Notable events of 1939 in comics.

Events and publications

January

* ''

Ace Comics ''Ace Comics'' was a comic book series published by David McKay Publications between 1937 and 1949 — starting just before the Golden Age of Comic Books. The title reprinted syndicated newspaper strips owned by King Features Syndicate, followi ...

'' (

1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Feb ...

series) #22 –

David McKay Publications David McKay Publications (also known as David McKay Company) was an American book publisher which also published some of the first comic books, including the long-running titles ''Ace Comics'', ''King Comics'', and '' Magic Comics''; as well as ...

* ''

Action Comics ''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/Comic anthology, magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as Detective Comics Inc., which later merged into National ...

'' (

1938 Events January * January 1 – state-owned enterprise, State-owned railway networks are created by merger, in France (SNCF) and the Netherlands (Nederlandse Spoorwegen – NS). * January 20 – King Farouk of Egypt marries Saf ...

series) #8 –

National Allied Publications National Comics Publications (NCP; later known as National Periodical Publications Inc. or simply National) was an American comic book publishing company. It was the direct predecessor of modern-day DC Comics. History The corporation was origin ...

* ''

Adventure Comics ''Adventure Comics'' is an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1938 to 1983 and revived from 2009 to 2011. In its first era, the series ran for 503 issues (472 of those after the title changed from ''New Adventure Comics''), ...

'' (

series) #34 –

* '' Amazing Mystery Funnies'' (

series) #5 –

Centaur Publications Centaur Publications (also known as Centaur Comics) was one of the earliest American comic book publishers. During their short existence, they created several colorful characters, including Bill Everett's Amazing-Man (Centaur Publications), Amazi ...

* ''

Detective Comics ''Detective Comics'' (later retitled as ''Batman Detective Comics'') is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is ...

'' (

series) #23 –

* ''

Feature Funnies ''Feature Comics'', originally ''Feature Funnies'', was an American comic book anthology series published by Quality Comics from 1939 until 1950, that featured short stories in the humor genre and later the superhero genre. Publication history ...

'' (

series) #16 – Comic Favorites, Inc. * ''Funny Picture Stories'' (1939 series) #1 -

* ''

More Fun Comics ''More Fun Comics'', originally titled ''New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine'',''New Fun'' #v1#1 (Feb. 1935 ...

'' (

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...

series) #39 –

National Periodical Publications National Comics Publications (NCP; later known as National Periodical Publications Inc. or simply National) was an American comic book publishing company. It was the direct predecessor of modern-day DC Comics. History The corporation was origin ...

* ''Star Ranger Funnies'' (1939 series) #1 -

February

* ''

'' #23 –

* ''

'' #9 –

* ''

'' #35 –

* '' Amazing Mystery Funnies'' #6 –

* ''

'' #24 –

* ''

'' #17 – Comic Favorites, Inc. * ''Funny Pages'' (1939 series) #1 (24) -

* ''

More Fun Comics ''More Fun Comics'', originally titled ''New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine'',''New Fun'' #v1#1 (Feb. 1935 ...

'' #40 –

* ''Star Comics'' (1939 series) #1 -

March

* 15 March:

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

files a lawsuit against

Fox Feature Syndicate Fox Feature Syndicate (also known as Fox Comics, Fox Publications, and Bruns Publications, Inc.) was a comic book publisher from early in the period known to fans and historians as the Golden Age of Comic Books. Founded by entrepreneur Victor S. ...

for copyright infringement of

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

by Fox’s character Wonder Man first appearing in Wonder Comics #1 (May 1939). In 1940 DC won the suit and Fox was forced to stop using the Wonder Man character. He only appeared in Wonder Comics #1. In 1964

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

would introduce their

Wonder Man Wonder Man (Simon Williams) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in '' The Avengers'' #9 (October 1964). The character, wh ...

with no association with Fox’s character. * ''

'' #24 –

* ''

'' #10 –

* ''

'' #36 –

* '' Amazing Mystery Funnies'' #7 –

* ''

'' #25 –

* ''

'' #18 – Comic Favorites, Inc. * ''Funny Pages'' (1939 series) #2 (25) -

* ''Funny Picture Stories'' (1939 series) #2 -

* ''

More Fun Comics ''More Fun Comics'', originally titled ''New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine'',''New Fun'' #v1#1 (Feb. 1935 ...

