to boot! Yikes!

70 years ago July 1956 The first issue of Marvel’s Melvin the Monster is clearly inspired by Dennis the Menace. Stories are by Stan Lee and Joe Maneely.

70 years ago July 1956 The first issue of Marvel’s Sherry the Showgirl introduces the character written by Stan Lee and drawn by Dan DeCarlo. Sherry’s full name is Sherry Storm, and, though her series was short-lived, historian Don Markstein suggested that she might be related to Sue and Johnny Storm. Think about it.

65 years ago July 1961 Adventure Comics #286 introduces Bizarro Mxyzptlk in “Bizarro, Private Detective” by Jerry Siegel and John Forte.

65 years ago July 1961 She doesn’t have her Fly Girl costume yet, but Archie’s Adventures of The Fly #13 introduces actress Kim Brand. “The Lady and the Monster” is by Robert Bernstein and John Rosenberger.

65 years ago July 1961 DC’s Green Lantern #7 introduces Sinestro. “The Day 100,000 People Vanished!” is by John Broome, Gil Kane, and Joe Giella. Watch out, Hal Jordan. You haven’t seen the last of this guy.

60 years ago July 1966 DC’s Adventure Comics #346 features the first comic book story by Jim Shooter. He introduces Legion members Ferro Lad, Karate Kid, Nemesis Kid, and Princess Projectra in “One of Us Is a Traitor!” Written and laid out by Shooter, it’s drawn by Sheldon Moldoff and is the first book-length Legion adventure.

60 years ago July 1966 In Marvel’s The Amazing Spider-Man #38, not only is Mary Jane Watson introduced (though she’s not shown), but “Just a Guy Named Joe!” is also the last Spider-Man story by the team of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. Not so by the way, in Strange Tales #146, the Dr. Strange story “The End – at Last!” (scripted by Denny O’Neil) is the last Steve Ditko Dr. Strange story.

60 years ago July 1966 “There Shall Come a Gladiator!” Marvel’s Daredevil #18 introduces (you guessed it) Gladiator. The story is by Stan Lee, Denny O’Neil, John Romita, and Frank Giacoia. Does the costume make the character? Could be…

60 years ago July 1966 A quarter of a century after Centaur’s Stars and Stripes Comics #3 (in which Paul Gustavson’s story was titled “The Black Panther,” the cover of Marvel’s Fantastic Four #52 announces, “Introducing the sensational Black Panther!” T’Challa appears in “The Black Panther!” by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Joe Sinnott.

60 years ago July 1966 It’s a Silver Age tryout for Plastic Man in DC’s House of Mystery #160. “Dial H for Hero” star Robby Reed takes on the guise in “The Wizard of Light” by Dave Wood and Jim Mooney.

60 years ago July 1966 DC’s Strange Adventures #190 cover-features “A-Man – the hero with animal powers!” And, hey, Animal Man gets a costume. (He was introduced in #180, but now: yeah, costume.) The story is by Dave Wood, Carmine Infantino, and George Roussos.

60 years ago July 1966 It isn’t even cover-featured, when Marvel’s Tales of Suspense #79 introduces The Cosmic Cube. And, heck, Captain America discovers that The Red Skull is alive, after all! The shorter story in the issue, “The Red Skull Lives!” has all that. It’s by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Frank Giacoia.

55 years ago July 1971 “No, Hulk… Don’t hurt him… Please – !” What’s the response of “him” on the cover of Marvel’s The Incredible Hulk #141? “Foolish female!! The victory shall belong to – Doc Samson!” Yep, it’s his first appearance. “His Name Is… Samson!” is by Roy Thomas, Herb Trimpe, and John Severin.

50 years ago 1976 July 1976 Marvel’s Astonishing Tales #36 is that series’ last issue. But it’s OK. The Deathlok story continues in Marvel Spotlight less than a year later.

50 years ago July 1976 Ooo! The cover of DC’s Batman Family #6 says it: “Robin Falls for ‘The Joker’s Daughter!’” Woot! Later identified as Duela Dent, she’s in a story by Bob Rozakis, Irv Novick, and Frank McLaughlin.

45 years ago July 1981 “Superman meets The Vixen! Is she heroine or villainess?” Good question. Superman seems a bit bored by it all. “A new costumed woman joining the fight!” What, another one? Yeah, yeah. Old hat, right? DC’s Action Comics #521 features “The Deadly Rampage of the Lady Fox” by Gerry Conway, Curt Swan, and Frank Chiaramonte.

45 years ago July 1981 Marvel’s Fantastic Four #232 begins John Byrne’s run on the series with “Back to the Basics!” – written and drawn by Byrne.

45 years ago July 1981 DC’s Madame Xanadu begins as a non-returnable, direct sale outlets-only series with no Code seal. The story is by Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers.

