Events and publications

January

* January 2: In

Ernie Bushmiller Ernest Paul Bushmiller Jr. (August 23, 1905 – August 15, 1982) was an American cartoonist, best known for creating the daily comic strip ''Nancy (comic strip), Nancy'', which premiered in 1938 and features the title character who has remained ...

's ''

Fritzi Ritz ''Fritzi Ritz'' is an American comic strip created in 1922 by Larry Whittington. In 1925, the strip was taken over by Ernie Bushmiller and, in 1938, the daily strip evolved into the popular '' Nancy''. The Sunday edition of the strip, begun by Bu ...

'' the character Nancy makes her debut. She will eventually become the protagonist of the series. * January 8; Dippy Dog (a first version of

Goofy Goofy is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. He is a tall, Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic dog who typically wears a turtle neck and vest, with pants, shoes, white gloves, and a tall hat originally designed as a rumpled f ...

) makes his comics debut in a Sunday table, drawn by

Floyd Gottfredson Arthur Floyd Gottfredson (May 5, 1905July 22, 1986) was an American cartoonist best known for his defining work on the ''Mickey Mouse'' comic strip, which he worked on from 1930 until his retirement in 1975. His contribution to Mickey Mouse comi ...

and written by

Webb Smith A storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. The storyboarding process, in the ...

February

* February 17: In

Chic Young Murat Bernard "Chic" Young (January 9, 1901March 14, 1973) was an American cartoonist who created the comic strip ''Blondie (comic strip), Blondie''. His 1919 ''William McKinley High School Yearbook'' cites his nickname as Chicken, source of hi ...

's '' Blondie''

Dagwood Bumstead Dagwood Bumstead is a main fictional character, character in cartoonist Chic Young's long-running comic strip ''Blondie (comic strip), Blondie''. He debuted in the first strip on September 8, 1930. He was originally heir to the Bumstead Locomotive ...

makes his debut. * February 27: first strip of ''Mickey Mouse the mail pilot'', by

and Ted Obsborne; debut of the mechanic Gloomy and of the captain Dobermann, two recurring

Mickey Mickey is a given name and nickname, almost always masculine and often a short form (hypocorism) of Michael (given name), Michael, and occasionally a surname. Notable people and characters with the name include: People Given name or nickname Men ...

’s supporting characters in the Thirties.

April

* April 17: Orhan Halil Tolon publishes ''Zıpzıp Ali'nin Serüvenleri'' (''The Adventures of Ali the Hopper''). * Printer

Eastern Color Printing The Eastern Color Printing Company was a company that published comic books, beginning in 1933. At first, it was only newspaper comic strip reprints, but later on, original material was published. Eastern Color Printing was incorporated in 1928 ...

makes its first foray into comic book publishing with ''Gulf Comic Weekly'' #1. The comic is 10 ½" x 15", and is advertised on national radio. All four pages contained one-page, full color comic strips. The tabloids are grabbed up as fast as

Gulf Oil Gulf Oil was a major global oil company in operation from 1901 to 1985. The eighth-largest American manufacturing company in 1941 and the ninth-largest in 1979, Gulf Oil was one of the so-called Seven Sisters oil companies. Prior to its merger ...

service stations can offer them. ''Gulf Comic Weekly'' is soon changed to ''Gulf Funny Weekly'', and distribution shoots up to 3 million copies a week. The series runs as a tabloid until 1939 and runs for 422 issues until May 23, 1941. Around the same time, Eastern also prints another four-page tabloid for

Standard Oil Standard Oil Company, Inc., was an American oil production, transportation, refining, and marketing company that operated from 1870 to 1911. At its height, Standard Oil was the largest petroleum company in the world, and its success made its co-f ...

, titled ''Standard Oil Comics''. * Eastern Color Printing makes its second foray into comic book publishing with ''

Funnies on Parade ''Funnies on Parade'' is an American publication of 1933 that was a precursor of comic books. The eight-page publication featured reprints of such popular syndicated comic strips as '' The Bungle Family'', '' Joe Palooka'', ''Keeping Up with t ...

''.

May

* May 11: First issue of the Italian comics magazine ''

Il Monello ''Il Monello'' (meaning ''The Rascal'' in English) was a weekly comic magazine for kids and teens published in Italy from 1933 to 1990. History and profile ''Il Monello'' was founded in 1933 by the Del Duca brothers and initially offered only ...

''. It will run until 12 October 1990.

