Notable events of 1999 in comics.

Events and publications

WildStorm Wildstorm Productions (stylized as WildStorm) is an American comic book imprint. Originally founded as an independent company established by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi to publish through Image Comics, Wildstorm became a publishing imprint of DC C ...

founded the America's Best Comics imprint * Kitchen Sink Press collapses * '' The Sandman: The Dream Hunters,'' novel tangential to '' The Sandman'' series, written by

Neil Gaiman Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...

and illustrated by

Yoshitaka Amano is a Japanese visual artist, character designer, illustrator, a scenic designer for theatre and film, and a costume designer. He began his career in 1967 at Tatsunoko Production working on anime such as '' Speed Racer'' and later became the c ...

(

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...

). * In ''

The Forward ''The Forward'' (), formerly known as ''The Jewish Daily Forward'', is an American news media organization for a Jewish American audience. Founded in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily socialist newspaper, ''The New York Times'' reported that Set ...

'', '' The Jew of New York'' by Ben Katchor is serialized. * In ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', '' Gemma Bovery'', by Posy Simmonds, is serialized. * ''La settima congrega'' (The seventh congregation) by Elena de Grimani, self-published; debut of

Rigel Rigel is a blue supergiant star in the constellation of Orion. It has the Bayer designation β Orionis, which is Latinized to Beta Orionis and abbreviated Beta Ori or β Ori. Rigel is the brightest and most massive componentand ...

. * In the Korean magazine ''Monthly Junior Champ'', debut of the series '' Threads of Time,'' by Mi-young Noh. * In Canada, ''

Louis Riel Louis Riel (; ; 22 October 1844 – 16 November 1885) was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political leader of the Métis in Canada, Métis people. He led two resistance movements against the Government of ...

'' by Chester Brown ( Drawn & Quarterly) * The final episode of Angus McGill and Dominic Poelsma's ''Clive'' is published.

January

* January 12: in ''

Topolino ''Topolino'' (from the Italian language, Italian name for Mickey Mouse) is an Italian digest-sized comic series featuring Disney comics. The series has had a long running history, first appearing in 1932 as a comics magazine. Since 2013, it has ...

'' 2250, ''Topolino e la pietra di Sbilenque'' (The Silenque stone) by Giorgio Pezzin and Massimo De Vita, first episode of ''Tops Stories.'' The series, set in the Thirties, tells the adventures, in

Indiana Jones ''Indiana Jones'' is an American media franchise consisting of five films and a prequel television series, along with games, comics, and tie-in novels, that depicts the adventures of Indiana Jones (character), Dr. Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, ...

style, of Top de Tops, an English uncle of

Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is an American cartoon character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime icon and mascot of the Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red shorts, large shoes, and white ...

. * January 13: ''Destiny free'', by

Dan Brereton Daniel Alan Brereton (born November 22, San Francisco Bay Area) is an American writer and illustrator who has produced notable work in the comic book field. Biography Early life Dan Brereton attended the California College of the Arts and the Ac ...

and Joe Bennet, first episode of the Buffy's trilogy '' The origin''. * January 26: Belgian comic artist Marc Sleen is knighted by Albert II of Belgium. * January 22: in the Dutch magazine ''Donald Duck'', ''Pawns of the loup garou'' by Daan Jippes and Carl Barks; the Barks’ script had been already published in 1967, with Tony Strobl’s drawings. * January 29: Dutch cartoonist Stefan Verwey wins the ''Inktspotprijs'' for ''Best Political Cartoon''. He won the award the year before too. *

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 ...

completes the takeover of

. * '' Batman: No Man's Land'' storyline begins. * First issue of ''

Birds of prey Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as (although not the same as) raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively predation, hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and smaller birds). In addition to speed ...

'' (DC Comics) * '' Aliens: Apocalypse - The Destroying Angels'' by Mark Schultz and Doug Wheatley (

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, manga and Artist's book, art book publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon, by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, O ...

) * '' Top secret'' by William Vance and Jean Van Hamme.

February

* February 3: Dominique Bussereau hosts an official debate in Paris to determine whether the comic strip ''

The Adventures of Tintin ''The Adventures of Tintin'' ( ) is a series of 24 comic albums created by Belgians, Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, who wrote under the pen name Hergé. The series was one of the most popular European comics of the 20th century. By 2007, a c ...

'' by

Hergé Georges Prosper Remi (; 22 May 1907 – 3 March 1983), known by the pen name Hergé ( ; ), from the French pronunciation of his reversed initials ''RG'', was a Belgian comic strip artist. He is best known for creating ''The Adventures of T ...

was

right-wing Right-wing politics is the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position based on natural law, economics, authority, property ...

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...

? The debaters are unable to reach a determined conclusion. * February 2: In ''

'', ''Il grande splash'' by Silvia Ziche begins. It's a parodic detective story in 14 episodes, where the characters of the

Duck universe The Donald Duck universe is a fictional shared universe which is the setting of stories involving Disney cartoon character Donald Duck, as well as Daisy Duck, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, Scrooge McDuck, and many other characters. Life in the Donal ...

must discover the thief of Uncle Scrooge’s patrimony. * ''...et mourir'' by Jean Van Hamme and Philippe Francq, 10th episode of the series ''

Largo Winch ''Largo Winch'' is a Belgian comic book series by Philippe Francq and Jean Van Hamme, published by Dupuis. It started as a series of novels by Van Hamme in the late 1970s, but stopped due to a lack of success and the huge amount of work Van Hamme ...

