Here’s the latest installment of Maggie Thompson’s ongoing look at important beginnings, middles, and ends, this time for August 8-14, 2025…

170 years ago August 11, 1855 Artist Charles Jay Taylor, known for his book Taylor Girls, is born.

155 years ago August 8, 1870 Punch contributor British artist Lewis Baumer is born.

145 years ago August 11, 1880 Norwegian artist and comics pioneer Jens R. Nilssen is born. He co-creates the Smørbukk character with Andreas Haavoll.

135 years ago August 12, 1890 George Debels is born. The Dutch animation pioneer uses a number of different names including “Joe Stan” and “Mac Djorski.”

135 years ago August 12, 1890 Artist Walter C. Hoban may have been born on this date (per a line in the June 21, 1919, issue of The Fourth Estate). He’s known for Jerry on the Job.

125 years ago August 8, 1900 Artist and letterer Emil “Rome” Siemon is born. A house letterer for Western Publishing Company’s West Coast edited comic books, he draws Collection Day Chuckles and Little Moonfolks.

125 years ago August 10, 1900 Robert Dansler is born. The prolific French writer-artist is one of the primary artists for the Artima publishing company.

120 years ago August 13, 1905 Gene Carr’s The Bad Dream That Made Bill a Better Boy begins.

110 years ago August 10, 1915 German writer-artist Horst Rosenthal is born.

110 years ago August 11, 1915 Writer-artist Morris Weiss is born. His career starts as a letterer in the Golden Age, and he creates Margie for Timely, is the final Mickey Finn cartoonist, works on other comic strips, and proposes what becomes the Milt Gross Fund to help National Cartoonists Society members in need.

105 years ago August 8, 1920 Award-winning Danish artist and teacher Palle Nielsen is born.

105 years ago August 8, 1920 Writer-artist Bob Gustafson is born. The Mort Walker staffer also contributes to Dell comic books.

95 years ago August 13, 1930 Edouard Aidans is born. The Belgian artist works as “Jok,” “Joke,” “Delcroix,” and “Hardan.”

90 years ago August 11, 1935 Le Petit Journal introduces the first episode of Hector Brault’s Casimir.

85 years ago August 11, 1940 Grandma Duck is introduced (in a portrait) in the Donald Duck comic strip by Bob Karp and Al Taliaferro.

75 years ago August 14, 1950 Far Side cartoonist Gary Larson is born.

70 years ago August 9, 1955 Writer-artist Steve Gallacci is born. The founder of Thoughts & Images creates and publishes Albedo Anthropomorphics.

70 years ago August 10, 1955 Writer-artist Eddie Campbell is born. He draws and publishes From Hell (written by Alan Moore) and creates Alec and Bacchus.

70 years ago August 10, 1955 Writer Clint McElroy is born.

65 years ago August 9, 1960 Hungarian writer-artist Tihamér Csemiczky dies at age 56.

65 years ago August 13, 1960 Artist Bret Blevins is born. He draws The Bozz Chronicles (written by David Michelinie) and works on New Mutants and TV storyboards.

65 years ago August 14, 1960 Artist Lawrence D. Hubbard is born. He also signs as “Raw Dawg” and works on the underground Real Deal.

60 years ago August 8, 1965 Writer Sheldon Inkol is born.

55 years ago August 13, 1970 Artist, animator, and writer Dan Gordon dies in a house fire at age 68. His freelance comic book career began in the Golden Age, signing his work “Dang.” He worked for Famous Studios and Hanna-Barbera Productions, including on storyboards for the first Flintstones episodes.

50 years ago August 13, 1975 Cartoonist Thornton Fisher dies at age 87.

50 years ago August 13, 1975 Golden Age writer-artist Ogden Whitney dies at age 56. He’s best known for the Silver Age creation of ACG’s Herbie Popnecker, and he also worked on Tower and Marvel comics.

50 years ago August 13, 1975 Snoopy’s brother Spike is introduced in Charles Schulz’ Peanuts.

45 years ago August 10, 1980 Belgian writer-artist Karel Verschuere dies of cancer at age 55. He worked in the Willy Vandersteen studio and created the Bessy comic strip.

35 years ago August 12, 1990 Cartoonist Bernard Kliban dies of a pulmonary embolism at age 55.

30 years ago August 9, 1995 Belgian artist Stef Vanstiphout dies at age 64.

25 years ago August 8, 2000 Animator and artist Glenn Schmitz dies at age 70. He worked for Disney, Hanna-Barbera, and Ruby-Spears and drew Disney comic books.

25 years ago August 9, 2000 Lewis Wilson dies at age 80. He was the first actor to play Batman on screen (in the 1943 Batman serial).

20 years ago August 10, 2005 Artist Mar Amongo dies at age 68. He contributed to DC comics during the 1970s and 1980s.

15 years ago August 13, 2010 The film of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is released, starring Michael Cera as Scott. It is based on Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novels for Oni Press.

10 years ago August 8, 2015 French writer-artist Philippe Escafre (who worked as “Coyote”) dies of cardiac arrest at age 52. He created “Bébert, Clochard et Philosophe” and the biker strip Mammouth et Piston.

10 years ago August 11, 2015 Writer-artist Randy Glasbergen dies of cardiac arrest at age 58. He produced The Better Half and created Glasbergen Cartoon Service.

5 years ago August 10, 2020 French artist Laurent Vicomte dies at age 64.

5 years ago August 11, 2020 Egyptian-French writer-artist Edmond Kirazian (who worked as “Kiraz”) dies two weeks before his 97th birthday.

5 years ago August 13, 2020 Brazilian artist Harald Stricker dies at age 47.

5 years ago August 14, 2020 Serbian writer Svetozar Obradović Toza dies at age 69.