July

* July 7: Pedrito Reyes and Francisco Reyes' ''

Kulafu Kulafu was one of the earliest comic book heroes in the Philippines. Created on July 7, 1933, by Filipino illustrator Francisco Reyes and Filipino writer Pedrito Reyes, Kulafu appeared on the first colored adventure strip and the first two-pag ...

'' makes his debut. * July 14: Premier of the

Fleischer Studios Fleischer Studios () is an American animation studio founded in 1929 by brothers Max and Dave Fleischer, who ran the pioneering company from its inception until its acquisition by Paramount Pictures, the parent company and the distributor of i ...

' ''

Betty Boop Betty Boop is an animated cartoon character created by Max Fleischer, with help from animators including Grim Natwick.Pointer (2017) She originally appeared in the ''Talkartoon'' and ''Betty Boop'' film series, which were produced by Fleischer ...

'' animated short ''

Popeye the Sailor Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by Elzie Crisler Segar.Popeye Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by E. C. Segar, Elzie Crisler Segar.E.C. Segar Elzie Crisler Segar (; December 8, 1894 – October 13, 1938), known by the pen name E. C. Segar, was an American cartoonist best known as the creator of Popeye, a pop culture character who first appeared in 1929 in Segar's comic strip ''Thimble ...

all across the world. * July 16: The final episode of Tack Knight's ''Little Folks'' is published. * July 23: Stanley Link's '' Tiny Tim'' makes its debut. It will run until 2 March 1958. * July 24: In

E.C. Segar Elzie Crisler Segar (; December 8, 1894 – October 13, 1938), known by the pen name E. C. Segar, was an American cartoonist best known as the creator of Popeye, a pop culture character who first appeared in 1929 in Segar's comic strip ''Thimble ...

's newspaper comic strip ''

Thimble Theatre Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by E. C. Segar, Elzie Crisler Segar.Swee'Pea Swee'Pea (alternatively spelled Swee'pea and Sweapea on some titles and once called Sweep Pea) is a character in E. C. Segar's comic strip ''Thimble Theatre''/''Popeye'' and in the cartoon series derived from it. His name refers to the flower kno ...

makes her debut. * July 30:

Roy Crane Royston Campbell Crane (November 22, 1901 – July 7, 1977), who signed his work Roy Crane, was an American cartoonist who created the comic strip characters Wash Tubbs, Captain Easy and Buz Sawyer. He pioneered the adventure comic strip, establi ...

's ''

Captain Easy '' Captain Easy, Soldier of Fortune '' is an American action/adventure comic strip created by Roy Crane that was syndicated by Newspaper Enterprise Association beginning on Sunday, July 30, 1933. The strip ran for more than five decades until it ...

'' makes its newspaper debut and will run until 1988. * July 31:

Milton Caniff Milton Arthur Paul Caniff (; February 28, 1907 – April 3, 1988) was an People of the United States, American cartoonist famous for the ''Terry and the Pirates (comic strip), Terry and the Pirates'' and ''Steve Canyon'' comic strips. Biography ...

's ''

Dickie Dare ''Dickie Dare'' was a comic strip syndicated by AP Newsfeatures. Launched July 31, 1933, it was the first comic strip created by Milton Caniff before he began ''Terry and the Pirates''. The strip ended on October 12, 1957. Publication history ...

'' makes its debut.

August

* August 9: Wiley Padan's newspaper cartoon panel ''It's True'', with trivia about

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

films and actors, is first published and will run until his death in 1947. * August 21:

Clarence Gray Clarence Gray (November 14, 1901 – January 5, 1957) was an American comic strip artist, best known for drawing the science fiction adventure strip ''Brick Bradford'' for more than two decades.Sara W Duke,''Biographical sketches of cartoonis ...

and William Ritt's comics series ''

Brick Bradford ''Brick Bradford'' is a science fiction comic strip created by writer William Ritt, a journalist based in Cleveland, and artist Clarence Gray. It was first distributed on August 21, 1933 by Central Press Association, a subsidiary of King Features ...

'' makes its debut.

September

* September 25: Norman W. Marsh and

Allen Saunders Allen Saunders (April 24, 1899 – January 28, 1986) was an American writer, journalist and cartoonist who wrote the comic strips '' Steve Roper and Mike Nomad'', ''Mary Worth'' and '' Kerry Drake''. He is credited with being the originator of t ...

' ''

Dan Dunn Dan Dunn is a fictional detective created by Norman W. Marsh. He first appeared in ''Detective Dan: Secret Operative No. 48'', a proto-comic book from 1933, produced by Humor Publishing. He subsequently appeared in newspaper comic strips from 19 ...