''.

March

* March 4: in the Danish magazine ''Anders and co''., '' The Dutchman's Secret'' by

Don Rosa Keno Don Hugo Rosa (), known as Don Rosa (born June 29, 1951), is an American comic book writer and illustrator known for his comics about Scrooge McDuck and other Disney comics, Disney characters. Many of his stories are built on characters an ...

. * March 17: ''

Dark Horse Presents ''Dark Horse Presents'' was a comic book published by Dark Horse Comics from 1986 in comics, 1986. Their first published series, it was their flagship title until its September 2000 in comics, 2000 cancellation. The second incarnation was publishe ...

'' n. 141: special issue entirely dedicated to the Buffy Comics. * '' The Incredible Hulk'' (

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

series) is canceled by Marvel with issue #474. * ''Empire dramas'', first album of the series '' The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen,'' by

Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', Swamp Thing (comic book), ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman: The Killing Joke' ...

and Kevin O’Neill (WildStorm). * First issue of the parodic series '' Vext'', by

Keith Giffen Keith Ian Giffen (November 30, 1952 – October 9, 2023) was an American comics artist and writer. He was known for his work for DC Comics on their ''Legion of Super-Heroes'' and ''Justice League'' titles as well as for being the co-creator of ...

and Mike McKone, with the god of misfortune as protagonist (

). It's suspended after just six issues for insufficient sales. * ''

Batman beyond ''Batman Beyond'' (also known as ''Batman of the Future'' in Europe) is an American superhero animated television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman, and serving as the sequel to both '' Batman: The Animated Series'' and '' The New Ba ...

'', by Hilary J. Bader and Rick Burchett, comics version of the

animated series An animated series, or a cartoon series, is a set of Animation, animated films with a common title, usually related to one another. These episodes typically share the same main heroes, some different secondary characters and a basic theme. Series ...

. * First issue of the limited series '' The Trenchcoat Brigade'', by John Ney Rieber and John Ridgway (

Vertigo Comics DC Vertigo, also known as Vertigo Comics or simply Vertigo, is an Imprint (trade name), imprint of the American comic book publisher DC Comics. Vertigo publishes comics with adult comics, adult content, such as nudity, drug use, profanity, and ...

) and ''

Earth X ''Earth X'' is a 1999 comic book Limited series (comics), limited series published by American company Marvel Comics. ''Earth X'' was written by Jim Krueger with art by John Paul Leon. Based on Alex Ross' notes, the series features a dystopian v ...

'', by Jim Krueger and

John Paul Leon John Paul Leon (April 26, 1972 – May 2, 2021) was an American comic book artist, known for his work on the Milestone Comics series '' Static'', and the Marvel Comics limited series '' Earth X''. Leon also provided artwork for a number of sty ...

(

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 ...

). * In '' America's Best Comics preview'' (WildStorm), Tom Strong, by

and Chris Sprouse, makes his debut.

April

* April 4: The Dutch comics magazine '' Sjosji Striparazzi'' which changed its name into ''Striparazzi'', publishes its final issue, marking the end of a long history under many different names. * April 14: The Belgian comics magazine '' Spirou'' (''Robbedoes'' in Dutch) brings out a special issue: all the pages of issue #3183 are illustrated by one and the same artist: Philippe Bercovici. * '' The Boondocks'' by Aaron McGruder makes its debut In ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

''; previously, the strip had appeared only on amatorial magazines. * '' The Final Cut'' by Andi Watson and Cliff Richards (

) * ''L’isola misteriosa'' by Federico Memola and Teresa Marzia; debut of Jonathan Steele (

Sergio Bonelli Editore Sergio Bonelli Editore (formerly CEPIM and other names) is a publishing house of Italian comics founded in 1940 by Giulio Chio (2015–present). It takes its name from its former president, comic book writer Sergio Bonelli (1932–2011), son of G ...

) * ''Arachnea'', by Jean Van Hamme and

Grzegorz Rosiński Grzegorz Rosiński (Polish: ; born 3 August 1941) is a Polish comic book artist, illustrator and painter. He is best known for providing the artwork for the series '' Thorgal''. His other notable work includes art drawn in the '' Hans'' and '' C ...

, 14th album of the Thorgal series (

Le Lombard Le Lombard (), known as Les Éditions du Lombard () until 1989, is a Belgian comic book publisher established in 1946 when '' Tintin'' magazine was launched. Le Lombard became part of Média-Participations since 1986, alongside publishers Darg ...

)

May

* May 5–28: ''Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace'' by Henry Gilroy (

) * '' Anarky'', vol. 2 -

* In the

DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the shared universe in which most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. In context, the term "DC Universe" usually refers to the main DC Continuity (fiction), continuity. It contains v ...

