Here’s the latest installment of Maggie Thompson’s ongoing look at important beginnings, middles, and ends, this time for August 22-28, 2025…

145 years ago August 22, 1880 Cartoonist George Herriman is born. The creator of the influential Krazy Kat also illustrates Don Marquis’ archy and mehitabel.

140 years ago August 24, 1885 Artist Vic Forsythe is born. He creates the Joe Jinks comic strip.

120 years ago August 23, 1905 Cartoonist Ernie Bushmiller is born. He takes over the Fritzi Ritz strip from creator Larry Whittington and spins off his Nancy strip from it.

120 years ago August 25, 1905 Swedish cartoonist Garland Jan-Erik is born. He works as “Rit-Ola” and creates Biffen och Bananen.

110 years ago August 22, 1915 Chinese animator and manhua artist Te Wei is born.

110 years ago August 22, 1915 Marvel and DC artist Bob Brown is born.

110 years ago August 25, 1915 Writer-artist Preston Allen “Pap” Dean is born. He’s the chief illustrator and editorial cartoonist for The Shreveport Times in Louisiana.

105 years ago August 22, 1920 Influential award-winning writer Ray Bradbury is born. A film and comics fan, he writes several stories that are later adapted for use in comic books.

105 years ago August 26, 1920 Award-winning writer-artist Brant Parker is born. He co-creates Wizard of Id with Johnny Hart.

100 years ago August 23, 1925 Award-winning artist Alfredo Alcala is born. His name is used on Alcala Komix Magazine, he creates Voltar, and his work appears in comics from companies including Warren, Marvel, and DC.

100 years ago August 24, 1925 Arturo Del Castillo is born. The Argentine artist is known for his Western comics stories.

95 years ago August 26, 1930 Dutch artist and teacher Pieter van Looy, Jr. dies at age 77.

95 years ago August 26, 1930 Belgian animator and artist Willy Lateste is born.

70 years ago August 22, 1955 Award-winning fantasy and science fiction writer Will Shetterly is born. He creates Captain Confederacy.

70 years ago August 25, 1955 Pioneering Japanese teacher and manga artist Rakuten Kitazawa dies at age 79. He founded Tokyo Puck and Rakuta Puck magazines.

70 years ago August 26, 1955 The Lucky Luke story “Rails on the Prairie” is published in Spirou, the first time René Goscinny writes a story for Lucky Luke – and the cowboy sings “I’m a poor lonesome cowboy” for the first time.

65 years ago August 25, 1960 French comic book La Semaine de Suzette ends.

60 years ago August 23, 1965 Artist Chris Bachalo is born. He’s especially known for his work on Shade, the Changing Man and Death – and on Generation X (which he co-creates with Scott Lobdell) and Steampunk (which he co-creates with Joe Kelly).

55 years ago August 28, 1970 Scottish cartoonist Bud Neill dies at age 58. He created “Lobey Dosser, the Sheriff of Calton Creek.”

50 years ago August 22, 1975 British author Lancelot Hogben dies at age 79. He wrote From Cave Painting to Comic Strip.

50 years ago August 22-24, 1975 The first Atlanta Comics & Fantasy Fair is held.

45 years ago August 26, 1980 Animator, cartoonist, voice artist, and director Tex Avery dies of liver cancer at age 72. He created, co-created, and/or helped to develop such characters as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, and Chilly Willy.

40 years ago August 25, 1985 Italian artist and animator Giuseppe Zaccaria (who worked as “Pino Zac”) dies at age 55. The pioneer of Italian newspaper strips with Gatto Filippo co-published Il Male magazine.

35 years ago August 28, 1990 Prolific Flemish writer-artist Willy Vandersteen dies of cancer at age 77. Lambiek calls him “the most famous, influential, and productive Flemish comics artist ever.” His Suske en Wiske is the longest running Flemish comics series of all time.

30 years ago August 28, 1995 British cartoonist Carl Giles dies at age 78. The OBE-awarded Daily Express contributor was known for his single panel work featuring the “Giles family” – often tied to current events.

25 years ago August 25, 2000 Cartoonist, artist-writer, painter, and Disney Legends creator Carl Barks dies at age 99 of the effects of leukemia. He anonymously created such characters as Scrooge McDuck and Gyro Gearloose. Not knowing his name, a generation of kids referred to him simply as “the good duck artist,” and, after comic book retirement, he paid to license the rights to paint the characters he’d been drawing for years.

25 years ago August 27, 2000 Award-winning Croatian animator, director, and artist Ante Zaninovic dies at age 65.

15 years ago August 24, 2010 Japanese manga artist and animator Satoshi Kon dies of pancreatic cancer at age 46. He was known for the anime Perfect Blue, Tokyo Godfathers, Millennium Actress, and Paprika.

15 years ago August 28, 2010 French artist Roger Mas dies at age 86. He created the character Pifou and the series Léo Bête à Part.

10 years ago August 22, 2015 Small press pioneer Tim Corrigan dies at age 64. He published Small Press Comics Explosion.

5 years ago August 23, 2020 Prolific and award-winning Belgian writer-editor André-Paul Duchâteau dies at age 95.

5 years ago August 23, 2020 Swedish writer-artist Rolf Gohs dies at age 86.