Here’s the latest installment of Maggie Thompson’s ongoing look at important beginnings, middles, and ends, this time for July 3-9, 2026…

180 years ago July 7, 1846 Artist Livingston Hopkins is born. Lambiek says his “Professor Tigwissel’s Burglar Alarm,” published September 11, 1875, in New York’s Daily Graphic newspaper, was the first newspaper cartoon strip.

125 years ago July 5, 1901 Artist, screenwriter, and actor Jefferson Machamer is born. He’s known for his Gags and Gals feature.

110 years ago July 3, 1916 Writer-artist, animator, and teacher Al Stahl is born. He works on Terrytoons and Fleischer Studios cartoons, founds Stahl’s Animated Productions, Inc., and contributes to Golden Age comic books.

110 years ago July 6, 1916 Animator, cartoonist, illustrator, writer, and inventor Don Christensen (also known as “Don Arr”) is born.

110 years ago July 9, 1916 Golden Age artist Mort Leav is born. He co-creates Hillman’s The Heap and Skywolf.

105 years ago July 5, 1921 Bill Yates is born. He edits Dell’s cartoon magazines and paperback collections, creates the Professor Phumble comic strip, works on Little Iodine, Benjy, the small society, and Redeye, and in 1978 becomes comics editor of King Features Syndicate.

105 years ago July 9, 1921 Golden Age artist Tony DiPreta is born. His comic book work includes features for Quality, Hillman (Airboy), Lev Gleason (Little Wise Guys), and Atlas, and his strips include Joe Palooka and Rex Morgan, M.D.

100 years ago July 9, 1926 Golden and Silver Age artist Murphy Anderson is born. He works on PS magazine and such characters as Zatanna, Adam Strange, Atom, Superman, and The Flash. Murphy Anderson Visual Concepts also produces color separations and lettering.

95 years ago July 8, 1931 Floyd Gottfredson introduces Pluto to the Mickey Mouse comic strip.

90 years ago July 3, 1936 Newspaper illustrator and cartoonist Charles Reese dies at age 74. The AP obituary says, “Mr. Reese claimed to have been the first artist to have a picture reproduced as a double-truck, or two-page, illustration in a newspaper.”

80 years ago July 7, 1946 Priscilla’s Pop by Al Vermeer begins.

80 years ago July 8, 1946 Writer-editor Mort Castle is born.

75 years ago July 6, 1951 Writer and game designer Christy Marx is born. She creates Marvel’s Sisterhood of Steel and is the first woman to receive the WGA’s Animation Writers Caucus Animation Award.

75 years ago July 8, 1951 A Czech-German artist known for his work on children’s books and magazines, Walter Trier dies of a heart attack at age 61.

70 years ago July 6, 1956 Writer-artist-editor Stan Timmons is born. The bulk of his comics work appears in the 1980s from Archie, Malibu, and DC.

70 years ago July 9, 1956 Award-winning actor Tom Hanks is born. He plays Michael Sullivan in the comic book-based Road to Perdition and voices Woody in Pixar’s Toy Story franchise.

70 years ago July 9, 1956 Inker Joe Delbeato is born. His work includes G.I. Joe comics for Marvel and Atari Force comics for DC.

65 years ago July 4, 1961 Prolific writer-artist Chris Yambar is born. The Moordam Comics creator’s characters include Mr. Beat, and he works on a variety of other projects, including Simpsons associated comics.

55 years ago July 7, 1971 Animator, cartoonist, designer, and inventor Ub Iwerks dies of a myocardial infarction at age 70. He created Flip the Frog and co-created (with Walt Disney) Oswald Rabbit and Mickey Mouse.

55 years ago July 8, 1971 Evil Ernie and Metallic Bliss artist Brian LeBlanc is born.

50 years ago July 5, 1976 Artist Frank Bellamy dies of a heart attack at age 59. He was especially known for his work on the Garth comic strip.

40 years ago July 4-6, 1986 The first Dallas Fantasy Fair is held.

35 years ago July 4, 1991 Belgian artist, editor, and publisher Fernand Cheneval dies at age 63. He founded the weekly comics magazine Héroïc-Albums.

35 years ago July 4, 1991 Art Sansom dies of a liver ailment at age 70. He co-created the Chris Welkin – Planeteer strip and created The Born Loser strip.

35 years ago July 6, 1991 Dr. Nicholas Peter Dallis dies of lung cancer at age 79. The psychiatrist became a comic strip writer, creating Rex Morgan, M.D.; Judge Parker; and Apartment 3-G.

35 years ago July 9, 1991 Czech artist Petr Sadecký dies at age 48. He created Octobriana by adapting art by Bohumil Konečný and Zdeněk Burian.

25 years ago July 7, 2001 Italian artist Toni Pagot dies at age 79. He drew comics, animation, and advertising art and co-created Calimero and The Dynamite Brothers film with his brother, Nino.

20 years ago July 7, 2006 Brazilian writer-artist Eduardo Barbosa dies at age 91 or 92. He was deputy secretary and public relations officer of the ADAGER comics workers union.

15 years ago July 9, 2011 Dutch artist Gideon Brugman dies two days before his 69th birthday.

10 years ago July 3, 2016 Dutch artist Albert Winands dies at age 75. He worked as “Ab Survie” and created De Vleermuis.

10 years ago July 4, 2016 French writer-artist Didier Savard dies at age 65. He drew Leonid Beaudragon with writer Jean-Claude Forest.

10 years ago July 5, 2016 Belgian colorist Janine (“Nine”) Devroye Culliford dies at age 86. The wife of “Peyo” (Pierre Culliford) colored the Schtroumpfs [Smurfs] blue beginning with their first appearance.

10 years ago July 8, 2016 Award-winning British writer-artist Frank Dickens dies at age 84. The creator of the Bristow gag a day feature was co-founder of the British Cartoonists’ Association.

10 years ago July 9, 2016 Canadian artist and musician Geneviève Castrée dies of pancreatic cancer at age 35. She was especially known for her graphic novel Susceptible.

10 years ago July 9, 2016 German writer Lothar Dräger dies at age 89. He scripted material for Mosaik magazine.

5 years ago July 5, 2021 New Yorker cartoonist Daniel Shanahan dies of multiple system organ failure six days before his 65th birthday.

5 years ago July 5, 2021 Director (and comics writer) Richard Donner dies at age 91. He directed Superman (1978) and elements of Superman II (1980).