Events and publications

* Rough Cut Comics founded *

WildStorm Wildstorm Productions, (stylized as WildStorm), is an American comic book imprint. Originally founded as an independent company established by Jim Lee under the name "Aegis Entertainment" and expanded in subsequent years by other creators, Wilds ...

founded the

America's Best Comics America's Best Comics (ABC) is a comic book publishing brand. It was set up by Alan Moore in 1999 as an imprint of WildStorm, an idea proposed to Moore by WildStorm founder Jim Lee when it was still under Image Comics. History ''America's Bes ...

imprint *

Kitchen Sink Press Kitchen Sink Press was a comic book publishing company founded by Denis Kitchen in 1970. Kitchen Sink Press was a pioneering publisher of underground comics, and was also responsible for numerous republications of classic comic strips in hard ...

collapses

January

* 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, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with their f ...

completes the takeover of

WildStorm Productions Wildstorm Productions, (stylized as WildStorm), is an American comic book imprint. Originally founded as an independent company established by Jim Lee under the name "Aegis Entertainment" and expanded in subsequent years by other creators, Wilds ...

February

* February 3:

Dominique Bussereau Dominique Bussereau (born 13 July 1952) is a French politician. He is president of the departmental council of Charente-Maritime since 2008 and president of the since 2015. He was Secretary of State for Transport within the government of ...

hosts an official debate in Paris to determine whether the comic strip ''

The Adventures of Tintin ''The Adventures of Tintin'' (french: Les Aventures de Tintin ) is a series of 24 ''bande dessinée'' albums created by Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, who wrote under the pen name Hergé. The series was one of the most popular European com ...

'' 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 cartoonist. He is best known for creating '' The Adventures of Tintin'', ...

was

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

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in so ...

? The debaters are unable to reach a determined conclusion.

March

* ''

The Incredible Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book ...

'' (

1968 The year was highlighted by Protests of 1968, protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechos ...

series) is canceled by Marvel with issue #474.

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 Philippe Bercovici is a French comics artist of Franco-Belgian comics. Having illustrated a wide range of series, Bercovici is perhaps most known for '' Les Femmes en Blanc'' written by Cauvin, started in 1981. Initially under the pseudonym Thé ...

May

* ''

Anarky Anarky is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Co-created by Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle, he first appeared in ''Detective Comics'' #608 (November 1989), as an adversary of Batman. Anarky is introduced as ...

'', vol. 2 -

*In '' Buffy the vampire slayer'', the story arc '' Bad Blood'' begins.

June

* 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 reference book published annually, listing world ...

. * June 26:

Alex Raymond Alexander Gillespie Raymond Jr. (October 2, 1909 – September 6, 1956) was an American cartoonist who was best known for creating the ''Flash Gordon'' comic strip for King Features Syndicate in 1934. The strip was subsequently adapted into many ...

's ''

Rip Kirby ''Rip Kirby'' is an American comic strip created by Alex Raymond and Ward Greene featuring the adventures of private detective Rip Kirby. The strip ran from 1946 to 1999 and was in the hands of artist John Prentice for more than 40 years. Publ ...

'' (drawn by John Prentice since 1956) is concluded after 53 years of continuous syndication.

July

* July 1: James Sanchez begins publishing the webcomic '' Bigtime Consulting.'' * July 3:

Graeme MacKay Graeme MacKay (born 23 September 1968) is the ''Hamilton Spectators resident editorial cartoonist. Born in 1968, grew up in Dundas, Ontario. A graduate from Parkside High School in Dundas, Graeme attended the University of Ottawa majoring in Hi ...

'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'' and '' Marsupilami''. He also produced the '' Spirou et Fantasio'' comic strip from 1946 to 1968, a perio ...

'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 creates animated features and short films for The Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a scene fro ...

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.

August

* ''

100 Bullets ''100 Bullets'' is an American comic book published by DC Comics under its Vertigo imprint. Written by Brian Azzarello and illustrated by Eduardo Risso, the comic book ran for 100 issues and won the Eisner Award and Harvey Award. Style Bot ...

