Here’s the latest installment of Maggie Thompson’s ongoing look at important beginnings, middles, and ends, this time for December 24-30, 2025…

145 years ago December 24, 1880 Raggedy Ann and Andy creator Johnny Gruelle is born.

140 years ago December 30, 1885 Dutch cartoonist Leendert Jordaan is born.

135 years ago December 25, 1890 Believe It or Not! creator Robert L. Ripley is born.

125 years ago December 30, 1900 John Campbell Cory launches Lariat Pete.

110 years ago December 28, 1915 Japanese artist Kobayashi Kiyochika dies at age 68.

105 years ago December 24, 1920 Rik Clément is born. The Belgian artist’s best known and longest series is Dees Dubbel.

105 years ago December 24, 1920 Elzie Crisler Segar’s The Five Fifteen (later called Sappo the Commuter) begins.

105 years ago December 25, 1920 Artist and letterer Joe Rosen is born. He begins his career with Fawcett and goes on to work at Harvey, DC, and Marvel.

100 years ago December 25, 1925 Zig et Puce introduces its third major character, Alfred. Zig and Puce make the comedic auk their pet.

95 years ago December 25, 1930 Howard Beckerman is born. The professor, animator, and vice president of The International Association of Film Animators is the author of Animation: The Whole Story.

95 years ago December 25, 1930 French artist Henri Samouilov is born.

95 years ago December 26, 1930 Political cartoonist Kin Hubbard dies of a heart attack at age 62. He created the “Abe Martin” character.

90 years ago December 25, 1935 Cartoonist Ed Mack dies at age 54. He ghosted Mutt and Jeff and created his own Sime the Simp and others.

85 years ago December 28, 1940 Artist Martin Muller is born. (He works as “Neon Park.”)

80 years ago December 25, 1945 Swedish cartoonist Oscar Jacobsson dies at age 56. He created Abu Fakir and the Adamson strip (for which Swedish annual awards are named). Adamson ran in the U.S. as Silent Sam.

80 years ago December 27, 1945 Kappie by Marten Toonder begins.

80 years ago December 29, 1945 French writer-artist André Hellé dies at age 74.

80 years ago December 30, 1945 Artist and teacher Jack McGuire dies at age 40. He ghosted Ella Cinders and co-created Jane Arden with Monte Barrett. With John Welch, he co-created Slim and Tubby and The Red Knight.

80 years ago December 30, 1945 Davy Jones is born. The Monkees band member is featured on photo covers of Dell’s Monkees series (and is a character in series stories).

75 years ago December 29, 1950 Dutch writer-artist Dick Briel is born.

70 years ago December 27, 1955 Ham Fisher dies by suicide in Moe Leff’s studio at age 55. The Joe Palooka creator was the only member expelled from the NCS for “conduct unbecoming a cartoonist.”

70 years ago December 27, 1955 Australian artist Alex Gurney dies of a heart attack at age 53. He developed what has been called the first Australian strip based on continuing characters (Stiffy and Mo). He also created the Bluey and Curley strip.

70 years ago December 27, 1955 Spanish writer-artist Miguel Gallardo is born. His autobiographical María y yo is made into a film.

70 years ago December 27, 1955 Comics and storyboard artist Mark D. Bright is born. He’s especially known for work on Iron Man’s “Armor Wars” and Green Lantern’s “Emerald Dawn” and for co-creating Quantum and Woody with Christopher J. Priest.

70 years ago December 28, 1955 Letterer and colorist Janice Chiang is born.

65 years ago December 27, 1960 Writer-artist Bruce McCorkindale is born.

65 years ago December 27, 1960 Leadbelly Productions writer, artist, and editor Alan Jude Summa is born.

65 years ago December 29, 1960 Artist Jay Geldhof is born.

65 years ago December 29, 1960 Writer-artist Sean Martin is born. He creates the Doc and Raider comic strip.

65 years ago December 30, 1960 Graphic Scenes columnist Lewis Shiner is born. The editor and writer is known for fantasy and science fiction stories and is involved with the Wild Cards anthology.

55 years ago December 24, 1970 Walt Disney’s The Aristocats opens in general release. (Its premiere was December 11). It’s the last film project Walt Disney approved.

55 years ago December 29, 1970 Writer-editor Dave Ulanski is born. He’s art director for Moonstone.

55 years ago December 30, 1970 Writer Clifford David Vormelker (who also worked as “David Orme”) dies at age 64.

50 years ago December 24, 1975 British animator and artist Harold Mack dies of cancer at age 57. He worked for the Toonder Studio, then set up the animation company Anglo Dutch Group with his wife, Pamela.

40 years ago December 25, 1985 Writer, director, animator, and producer Joe Oriolo dies at age 72. He owned Felix the Cat studios and produced Mighty Hercules.

40 years ago December 25, 1985 Jackie Ormes dies of a cerebral hemorrhage at age 74. The creator of Torchy Brown and Patt-Jo ’n’ Ginger is known as the first African-American female cartoonist.

35 years ago December 30, 1990 Artist Tony Abruzzo dies at age 74. He specialized in DC romance titles.

30 years ago December 30, 1995 Cartoonist Don Martinec dies at age 37.

30 years ago December 30, 1995 Artist Nestor Redondo dies at age 67. He is known for his work on comics in the Philippines, on animation, and on many Christian comics, as well as for DC’s Rima and other titles. His work also appears in the Pendulum Illustrated Classics collection.

25 years ago December 24, 2000 Artist Ray Dirgo dies at age 92. He drew Hanna-Barbera stories for Charlton in the 1970s.

25 years ago December 27, 2000 Croatian writer-artist Radovan Devlić dies at age 50.

20 years ago December 26, 2005 Cartoonist Bud Blake dies at age 87. He created the award-winning Tiger comic strip.

20 years ago December 29, 2005 Artist Henk Sprenger dies at age 86. The Dutch pioneer of word balloons in his comics created Kick Wilstra, whose motto “always straight ahead” became a slogan.

20 years ago December 30, 2005 Prolific French writer Jean Ollivier dies at age 80. He edited Vaillant.

15 years ago December 26, 2010 Award-winning Philippines movie scripter and director and comics writer Pablo Gomez dies of cardiac and pulmonary arrest at age 79. He founded the United Komiks company P.S.G. Publishing House.

5 years ago December 28, 2020 Versatile, prolific, and award-winning Belgian artist Arthur Berckmans (who worked as “Berck”) dies at age 91. He helped found the guild of Flemish comics artists, and Lambiek says he “goes down in history as one of the leading figures of Flemish comics.”

5 years ago December 29, 2020 Ed Shukin dies at age 87. He worked as Marvel VP of Circulation and Sales 1975-1985 and later served as vice president of Kable News and president of the Comics Magazine Association of America.