Wednesday, December 18, 2024

Today in the history of the American comic strip: December 18


American cartoonists and writers may not have invented the comic strip, but some argue that the comics, as we know them today, are an American creation. Clearly, the United States has played an outsize role in the development of this underappreciated art form.

12.18.1905: Cartoonist Ferd Johnson is born in Spring Creek, Pennsylvania. Although he did not create Moon Mullins (Frank Willard did), Johnson worked on the strip for 68 years. Moon Mullins ran from 1923 to 1991.


Most of the information listed here from one day to the next comes from two online sites -- Wikipedia, and Don Markstein's Toonopedia -- as well as 100 Years of American Newspaper Comics, edited by Maurice Horn. Note that my focus is on American newspaper comic strips (and the occasional foreign strip that gained popularity in the United States). Thus, comic books and exclusively online comics are not included here.

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