Here’s the latest installment of Maggie Thompson’s ongoing look at important beginnings, middles, and ends, this time for April 3-9, 2026…

140 years ago April 9, 1886 Writer-artist Richard Thain is born. He creates the Lord Longbow strip.

135 years ago April 4, 1891 French writer Paul Gordeaux is born. He is a pioneer of the vertical comic strip format with Le Crime ne Paie Pas.

135 years ago April 7, 1891 British political cartoonist David Low is born. He creates Colonel Blimp.

115 years ago April 4, 1911 Dutch artist Tijs Dorenbosch is born.

115 years ago April 7, 1911 Canadian artist Walter Ball is born.

110 years ago April 5, 1916 Writer, artist, and editor Bernard Baily is born. He co-creates Tex Thomson (who becomes Mister America and Americommando), Spectre, and Hourman; writes and draws the Gilda Gay strip; and contributes to Cracked.

100 years ago April 5, 1926 Hungarian artist György Szitás is born.

100 years ago April 6, 1926 Award-winning writer-artist Gil Kane is born. He co-creates the Silver Age Green Lantern (with John Broome), Atom (with Gardner Fox), and Iron Fist (with Roy Thomas) and pioneers the graphic novel art form with His Name Is… Savage and Blackmark.

100 years ago April 9, 1926 Hugh Hefner is born. The publisher known as the founder and editor in chief of Playboy magazine was also a cartoonist.

95 years ago April 9, 1931 Italian artist Leone Frollo is born.

90 years ago April 6, 1936 Mickey Finn by Lank Leonard begins.

85 years ago April 5, 1941 Teacher and Archie Comics editor in chief Victor Gorelick is born.

80 years ago April 7, 1946 Special effects pioneer Stan Winston is born. He designs the screen version of Iron Man.

75 years ago April 4, 1951 Editor-writer Bob Rozakis is born. The DC Director of Production in the 1980s and 1990s, he co-creates (with Dan Spiegle) Mister E and (with Stephen DeStafano) ’Mazing Man.

75 years ago April 5, 1951 British artist and voice actor Harry Hemsley dies of a heart attack at age 73. He was especially known for the radio show Ovaltiney’s Concert Party, which spawned its own comic book in 1935: Ovaltiney’s Own Comic.

75 years ago April 7, 1951 French artist Gustave-Henri Jossot dies at age 84.

70 years ago April 6, 1956 Prisoners of Gravity creator, producer, and co-writer Mark Askwith is born.

60 years ago April 4, 1966 Award-winning artist Dave Johnson is born. He’s especially known for his minimalist covers on 100 Bullets and for his art for Superman: Red Son.

60 years ago April 5, 1966 Charles Raab dies at age 57. The Milton Caniff and Alfred Andriola assistant also worked as a Hillman artist.

55 years ago April 3, 1971 IPC’s Smash! #257 is that series’ last issue.

50 years ago April 6, 1976 Ruth Plumly Thompson dies at age 84. Though best known as the writer of many Oz novels after L. Frank Baum’s death, she was also the first editor of the King Comics comic book series, which brought King Features newspaper strips to the comic book format, as well as of the Ace Comics series a year later.

50 years ago April 9, 1976 Spanish artist Emilio Boix dies at age 67. He was known for his funny animal work.

45 years ago April 9, 1981 Geneviève Castrée is born. The Canadian artist and musician is known for the graphic novel Susceptible.

40 years ago April 2, 1986 Artist and animator Jack Manning dies at age 65. The funny animal artist worked for Dell on Disney, Warner Bros., Walter Lantz, and Hanna-Barbera characters.

40 years ago April 7, 1986 Writer Don W. Moore dies at age 81. He wrote Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon and Jungle Jim and was a screenwriter, story editor, and producer with connections to Captain Video and His Video Rangers.

35 years ago April 3, 1991 Batman and Green Hornet TV producer William Dozier dies of a stroke at age 83.

35 years ago April 4, 1991 Artist and art teacher Graham Ingels dies of stomach cancer at age 75. He was especially known for his contributions to EC’s horror titles.

30 years ago April 5, 1996 The term “Done in One” is introduced in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1168 to differentiate between stories that are complete in a single issue and those that are installments in a serialized story.

30 years ago April 7, 1996 The pilot for the ABC sitcom Sabrina, the Teenage Witch is aired, starring Melissa Joan Hart.

25 years ago April 3, 2001 Artist Ray Osrin dies at age 72 of complications of heart disease and diabetes. The Cleveland Plain Dealer editorial cartoonist also had a comic book career that started in the Golden Age and included freelancing for Archie, Charlton, Dell, and Gold Key.

25 years ago April 4, 2001 Artist Ed “Big Daddy” Roth dies of a heart attack at age 69. He created the hotrod “Rat Fink” character.

20 years ago April 7, 2006 Erotic comics artist John Blackburn dies at age 66.

15 years ago April 6, 2011 Dutch artist Gerard van Straaten dies at age 86. He worked for the Toonder Studios.

10 years ago April 3, 2016 Artist Richard D. Hodgins Jr. dies at age 84 from complications of lung cancer treatment. The award-winning editorial cartoonist drew Hank Ketcham’s Half Hitch and worked on Henry and Hagar the Horrible.

10 years ago April 6, 2016 Croatian writer-artist Oto Reisinger dies at age 88. He was estimated to have produced more than 70,000 cartoons.

10 years ago April 8, 2016 Artist Paul Fung Jr. dies at age 93. The son of cartoonist Paul Fung drew the Blondie comic book and created Flash Foley.

10 years ago April 8, 2016 Writer-artist William Hamilton dies in a car accident at age 76. He was known for his New Yorker cartoons.

10 years ago April 9, 2016 Arthur Anderson dies at age 93. Roles played by the voice artist included the Lucky Charms leprechaun.

5 years ago April 5, 2021 Writer Joye Murchison Kelly dies the day after her 97th birthday. She was the first ghost writer for William Moulton Marston’s Wonder Woman stories.

5 years ago April 5, 2021 Writer Frank Jacobs dies at age 91. Known for his Mad song and poem parodies, he reportedly described himself as “the least known writer of hysterical light verse in the United States.”

5 years ago April 6, 2021 ComicConnect auctions Action Comics #1 (graded CGC 8.5) for $3.25 million (a world record at the time).

5 years ago April 7, 2021 French artist Michel Koeniguer dies of a heart attack at age 49.