, the crossover ''

The Justice Society Returns "The Justice Society Returns" is a nine issue story arc that ran through a number of comic books published by DC Comics in 1999, reviving the Golden Age of Comic Books, Golden Age superhero team, which had previously been revived in the 1980s. P ...

'' begins. * First issue of The Authority by

Warren Ellis Warren Girard Ellis (born 16 February 1968) is an English comic book writer, novelist, and screenwriter. He is best known as the co-creator of several original comics series, including ''Transmetropolitan'' (1997–2002), ''Global Frequency'' ...

and

Bryan Hitch Bryan Hitch (born 22 April 1970) is a British comics artist and comic book writer, writer. Hitch began his career in the United Kingdom for Marvel UK, working on titles such as ''Action Force'' and ''Death's Head'', before gaining prominence o ...

(WildStorm) * In ''

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The concept is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film, also written by Whedon, a ...

'', the story arc '' Bad Blood'' begins. * ''Anderville'' by Tito Faraci and Giorgio Cavazzano, first album of '' MM Mickey Mouse Mystery Magazine'' (Walt Disney Italia)

June

* June 4: first album of ''Gea'' by Luca Enoch ( Sergio Bonelli), fantasy miniseries in an anarchist and feminist key. * June 18: The '' Agent 327'' story ''Dossier Minimum Bug'' is presented to the public. It's the smallest comic book ever, being only 2,6 x 3,7 cm. A year later it lands its author, Martin Lodewijk, an official entry in the

Guinness Book of Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

. * June 26: Alex Raymond's '' Rip Kirby'' (drawn by John Prentice since 1956) is concluded after 53 years of continuous syndication. * In '' Elseworlds 80-Page Giant'', '' Letitia Lerner, Superman's Babysitter'' by Kyle Baker (

) * '' Cruel and unusual'' by Jamie Delano, Tom Peyer and John McCrea (

) * '' Hell and back'' by Frank Miller (

Dark Horse A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person, team or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, that is unlikely to succeed but has a fighting chance, unlike the underdog who is exp ...

) * '' The Goon'' by Eric Powell make its debut with a preview in ''Avatar Illustrated'' (

Avatar Press Avatar Press is an independent American comic book publisher founded in 1996 by William A. Christensen, and based in Rantoul, Illinois. It was originally known for publishing bad girl comics, such as ''Pandora'', ''Hellina'', ''Lookers'', ''The ...

)

July

* July 1: James Sanchez begins publishing the webcomic '' Bigtime Consulting.'' * July 3: Graeme MacKay's newspaper comic ''Gridlock'' makes its debut. It will run until 2003. * July 16: Words & Pictures Museum of Fine Sequential Art closes its doors to the public, becoming the Virtual Words & Pictures Museum. * July 28:

André Franquin André Franquin (; 3 January 1924 – 5 January 1997) was an influential Belgian comics artist, whose best-known creations are ''Gaston (comics), Gaston'' and ''Marsupilami''. He also produced the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' comic strip from 1946 to ...

's heirs and copyright holders win the trial against the

Walt Disney Animation Studios Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that produces animated feature films and short films for the Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a s ...

over their animated TV series version of Franquin's comics character

Marsupilami ''Marsupilami'' is a comic book character and fictional animal species created by André Franquin. Its first appearance was in the 31 January 1952 issue of the Franco-Belgian comics magazine '' Spirou''. Since then it appeared regularly in th ...

, citing breaches of its license contract: Disney had failed to produce thirteen half-hour episodes (instead producing six to eight minute shorts) or use its "best efforts" to secure a commitment from a network to air the show, and it launched its marketing campaign during a time when the show was not being broadcast. Marsu also accused Disney of fraudulent concealment; the judge noted that Disney had decided to not devote sufficient resources to the Marsupilami project, and had concealed this fact from Marsu. Disney pays back the damage and hands the rights to the series back to Franquin's company

Marsu Productions Marsu Productions is a comics publishing house which mainly manages the Franco-Belgian comics characters and copyright concerns of the comics universe of André Franquin (Marsupilami, Gaston Lagaffe, Le Petit Noël, Les Monstres). The company ...

August

* August 4: first issue of '' Tomorrow Stories'', ideated by

(WildStorm) * '' 100 Bullets'', by

Brian Azzarello Brian Azzarello (born August 11, 1962) is an American comic book writer and screenwriter who first came to prominence with the hardboiled crime series ''100 Bullets'', published by DC Comics' mature-audience imprint Vertigo (DC Comics), Vertigo. ...

and Eduardo Risso, debuts under the

imprint (cover date). * In the

, the crossover Day of Judgment begins. * ''Black hills'' by Yves Swolfs and Marc-Renier. * ''L’eterno riposo'', (The eternal rest) 11th episode of '' Julia'' series, by Sergio Toppi and Giancarlo Berardi (

Sergio Bonelli editore Sergio Bonelli Editore (formerly CEPIM and other names) is a publishing house of Italian comics founded in 1940 by Giulio Chio (2015–present). It takes its name from its former president, comic book writer Sergio Bonelli (1932–2011), son of G ...