'', by

Brian Azzarello Brian Azzarello (born August 11, 1962 in Cleveland, Ohio) 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. Az ...

and Eduardo Risso, debuts under the

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties ...

imprint (cover date).

October

* October 3: The first episode of the ''

Uncle Scrooge ''Uncle Scrooge'' (stylized as ''Uncle $crooge'') is a Disney comic book series starring Scrooge McDuck ("the richest duck in the world"), his nephew Donald Duck, and grandnephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie, and revolving around their adventures in ...

'' story ''The Coin'' by

Don Rosa Keno Don Hugo Rosa (), known simply as Don Rosa (born June 29, 1951), is an American comic book writer and illustrator known for his Disney comics stories about Scrooge McDuck, Donald Duck, and other characters which Carl Barks created for ...

is serialized in '' Picsou magazine''. The story had been realized years ago for

Egmont Egmont may refer to: * Egmont Group, a media corporation founded and rooted in Copenhagen, Denmark * Egmond family (often spelled "Egmont"), an influential Dutch family, lords of the town of Egmond ** Lamoral, Count of Egmont (1522–1568), the bes ...

, but was rejected by the editor. *October 9–10: During the Stripdagen in

Den Bosch s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a city and municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 157,486. It is the capital of the province of North Brabant and its fourth largest by population. The city is south of th ...

Peter de Wit receives the Stripschapprijs.

Kees Kousemaker Galerie Lambiek is a Dutch comic book store and art gallery in Amsterdam, founded on November 8, 1968 by Kees Kousemaker (, – Bussum, ), though since 2007, his son Boris Kousemaker is the current owner. From 1968 to 2015, it was located ...

, 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, ), though since 2007, his son Boris Kousemaker is the current owner. From 1968 to 2015, it was located ...

, wins the P. Hans Frankfurther Prijs.

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'' (

Dark Horse A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, or a contestant that on paper should be unlikely to succeed but yet still might. Origin Th ...

). * ''

Strange Adventures ''Strange Adventures'' is a series of American comic books published by DC Comics, the first of which was August–September 1950, according to the cover date, and published continuously until November 1973. Original series ''Strange Adventures ...

'' vol. 2, #1 -

December

*'' Comix 2000'', album realized by 324 independent cartoonist from 29 different countries for the French editor '' L’association''. *First issue of Spider-Man Unlimited Wizard edition.

Births

Deaths

January

* January 15: Bozidar Veselinović, Serbian comics artist (''Dabisa''), passes away at age 77. * January 23:

Jaroslav Foglar Jaroslav Foglar (6 July 1907 – 23 January 1999) was a Czechoslovak writer who wrote many novels about youths (partly also about Boy Scouts movement) and their adventures in nature and dark city streets. His signature series is ''Rychlé šípy'' ...

, Czech novelist and comics writer (''

Rychlé šípy Rychlé šípy ("The Rapid Arrows") is the name of a fictional club of five boys by the Czech writer Jaroslav Foglar. Consisting of Mirek Dušín, Jarka Metelka, Jindra Hojer, Červenáček ("Red Cap"), Rychlonožka ("Speedy") and a dog named B ...

''), 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 Vincent Sullivan (June 5, 1911 – February 3, 1999Vincent Sullivan
at the

...

, 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., is an American comic book publisher headquartered in Pelham, New York.

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 Disney comics are comic books and comic strips featuring characters created by the Walt Disney Company, including Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge. The first Disney comics were newspaper strips appearing from 1930 on, starting with t ...

, 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 ch ...

'', ''

Mandrake the Magician ''Mandrake the Magician'' is a 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, 249–250. ''Mandrake'' began ...

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

), dies at age 85.

April

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

'', ''

Hanna-Barbera Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer t ...

'' comics), passes away 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 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 Workshop until June 2000) and ...

'' comics), dies at age 69. * April 12: ** Ricardo Barreiro, Argentine comic book writer ('' Bárbara'', ''

El Eternauta ''The Eternaut'' ( es, El Eternauta) is a science fiction Argentine comic created by Héctor Germán Oesterheld with artwork by Francisco Solano López. It was first published in '' Hora Cero Semanal'' between 1957 and 1959. Since its original r ...

