Here’s the latest installment of Maggie Thompson’s ongoing look at important beginnings, middles, and ends, this time for December 5-11, 2025…

170 years ago December 6, 1855 Ottilia Adelborg is born. She’s one of the first Swedish artists making children’s picture books and often uses the comics format.

155 years ago December 8, 1870 British artist Tom Browne is born. He founds the London Sketch Club, creates strips including Weary Willy and Tired Tim, and is credited with creating the first celebrity comic, Dan Leno, in 1898.

150 years ago December 9, 1875 Artist and German comics pioneer Adolf Schrödter dies at age 70.

150 years ago December 10, 1875 German artist Hermann Schütz is born.

125 years ago December 6, 1900 Dutch artist Rein Stuurman is born.

120 years ago December 7, 1905 South African political cartoonist Thomas Ochse Honiball is born. He creates the Oom Kaspaas comic strip.

120 years ago December 10, 1905 Finnish artist Eeli Jaatinen is born.

115 years ago December 10, 1910 Golden Age artist Ira Yarbrough is born. He works on Joe Shuster’s Superman team.

105 years ago December 6, 1920 Golden Age artist Louis Zansky is born. He draws stories for Ace and adapts novels for the Classic Comics line.

105 years ago December 7, 1920 Actress Frances Gifford is born. She plays Nyoka Meredith in the Republic serial Jungle Girl (1941), a role Fawcett licenses for its series. (She also plays a Disney artist in a 1941 documentary paired with The Reluctant Dragon.)

105 years ago December 10, 1920 Prolific artist Dan Spiegle is born. He works for Dell, Gold Key, Marvel, DC, and Eclipse; co-creates Space Family Robinson with Del Connell; and draws many stories scripted by Mark Evanier.

105 years ago December 11, 1920 British artist Frederick Henry Townsend dies at age 52 while playing golf. He was a Punch cartoonist and the first Punch art editor.

105 years ago December 11, 1920 Artist and long-time Steve Canyon assistant Richard Rockwell is born.

100 years ago December 5, 1925 Canadian comedian and writer Dave Broadfoot is born. He creates the character Sgt. Renfrew of the RCMP and scripts a comic strip (drawn by Olga Urbansky) based on the character.

100 years ago December 7, 1925 Etta Kett by Paul Robinson begins.

95 years ago December 6, 1930 French cartoonist Mic Delinx is born. He’s best known for La Jungle en Folie (co-created with Christian Godard).

95 years ago December 6, 1930 Mel Cummin’s Good Time Guy ends.

90 years ago December 8, 1935 Argentine artist and animator Carlos Costantini is born.

90 years ago December 9, 1935 Massimo Liorni is born. The Italian writer-artist-editor works as “Simo,” “Franco Carini,” “Lima,” “Limas,” and “Max Liorn.”

85 years ago December 5, 1940 Mexican artist Juan Arthenack dies at age 48 or 49.

85 years ago December 5, 1940 Dutch artist Jos Wins dies at age 59.

85 years ago December 11, 1940 Frederick Patten is born. He’s noted for his work as a historian in science fiction, fantasy, anime, manga, and furry fandoms.

80 years ago December 11, 1945 Kapiten Rob begins by Pieter Kuhn and Evert Werkman in the Dutch magazine Het Parool.

75 years ago December 10, 1950 Voice artist Gregg Berger is born.

70 years ago December 8, 1955 British artist Brett Ewins is born. Known for his work for 2000 AD, he launches Deadline with Steve Dillon.

65 years ago December 8, 1960 Writer, artist, and editor Jonathan Peterson is born. His career includes work for DC, Image, and WildStorm.

65 years ago December 9, 1960 Swedish artist Gunila Stierngranat dies at age 58. She drew Lilla Lena och Jon Blund.

60 years ago December 5, 1965 Writer-editor Daniel Howard Fogel is born. He edits projects for Last Gasp, Cherry Comics, Carnal Comics, and Kitchen Sink.

60 years ago December 6, 1965 Award-winning writer-editor Paul Jenkins is born. He begins his career editing at Mirage and Tundra and goes on to write for companies including DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, and Boom! Studios.

60 years ago December 8, 1965 Writer-artist John Mundt is born. He creates Adventures of Monkey.

60 years ago December 8, 1965 British staff artist for D.C. Thomson Jack Gordon dies at age 74 or 75.

60 years ago December 9, 1965 The last episode of Professor Pi by Bob van den Born is published.

55 years ago December 7, 1970 Rube Goldberg dies at age 87. The cartoonist of wildly inventive machinery was a sculptor, creator of Boob McNutt, and first president of the National Cartoonists Society. The NCS names its annual Cartoonist of the Year award in his honor.

55 years ago December 9, 1970 Artist Harrison Cady dies at age 93. He created a Peter Rabbit that had no connection to Beatrix Potter’s rabbit of the same name.

50 years ago December 6, 1975 Bongo Comic Group Director of Operations Bob Zaugh is born.

45 years ago December 8, 1980 British musician John Lennon is murdered at age 40. In addition to being featured in comics involving The Beatles, he did cartoons himself.

45 years ago December 8, 1980 Good Time Guy newspaper strip artist Mel Cummin dies at age 85.

40 years ago December 6, 1985 Magician and writer Walter B. Gibson dies at age 88. He was especially known for creating the mythos surrounding The Shadow.

40 years ago December 6, 1985 Puppeteer Burr Tillstrom is born. He creates the award-winning “Kukla, Fran and Ollie” TV feature.

35 years ago December 10, 1990 The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic strip begins.

30 years ago December 5, 1995 Artist, editor, packager, and publisher L.B. Cole dies at age 77. His comics company affiliations included Holyoke, Star Publications, and Dell. Known for his Golden Age covers, he also created Wiggles the Wonderworm.

30 years ago December 9, 1995 Writer Elsie Huber Hix dies at age 93. She wrote the Strange as It Seems feature beginning in 1948.

30 years ago December 10, 1995 Award-winning writer-artist Franco Bonvicini dies at age 54 when he is hit by a car. As “Bonvi,” he created the satiric Sturmtruppen and (with Guido De Maria) Nick Carter strips.

30 years ago December 10, 1995 Indonesian writer-artist Ganes T.H. dies at age 60. He created Si Buta dari Gua Hantu.

20 years ago December 7, 2005 Dutch artist Ben van ’t Klooster dies at age 81. He worked for Marten Toonder Studios and created Filo Fop.

15 years ago December 6, 2010 Award-winning Australian cartoonist and puppeteer Norman Hetherington dies at age 89. He created Mr. Squiggle.

15 years ago December 8, 2010 Dutch artist Onno Docters van Leeuwen dies at age 69. Although he wasn’t a comics artist, he provided art and designs for the Lambiek comics shop.

10 years ago December 11, 2015 Canadian artist Jacques Hurtubise (who worked as “Zyx”) dies at age 65. He co-founded the magazine Croc with Pierre Huet.

5 years ago December 7, 2020 Brazilian artist Rubens Cordeiro dies at age 86.

5 years ago December 11, 2020 Prolific Belgian artist William Tai (who worked as “Malik”) dies in a house fire at age 72.