)

September

* September 6: first strip of Get Fuzzy, by Darby Conley. * First issue of Top 10, by

and

Gene Ha Gene Ha is an Americans, American comics artist and writer best known for his work on books such as ''Top 10 (comics), Top 10'' and ''Top 10: The Forty-Niners'', with Alan Moore and Zander Cannon, for America's Best Comics, the Batman graphic nove ...

(WildStorm) * ''Vent’anni dopo'' (Twenty years later) – by Luigi Mignacco, Roberto Diso and Oreste Suarez ( Sergio Bonelli); first apparition of Jerome Drake, father of Mister No.

October

* October 3: The first episode of the '' Uncle Scrooge'' story ''The Coin'' by

is serialized in '' Picsou Magazine''. The story had been realized years ago for Egmont, but was rejected by the editor. * October 9–10: During the Stripdagen in

Den Bosch s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 160,783. It is the capital of ...

Peter de Wit receives the Stripschapprijs.

Kees Kousemaker Galerie Lambiek is a Dutch direct market, comic book store and art gallery in Amsterdam, founded on November 8, 1968 by Kees Kousemaker (, – Bussum, ). His son Boris Kousemaker has been the owner since 2007. From 1968 to 2015, it was loc ...

, founder of Amsterdam comics store

Lambiek Galerie Lambiek is a Dutch comic book store and art gallery in Amsterdam, founded on November 8, 1968 by Kees Kousemaker (, – Bussum Bussum () is a commuter town and former municipality in the Gooi region in the south east of the prov ...

, wins the P. Hans Frankfurther Prijs. * October 21: in the Dutch magazine ''Donald Duck'', ''Wailing Whalers'', drawn by Daan Jippes on a 1972 script by Carl Barks. * First issue of the limited series L. A. W. by

Bob Layton Bob Layton (born September 25, 1953) is an American comic book artist, writer, and editor. He is best known for his work on Marvel Comics titles such as ''Iron Man (comic book), Iron Man'' and ''Hercules (Marvel Comics), Hercules'', and for co-fo ...

and

Dick Giordano Richard Joseph Giordano (; July 20, 1932 – March 27, 2010) was an American comics artist and editor whose career included introducing Charlton Comics' "Action Heroes" stable of superheroes and serving as executive editor of DC Comics. Ear ...

(

) * ''Star Rats'' by Leo Ortolani, parody of ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...

'' ( Panini Comics) * ''Geronimo l’Apache'' by

Jean Giraud Jean Henri Gaston Giraud (; 8 May 1938 – 10 March 2012) was a French artist, cartoonist, and writer who worked in the Franco-Belgian comics, Franco-Belgian ''bandes dessinées'' (BD) tradition. Giraud garnered worldwide acclaim predomin ...

, 26th album of ''

Blueberry Blueberries are a widely distributed and widespread group of perennial flowering plants with blue or purple berries. They are classified in the section ''Cyanococcus'' with the genus ''Vaccinium''. Commercial blueberries—both wild (lowbush) ...

'' series (

Dargaud Société Dargaud (), doing business as Les Éditions Dargaud, is a publisher of Franco-Belgian comics series, headquartered in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. It was founded in 1936 by Georges Dargaud, publishing its first comics in 1943. ...

)

November

* November 1: The Dutch comics store

launches its online comics encyclopedia, nicknamed ''The Comiclopedia'', listing illustrated biographies of all possible comics artists and writers in existence. * November 10: ''Surrogates'', by Rushbutz R. Abejo and Dexter Villegas, first issue of '' Angel Classics'' (

). * November 10: in the Danish magazine ''Anders And & Co''., '' The Quest for Kalevala'' by

* '' Batman: Dark Victory'' by

Jeph Loeb Joseph "Jeph" Loeb III () is an American film and television writer, producer and comic book writer. Loeb was a producer/writer on the TV series ''Smallville (TV series), Smallville'' and ''Lost (2004 TV series), Lost'', writer for the films ''C ...

and Tim Sale (

) * '' Strange Adventures'' vol. 2, #1 -

* '' X-Men: Children of the Atom'' by Joe Casey and Steve Rude (

Marvel Marvel may refer to: Business * Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company ** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment ** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe ** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics ...

) * ''Le mal bleu'' by Jean Van Hamme and

, 25th album of the Thorgal series

December

* December 13: '' Uninvited guests'' by Andy Watson and Hector Gomez. *In the JLA series, the saga World War 3. begins (DC Comics) *'' Neil Gaiman's Midnight Days'' (

) * First issue of Spider-Man Unlimited Wizard edition. * '' X-Men: The Hidden Years'' by John Byrne and Tom Palmer (

) * '' Comix 2000'', album realized by 324 independent cartoonist from 29 different countries for the French editor '' L’association''. * First album of F''isietto & C. La Saga dei Pistis,'' satirical comic in

Sardinian language Sardinian or Sard ( , , , , or , ) is a Romance languages, Romance language spoken by the Sardinians on the Western Mediterranean island of Sardinia. The original character of the Sardinian language among the Romance idioms has long been know ...

, realized and auto published by the brothers Bruno and Paolo Tremolo.