'' #41 –

* ''Star Comics'' (1939 series) #2 -

April

* ''

'' #25 –

* ''

'' #11 –

* ''

'' #37 –

* ''

All-American Comics ''All-American Comics'' is a comics anthology and the flagship title of comic book publisher All-American Publications, one of the forerunners of DC Comics. It ran for 102 issues from 1939 to 1948. Characters created for the title, including Gree ...

'' #1 –

All-American Publications All-American Publications, Inc.The name is spelled with a hyphen per its logo (pictured) and sources includinat Don Markstein's ToonopediaArchivedfrom the original on April 15, 2012. was one of two American comic book companies that merged to fo ...

* '' Amazing Mystery Funnies'' #8 –

* ''

'' #26 –

* ''

'' #19 – Comic Favorites, Inc. * ''Funny Pages'' (1939 series) #3 (26) -

* ''

More Fun Comics ''More Fun Comics'', originally titled ''New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine'',''New Fun'' #v1#1 (Feb. 1935 ...

'' #42 –

* ''Movie Comics'' (1939 series) #1 –

* ''Star Comics'' (1939 series) #3 -

* ''Star Ranger Funnies'' (1939 series) #2 -

May

* May 20: In

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), ''Mickey Mouse'' comic strip, which he worked on from 1930 until his retirement in 1975. His contri ...

's ''Mickey Mouse'' comic strip the villain

Phantom Blot The Mickey Mouse universe is a fictional universe, fictional shared universe which is the setting for stories involving The Walt Disney Company, Disney cartoon characters, including Mickey Mouse, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Donald and ...

and the policeman Chief O'Hara make their debut; in the story ''Outwits the Phantom Blot.'' *''

'' #26 –

* ''

'' #12 –

* ''

'' #38 –

* ''

'' #2 –

* '' Amazing Mystery Funnies'' #9 –

* ''

'' #27 –

– First appearance of

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

* ''

'' #20 – Comic Favorites, Inc. * ''Funny Picture Stories'' (1939 series) #3 -

, Final Issue * ''

More Fun Comics ''More Fun Comics'', originally titled ''New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine'',''New Fun'' #v1#1 (Feb. 1935 ...

'' #43 –

* ''Movie Comics'' #2 –

* ''Star Comics'' (1939 series) #4 -

* ''Wonder Comics'' #1 -

June

* ''

'' #27 –

* ''

'' #13 –

* ''

'' #39 –

* ''

'' #3 –

* '' Amazing Mystery Funnies'' #10 –

* ''

'' #28 –

* ''

Feature Comics ''Feature Comics'', originally ''Feature Funnies'', was an American comic book anthology series published by Quality Comics from 1939 until 1950, that featured short stories in the humor genre and later the superhero genre. Publication history ...

'' (previously ''

'') #21 –

Quality Comics Quality Comics was an American comic book publishing Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, ...

* ''Funny Pages'' (1939 series) #4 (27) -

* ''

More Fun Comics ''More Fun Comics'', originally titled ''New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine'',''New Fun'' #v1#1 (Feb. 1935 ...

'' #44 –

* ''Movie Comics'' #3 –

* ''Star Comics'' (1939 series) #5 -

* ''Star Ranger Funnies'' (1939 series) #3 -

* ''

'' (1939 series) #1, cover dated Summer –

* ''Wonder Comics'' #2 -

July

* 1 July:

renames Wonder Comics to Wonderworld Comics starting with issue #3. * ''

'' #28 –

* ''

'' #14 –

* ''

'' #40 –

. In this issue

Gardner Fox Gardner Francis Cooper Fox (May 20, 1911 – December 24, 1986) was an American writer known best for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. He is estimated to have written more than 4,000 comics stories, including 1,500 for DC ...

, Bert Christman,

Ogden Whitney John Ogden Whitney (May 1, 1919 – August 13, 1975) was an American comic-book artist and sometime writer active from the 1930s–1940s Golden Age of comics through the 1960s Silver Age. He is best known as co-creator of the aviator hero Skym ...

and

Creig Flessel Creig Valentine Flessel (February 2, 1912 – July 17, 2008)Creig Valentine Flessel
at the U ...

