Today in the history of the American comic strip: August 12

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.

8.12.1893: Dick Calkins is born. He initially illustrated Buck Rogers in the 25th Century A.D., and was a co-creator of Skyroads.

8.12.2005: Bad Reporter, a comic created by Don Asmussen, goes into syndication following a two-year stint in the San Francisco Chronicle.

 

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century A.D.

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.