''), dies at age 49. ** Werner Büchi, Swiss caricaturist, illustrator and comics artist (continued ''

Globi Globi is a Swiss cartoon character occasionally referred to as Switzerland's Mickey Mouse. He is pictured as an anthropomorphic blue parrot with a yellow beak wearing a black beret and a pair of red and black checkered trousers. He was created b ...

''), 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 Little Dot is a comic book character published by Harvey Comics about a little girl who is obsessed with dots, spots, and round, colorful objects. She was created in 1949 by writer Alfred Harvey and artist Vic Herman. Publication history Dot fi ...

'', ''Winnie the WAC'', worked for

Harvey Comics Harvey Comics (also known as Harvey World Famous Comics, Harvey Publications, Harvey Comics Entertainment, Harvey Hits, Harvey Illustrated Humor, and Harvey Picture Magazines) was an American comic book publisher, founded in New York City by Alf ...

Parents' Magazine Press ''Parents'' was an American monthly magazine founded in 1926 that featured scientific information on child development geared to help parents in raising their children. Subscribers were notified of the magazine’s dissolution via a postcard mail ...

and Toby Press), dies at age 79. * April 16:

Charles McKimson Charles Edson McKimson, Jr. (December 20, 1914 – April 16, 1999) was an American animator, best known for his work at Warner Bros. studio. He was the younger brother of animators Robert and Thomas McKimson. His father was a newspaperman who lat ...

, aka Chuck McKimson, American comics artist and animator (

Roy Rogers Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye; November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and television host. Following early work under his given name, first as co-founder of the Sons of the Pioneers and then acting, the rebra ...

comic, comics for

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 s ...

), 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''), passes away 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 ''

''), 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 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 future works, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabilit ...

''), 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

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Comics'' in 19 ...

, 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 was a division of Charlton ...

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 1974. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium.Evanier, Mark" ...

Gold Key Comics Gold Key Comics was originally an imprint of American company Western Publishing, created for comic books distributed to newsstands. Also known as Whitman Comics, Gold Key operated this way from 1962 to 1984. Currently, Gold Key Comics is owned b ...

American Comics Group American Comics Group (ACG) was an American comic book publisher started in 1939 and existing under the ACG name from 1943 to 1967. It published the medium's first ongoing horror-comics title, '' Adventures into the Unknown''. ACG's best-known ...

), dies at age 72.

August

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

Henri Gillain Henri Gillain (1913 – 10 August 1999) was a Belgian teacher and comics enthusiast who on several occasions wrote scripts for Franco-Belgian comics publications in the segment known as Bande Dessinée. He was also the brother of Joseph Gillain ...

, Belgian comics writer (''

Spirou et Fantasio ''Spirou & Fantasio'' (french: Spirou et Fantasio, wa, Spirou eyet Fantasio) is one of the most popular classic Franco-Belgian comics. The series, which has been running since 1938, shares many characteristics with other European humorous advent ...

'', '' Tif et Tondu''), passes away at the age of 85-86. * August 13:

John Geering John Keith Geering (9 March 1941 – 13 August 1999) was a British cartoonist with a distinctive, occasionally flamboyant style, most famous for his work for DC Thomson comics including ''Sparky'', '' The Topper'', ''Cracker'', '' Plug'', '' Nut ...

, British comics artist ('' Puss 'n' Boots'', ''

Smudge Smudge may refer to: Cats * Smudge (Blue Peter cat), one of the ''Blue Peter'' pets * Smudge (meme cat), from the ''Woman yelling at a cat'' internet meme * Smudge (People's Palace cat), the Glasgow People's Palace cat Other uses * Smudge ( ...

'' and ''

Bananaman Bananaman is a fictional character appearing in British comic books. Bananaman is a parody of traditional superheroes, being portrayed as a schoolboy who is transformed into a muscled, caped adult man when he eats a banana. The character origin ...

''), dies at age 58. * August 19:

Arthur Pinajian Arthur A. (Art) Pinajian was an Armenian American artist and comic book creator.Pinajian entry
...