's '' The Sandman'' makes his debut. * ''

'' #4 –

* '' Amazing Mystery Funnies'' #11 –

* ''

'' #29 –

. In this issue

introduces

Batman's utility belt Batman's utility belt is a feature of Batman, Batman's Batsuit, costume. Similar belt (clothing), belts are used by the various Robin (comics), Robins, Batgirl, and other members of the Bat-family. History Batman historian Les Daniels credits Gar ...

in ''

'' by

Bill Finger Milton "Bill" Finger (February 8, 1914 – ) was an American comic book writer who co-created the DC Comics character Batman with Bob Kane. Despite making major (sometimes, signature) contributions as an innovative writer, visionary mythos/world ...

and

Bob Kane Robert Kane ( Kahn ; October 24, 1915 – November 3, 1998) was an American comic book writer, animator, and artist who created Batman and many early related characters for DC Comics. He was inducted into the comic book industry's Jack Kirby ...

. * ''

'' #22 –

* ''Funny Pages'' (1939 series) #5 (28) -

* ''

More Fun Comics ''More Fun Comics'', originally titled ''New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine'',''New Fun'' #v1#1 (Feb. 1935 ...

'' #45 –

* ''Movie Comics'' #4 –

* ''Star Comics'' (1939 series) #6 -

* ''

The Magic Comic ''The Magic Comic'' was a British comics magazine. It was the ill-fated third comics magazine from DC Thomson (after ''The Beano'' and ''The Dandy''). It was aimed at a younger audience, with more emphasis on picture stories. The first issue w ...

'' #1 – D. C. Thomson & Co. * ''Wonderworld Comics'' #3 -

Will Eisner William Erwin Eisner ( ; March 6, 1917 – January 3, 2005) was an American cartoonist, writer, and entrepreneur. He was one of the earliest cartoonists to work in the American comic book industry, and his series '' The Spirit'' (1940–1952) wa ...

and

Jerry Iger Samuel Maxwell "Jerry" Iger (; August 22, 1903 – September 5, 1990) was an American cartoonist and art-studio entrepreneur. With business partner Will Eisner, he co-founded Eisner & Iger, a comic book packager that produced comics on demand ...

's '' The Flame'' makes his debut.

August

* ''

'' #29 –

* ''

'' #15 –

* ''

'' #41 –

* ''

'' #5 –

* '' Amazing Mystery Funnies'' #12 –

* ''

'' #30 –

* ''

'' #23 –

* ''Funny Pages'' (1939 series) #6 (29) -

* ''

More Fun Comics ''More Fun Comics'', originally titled ''New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine'',''New Fun'' #v1#1 (Feb. 1935 ...

'' #46 –

* ''Movie Comics'' #5 –

* ''

Mystery Men Comics ''Mystery Men Comics'' was an anthology American comic book series from the Golden Age of Comic Books published by Fox Feature Syndicate. The series was Fox's second title after the '' Wonderworld Comics'' series being first published in August 193 ...

'' #1 (1939 series) –

– First appearance of

Blue Beetle Blue Beetle is the name of three superheroes appearing in a number of American comic books published by a variety of companies since 1939. The most recent of the companies to own rights to Blue Beetle is DC Comics, which bought the rights to the ...

* ''Star Comics'' (1939 series) #7 -

, Final Issue * ''Star Ranger Funnies'' (1939 series) #4 -

* ''

Smash Comics ''Smash Comics'' is the title of an American Golden Age comic book anthology series, published by Quality Comics for 85 issues between 1939 and 1949. It became the series ''Lady Luck'' for #86-90 (Dec 1949–Aug 1950). ''Smash Comics'' had the ...

'' #1 (1939 series) –

* ''Wonderworld Comics'' #4 -

September

* Newspaper strip ''

Ben Bowyang ''Ben Bowyang'' was an Australian newspaper comic strip, first published in the ''The Herald (Melbourne), Melbourne Herald'' on Saturday, 7 October 1933, created by the cartoonist Alexander George Gurney, Alex Gurney, that followed the misadventu ...

'' by Alex Gurney begins publication * ''

'' #30 –

* ''

'' #16 –

* ''

'' #42 –

* ''

'' #6 –

* '' Amazing Man Comics'' (1939 series) #5 –

* '' Amazing Mystery Funnies'' #13 –

* ''

'' #31 –

. In this issue

introduces the

Batarang The batarang is a roughly bat-shaped throwing weapon used by the DC Comics superhero Batman. Etymology The name "Batarang" is a portmanteau of ''bat'' and ''boomerang'', and was originally spelled baterang. Usage Batarangs are customizable t ...

in ''

'' by

and

. * ''

'' #24 –

* ''

Four Color ''Four Color'', also known as ''Four Color Comics'' and ''Dell Four Color'', is an American comic book anthology series published by Dell Comics between 1939 and 1962. The title is a reference to the four basic colors used when printing comic ...

