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

205 years ago December 18, 1820 French writer-artist Charles Albert d’Arnoux is born. He works as “Bertall.”

145 years ago December 12, 1880 Artist and political cartoonist Gaar Williams is born. His panels and strips include A Strain on the Family Tie and Among the Folks in History.

135 years ago December 18, 1890 Italian writer-artist Carlo Bisi is born. He creates Sor Pampurio.

120 years ago December 18, 1905 Ferd Johnson is born. The Texas Slim and Lovey Dovey creator is the longtime writer-artist of Moon Mullins.

115 years ago December 13, 1910 Hugh McNeill is born. The British creator of Pansy Potter and the artist on Deed-a-Day Danny, Our Ernie, and Harold Hare draws for The Beano beginning with its first issue.

115 years ago December 16, 1910 Writer-artist-editor Piet Broos is born. His work includes Ali Baba, Johanna Droedel, and De Trompetter van de Koning.

105 years ago December 12, 1920 Prolific Golden Age artist Fred Kida is born. His career begins at Hillman, including work for its Airboy series, and he produces a large body of work including Flash Gordon and Spider-Man comic strips.

105 years ago December 15, 1920 Award-winning artist Kurt Schaffenberger is born. He’s especially known for his work on Fawcett’s Captain Marvel and DC’s Lois Lane.

100 years ago December 12, 1925 Artist Warren Tufts is born. In addition to his comic book work, he creates the newspaper strips Casey Ruggles, The Lone Spaceman, and Lance.

100 years ago December 14, 1925 Jungle Jinks magazine ends. Well, no, it’s actually just being renamed. The next issue will be Playbox.

100 years ago December 14, 1925 Argentine artist Alejandro Del Prado (who works as “Calé”) is born.

90 years ago December 13, 1935 Award-winning writer-artist Edward Koren is born. The cartoonist is a New Yorker freelancer.

80 years ago December 12, 1945 French artist and political cartoonist Réne Pétillon is born.

75 years ago December 13, 1950 French writer-artist Didier Savard is born. He draws Leonid Beaudragon with writer Jean-Claude Forest.

70 years ago December 16, 1955 Finnish artist Ami Hauhio dies at age 43. He created Koltan Perintö and co-created Maan mies Marsissa with Reino Halismaa.

65 years ago December 15, 1960 Spirou #1183 introduces Peyo’s Benoît Brisefer, featuring a little boy with superhuman strength.

65 years ago December 18, 1960 French artist Eric Larnoy is born. He is best known for his work on the Thanéros series.

60 years ago December 12, 1965 Belgian artist Pascal Garray is born. He draws many comics using Peyo creations – including Smurfs.

60 years ago December 13, 1965 Award-winning writer-artist and animator Kyle Baker is born. His notable creations include Why I Hate Saturn and Nat Turner.

60 years ago December 15, 1965 Writer-artist Ted Slampyak is born. He creates Jazz Age Chronicles and is the final artist on Little Orphan Annie.

60 years ago December 15, 1965 Artist Albert Dorne dies at age 61. One of the artists of the “Mr. Coffee Nerves” strip, he was a co-founder of the Famous Artists School.

55 years ago December 12, 1970 Jan, Jans en de Kinderen by Jan Kruis begins.

55 years ago December 14, 1970 Artist Malcolm Kildale dies at age 57. In a career beginning in the Golden Age, he created Speed Centaur at Centaur Comics and drew the first issue of what became the Classics Illustrated series.

55 years ago December 17, 1970 Walt Scott dies at age 76. He created The Little People and assisted Leslie Turner on Captain Easy.

50 years ago December 13, 1975 British artist John Millar Watt dies at age 80. He created Pop, one of the first daily British comic strips.

50 years ago December 14, 1975 Political cartoonist Ben Thompson dies at age 69. In the Golden Age, he co-created The Masked Marvel and Doctor Frost.

50 years ago December 18, 1975 Animator and artist Ray Bailey dies at age 62. He assisted on The Gumps, Terry and the Pirates, Male Call, and Steve Canyon among many other comics features in a career that included work for Harvey Comics, Dell, Charlton, and Tower.

50 years ago December 18, 1975 MiamiCon I begins. It runs December 18-21.

45 years ago December 13, 1980 British writer-editor Robert Duncan Low dies at age 85. He oversaw the launch of DC Thomson’s first comic book, The Dandy, followed by The Beano.

40 years ago December 15, 1985 Norwegian artist Lars Wangensten-Berge dies at age 80.

30 years ago December 13, 1995 Greek artist Chrysanthos Mentis Bostantzoglou (who worked as “Bost”) dies at age 76 or 77.

30 years ago December 14, 1995 Marvel announces it has hired Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld to reshape some of its characters.

30 years ago December 15, 1995 Dutch artist Willy Smit dies at age 94. She was best known for drawing Tijs Wijs de Torenwachter.

25 years ago December 15, 2000 Disney releases The Emperor’s New Groove, its 40th animated feature.

20 years ago December 18, 2005 Cuban editor-artist Rafael Fornés Collado dies at age 88. He created the strips José Dolores and Don Sabino.

15 years ago December 12, 2010 Belgian artist Marc Henniquiau (who worked as “Kio”) dies at age 52.

15 years ago December 14, 2010 DC production artist and colorist Adrienne Roy Tollin dies at age 57.

10 years ago December 12, 2015 Spanish artist Luis Bermejo dies at age 84. He was especially known for his work for Warren’s Creepy, Eerie, and Vampirella.

10 years ago December 13, 2015 Belgian artist Suzzy Bailleux dies at age 77. She was active in Flemish underground comix in the 1970s.

5 years ago December 15, 2020 Award-winning Croatian artist Alem Ćurin dies at age 67.

5 years ago December 17, 2020 Artist, animator, and teacher Doug Crane dies of cancer at age 85. He worked for such studios as Terrytoons, Ruby Spears, and Hanna-Barbara and drew comics for Tower, Archie, and DC.