Deaths

January

* January 15: Bozidar Veselinović, Serbian comics artist (''Dabisa''), dies at age 77. * January 23: Jaroslav Foglar, Czech novelist and comics writer ('' Rychlé šípy''), dies at age 91. * January 25: Jean-Gérard Imbar, French novelist, screenwriter and comics writer (''Le Polar de Renard'', ''Les Aventures de Protéo''), dies at age 54.

February

* February 3: Vin Sullivan, American comics artist (''Spike Spaulding'', ''Jibby Jones'', ''Bucks McKale'') and editor, dies at age 87."Vince Sullivan, Original DC Editor, Passes Away": DC Comics Press Release #177 (Feb. 10, 1999)
postsed at ''Sequential Tart''
/ref> * February 26: John L. Goldwater, American comics publisher, co-founder and long-time editor-of-chief of

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 ...

, dies at age 83.

March

* March 8:

Giovan Battista Carpi Giovan Battista Carpi (; November 16, 1927 – March 8, 1999) was a prolific Italian comics artist, illustrator, and teacher from Genoa. Carpi worked mainly for Disney comics, mostly on books featuring Donald Duck and Scrooge McDuck, although ...

, Italian comics artist ( Disney comics, Rolf Kauka comics), dies at age 71. * March 12:

Lee Falk Lee Falk (), born Leon Harrison Gross (; April 28, 1911 – March 13, 1999), was an American cartoonist, writer, theater director, and producer, best known as the creator of the comic strips ''Mandrake the Magician'' and ''The Phantom''. At the ...

, American comics writer and artist (''

The Phantom ''The Phantom'' is an American adventure comic strip, first published by Lee Falk in February 1936. The main character, the Phantom, is a fictional costumed crime-fighter who operates from the fictional African country of Bangalla. The char ...

'', ''

Mandrake the Magician ''Mandrake the Magician'' is a Comic strip syndication, syndicated newspaper comic strip, created by Lee Falk before he created ''The Phantom''.Ron Goulart, ''The Encyclopedia of American Comics''. New York: Facts on File, 1990. . pp. 91, 249 ...

''), dies at age 88. * March 14: John Broome, American comic book writer (

, '' Flash'', ''

Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...

''), dies at age 85.

April

* April 3: Kay Wright, American animator, TV producer and comics artist ('' Disney comics'', ''

Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ; formerly known as H-B Enterprises, Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. and H-B Production Co.), simply and commonly known as Hanna-Barbera, was an American animation studio and production company, which was acti ...

'' comics), dies at age 79. * April 6: Charles Okerbloom, American comics artist (continued ''Radiomania''), dies at age 90. * April 10: Cliff Roberts, American photographer, cartoonist, animator and comics artist (''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational television, educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Worksh ...

'' comics), dies at age 69. * April 12: ** Ricardo Barreiro, Argentine comic book writer ('' Bárbara'', '' El Eternauta''), dies at age 49. ** Werner Büchi, Swiss caricaturist, illustrator and comics artist (continued '' Globi''), dies at age 83. * April 13: Filip van der Schalie, Dutch comics artist, radio producer and presenter (''Bollie Bof''), dies at age 75. * April 14: ** Arthur Beeman, American comics artist (''Homer Doodle'', ''Inferior Man'', ''Kidding the Kids'', ''Miss Winky'', ''Snappy'', ''Tommy Tinkle'', ''K.P. Jones'', ''Seein' Stars'', ''Those Were The Days''), dies at age 85. ** Vic Herman, American illustrator, designer, cartoonist, puppeteer, TV producer and comics artist ('' Little Dot'', ''Winnie the WAC'', worked for Harvey Comics, Parents' Magazine Press and Toby Press), dies at age 79. * April 16: Charles McKimson, aka Chuck McKimson, American comics artist and animator (

Roy Rogers Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye; November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998), nicknamed the King of the Cowboys, was an American singer, actor, television host, and Rodeo, rodeo performer. Following early work under his given name, first as a c ...

comic, comics for Dell Publishing), dies at age 84. * April 20: ** Berend Dam, Dutch comics artist (''De Avonturen van Bully Dog'', continued ''Pinkie Pienter''), dies at age 71. ** Tekin Aral, Turkish comics artist (''Tarzan ve Arap Kadri''), dies at age 57. * April 26: Raymond Reding, Belgian comics artist (''Jari'', ''Vincent Larcher''), dies at age 79.

May

* May 2: Jean-Paul Dethorey, French comics artist (''L' Inspecteur X'', ''Batistin et Big Boogie'', ''Louis La Guigne'', ''Coeur Brûlé''), dies at age 64. * May 12: Saul Steinberg, Romanian-American cartoonist, dies at age 84. * May 17: Henk Gijsbers, Dutch illustrator, political cartoonist and comics artist, dies at age 68. * May 23: John Prentice, American comics artist (continued '' Rip Kirby''), dies at age 78. * May 30: Paul S. Newman, American comics writer ('' Turok''), dies at age 75.

June

* June 11: Jan Wesseling, Dutch illustrator and comics artist (''Marion'', comics for

Marten Toonder Marten Toonder (2 May 1912 – 27 July 2005) was a Dutch comic strip creator. He was probably the most successful comic artist in the Netherlands and had a great influence on the Dutch language by introducing new words and expressions. He is most ...

studio, ''Cis en Soesie'', ''Joker''), dies at age 64. * June 13: Yasuji Tanioka, Japanese comics artist (''Nohohon-gotti''), dies at age 56. * June 15: John Glashan, Scottish painter, illustrator, playwright and comics artist (''

Genius Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for the future, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabiliti ...