Series 1'' (1939 series) #1 –

Dell Publishing Dell Publishing Company, Inc. is an American publisher of books, magazines and comic books, that was founded in 1921 by George T. Delacorte Jr. with $10,000 (approx. $145,000 in 2021), two employees and one magazine title, ''I Confess'', and ...

** First comic-book appearance of

Dick Tracy ''Dick Tracy'' is an American comic strip featuring Dick Tracy, a tough and intelligent police detective created by Chester Gould. It made its debut on Sunday, October 4, 1931, in the '' Detroit Mirror'', and was distributed by the Chicago T ...

, who was already a popular feature in newspaper comics since 1931. *''Funny Pages'' (1939 series) #7 (30) -

* ''

More Fun Comics ''More Fun Comics'', originally titled ''New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine'',''New Fun'' #v1#1 (Feb. 1935 ...

'' #47 –

* ''Movie Comics'' #6 –

, Final Issue * ''

Mutt and Jeff ''Mutt and Jeff'' is a long-running and widely popular American newspaper comic strip created by cartoonist Bud Fisher in 1907 about "two mismatched wikt:tinhorn, tinhorns". It is commonly regarded as the first daily comic strip. The concept o ...

'' (1939 series) #1 –

* ''

'' #2 –

* ''

'' #2 –

* ''

'' #2, cover dated Fall –

* ''Wonderworld Comics'' No. 5 -

October

* October 15: Dorothy Urfer and Virginia Krausmann's '' Annibelle'' ends its run after a decade of publication. * October: Russell Keaton's ''

Flyin' Jenny ''Flyin' Jenny'' was an aviation adventure comic strip created by illustrator Russell Keaton and distributed to newspapers by Bell Syndicate from October 2, 1939, to July 20, 1946. Publication history Launched in October 1939, ''Flyin' Jenny' ...

'' makes its debut. It will run until 1946. * ''

'' #31 –

* ''

'' #17 –

* ''

'' #43 –

* ''

'' #7 –

* '' Amazing Man Comics'' #6 –

* '' Amazing Mystery Funnies'' #14 –

* ''

'' #32 –

* ''

'' #25 –

* ''

Series 1'' #2 –

* ''Funny Pages'' (1939 series) #8 (31) -

* ''

'' (becomes ''

Marvel Mystery Comics ''Marvel Mystery Comics'' (first issue titled simply ''Marvel Comics'') is an American comic book series published during the 1930s–1940s period known to fans and historians as the Golden Age of Comic Books. It was the first publication of Mar ...

'') (1939 series) #1 –

Timely Comics Timely Comics was the common name for the group of corporations that was the earliest comic book arm of American publisher Martin Goodman (publisher), Martin Goodman, and the entity that would evolve by the 1960s to become Marvel Comics. "Timely P ...

* ''

More Fun Comics ''More Fun Comics'', originally titled ''New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine'',''New Fun'' #v1#1 (Feb. 1935 ...

'' #48 –

* ''

'' #3 –

* ''

'' #3 –

* ''Star Ranger Funnies'' (1939 series) #5 -

* ''Wonderworld Comics'' #6 -

November

* ''

'' #32 –

* ''

'' #18 –

* ''

'' #44 –

* ''

'' #8 –

* '' Amazing Man Comics'' #7 –

* '' Amazing Mystery Funnies'' #15 –

* ''

'' #1 –

* ''

'' #33 –

* ''Double Action Comics'' #1 —

. Released only in New York City newsstands, ''Double Action Comics'' was most likely an " ashcan", a limited-run publication produced simply to register the title. It had a black-and-white cover, with the contents pulled from ''

'' No. 2. * ''

'' #26 –

* ''Funny Pages'' (1939 series) #9 (32) -

* ''

More Fun Comics ''More Fun Comics'', originally titled ''New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine'',''New Fun'' #v1#1 (Feb. 1935 ...

