Here’s the latest installment of Maggie Thompson’s ongoing look at important beginnings, middles, and ends, this time for September 25-30, 2026…

145 years ago September 30, 1881 French artist Georges Léonnec is born.

130 years ago September 29, 1896 Danish artist Harry Nielsen is born.

120 years ago September 30, 1906 Italian artist Angelo Bioletto is born.

115 years ago September 26, 1911 The Belgian writer-artist who works as “Sirius,” Max Mayeu, is born.

115 years ago September 30, 1911 Polish artist Franciszek Kostrzewski dies at age 85. He makes one of the earliest Polish comics, Jedynaczek’s Story in 32 Pictures (1859).

110 years ago September 29, 1916 Carl Giles is born. The OBE-awarded Daily Express cartoonist is known for his single panel work featuring the “Giles family” in cartoons often tied to current events.

105 years ago September 25, 1921 Influential French artist Jacques Martin is born. He’s best known for “Alix” and “Lefranc.”

105 years ago September 26, 1921 Brazilian writer-artist Carlos Zéfiro is born.

105 years ago September 29, 1921 Writer James S. Burnett is born. He scripts Nubbin and Winston.

100 years ago September 29, 1926 Will Eisner Hall of Fame artist Russ Heath is born. He’s known for years of comic book art and for his work with Harvey Kurtzman on Little Annie Fanny.

100 years ago September 29, 1926 Spanish artist Rafael Miguel Catalá Lucas (who works as “Karpa”) is born.

95 years ago September 27, 1931 The first Sunday Tarzan comic strip is published.

80 years ago September 26, 1946 Writer-editor Louise Simonson is born. Born Mary Louise Alexander, she works for Warren and Marvel, writes Red Sonja, and creates Power Pack.

80 years ago September 26, 1946 Le Journal de Tintin begins. The issue introduces Blake and Mortimer by Edgar P. Jacobs and continues Hergé’s Adventures of Tintin (which was interrupted by World War II).

80 years ago September 30, 1946 Writer-editor Howard Zimmerman is born.

80 years ago September 30, 1946 Italian artist and one of the artistic directors of Bonelli Michele Pepe is born.

75 years ago September 25, 1951 Cartoonist Howard Bender is born.

75 years ago September 25, 1951 Mark Hamill is born. Maybe you’ve heard of him. He co-writes The Black Pearl (1996). OK, OK, there’s Star Wars, the voice artist work for The Joker – did I mention Comic Book: The Movie (2004)? Oh, go on. Look him up.

75 years ago September 27, 1951 Writer-artist-editor Jim Shooter is born. His first professional comics script is accepted when he is 14, and he is editor in chief at Marvel, Valiant Comics, Defiant Comics, and Broadway Comics.

75 years ago September 30, 1951 Colorist, dealer, and con organizer Ken Feduniewicz is born.

75 years ago September 30, 1951 Editor-publisher Deni Loubert is born.

70 years ago September 25, 1956 Fantagraphics vice president and co-publisher Kim Thompson is born. He edits and translates a wide variety of comics reprints.

70 years ago September 30, 1956 Dick Tracy gets a crewcut in Chester Gould’s strip, showing how up to date the police force is. (Maybe you had to be there, but …)

65 years ago September 25, 1961 Harry Mace’s Amy begins.

65 years ago September 26, 1961 Writer Tom Veitch is born. Beginning with work on underground comix, he co-creates (with Cam Kennedy) The Light and Darkness War, (with Bryan Talbot) The Nazz, (with Adam Kubert) Clash, and (with John Ridgway) My Name Is Chaos. He’s also known for his work on Star Wars comics.

60 years ago September 26, 1966 Gus Edson dies of heart failure at age 65. He took over The Gumps at the death of Sidney Smith and co-created Dondi with Irwin Hasen.

60 years ago September 30, 1966 Writer-editor Dan Danko is born.

55 years ago September 25, 1971 The British comics magazine TV Century 21 ends.

50 years ago September 25, 1976 The British comics magazine Roy of the Rovers begins.

50 years ago September 27, 1976 Mary Worth initiates the subject of teen pregnancy in comic strips, when Karen Cooper announces her intent to drop out of school to have a baby. The story is written by Allen Saunders and drawn by Ken Ernst.

45 years ago September 29, 1981 Danish comics writer Aage Grauballe dies at age 56.

40 years ago September 27, 1986 Warlord merges with Victor from D.C. Thomson with #627.

30 years ago September 26, 1996 Golden Age comic book artist Alex Kotzky dies of kidney disease at age 73. He ghosted several comic strips and was best known for his work on Apartment 3-G.

25 years ago September 26, 2001 Artist Fred Neher dies three days before his 98th birthday. He was especially known for the panel cartoon Life’s Like That.

25 years ago September 30, 2001 Cartoonist George Gately (actually George Gately Gallagher) dies of a heart attack at age 72. The creator of the Heathcliff newspaper strip was the brother of cartoonist John Gallagher.

25 years ago September 30, 2001 Prolific Danish animator and artist Bjørn Frank Jensen dies at age 81. His work included creation of the gag comic Nop.

15 years ago September 25, 2011 Dutch writer-artist Dick Briel dies at age 60.

15 years ago September 26, 2011 Italian writer and publisher Sergio Bonelli dies at age 78. He created Zagor and Mister No.

15 years ago September 29, 2011 Prolific Belgian artist Albert Weinberg dies at age 89. He was knighted in the Order of Leopold in 1991.

10 years ago September 25, 2016 Award-winning Spanish artist Fernando Puig Rosado dies at age 85.

10 years ago September 30, 2016 French artist Ted Benoît dies at age 69.