''), dies at age 71.

July

* July 3: Wim van Wieringen, Dutch comics artist, caricaturist and photographer (''Simpelman''), dies at age 83. * July 14: Sal Trapani, American comics artist (co-creator of Nukla, worked for

, Gillmor Comics,

Charlton Comics Charlton Comics was an American comic-book publishing company that existed from 1945 to 1986, having begun under a different name: T. W. O. Charles Company, in 1940. It was based in Derby, Connecticut. The comic-book line (comics), line was a divi ...

Dell Comics Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1973. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium.Evanier, Mark"Wh ...

, Gold Key Comics, American Comics Group), dies at age 72. * July 28: Gustavo Trigo, Argentine comic artist (''La Guerra de los Antartes'', worked on '' Sgt. Kirk'', '' Dylan Dog'', '' Nick Raider'', ''Julia'', ''Blackjack''), dies at age 58.

August

* August 8: Yolanda Vargas Dulché, Mexican comics writer ('' Memín Pinguín''), died at age 73. * August 10: Henri Gillain, Belgian comics writer (''

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 ...

'', ''

Tif et Tondu ''Tif et Tondu'' (''Tif and Tondu'') is a Belgian comic strip about a duo of private investigators, originally created, written and drawn by Fernand Dineur. Several artists and writers have worked on the series but the most popular version is ...

''), dies at the age of 85-86. * August 13: John Geering, British comics artist ('' Puss 'n' Boots'', '' Smudge'' and '' Bananaman''), dies at age 58. * August 19: Arthur Pinajian, Armenian-American painter, comics writer and artist ('' Madame Fatal'', '' Invisible Hood''), dies at age 85. * August 27: Margaret Ahern, American comics artist (''Beano'', '' An Altar Boy Named Speck''), dies at age 78. * August 30: Raymond Poïvet, French comics artist ('' Les Pionniers de l'Espérance''), dies at age 89.

September

* September 14: Joel Beck, American underground cartoonist (''Lenny of Laredo'', ''Marching Marvin'', ''The Profit''), dies from complications from alcoholism at age 56. * September 17: ** Ray Helle, American comic artist (''The Flibbertys'', ''Box Seat'', ''Bible/Crostics'', ''Sam & Ellie'', ''Pet Parade'', ''Life with Lucky''), dies at age 82. ** Antal Szemere, Hungarian comics artist, dies at age 76. * September 29: Alfred J. Buescher, American comics artist (''Illustrated Sunday School Lesson'', ''Joe and Judy'', ''Eski''), dies at age 96. * September 30: Antoni Batllori Jofré, Spanish comics artist (published in ''TBO''), dies at age 84.

October

* October 29: Greg, Belgian comics artist and writer ('' Achille Talon'', '' Bernard Prince'', '' Comanche'', '' Bruno Brazil''), dies at age 68.

November

* November 2: Dick Turner, American comics artist (''Carnival'', ''Mr. Merryweather''), dies at age 90. * November 12: Guy Oulié, French comic artist (''Texas Bill''), dies at age 74. * November 14: ** Giorgio Bordini, Italian comics artist, animator and illustrator (''He and She'', Disney comics), dies at age 72. ** Jacky Pals, Belgian comics artist ( Studio Vandersteen, worked on '' Bessy''), dies at age 52 from

legionnaires' disease Legionnaires' disease is a form of atypical pneumonia caused by any species of ''Legionella'' bacteria, quite often ''Legionella pneumophila''. Signs and symptoms include cough, shortness of breath, high fever, myalgia, muscle pains, and headach ...

December

* December 1: Thornton Robyn Utz, American illustrator and comics artist (made pantomime comics for

The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine published six times a year. It was published weekly from 1897 until 1963, and then every other week until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely circulated and influ ...

), dies at age 85. * December 3: Péter Kuczka, Hungarian poet, editor, writer, comics writer and artist, dies at age 76. * December 5: Ruth Carroll, American illustrator and comic artist (continued ''Just Among Us Girls'' and ''The Pussycat Princess''), dies at age 100. * December 10: Al Stahl, American animator and comics artist (''Flatfoot Burns, Star Detective''), dies at age 83. * December 14: Jan Mintaraga, aka Suwalbiyanto Soemodihardjo, Indonesian comics artist (''Sebuah Noda Hitam''), dies at age 58 from lung cancer. * December 15: Rune Andréasson, Swedish comics artist ('' Bamse''), dies at age 74. * December 16: Marcel Remacle, Belgian comics artist (''Bobosse'', '' Le Vieux Nick et Barbe-Noire'', ''Hultrasson''), dies at age 73. * December 23: Captain Roscoe Fawcett, American comics writer (''Screen Oddities'', with Bud Thompson), dies at age 86. * December 24: Vic Neill, British comics artist ('' The McTickles'', '' Wee Ben Nevis'', '' Billy Whizz'', '' Tim Traveller'', ''Plug'', continued ''Mickey the Monkey''), dies at age 58. * December 27: Wilfred Limonious, Jamaican comics artist and illustrator (''Chicken'', ''Amos''), dies at age 50. * December 31: Roger Lécureux, French comics writer (''Les Pionniers de l' Espérance'', '' Rahan'') and chief editor of '' Vaillant''), dies at age 74.