'' #49 –

* ''

'' #4 –

* ''

'' #4 –

* ''

'' #3 –

– Winter Issue * ''Wonderworld Comics'' #7 -

December

leaves the comics studio ''

Eisner & Iger Eisner & Iger was a comic book packager that produced comics on demand for publishers entering the new medium during the late-1930s and 1940s, a period fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books. Founded by Will Eisner and Jerry Ige ...

''. * ''

'' #33 –

* ''

'' #19 –

* ''

'' #45 –

* ''

'' #9 –

* '' Amazing Man Comics'' #8 –

* '' Amazing Mystery Funnies'' #16 –

* ''

'' #34 –

* ''Double Action Comics'' (1939 series) #1 –

(

ashcan copy An ashcan comic is a form of the American comic book created solely to establish trademarks on potential titles and not intended for sale. The practice was common in the 1930s and 1940s when the comic book industry was in its infancy, but was pha ...

, distributed only in New York City newsstands) * ''

Fantastic Comics ''Fantastic Comics'' was an American comic book superhero anthology title published by Fox Feature Syndicate during the Golden Age of Comic Books. The title introduced the characters Banshee, Black Fury (John Perry), Nagana, Queen of Evil, Samson ...

'' (1939 series) #1 -

* ''

'' #27 –

– In this issue

and

Lou Fine Louis Kenneth Fine (November 26, 1914 – July 24, 1971)Louis Fine
at the United States Doll Man Doll Man is a superhero first appearing in American comic books from the Golden Age of Comics, originally published by Quality Comics and currently part of the DC Comics universe of characters. Doll Man was created by cartoonist Will Eisner and ...

'' makes his debut. * ''Funny Pages'' (1939 series) #10 (33) -

* ''

'' (previously ''Marvel Comics'') #2 –

* ''

More Fun Comics ''More Fun Comics'', originally titled ''New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine'',''New Fun'' #v1#1 (Feb. 1935 ...

'' #50 –

* ''

'' #5 –

* ''

'' #5 –

* ''Wonderworld Comics'' #8 -

Specials

* '' New York World's Fair'' (1939 series) #1 –

* '' Mutt & Jeff'' (1939 series) #1 –

Specific date unknown

* The first episode of Arthur Warden's ''Tuffy and his Magic Tail'' is published. * Lev Gleason founds the comic book company

Lev Gleason Publications Lev Gleason Incorporated, formerly known as Lev Gleason Publishing, is a Canadian comic book company founded by Leverett Stone Gleason (1898–1971). They were the publisher of a number of popular comic books during the 1940s and early 1950s, incl ...

. * A boom year for the burgeoning American comic book industry, as

Archie Comics Archie Comic Publications, Inc. (often referred to simply as Archie Comics) is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the village of Pelham, New York. The company's many titles feature the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Jug ...

Fawcett Comics Fawcett Comics, a division of Fawcett Publications, was one of several successful comic book publishers during the Golden Age of Comic Books in the 1940s. Its most popular character was Captain Marvel, the alter ego of radio reporter Billy Bats ...

Nedor Comics Standard Comics was a comic book imprint (trade name), imprint of United States, American publisher Ned Pines, who also published pulp magazines (under a Thrilling Publications, variety of company names that he also used for the comics) and pape ...

, and

all begin publishing. * The Serbian comic strip ''

Zigomar ''Zigomar'' was a Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav Adventure (genre), adventure comic strip about the masked hero of the same name, created by artist Nikola Navojev and writer Branko Vidić. Zigomar appeared in six stories published in comic magaz ...

'' by writer Branko Vidić and artist Nikola Navojev begins publication.

Births

March

* March 27: Jo Teodorescu, Romanian illustrator and comics artist (''Aventurile profesului Parbriz''), (d.

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

April

* April 10:

Shinji Mizushima was a Japanese manga artist. He is best known for several baseball manga, such as '' Yakyū-kyō no Uta'', '' Dokaben'', and '' Abu-san''. He is a two-time recipient of the Shogakukan Manga Award. His works have been collected into more than ...

, Japanese manga artist (''

Yakyū-kyō no Uta is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Shinji Mizushima. It follows Yūki Mizuhara, a young woman who wants to do veterinary medicine at college but instead she became a baseball player. It was originally serialized in the ...

'', ''

Dokaben is a Japanese baseball manga series written and illustrated by Shinji Mizushima. The original series was serialized in Akita Shoten's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Champion'' from April 24, 1972, to March 27, 1981, but it ...

'', '' Abu-san''), (d.

