Today in the history of the American comic strip: July 11

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.

 

7.11.1942: Joe Btfsplk makes his first appearance in Al Capp's  Li’l Abner. The character has no vowels in his surname, is badly jinxed, and walks around with a constant rain cloud over his head.

7.11.1975: Crockett Johnson, the creator of Barnaby, dies of lung cancer at 68. He is best known as the author of Harold and the Purple Crayon, and other books in that series.

7.11.2004: Scott Stantis debuts Prickly City, which follows the adventures of Carmen, a young girl of color, and a coyote pup named Winslow. The strip frequently presents a politically conservative viewpoint.

 

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.