'' makes its debut. It will run for over a decade.

October

* October 1: **

Zack Mosley Zack Terrell Mosley (December 12, 1906 - December 21, 1993) was an American comic strip artist best known for the aviation adventures in his long-running ''The Adventures of Smilin' Jack'' which ran in more than 300 newspapers from 1933 to 1973. ...

's ''

The Adventures of Smilin' Jack ''The Adventures of Smilin' Jack'' is an aviation comic strip that first appeared October 1, 1933, in the ''Chicago Tribune'' and ended April 1, 1973. After a run of 40 years, it was the longest-running aviation comic strip. The strip was created ...

'' makes its newspaper debut. **

Ed Leffingwell ''Little Joe'' was a 1933-1972 Western comic strip created by Ed Leffingwell and later continued by his brother Robert Leffingwell. Distributed by the Chicago Tribune Syndicate, this Sunday strip had a long run spanning four decades. It was never ...

's '' Little Joe'' makes its debut. It will run until 1972. **

Al Posen Alvah Posen (October 2, 1894 - June 10, 1960) was an American cartoonist on several comic strips, but he is best known for his 1933-1960 comic strip ''Sweeney & Son'' and as co-producer of the now-lost Marx Brothers film, ''Humor Risk'' (1921). ...

's ''Sweeney & Son'' first appears in the papers. It will run until 1960. * October 30:

Feg Murray Frederic Seymour Murray (May 15, 1894 – July 16, 1973), known as Fred Murray or Feg Murray, was an American athlete who competed mainly in the 110 meter hurdles. He won a bronze medal in the 1920 Summer Olympics. After his athletic ca ...

's ''Seein' Stars'', a comic strip with trivia about Hollywood stars, makes its debut.

December

* December 10: In

's newspaper comic strip ''

Thimble Theatre Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by E. C. Segar, Elzie Crisler Segar.Alice the Goon Alice the Goon is a fictional character in E. C. Segar's comic strip ''Thimble Theatre'' and in the ''Popeye'' cartoon series derived from it. History Alice made her debut in the Sunday, December 10, 1933, ''Thimble Theatre'' strip, part of the ...

makes her debut.

Specific date unknown

* Francisco Darnis' ''Nick, Pecho de Hiero'' debuts.

Births

January

* January 13:

Ron Goulart Ronald Joseph Goulart (; January 13, 1933 – January 14, 2022) was an American popular culture historian and mystery, fantasy, and science fiction author. He published novelizations and other work under various pseudonyms: Kenneth Robeson, Con ...

, American comics writer (wrote scripts for

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

, ''

Star Hawks ''Star Hawks'' was a comic strip created by Ron Goulart and Gil Kane, first published on October 3, 1977, that ran through May 2, 1981. It was written through April 1979 by Goulart, followed by Archie Goodwin (1979-1980), Roger McKenzie (1980-19 ...

'' and ''

TekWar ''TekWar'' is a series of science fiction novels created by Canadian actor William Shatner and ghost-written by American writer Ron Goulart, published by Putnam beginning in October 1989. The novels gave rise to a comic book series, video game, an ...

''), author and historian (''The Adventurous Decade: Comic Strips in the Thirties'', ''Comic Book Culture: An Illustrated History'', ''The Great Comic Book Artists'', ''Focus on Jack Cole'', ''Ron Goulart's Great History of Comic Books'', ''The Encyclopedia of American Comics'', ''The Comic Book Reader's Companion'', ''Masked Marvels and Jungle Queens: Great Comic Book Covers of the '40s'', ''The Funnies: 100 Years of American Comic Strips'', ''Comic Book Encyclopedia: The Ultimate Guide to Characters, Graphic Novels, Writers and Artists in the Comic Book Universe'', ''

Alex Raymond Alexander Gillespie Raymond Jr. (October 2, 1909 – September 6, 1956) was an American cartoonist who was best known for creating the '' Flash Gordon'' comic strip for King Features Syndicate in 1934. The strip was subsequently adapted into m ...

: An Artistic Journey, Adventure, Intrigue and Romance''), (d.

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

July

* July 31: Nico Visscher, Dutch cartoonist and comics artist (''De Wolken'', ''Korrel''), (d.

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

September

* September 20:

Tony Tallarico Anthony F. Tallarico (September 20, 1933 – January 6, 2022) was an American comic book artist, and children's book illustrator and author. Often paired in a team with his generally uncredited penciler, Bill Fraccio, Tallarico drew primarily fo ...