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

Deaths

January

* January 18: Carl E. Schultze, American comics artist (''

Foxy Grandpa ''Foxy Grandpa'' was an American gag-a-day newspaper comic strip featuring an eponymous character, created by cartoonist Carl E. Schultze drawing under the name of "Bunny." The strip lasted from 1900 to circa 1918, and was at first hugely popula ...

''), dies at age 72. * January 20: Victor Bergdahl, Swedish animator and comics artist (''Kapten Grogg''), dies at age 60.

June

* June 28: Joz De Swerts, Belgian illustrator, political cartoonist and comics artist (worked for ''

Zonneland ''Zonneland'' is a Belgian Dutch-language youth magazine published by Averbode since 1920. A French version called ''Petits Belges'' also started in the same year. It changed its name to ''Tremplin'' in 1960. History and profile ''Zonneland'' wa ...

''), dies at age 49.

July

* July 4:

Louis Wain Louis William Wain (5 August 1860 – 4 July 1939) was an English artist best known for his drawings of anthropomorphised cats and kittens. Wain was born in Clerkenwell, London. In 1881 he sold his first drawing and the following year gave up ...

, British painter and illustrator (illustrations starring anthropomorphic cats), dies at age 78. * July 25: A.E. Hayward, American comics artist ('' Somebody's Stenog''), dies at age 55.

August

* August 14: T.E. Powers, American comics artist (''Our Moving Pictures'', ''Mr. Nobody Holme''), dies at the age of 69.

September

* September 8: Elie Smalhout, Dutch graphic artist, illustrator and comics artist (made

text comics Text comics or a text comic is a form of comics where the stories are told in Cartoon caption, captions below the images and without the use of speech balloons. It is the oldest form of comics and was especially dominant in European comics from t ...

for '' De Notenkraker''), dies at age 49. * September 23:

Frits Van den Berghe Frits Van den Berghe (3 April 1883 – 23 September 1939) was a Belgian Expressionism, expressionist and Surrealism, surrealist Painting, painter and illustrator. Biography He was born in Ghent, where his father was the Librarian at the Univers ...

, Belgian painter, illustrator and comic artist (''Jan Van Plan'', ''Pikkel en Duim'', ''Edmund Bell''), dies at age 56. * September 29: Luc Lafnet, aka Davine, Visnet, O. Lucas, Pol, Luc, Belgian-French comics artist (''Bizouk et Pélik'', ''Zizette'', assisted on ''

Spirou et Fantasio ''Spirou & Fantasio'' (), commonly shortened to ''Spirou'', is one of the most popular classic Franco-Belgian comics. The series, which has been running since 1938, shares many characteristics with other European comics, European humorous adventu ...

'', ''Bibor et Tribar''), dies at age 40 from pancreatic cancer.

October

* October 10:

Benjamin Rabier Benjamin Rabier (1864–1939) was a French illustrator, comic book artist and animator. He became famous for creating the logo for Laughing Cow Cheese ''(The Laughing Cow, La vache qui rit),'' and is one of the precursors of animal comics. His w ...

, French comics artist, illustrator, animator and advertising artist (''Gédéon'', ''Tintin-Lutin'', designed '' La Vache Qui Rit''), dies at age 74. * October 12: Llorenç Brunet i Forroll, Spanish caricaturist, painter and comics artist, dies at age 67. * October 18: Carl Olof Petersen, Swedish illustrator, painter and comics artist, dies at age 59.

November

* November 22:

Walter Hoban Walter C. Hoban (1890 - November 22, 1939) was an American cartoonist best known for his comic strip ''Jerry on the Job''. Born in Philadelphia, Hoban came from a newspaper family. His brother Edwin was with ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', and hi ...

, American comics artist (''

Jerry on the Job ''Jerry on the Job'' is a comic strip created by cartoonist Walter Hoban, set for much of its run in a railroad station. Syndicated by William Randolph Hearst's International Feature Service, it originally ran from 1913 to 1931. The strip had ...

''), dies at age 49.

December

* December 18:

Bruno Liljefors Bruno Andreas Liljefors (; 14 May 1860 – 18 December 1939) was a Swedish artist. He is perhaps best known for his nature and animal motifs, especially with dramatic situations. He was the most important and probably most influential Swedish wi ...

, Swedish painter and comics artist, dies at age 79.

