Here’s the latest installment of Maggie Thompson’s ongoing look at important beginnings, middles, and ends, this time for May 16-22, 2025…

225 years ago May 21, 1800 Swedish caricaturist and autobiographical comics pioneer Carl August Ehrensvärd dies at age 55.

150 years ago May 22, 1875 Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro introduces Zé Povinho, the first Portuguese comics character.

135 years ago May 17, 1890 The first issue of the British comic book Comic Cuts is published.

130 years ago May 21, 1895 Animator, voice actor, writer, and director Ben Hardaway is born. He’s sometimes known as Bugs Hardaway and he co-directs “Porky’s Hare Hunt,” which introduces the rabbit initially referred to in the studio as “Bugs’ Bunny.”

125 years ago May 17, 1900 Pioneering German artist Eduard Ille dies on his 77th birthday.

120 years ago May 16, 1905 Award-winning cartoonist George Lichty is born. He creates Grin and Bear It.

115 years ago May 22, 1910 Dutch artist Pieter Kuhn is born. He’s known for creating the nautical (and science fiction and time travel) series De Avonturen van Kapitein Rob.

110 years ago May 21 1915 Cartoonist Don Trachte is born. He assists Carl Anderson on Henry and works on the Sunday strip following Anderson’s death.

110 years ago May 22, 1915 Animator and Sad Sack creator George Baker is born.

110 years ago May 22, 1915 Tintin magazine founder Raymond Leblanc is born.

110 years ago May 22, 1915 Swedish animator and artist Torsten Bjarre is born.

105 years ago May 21, 1920 Artist and teacher Lee Elias is born. With a career beginning in the Golden Age, he is especially known for his work on Black Cat and the comic strip Beyond Mars. He co-creates Eclipso with Bob Haney.

100 years ago May 16, 1925 German artist Hannes Hegen is born. He’s known for characters Dig, Dag, and Digedag.

100 years ago May 20, 1925 German animator and artist Horst Alisch is born.

90 years ago May 17, 1935 Belgian artist and teacher Willem Dolphyn is born.

90 years ago May 20, 1935 Italian writer-artist Tiberio Colantuoni is born. He creates Bongo (not the Disney character).

85 years ago May 17, 1940 Fawcett’s Nickel Comics #1 introduces Bulletman and Bulletgirl in a story by Bill Parker and Jon Smalle. Other characters featured in the issue don’t hang around the Fawcett Universe as long.

80 years ago May 17, 1945 The Flemish newspaper De Zondagsvriend begins the children’s supplement De Kleine.

80 years ago May 22, 1945 Artist Carlos Garzón is born. He’s known for work on science fiction and fantasy comics.

75 years ago May 18, 1950 Hungarian artist and political cartoonist Jenö Jeney dies of a coronary artery spasm at age 75. He pioneered the use of speech ballons in Hungarian comics and was president of the Association of Hungarian Journalists.

75 years ago May 18, 1950 Sen. Estes Kefauver announces formation of a Special Senate Committee to Investigate Organized Crime in Interstate Commerce that will explore possible violations of postal laws by comic book publishers.

70 years ago May 19, 1955 Crimson Dreams writer-artist Frank Albanese is born.

65 years ago May 16, 1960 Writer-artist Chester Brown is born. Initially drawing fan attention with his Yummy Fur comics, he becomes known for his autobiographical comics and his biography of Louis Riel.

65 years ago May 16, 1960 Letterer Chuck Maly is born.

65 years ago May 18, 1960 Artist and animator James W. Fry is born. He co-creates The Liberty Project (with Kurt Busiek and Doug Hazlewood) and Slapstick (with Len Kaminski and Terry Austin).

60 years ago May 20, 1965 Artist Al Bigley is born.

55 years ago May 16, 1970 Bongo Comics and Archie writer James W. Bates is born.

55 years ago May 19, 1970 Cartoonist Martin Branner dies at age 81. He created Winnie Winkle.

55 years ago May 21, 1970 Australian artist Robert Bruce Clark dies at age 59 or 60. He created the Boofhead strip.

45 years ago May 20, 1980 Artist Mike Rote is born.

40 years ago May 20, 1985 Dutch artist Nettie van Wijland dies at age 73.

40 years ago May 22, 1985 Animator and director Wolfgang Reitherman dies in a car accident at age 75. Hired at Walt Disney Productions in 1933, he was one of Disney’s “Nine Old Men” and was named a Disney Legend.

35 years ago May 16, 1990 Influential Muppets creator Jim Henson dies of a strep infection at age 58.

30 years ago May 18, 1995 Dutch illustrator and pioneering radio creator Bob Uschi dies the day after his 84th birthday.

30 years ago May 22, 1995 Cartoonist Jeff Keate dies at age 83.

25 years ago May 18, 2000 British writer-artist, collector, convention organizer, and pop culture historian Denis Gifford dies at age 72.

15 years ago May 16, 2010 Artist Philippe Bertrand, creator of Linda Aime l’Art for Pilote as well as a variety of adult comics, dies at age 61.

15 years ago May 21, 2010 Animator, cartoonist, teacher, comic strip, and Golden and Silver Age comic book artist and writer Howard Post dies of Alzheimer’s complications at age 83. He created Anthro for DC and The Dropouts comic strip for United Features and also worked for Harvey on Spooky and Hot Stuff.

10 years ago May 17, 2015 French animator and artist Robert Bressy dies at age 90.

5 years ago May 18, 2020 British artist Jennifer Kisler dies at age 84. She was among the artists who continued Rupert Bear.

5 years ago May 19, 2020 Publicist Charles M. Lippincott dies at age 80. He handled promotion in the early days of the Star Wars franchise.

5 years ago May 21, 2020 Spanish writer-artist Lluís Juste De Nin dies at age 74.