Specific date unknown

* Erwin Hess, American comics artist (worked for

celebrity comics Celebrity comics are comics based on the fame and popularity of a celebrity.De Weyer, Geert, "België gestript",Standaard Uitgeverij, 2014. They are a byproduct of merchandising around a certain media star or franchise and have existed since the ma ...

based on

Gene Autry Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American actor, musician, singer, composer, rodeo performer, and baseball team owner, who largely gained fame by singing in a Crooner ...

), dies at age 86. * Doug Maxted, British-Australian comics artist (''Uncle Si'', ''The Family Next Door'', ''Pirate Pete'', ''Rollo of the Big Top'', ''Dick Weston, Star Reporter'', ''Big Rick Roland''), dies at age 84 or 85. * Helene Rother, German-American automotive designer and comic artist (''Jimmy Jupiter''), dies at age 90. * Juan Sarompas, Spanish comics artist (''Thomas, der Trommler'', ''Tex & Mex'', ''

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

'' comics), dies at age 55 or 56. * Jon St. Ables, British-Canadian comics artist ('' Brok Windsor''), dies at age 94. * George Wilson, American illustrator and comics artist, dies at age 77 or 78. * Bang Yeong-jin, South-Korean comics artist (''Yakdongi'', ''Yakdongiwa Yeongpali''), dies at age 59 or 60.

Conventions

* February 27–28: Alternative Press Expo (San Jose, California) * March 5–7: MegaCon (Orlando, Florida) * April 2–4: Comics 99 (Watershed Media Center and Swallow Royal, Bristol, England, U.K.) — first iteration of Comic Festival; 2,500 attendees; presentation of the National Comics Awards; guests include Phil Winslade,

Steve Pugh Steve Pugh ( ; born 24 March 1966) is a British comic book artist who has worked for American and British comic producers including DC Comics, DC, Marvel Comics, Marvel, Dark Horse Comics, Dark Horse and ''2000 AD (comic), 2000 AD''. He broke ...

, Steve Dillon, Scott Dunbier, Peter Hogan,

Grant Morrison Grant Morrison (born 31 January 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. Their work is known for its nonlinear narratives, Humanism, humanist philosophy and counterculture, countercultural leanings. Morrison has writt ...

Charlie Adlard Charles Adlard (born 4 August 1966) is a British comic book artist known for his work on books such as '' The Walking Dead'' and '' Savage''. Career Adlard began his work in the UK on ''White Death'' with Robbie Morrison and '' 2000 AD'' serie ...

, Kev F. Sutherland, Glenn Fabry, Metaphrog, Al Davison,

Dave Gibbons David Chester Gibbons (born 14 April 1949) is an English comics artist, writer and sometimes letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries ''Watchmen'' and the Superman story " For the M ...

, Bryan Talbot, Shelly Roeberg, Kyle Baker, John McCrea,

Rich Johnston Richard "Rich" Johnston is a British comics creator, columnist, and founder of the comics news site ''Bleeding Cool''. '' The Comics Journal'' described Johnston as having claimed to be "the oldest extant comics news reporter on the Internet. ...

Gary Spencer Millidge Gary Spencer Millidge (born 1961) is a British comic book creator best known for his series ''Strangehaven''. He has also written and contributed to books about comics. Biography In 1995 Millidge began his ''Strangehaven'' series and in the sam ...

, and Jamie Delano * April 16–18:

WonderCon WonderCon is an annual comic book, science fiction, and film fan convention, convention held in the San Francisco Bay Area (1987–2011), then—under the name WonderCon Anaheim—in Anaheim, California (2012–2015, 2017–present), and Wond ...

(Oakland Convention Center, Oakland, California) * April 23–25: Pittsburgh Comicon (Pittsburgh Expomart, Monroeville, Pennsylvania) — 7,500 attendees; guests include Martin Nodell, Alley Baggett, Lou Ferrigno, George Steele, and Steve Lieber * May 1–2, 1999: LuluCon III: "Comics are Books, Too!" ( Miyako Inn and Spa,

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, California) * May 7–9: New York Comic and Fantasy Creators Convention (Madison Square Garden Expo Center, New York City)—300 exhibitors, including

, Harris Comics, Crucial Comics, Visage Studios, and Wizard Entertainment; guests include Joe Simon and John Romita, Jr. * May 14–16: Motor City Comic Con I (Novi Expo Center, Novi, Michigan) * Summer: "Space CAPTION 99" (Oxford Union Society, Oxford, England) — guests include Bryan Talbot * June 18–20: Heroes Convention (Charlotte Convention Center, Charlotte, North Carolina) * July 1–4: Dragon Con (Hyatt Regency Atlanta/Atlanta Merchandise Mart/Atlanta Apparel Mart, Atlanta, Georgia)—19,000 attendees * July 9–11: Wizard World Chicago (Rosemont, Illinois) * August 13–16,

Comic-Con International San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fant ...