Specific date unknown

* Paul Augros, French illustrator and comics artist, dies at age 58. * Louis de Lajarrige, French illustrator, painter, comics artist and writer, dies at age 66. * E. Nicolson, French illustrator and comics artist (''Les Aventures du Chien Brownie'', ''Bambochard et Trémolo''), dies at an unknown age.

First issues by title

*''

'' (April,

) *'' Amazing Man Comics'' (September,

) Issues No. 1 through 4 were not published. *'' Double Action Comics'' (December,

) The first issue was an

, published but not distributed or sold. *''

'' (December,

) *''

'' (

) *''

'' (October,

) *'' Movie Comics'' (April,

) *'' Mutt & Jeff'' (Summer,

) *''

'' (August,

) *'' New York World's Fair'' (

) *''

Silver Streak Comics Silver Streak is a fictional superhero character created by Joe Simon that first appeared in ''Silver Streak Comics'' #3 ( cover-dated March 1940), from Lev Gleason Publications.Archivedfrom the original on June 3, 2017. He is believed to be the s ...

'' (December, Rhoda Publications) *''

'' (August,

) *''Star Comics Volume 2'' (February,

) *''Star Ranger Funnies Volume 2'' (January,

) *''

'' (Summer,

) *''

'' (July, D. C. Thomson & Co.) *Wonder Comics (May,

)

Renamed titles

*''

'' renamed ''Feature Funnies'' as of the June cover date. *''

'' renamed ''

'' as of the December cover date. *Wonder Comics renamed Wonderworld Comics starting with issue #3 with a cover date of July.

Initial appearances by character name

Batman (Earth-Two) The Batman of Earth-Two is an alternate version of the superhero Batman, who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was introduced after DC Comics created Earth-Two, a parallel world that was retroactively establis ...

in ''

'' No. 27 (May), created by

and

, published by

Wallace "1930s" in Dolan, p. 24: "DC's second superstar debuted in the lead story of this issue, written by Bill Finger and drawn by Bob Kane, though the character was missing many of the elements that would make him a legend." *

Bozo the Iron Man Bozo the Iron Man is a fictional character, first appearing in Quality Comics series, ''Smash Comics'' #1 (Aug. 1939). The character's adventures were written and drawn by Quality Comics editor George Brenner, using the name "Wayne Reid". Publica ...

in ''

'' No. 1 (August), created by

George Brenner George E. Brenner (1913–1952) was an American cartoonist in the mid 20th-century. He created comics such as '' The Clock'', ''Bozo the Iron Man'', and ''711''. Brenner was first employed by the Comics Magazine Company before moving to Everett ...

, published by

. *

Commissioner Gordon James W. "Jim" Gordon Sr. is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, most commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane as an ally of Batman, the character debuted in the fir ...

in ''

'' No. 27 (May) created by

and

, published by National Allied Publications *

Dan Garret Daniel Garret, alternatively spelled "Garrett," is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Fox Comics, Holyoke Publishing, Charlton Comics, and DC Comics. Garret was created by Charles Wojtkoski, and made his first ...

(

) in ''

'' No. 1 (August), created by

Charles Nicholas "Charles Nicholas" is the pseudonymous house name of three early creators of American comic books for the Fox Feature Syndicate and Fox Comics: Chuck Cuidera (1915–2001), Jack Kirby (1917–1994), and Charles Wojtkoski (1921–1985). The name o ...

, published by

. *

Doctor Death (comics) Doctor Death (Dr. Karl Hellfern) is a supervillain appearing in publications by DC Comics, primarily as an enemy of Batman. Created by Gardner Fox and Bob Kane, he first appeared in ''Detective Comics'' #29 (July 1939). He is notable as the first ...

in ''

'' No. 29 (July), created by

, published by

Doll Girl Doll Girl is a fictional superhero from the Golden Age of Comics, originally published by Quality Comics and currently part of the of characters. She first appeared as Martha Roberts in '' Feature Comics'' #27 (December 1939) and as Doll Girl in ...

in ''

'' No. 27 (December), created by

, Published by

. *

Doll Man Doll Man is a superhero first appearing in American comic books from the Golden Age of Comics, originally published by Quality Comics and currently part of the DC Comics universe of characters. Doll Man was created by cartoonist Will Eisner and ...

in ''

'' No. 27 (December), created by

, Published by

. * Green Mask (Michael Shelby) in

No. 1 (August), created by Walter Frame, Published by

. *

Human Torch The Human Torch (Jonathan Lowell Spencer "Johnny" Storm) is a fictional superhero character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member of the Fantastic Four. He is writer Stan Lee's and ar ...

in ''

'' No. 1 (October) created by

Carl Burgos Carl Burgos ( ; born Max Finkelstein ; April 18, 1916 – March 1984 Note: Gives only month and year of death.) was an American comic book and advertising artist best known for creating the Human Torch (android), original Human Torch in ''Marvel ...

