Here’s the latest installment of Maggie Thompson’s ongoing look at important beginnings, middles, and ends, this time for September 12-18, 2025…

145 years ago September 14, 1880 Animator and artist Earl Hurd is born. He holds the patent for the invention of cel animation and works for cartoon studios including Terrytoons and Disney.

130 years ago September 15, 1895 Canadian cartoonist, journalist, and lawyer Hector Berthelot dies at age 53. He founded Le Canard.

130 years ago September 16, 1895 Artist Gene Ahern is born. His characters include The Nut Brothers (Ches and Wal), and he creates Our Boarding House as well as Room and Board.

125 years ago September 16, 1900 Latest News from Bugville by Gus Dirks begins.

120 years ago September 13, 1905 Artist and teacher Jack McGuire is born. He co-creates Jane Arden with Monte Barrett and Slim and Tubby and The Red Knight with John Welch, and he ghosts Ella Cinders.

120 years ago September 17, 1905 Artist, historian, and editorial cartoonist John Churchill Chase is born.

115 years ago September 12, 1910 Dutch writer-artist and teacher Toon Rammelt is born.

105 years ago September 16, 1920 Art Sansom is born. He co-creates the Chris Welkin – Planeteer strip and creates the comic strip The Born Loser.

100 years ago September 13, 1925 Artist-writer Margaret G. Hays dies at age 51. She created Jennie and Jack and collaborated with her sister, Grace Drayton, on projects including The Turr’ble Tales of Kaptin Kiddo.

100 years ago September 15, 1925 Influential Bulgarian artist Aleksandar Denkov is born. He is credited with creating the first Bulgarian animated film, Little Thief, in 1945.

100 years ago September 18, 1925 Writer-artist Bob Laughlin is born. He creates Kitz ’n’ Katz.

100 years ago September 18, 1925 Hungarian writer-artist Tibor Cs. Horváth is born. Lambiek calls him “the most productive Hungarian comic book scriptwriter and the godfather of comic book adaptations.”

95 years ago September 17, 1930 Mike Noble is born. The British artist is known for comics features based on such TV series as Fireball XL5.

90 years ago September 13, 1935 Award-winning cartoonist Don Addis is born. His work includes editorial cartoons and the Bent Offerings strip.

90 years ago September 15, 1935 Award-winning Dutch artist Peter Vos is born.

80 years ago September 12, 1945 Award-winning writer-artist Milo Manara is born. He creates HP and Giuseppe Bergman and, among many other projects, collaborates with Chris Claremont on X-Women and collaborates with Neil Gaiman on a Sandman story.

80 years ago September 16, 1945 Wolfgang J. Fuchs is born. The German writer, historian, translator, and journalist is known for his reference works on German comics and for his comics series translations into German. Wiki says his 1971 book “was the first standard work in German on comics as an art form.”

75 years ago September 15, 1950 The Dutch comic book Grabbelton begins as a supplement of De Katholieke Illustratie.

75 years ago September 17, 1950 Writer-editor Roger Stern is born. He co-creates (with John Romita Jr.) Hobgoblin and Marvel’s second Captain Marvel, (with Bob Hall) West Coast Avengers, and (with Tom Lyle) the Will Payton Starman. He writes the memorable “The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man” in Amazing Spider-Man #248 and is one of the contributors to DC’s “Death of Superman” arc.

70 years ago September 13, 1955 Marvel associate editor Lynn Cohen is born.

70 years ago September 15, 1955 Artist-writer Al Wenzel dies at age 31. He freelanced to D.S. Publishing, Lev Gleason, Marvel, DC, and ACG and assisted on The Spirit, Steve Roper, and Buz Sawyer.

70 years ago September 17, 1955 Brazilian artist Fernando Bonini is born. He’s known for Luciano (written by Mantovi) and, with a start in horror and erotic comics, he also becomes known for his work on kids’ comics (including Disney), signing it “Sil.”

65 years ago September 12, 1960 The classic Barnaby strip returns to newspapers. The Crockett Johnson original is revised and redrawn by Warren Sattler.

65 years ago September 16, 1960 Award-winning writer Kurt Busiek is born. He receives national acclaim for Marvels (with Alex Ross), creates Thunderbolts, and creates Kurt Busiek’s Astro City working with Ross and Brent Anderson.

65 years ago September 16, 1960 Award-winning writer-artist Mike Mignola is born. He creates Hellboy, B.P.R.D., and The Amazing Screw-On Head.

60 years ago September 12, 1965 Prolific French artist André Galland dies at age 79.

60 years ago September 18, 1965 The British magazine Ranger (“the national boys’ magazine”) from IPC begins and introduces The Trigan Empire by Mike Butterworth and Don Lawrence.

55 years ago September 17, 1970 Welsh writer-artist Cyril Gwyn Price dies of a heart attack at age 65. He created The Whiskers and T.V. Tim.

50 years ago September 12, 1975 Dutch magazine Tina introduces Noortje Visser by Patty Klein and Jan Steeman. It will run for 41 years and may be the longest running Dutch strip by the same creative team.

50 years ago September 15, 1975 Spanish writer-artist Carlos Conti dies at age 59. He founded the Creaciones Editoriales agency.

45 years ago September 12, 1980 The Turkish magazine Girgir is temporarily banned by the Turkish government because of a cartoon that “insults the Turkish national identity.”

45 years ago September 14, 1980 Hungarian artist Imre Sebök dies at age 74.

40 years ago September 15, 1985 The Dutch children’s magazine Taptoe introduces Oktoknopie by Gleever.

35 years ago September 15, 1990 The Topper ends from D.C. Thomson.

30 years ago September 13, 1995 German-British artist Walter Goetz dies at age 83. He was known for Colonel Up and Mr. Down – and Dab and Flounder – and cartoons for Punch.

25 years ago September 12, 2000 Spanish artist Rafael Miguel Catalá Lucas (who worked as “Karpa”) dies 17 days before his 74th birthday.

25 years ago September 13, 2000 German publisher, editor, and writer-artist Rolf Kauka, best known for Fix und Foxi, dies at age 83.

20 years ago September 12, 2005 Writer-artist Raymond Chiavarino (also known as “Raymond Maric”) dies at age 78.

20 years ago September 15, 2005 Belgian sports cartoonist, writer-artist, and editor Fernand Van Horen (who worked as “Horn”) dies at age 95.

20 years ago September 16, 2005 German artist-writer and director Friedrich Karl Waechter dies at age 67.

10 years ago September 13, 2015 Artist Jay Scott Pike dies at age 91. He worked for Marvel and DC, created Dolphin for DC, and co-created Jann of the Jungle (with Don Rico) for Marvel.

10 years ago September 17, 2015 Colorist, dealer, and convention organizer Ken Feduniewicz dies of a heart attack at age 63.

5 years ago September 12, 2020 NCSFest – the first National Cartoonists Society free online cartooning festival – begins.

5 years ago September 13, 2020 French writer-artist Bruno Madaule dies from cancer at age 49.

5 years ago September 14, 2020 Spanish artist José Ángel Fernández Fernández (yes, the two identical names are correct, but he worked as “Fer”) dies at age 71.