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.
3.22.1903: Bill Holman, creator of the screwball comedy strip Smokey Stover, is born in Crawfordsville, Indiana. His strip ran from 1935 until Holman retired in 1973.
3.22.1929: Mort Drucker, best known for his work for Mad magazine over the course of more than five decades, is born in New York City. Drucker got his start in cartooning by assisting Bert Whitman on the newspaper comic strip Debbie Dean in 1947. Between 1984 and 1987, Drucker collaborated with Jerry Dumas (and John Reiner) on the daily comic strip Benchley, which spoofed President Ronald Reagan.
3.22.1971: Jay Stevens, half of the creative duo (with Bob Weber Jr.) that created Oh, Brother!, is born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The strip, which only ran from 2010 to 2011, focused on Bud and his sister Lily, who live in a middle-class suburban neighborhood.
3.22.2019: The Amazing Spider-Man, a newspaper strip created by Stan Lee and John Romita, ends its four-decade run. The strip debuted in 1977, years after the title character first appeared in comic books.
3.22.1903: Bill Holman, creator of the screwball comedy strip Smokey Stover, is born in Crawfordsville, Indiana. His strip ran from 1935 until Holman retired in 1973.
3.22.1929: Mort Drucker, best known for his work for Mad magazine over the course of more than five decades, is born in New York City. Drucker got his start in cartooning by assisting Bert Whitman on the newspaper comic strip Debbie Dean in 1947. Between 1984 and 1987, Drucker collaborated with Jerry Dumas (and John Reiner) on the daily comic strip Benchley, which spoofed President Ronald Reagan.
3.22.1971: Jay Stevens, half of the creative duo (with Bob Weber Jr.) that created Oh, Brother!, is born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The strip, which only ran from 2010 to 2011, focused on Bud and his sister Lily, who live in a middle-class suburban neighborhood.
3.22.2019: The Amazing Spider-Man, a newspaper strip created by Stan Lee and John Romita, ends its four-decade run. The strip debuted in 1977, years after the title character first appeared in comic books.
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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