, Armenian-American painter, comics writer and artist ('' Madame Fatal'', '' Invisible Hood''), dies at age 85. * August 30: Raymond Poïvet, French comics artist ('' Les Pionniers de l'Espérance''), dies at age 89.

September

* September 14:

Joel Beck Joel Beck (May 7, 1943 – September 14, 1999) was a San Francisco Bay Area artist and cartoonist. His comic book, ''Lenny of Laredo'', one of the earliest underground comic books of the 1960s, was the first underground comic book published ...

, American underground cartoonist (''Lenny of Laredo'', ''Marching Marvin'', ''The Profit''), dies from complications from alcoholism at age 56. * September 17: 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 ''Achille Talon'' is a Franco-Belgian comics series featuring an eponymous main character, created by Greg (the pseudonym of Michel Regnier). Starting publication in the Franco-Belgian comics magazine ''Pilote'' in 1963, the series presents th ...

'', '' 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 14: ** Giorgio Bordini, Italian comics artist, animator and illustrator (''He and She'',

), passes away at age 72. ** Jacky Pals, Belgian comics artist (

Studio Vandersteen A studio is an artist or worker's workroom. This can be for the purpose of acting, architecture, painting, pottery (ceramics), sculpture, origami, woodworking, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, industrial design, ...

, 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, muscle pains, and headaches. ...

December

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

pantomime comics Silent comics (or pantomime comics) are comics which are delivered in mime. They make use of little or no dialogue, speech balloons or captions written underneath the images. Instead, the stories or gags are told entirely through pictures. Definit ...

for

The Saturday Evening Post ''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely ...

), passes away at age 85. * December 3: Péter Kuczka, Hungarian poet, editor, writer, comics writer and artist, dies at age 76. * 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''), passes away at age 73. * December 23: Captain Roscoe Fawcett, American comics writer (''Screen Oddities'', with Bud Thompson), passes away at age 86. * December 24: Vic Neill, British comics artist (''

The McTickles ''The McTickles'' was a British gag-a-day comic strip in the British comic book magazine '' The Beano''. It was drawn by Vic Neill Vic Neill (24 November 1941 - 24 December 1999) was a British cartoonist who drew for D.C. Thomson and I.P.C ...

'', ''

Wee Ben Nevis Wee Ben Nevis was a British gag-a-day comic, published in the comic book magazine '' The Beano'', first appearing in issue 1678, dated 14 September 1974, and continuing until 7 May 1977. It was drawn by Vic Neill, and replaced '' The McTickles'' ...

'', ''

Billy Whizz Billy Whizz is a fictional character featured in the British comic ''The Beano'', first appearing in issue 1139, dated 16 May 1964, when it replaced The Country Cuzzins. Billy, the title character, is a boy who can run extraordinarily fast. His s ...

'', ''

Tim Traveller Tim Traveller was a British comic strip created by Vic Neill and published in the British comics magazine ''The Beano''. He first appeared in issue 2862, dated 24 May 1997, as part of a continuing set of six new comic strips where the one with th ...

'', ''Plug'', continued ''Mickey the Monkey''), dies at age 58. * December 27:

Wilfred Limonious Wilfred Limonious (1949 – 1999) was a Jamaican dancehall artist. His career started to take off in the 1970s, with his art being published in various Jamaican newspapers. Also in the 1970s he started to work for JAMAL Jamal ( ar, جمال ''/' ...

, Jamaican comics artist and illustrator (''Chicken'', ''Amos''), passes away 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 is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...

based on

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

), dies at age 86. * Juan Sarompas, Spanish comics artist (''Thomas, der Trommler'', ''Tex & Mex'', ''

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 19 ...

'' comics), passes away at age 55 or 56. *

Jon St. Ables Jon St. Ables, born Jon Stables, (December 23, 1912 – 1999) was a Canadian cartoonist. Life and career St. Ables was born in Ulverston in England and emigrated to Winnipeg in Canada when he was 13, preceded by his father and older brother. ...

, 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''), passes away at age 59 or 60.