, American comic artist ('' Lobo'', ''Great Society Comic Book'', ''Bobman and Teddy'', ''

Jigsaw Jigsaw may refer to: * Jigsaw (tool), a tool used for cutting arbitrary curves * Jigsaw puzzle, a tiling puzzle that requires the assembly of interlocking pieces Arts and media Comics * Jigsaw (Marvel Comics), a supervillain and arch-enemy of ...

''), (d.

December

* December 20:

Marcel Uderzo Marcel Uderzo (20 December 1933 – 24 January 2021) was a French comic book artist. He was the younger brother of fellow comic book artist Albert Uderzo. Biography Uderzo was born in Clichy-sous-Bois on 20 December 1933 to a family of Italian i ...

, French comics artist (''Les Mémoires de Mathias'', drew a comic strip based on ''

The Twelve Tasks of Asterix ''The Twelve Tasks of Asterix'' (''Les Douze travaux d'Astérix'') is a 1976 Belgian/French animated feature film based on the ''Asterix'' comic book series, and the third in the animated franchise. René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, the crea ...

'', assisted on his brother

Albert Uderzo Alberto Aleandro Uderzo (; ; 25 April 1927 – 24 March 2020), better known as Albert Uderzo, was a French comic book artist and scriptwriter. He is best known as the co-creator and illustrator of the ''Astérix'' series in collaboration with Re ...

's ''

Tanguy et Laverdure ''Les Aventures de Tanguy et Laverdure'' is a Franco-Belgian comics (''bande dessinée'') series created by Jean-Michel Charlier and Albert Uderzo, about the two pilots Michel Tanguy and Ernest Laverdure, and their adventures in the French Air For ...

'' and ''

Astérix ''Asterix'' or ''The Adventures of Asterix'' (french: Astérix or , "Asterix the Gaul") is a ''bande dessinée'' comic book series about a village of indomitable Gaulish warriors who adventure around the world and fight the Roman Republic, wi ...

''), (d.

Deaths

February

* February 15: Pat Sullivan, Australian-American animator, film producer and comics artist (''

Felix the Cat Felix the Cat is a cartoon character created in 1919 by Pat Sullivan and Otto Messmer during the silent film era. An anthropomorphic black cat with white eyes, a black body, and a giant grin, he was one of the most recognized cartoon charac ...

''), dies at age 47 from pneumonia.

April

* April 1:

Joaquín Xaudaró Joaquín Xaudaró y Echau (August 17, 1872 – April 1, 1933) was a Spanish cartoonist, illustrator, and caricaturist. His humorous depictions of the new technologies of his time –he published a volume of cartoons called ''The Perils of Fli ...

, Spanish cartoonist, caricaturist, illustrator and animator, dies at age 60.

May

* May 13: William James Sinnott, American comics artist (''Vivian and Viola'', ''Dicky Dippy's Diary''), dies at age 57.

August

* August 10: Henry Maigrot, aka Henriot, French caricaturist, cartoonist, illustrator and comics artist (''Le Petit Chaperon Rouge''), dies at age 76.

September

* September 19:

E. W. Kemble Edward Winsor Kemble (January 18, 1861 – September 19, 1933), usually cited as E. W. Kemble, and sometimes referred to incorrectly as Edward Windsor Kemble, was an American illustrator. He is known best for illustrating the first edition of '' ...

, American illustrator and comics artist (''Mammy's Li'l Lamb''), dies at age 72.

October

* October 29:

George Luks George Benjamin Luks (August 13, 1867 – October 29, 1933) was an American artist, identified with the aggressively realistic Ashcan School of American painting. After travelling and studying in Europe, Luks worked as a newspaper illustrator a ...

, American painter, illustrator and comics artist (continued ''Hogan's Alley''), dies in a bar brawl at age 66.

November

* November 12: Petter Lindroth, aka Per Lindroth, Swedish illustrator and comics artist (''Jocke, Nicke, Majken'', ''Pelle och Kickan''), passes away at age 44.

Specific date unknown

* Albert-Samuel Brodeur, Canadian illustrator and comics artist (''Francine et Graindesel''), dies at age 70 or 71. *

Alfred Leete Alfred Ambrose Chew Leete (1882–1933) was a British graphic artist. Born at Thorpe Achurch, Northamptonshire, he studied at Kingsholme School and The School of Science and Art (now Weston College) in Weston-super-Mare, before moving to ...

, British illustrator, poster designer and comics artist (''Schmidt the Spy'', ''Bosch''), dies at age 50 or 51.

Sources

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