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

150 years ago October 24, 1875 Belgian comics publisher Jean Dupuis is born.

115 years ago October 26, 1910 Prolific Portuguese artist Fernando Bento is born.

115 years ago October 29, 1910 Chase Craig is born. The animator and writer-artist-editor creates Mary Jane (of Mary Jane and Sniffles) and is West Coast Editor of many Dell and Gold Key titles. He co-creates Odd Bodkins with Fred Fox.

110 years ago October 24, 1915 Bob Kane is born. The Batman artist is long credited (incorrectly) as the character’s sole creator. (Hat tip here to writer Bill Finger.)

110 years ago October 26, 1915 Spanish artist Ramón Sabatés is born.

105 years ago October 29, 1920 Hall of Fame artist Nick Cardy is born (as Nicholas Viscardi). He works on such characters as Lady Luck, Aquaman, Teen Titans, and Bat Lash.

100 years ago October 24, 1925 Writer-artist-editor Albert Feldstein is born. He’s especially known for his work for EC, including editorship of Mad.

100 years ago October 24, 1925 Italian artist Pietro Gamba is born.

100 years ago October 28, 1925 Writer-artist Leonard Starr is born. The comic book freelancer in the 1940s and 1950s creates the On Stage strip in 1957 and works on the ThunderCats TV show and the revival of Little Orphan Annie.

100 years ago October 29, 1925 Award-winning writer Larry Siegel is born. His satiric work includes contributions to Mad (including The Mad Show) and Playboy.

100 years ago October 30, 1925 Artist Keith Willingham is born. He draws the United Feature Syndicate strip Blast Blair.

95 years ago October 27, 1930 Influential British artist Leo Baxendale is born. The creator of the Beano series Minnie the Minx, as well as The Bash Street Kids, wins a lawsuit to regain rights to and profits from his own characters. He co-founds the British comics Wham! and Pow!

90 years ago October 24, 1935 Belgian cartoonist Dani Dacquin is born. He is a founding member of the Belgian comics club De Vlaamse Onafhankelijke Stripgilde.

90 years ago October 29, 1935 Director, animator, writer, and producer Isao Takahata is born. He co-founds Studio Ghibli with Hayao Miyazaki.

90 years ago October 30, 1935 Award-winning writer-editor Don Thompson is born. The journalist, comics historian, and essayist is a pioneering collector and comics amateur magazine publisher. He co-edits Comic Art, Newfangles, and Comics Buyer’s Guide with his wife, Maggie.

80 years ago October 26, 1945 La Legione del Mistero begins in the Italian Fulmine Giornale.

70 years ago October 29, 1955 Cartoonist, musician, and animator Gary Leib is born.

70 years ago October 30, 1955 Jommeke by Jef Nys begins in the Belgian magazine Kerk en Leven.

65 years ago October 25, 1960 Artist and teacher June Brigman is born. She co-creates Power Pack with Louise Simonson in 1984 and draws Brenda Starr in the late 1990s.

55 years ago October 24, 1970 Dutch artist Job Denijs dies at age 77.

55 years ago October 26, 1970 Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau begins.

55 years ago October 26, 1970 Momma by Mell Lazarus begins.

55 years ago October 30, 1970 Strip voor Strip, the first standard Dutch-language reference book on comics, is published. It’s by Kees and Evelien Kousemaker.

50 years ago October 26, 1975 Finnish artist Asmo Alho, known for Kieku ja Kaiku, dies at age 72.

50 years ago October 26, 1975 Crock by Bill Rechin and Brant Parker begins.

45 years ago October 24, 1980 Eric Schreurs is established as a Guinness Book of Records champ for drawing comics for 25 hours and 8 minutes straight.

40 years ago October 25, 1985 Argentinian artist Alberto Bróccoli dies at age 42.

40 years ago October 25, 1985 Dutch artist Charles Kemper dies at age 72.

40 years ago October 26, 1985 British artist Cecil Langley Doughty dies at age 71.

40 years ago October 30, 1985 French artist Manon Iessel dies at age 76. She was an early French female artist and drew the Capucine series.

35 years ago October 29, 1990 Belgian writer-artist and musician François Gianolla dies at age 83.

30 years ago October 30, 1995 British artist Patrick Nicolle dies 16 days before his 88th birthday.

25 years ago October 28, 2000 Writer-artist and educator Irving Phillips dies at age 95. He was best known for his pantomime panel cartoon The Strange World of Mr. Mum.

20 years ago October 24, 2005 Artist and teacher Bill Fraccio dies at age 85. His career began in the Golden Age, and he worked for Charlton for more than two decades, often anonymously.

20 years ago October 26, 2005 Award-winning reporter, columnist, and novelist Michael Kilian dies at age 66. He wrote the Dick Tracy strip.

15 years ago October 24, 2010 Writer-editor-artist-publisher Mike Esposito dies at age 83. The Hall of Fame honoree often teamed with Ross Andru, drawing such characters as Spider-Man and Wonder Woman. He also drew many stories for Archie.

15 years ago October 25, 2010 Belgian artist Leo de Budt dies at age 91. He signed his work “Buth” and created Thomas Pips.

15 years ago October 27, 2010 Influential underground comix publisher (via his Apex Novelties) Don Donahue dies of cancer at age 68.

15 years ago October 30, 2010 Did you remember that Dandy Xtreme’s last issue (#3507) was October 6? Well, hello, Dandy! The publication changes its name back to Dandy with #3508.

10 years ago October 27, 2015 Two pages from Hergé’s “King Ottokar’s Sceptre” (originally printed in Tintin in the 1930s) sell at auction for $1.7 million.

5 years ago October 26, 2020 French writer-artist Jean-Pierre Autheman dies at age 73.

5 years ago October 26, 2020 Belgian artist Ward Zwart dies at age 35.