Conventions

* February 27–28:

Alternative Press Expo The Alternative Press Expo (APE) was a comic book festival and alternative comics convention that operated from 1994 to 2017. Founded by Slave Labor Graphics publisher Dan Vado, APE focused on self-published, independent, and alternative cart ...

(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 Comic Festival (also known as Comics Festival UK) was a British comic book convention which was held annually in Bristol between 1999 and 2004. It was devised and produced by Kev F Sutherland with the help of Mike Allwood of Area 51 Comics. Th ...

; 2,500 attendees; presentation of the

National Comics Awards The National Comics Awards was a series of awards for comic book titles and creators given out on an annual basis from 1997 to 2003 (with the exception of the year 2000) for comics published in the United Kingdom the previous year. The votes wer ...

; guests include

Phil Winslade Phil Winslade (born 1965) is a British comic book artist. Biography Winslade was born in Surrey in 1965 and spent a lot of time indoors as a child because of a heart murmur. His main source of entertainment were Marvel like ''Howard the Duck'' a ...

Steve Pugh Steve Pugh ( ;) is a British comic book artist who has worked for American and British comic producers including DC, Marvel, Dark Horse and '' 2000 AD''. He broke into the industry in the early 1990s working on ''Hellblazer'' at DC's Vertigo s ...

Steve Dillon Steve Dillon (22 March 1962 – 22 October 2016) was a British comic book artist, best known for his work with writer Garth Ennis on '' Hellblazer'', '' Preacher'' and '' The Punisher''. Early life Dillon was born in London in 1962 and rais ...

, Scott Dunbier, Peter Hogan,

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

Charlie Adlard Charles Adlard is a British comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics ...

Kev Sutherland Kev F. Sutherland (born 18 October 1961) is a Scottish comedian and comic strip creator. He has drawn for a variety of publications, including '' The Beano''. He has produced several shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, including The Sitcom T ...

Glenn Fabry Glenn Fabry (; born 24 March 1961) is a British comics artist known for his detailed, realistic work in both ink and painted colour. Career Glenn Fabry's career began in 1985, drawing '' Slaine'' for '' 2000 AD'', with writer Pat Mills. He also ...

, 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 th ...

Bryan Talbot Bryan Talbot (born 24 February 1952) is a British comics artist and writer, best known as the creator of '' The Adventures of Luther Arkwright'' and its sequel '' Heart of Empire'', as well as the ''Grandville'' series of books. He collaborat ...

Shelly Roeberg Shelly Bond ( born Roeberg) is an American comic book editor, known for her two decades at DC Comics' Vertigo (DC Comics) imprint, for which she was executive editor from 2013 to 2016. Career Bond began working in the comics industry as an edito ...

Kyle Baker Kyle John Baker (born 1965) is an American cartoonist, comic book writer-artist, and animator known for his graphic novels and for a 2000s revival of the series ''Plastic Man''. Baker has won numerous Eisner Awards and Harvey Awards for his wor ...

John McCrea John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

, Rich Johnston,

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 s ...

, and

Jamie Delano Jamie Delano (; born 1954) is an English comic book writer. He was part of the first post-Alan Moore "British Invasion" of writers which started to feature in American comics in the 1980s. He is best known as the first writer of the comic book s ...

* April 16–18:

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

(Oakland Convention Center, Oakland, California) * April 23–25:

Pittsburgh Comicon The Pittsburgh Comicon, later known as Wizard World Comic Con Pittsburgh and since succeeded by Steel-City Con, was a comic book convention (meeting), convention held in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1994 by Michael ...

(Pittsburgh Expomart, Monroeville, Pennsylvania) — 7,500 attendees;Contino, Jennifer
"Conventioneers,"
Sequential Tart (June 2000). guests include

Martin Nodell Martin Nodell (November 15, 1915 – December 9, 2006) was an American cartoonist and commercial artist, best known as the creator of the Golden Age superhero Green Lantern. Some of his work appeared under the pen name Mart Dellon. Biography ...

Alley Baggett Alley Baggett (born July 14, 1973) is an American glamour model and makeup artist. She appeared on the cover of ''Playboy's Book of Lingerie'' in the March/April 1996 issue. She has since appeared on more than twelve ''Playboy Special Edition' ...