40 years ago July 1986 Eclipse resumes the continuity of the Hillman character of Airboy in a new series. Airboy #1 features “On Wings of Death” by Chuck Dixon, Timothy Truman, and Tom Yeates.

40 years ago July 1986 Dark Horse becomes a comic book publishing company with the first issue of Dark Horse Presents. Its cover features Black Cross by Chris Warner, but it’s also notable for “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” by Paul Chadwick, which introduces Concrete.

40 years ago July 1986 The cover of Marvel’s Star Wars #107 says, “Last Issue!” And, indeed, it’s the last issue from Marvel, which kicked off the series with its first issue dated July 1977. “All Together Now” is by Jo Duffy, Cynthia Martin, and Whilce Portacio.

40 years ago July 1986 V #18 is the last issue of DC’s continuation of the TV series one year after the TV show ended. “End Game!” is by Paul Kupperberg, Denys Cowan, and Dick Giordano.

35 years ago July 1991 The first issue of Bone begins the award-winning series from Cartoon Books. Fone Bone, Smiley Bone, Phoney Bone, Red Dragon, Rat Creatures, Ted the Bug, and Ted’s Older Brother are introduced in Jeff Smith’s first episode.

35 years ago July 1991 “The Impact Era begins here!” DC releases The Comet #1 in a kickoff of its Impact Comics line, aimed at younger readers. “First Flight” is by Tom Lyle and Mark Waid and features The Comet, licensed from Archie.

35 years ago July 1991 “Video game stars in their comics debut!” “Enter The Double Dragon” in Marvel’s Double Dragon #1 is by Dwayne McDuffie, Tom Raney, and Brad Vancata. The 1987 “beat ’em up” game is distributed by Taito.

35 years ago July 1991 “The End Begins Here!” The first issue of Marvel’s The Infinity Gauntlet is a cosmic crossover. “God” is by Jim Starlin, George Pérez, Joe Rubinstein, and Tom Christopher. Eek! Thanos has the Gauntlet, and that is Not Good.

35 years ago July 1991 Little Archie Digest Magazine #1 is the “No. 1 Collectors’ Edition!”

35 years ago July 1991 X-Men #1 (dated October 1991) by Jim Lee, Chris Claremont, and Scott Williams beats the paid-circulation record set by X-Force #1 the month before. Marvel will release the issue in five editions with variant covers, and estimated paid circulation is approximately 7,500,000. (Note to investors: That reduces its chances of becoming a rare collectible.)

35 years ago July 1991 Marvel Entertainment Group goes public; the cost of shares is $16.50.

30 years ago July 1996 Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc., buys Capital City, making Diamond the major distributor for comic books to direct market comics shops.

25 years ago July 2001 The first issue of WildStorm’s Out There features teens who can see demons. The story is by Brian Augustyn, Humberto Ramos, and Sandra Hope.

25 years ago July 2001 “Now, It Begins!” The first issue of Marvel’s X-Treme X-Men features Storm, Rogue, Bishop, Beast, Psylocke, and Thunderbird in a story by Chris Claremont and Salvador Larroca.

25 years ago July 2001 Marvel’s New X-Men relaunch with #114 provides the first installment of “E Is for Extinction,” involving new creators, new characters, new costumes, a new log, and a new direction.

20 years ago July 2006 DC’s 52 begins. The cover of the first issue proclaims “Week One” and “It starts here!” There are four issues this month, setting the stage for what is to come. Each installment is written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, and Mark Waid with pencils by Keith Giffen and Joe Bennett. “Golden Lads & Lasses Must…” is inked by Ruy Jose. “Looking back at Tomorrow” is inked by Jack Jadson. “New World Order” is inked by Jose. “Dances with Monsters” is inked by Jadson. Stuff happens.

20 years ago July 2006 Marvel’s line-wide crossover involving superhero registration is the focus of its limited Civil War series. “Civil War Part One of Seven” is by Mark Millar, Steve McNiven, and Dexter Vines.

15 years ago July 2011 DC’s Batman: Arkham City #1 is “the prequel to the highly anticipated video game!” “Ruins” is by Paul Dini and Carlos D’anda.

10 years ago July 2016 Black Hammer by Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston begins from Dark Horse. It will win the Eisner Award for Best New Series.

5 years ago July 2021 DC’s Batman #108 has 32 variants for “The Cowardly Lot” by James Tynion IV, Jorge Jimenez, and Ricardo Lopez Ortiz. In this third of six parts, it introduces Miracle Molly.

5 years ago July 2021 Well, it should be noted that Image’s Haha #6 has 41 variants, as it wraps up the series by W. Maxwell Prince, Martin Morzzo, and Chris O’Halloran.

5 years ago July 2021 Oh, so? Image’s Department of Truth #11 by James Tynion IV and Martin Sinnods has 53 variants.