(San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, California)—42,000 attendees; special guests include Tom Batiuk, Chuck Cuidera, Samuel R. Delany, Paul Dini, Arnold Drake,

, Sam Glanzman, Larry Gonick,

Irwin Hasen Irwin Hasen (; July 8, 1918 – March 13, 2015) was an American cartoonist best known as the creator (with Gus Edson) of the ''Dondi'' comic strip. He also had a significant run on DC Comics' original Green Lantern, Alan Scott, in the 1940s as we ...

, Patrick McDonnell, Mike Mignola, Mark Mothersbaugh, Jerry Robinson,

Art Spiegelman Itzhak Avraham ben Zeev Spiegelman ( ; born February 15, 1948), professionally known as Art Spiegelman, is an American cartoonist, editor, and comics advocate best known for his graphic novel ''Maus''. His work as co-editor on the comics magazin ...

Jim Steranko James F. Steranko (; born November 5, 1938) is an American graphic artist, comics artist, comic book writer/artist, comics historian, Illusionist, magician, publisher and film production illustrator. His most famous comic book work was with th ...

, Jill Thompson, Bruce Timm, and Barry Windsor-Smith * August 27–29: Fan Expo Canada (Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada)—9,620 attendees; guests include Jeri Ryan,

Kevin Smith Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. He came to prominence with the low-budget buddy comedy film ''Clerks (film), Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted i ...

, Kenny Baker, Warwick Davis, Lou Ferrigno,

Joe Quesada Joseph Quesada (; born January 12, 1962'' Comics Buyer's Guide'' #1650; February 2009; page 107) is an American comic book artist, writer, editor, and television producer. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books, ...

, Michael Turner, Mark Waid,

Leinil Francis Yu Leinil Francis Yu (born 1977) is a People of the Philippines, Filipino comic book artist, who began working for the United States, American market through Wildstorm Productions. Career Leinil Francis Yu was first recognized after winning the ...

, Keu Cha, and C.B. Cebulski * September 16–19:

Small Press Expo The Small Press Expo (SPX) is an American alternative comics convention. A registered 501(c)(3) that was created in 1994, every year since its inception, SPX has put on a festival, known as The Expo, that provides a forum for artists, writers a ...

(SPX) / International Comics and Animation Festival (ICAF) (Holiday Inn Select, Bethesda, Maryland) — guests include Charles Burns,

Eddie Campbell Eddie Campbell (born 10 August 1955) is a British comics artist and cartoonist. He was the illustrator and publisher of '' From Hell'' (written by Alan Moore), and the creator of the semi-autobiographical ''Alec'' stories collected in ''Alec: ...

, Jeff Smith,

James Kochalka James Kochalka (born May 26, 1967, in Springfield, Vermont) is an American comic book artist, writer, animator, and rock and roll, rock musician. His comics are noted for their blending of the real and the surreal. Largely autobiographical, Ko ...

, Ellen Forney, Jessica Abel, Brian Biggs, Jordan Crane, Jason Lutes, Matt Madden, Steven Weissman, Jis & Trino; also held in conjunction with PACER, the Professional Association of Comics Entertainment Retailers. * October 23–24: Motor City Comic Con II (Detroit, Michigan) — guests include David W. Mack,

Tim Vigil Timothy B. Vigil () is an American Comic book creator, comic book artist known for horror comics, horror works, including the series ''Faust (comics), Faust'', which Vigil co-created with writer David Quinn (writer), David Quinn. The book's main ...

, David Quinn, Vincent Locke, Jill Thompson, Guy Davis, Mark Waid, Devin Grayson, and

William Messner-Loebs William Francis Messner-Loebs (; born William Francis Loebs Jr., February 19, 1949) is an Americans, American comics artist and writer from Michigan, also known as Bill Loebs and Bill Messner-Loebs. His hyphenated surname is a combination of his a ...

* November 12–14: National Comic Book, Comic Art, and Toy Show (New York City) * November 27–28: Mid-Ohio Con (Adam's Mark Hotel, Columbus, Ohio)

First issues by title

;'' 100 Bullets'' :''Release:'' August by

. ''Writer:''

''Artist:'' Eduardo Risso ;'' E.V.E. Protomecha'' :''Release:'' by Top Cow. ''Writers:'' Chris Lichtner and Aron Lusen ''Artist:'' Ale Garza ;'' Exit'' :''Release:'' by

Albin Michel Albin may refer to: Places * Albin, Wyoming, US * Albin Township, Brown County, Minnesota, US * Albin, Virginia, US People * Albin (given name), origin of the name and people with the first name "Albin" * Albin (surname) ;Mononyms * Albin of ...

. ''Writer & Artist:'' Bernard Werber ;'' The Mythology Class'' :''Release:'' by Tala Comics Publishing. ''Writer & Artist:'' Arnold Arre ;'' Strange Adventures'' :''Release:'' November by Vertigo. ;'' Vampire Girl'' :''Release:'' by Shodensha. ''Writer & Artist:'' Fujiwara Kaoru

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1999 In Comics