, Lou Ferrigno, George Steele, and Steve Lieber * May 7–9: New York Comic and Fantasy Creators Convention (Madison Square Garden Expo Center, New York City)—300 exhibitors, including

Harris Comics Harris Publications Inc. was an American special interest media company, operating over 75 brands with print, digital, mobile and live event platforms prior to its sale to Athlon Media in 2016. It produced magazines that educate, entertain, inf ...

, Crucial Comics, Visage Studios, and

Wizard Entertainment Wizard Entertainment Inc., formerly known as GoEnergy and Wizard World, is a producer of multi-genre fan conventions across North America. The company started as the holding company for Strato Malmas' interests in the energy business. Gareb Sh ...

; guests include

Joe Simon Joseph Henry Simon (October 11, 1913 – December 14, 2011) was an American comic book writer, artist, editor, and publisher. Simon created or co-created many important characters in the 1930s–1940s Golden Age of Comic Books and served as the ...

and

John Romita, Jr. John Salvatore Romita (; born August 17, 1956), known professionally as John Romita Jr., is an American comics artist best known for his extensive work for Marvel Comics from the 1970s to the 2010s. He is the son of artist John Romita Sr. Early ...

* May 14–16: Motor City Comic Con I (Novi Expo Center, Novi, Michigan) * Summer: "Space

CAPTION Caption may refer to: * Caption (text), explanatory text about specific published photos and articles *An element of comics where words appear in a separate box, see Glossary of comics terminology#Caption * Caption (comics convention), a small pr ...

99" (Oxford Union Society, Oxford, England) — guests include

* June 18–20:

Heroes Convention Heroes Convention, or HeroesCon, is a comic book convention that takes place in June (often over Father's Day weekend)Hargro, Carlton. "Best. Convention. Ever," ''Creative Loafing'' (June 17, 2009), p. 25. in Charlotte, North Carolina. The conven ...

(Charlotte Convention Center, Charlotte, North Carolina) * July 1–4:

Dragon Con Dragon Con (previously Dragon*Con and sometimes DragonCon) is a North American multigenre convention, founded in 1987, which takes place annually over the Labor Day weekend in Atlanta, Georgia. , the convention draws attendance of over 80,000, ...

(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 International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is ...

(San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, California)—42,000 attendees; special guests include Tom Batiuk, Chuck Cuidera, Samuel R. Delany, Paul Dini, Arnold Drake, Neil Gaiman, Sam Glanzman, Larry Gonick, Irwin Hasen, Patrick McDonnell, Mike Mignola, Mark Mothersbaugh, Jerry Robinson, Art Spiegelman, Jim Steranko, 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, Kenny Baker (English actor), Kenny Baker, Warwick Davis, Lou Ferrigno, Joe Quesada, Michael Turner (comics), Michael Turner, Mark Waid, Leinil Francis Yu, Keu Cha, and C.B. Cebulski * September 17–19: Small Press Expo (Holiday Inn Select, Bethesda, Maryland) — guests include Charles Burns, Eddie Campbell, Jeff Smith, Jason Lutes, and James Kochalka. Held in conjunction with SPX are the fifth annual International Comic Arts Festival (ICAF) and 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, David Quinn (comics), David Quinn, Vincent Locke, Jill Thompson, Guy Davis (comics), Guy Davis, Mark Waid, Devin Grayson, and William Messner-Loebs * November 12–14:Patton, Marc. "Big Apple Deems Nov. 12–14 Con a Success," ''Comics Buyer's Guide'' (Dec. 31, 1999), pp. 8–9. Big Apple Comic Con, 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

;''

'' :''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 (comics), Exit'' :''Release:'' by Albin Michel. ''Writer & Artist:'' Bernard Werber ;''The Mythology Class'' :''Release:'' by Tala Comics Publishing. ''Writer & Artist:'' Arnold Arre ;''

'' :''Release:'' November by Vertigo. ;''Vampire Girl'' :''Release:'' by Shodensha. ''Writer & Artist:'' Fujiwara Kaoru

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1999 In Comics 1999 in comics,