, published by

Invisible Hood The Invisible Hood is a fictional superhero in the DC Comics Universe. He was originally owned by Quality Comics, but was later acquired by DC Comics, along with other Quality characters. He first appeared in '' Smash Comics'' #1 (August 1939), ...

in ''

'' No. 1 (August), created by

Art Pinajian Arthur A. (Art) Pinajian was an Armenian American comic book writer.Pinajian entry
Lambiek Comi ...

, published by

. *''

Joe Chill Joe Chill is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of ...

'' in ''

'' No. 33 (November), created by

and

. *

Monk (comics) The Batman family enemies are a collection of supervillains appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. These characters are depicted as adversaries of the superhero Batman and his allies. Since Batman first appeared in ''Detectiv ...

in ''

'' No. 31 (September), created by

and

, published by

Namor The Sub-Mariner Namor McKenzie (), also known as the Sub-Mariner, is a Character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-artist Bill Everett for comic book packager Funnies Inc., the character first appea ...

in ''Marvel Comics #1'' (October) created by

Bill Everett William Blake Everett (; May 18, 1917 – February 27, 1973) was an American comic book writer-artist best known for creating Namor the Sub-Mariner as well as co-creating Zombie (comics), Zombie and Daredevil (Marvel Comics character), Daredevil ...

, published by

* Samson in

#1 (December) created by

and

Alex Blum Alexander Anthony Blum (February 7, 1889 – September 1969) was a Hungarian-American comic book artist best remembered for his contributions in the 1940s and 1950s to the long-running comic book series ''Classics Illustrated''. Biography Born ...

Sandman (Wesley Dodds) } The Sandman (Wesley Bernard "Wes" Dodds) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first of several DC characters to bear the name Sandman (DC Comics), Sandman, he was created by writer Gardner Fox and artist ...

in ''

New York World's Fair Comics ''World's Finest Comics'' is an American comic book series published by DC Comics from 1941 to 1986. The series was initially titled ''World's Best Comics'' for its first issue; issue #2 (Summer 1941) switched to the more familiar name. Michael E ...

'' No. 1, created by

and Bert Christman, published by National Periodical Publications. * The Flame (Gary Preston) in Wonderworld Comics No. 3 created by

and

Lou Fine Louis Kenneth Fine (November 26, 1914 – July 24, 1971)Louis Fine
at the United States Fox Feature Syndicate Fox Feature Syndicate (also known as Fox Comics, Fox Publications, and Bruns Publications, Inc.) was a comic book publisher from early in the period known to fans and historians as the Golden Age of Comic Books. Founded by entrepreneur Victor S. ...

. *

Ultra-Humanite Ultra-Humanite (Gerard Shugel) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He first appeared as a recurring adversary of Superman, and was among the first villains faced by him. He was designed to be the polar oppos ...

in ''

'' No. 13 (June), created by

Jerry Siegel Jerome "Jerry" Siegel ( ; October 17, 1914 – January 28, 1996) Roger Stern. ''Superman: Sunday Classics: 1939–1943'' DC Comics/ Kitchen Sink Press, Inc./ Sterling Publishing; 2006 was an American comic book writer. He was the co-creator of ...

and

Joe Shuster Joseph Shuster ( ; July 10, 1914 – July 30, 1992) was a Canadian-American comic book artist best known for co-creating the DC Comics character Superman, with Jerry Siegel, in ''Action Comics'' #1 ( cover-dated June 1938). Shuster was involv ...

, published by National Periodical Publications. * Ultra-Man in ''

'' No. 8 (November), created by

Jon L. Blummer Jon is a shortened form of the common given name Jonathan, derived from "YHWH has given". The name is spelled Jón in Iceland and on the Faroe Islands. In the Nordic countries, it is derived from Johannes. Notable people * Jon Aaraas (born 198 ...

, published by National Periodical Publications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1939 In Comics