1938 in comics


Notable events of 1938 in comics.

Events and publications

January

January 24: In Ernie Bushmiller's Fritzi Ritz, Nancy first meets her sidekick friend Sluggo.Ace Comics #10 – David McKay PublicationsDetective Comics #11 – DC ComicsFamous Funnies #42 – Eastern Color PrintingFeature Funnies #4 – Comic Favorites, Inc.The Funnies #16 – Dell ComicsFunny Pages #5 - Ultem PublishingFunny Picture Stories #5 - Ultem PublishingMore Fun Comics #28 – National Periodical PublicationsNew Adventure Comics #23 – National Periodical PublicationsStar Comics #9 - Ultem PublishingStar Ranger Comics #9 - Ultem Publishing

February

February 2: First publication of Bob Karp and Al Taliaferro's Donald Duck newspaper comic strip.February: Ultem Publishing was bought out by Centaur Publications.Ace Comics #11 – David McKay PublicationsDetective Comics #12 – DC ComicsFamous Funnies #43 – Eastern Color PrintingFeature Funnies #5 – Comic Favorites, Inc.More Fun Comics #29 – National Periodical PublicationsNew Adventure Comics #24 – National Periodical Publications

March

March 6: The first episode of Gervy's detective comic series Pat'Apouf is published. The series will eventually come to an end in 1990.March 17: In Bob Karp and Al Taliaferro's Donald Duck Donald's dog Bolivar makes his debut as a comics character, having debuted two years earlier in the animated short Alpine Climbers.March 22: The first issue of the Italian comics magazine Albi dell'Audace is published, which will run until 22 October 1939. In its first issue Vincenzo Baggioli and Carlo Cossio's Dick Fulmine makes its debut.March: Centaur Publications buys Ultem Publishing and takes over publishing for all Ultem titles.Ace Comics #12 – David McKay PublicationsDetective Comics #13 – DC ComicsFamous Funnies #44 – Eastern Color PrintingFeature Funnies #6 – Comic Favorites, Inc.Funny Pages #6 - Centaur PublicationsFunny Picture Stories #6 - Centaur PublicationsMore Fun Comics #30 – National Periodical PublicationsNew Adventure Comics #25 – National Periodical PublicationsStar Comics #10 - Centaur PublicationsStar Ranger Comics #10 - Centaur Publications

April

April 16: Arthur R. "Pop" Momand's newspaper comic strip Keeping Up with the Joneses comes to an end.April 21: First issue of the Belgian comics magazine Le Journal de Spirou is published. It features the debuts of the series Spirou by Rob-Vel and Les Aventures de Tif by Fernand Dineur.Ace Comics #13 – David McKay PublicationsDetective Comics #14 – DC ComicsFamous Funnies #45 – Eastern Color PrintingFeature Funnies #7 – Comic Favorites, Inc.Funny Pages #7 - Centaur PublicationsFunny Picture Stories #7 - Centaur PublicationsStar Comics #11 - Centaur PublicationsStar Ranger Comics #11 - Centaur Publications

May

May 9: In Bob Karp and Al Taliaferro's Donald Duck newspaper comic Gus Goose makes his debut.May: Ernie Bushmiller's Fritzi Ritz is retitled Nancy.Ace Comics #14 – David McKay PublicationsDetective Comics #15 – DC ComicsFamous Funnies #46 – Eastern Color PrintingFeature Funnies #8 - Comic Favorites, Inc.Funny Pages #8 - Centaur PublicationsFunny Picture Stories #8 - Centaur PublicationsMore Fun Comics #31 – National Periodical PublicationsNew Adventure Comics #26 – National Periodical PublicationsStar Comics #12 - Centaur PublicationsStar Ranger Comics #12 - Centaur Publications

June

June 4: Debut of Bernard Graddon's newspaper comic Just Jake in The Daily Mirror. It will run until 1952. Ace Comics #15 – David McKay PublicationsAction Comics #1 – DC Comics: This marks the first appearance of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's Superman.Detective Comics #16 - DC ComicsFamous Funnies #47 - Eastern Color PrintingFeature Funnies #9 - Comic Favorites, Inc.More Fun Comics #32 - National Periodical PublicationsNew Adventure Comics #27 – National Periodical Publications

July

July 1: In Bob Karp and Al Taliaferro's newspaper comic Donald Duck Donald's iconic red car is first seen.

August

August 4: Hergé's Tintin story King Ottokar's Sceptre is prepublished in Le Petit Vingtième. Halfway the story opera diva Bianca Castafiore makes her debut.August 13: The final issue of the Flemish comics magazine Ons Kinderland is published.Ace Comics #17 - David McKay PublicationsAction Comics #3 - DC ComicsAmazing Mystery Funnies #1 – Centaur PublicationsCowboy Comics #14 - Centaur PublicationsDetective Comics #18 - DC ComicsFamous Funnies #49 - Eastern Color PrintingFeature Funnies #11 - Comic Favorites, Inc.More Fun Comics #34 - National Periodical PublicationsNew Adventure Comics #29 – National Periodical Publications

September

Ace Comics #18 - David McKay PublicationsAction Comics #4 - DC ComicsAmazing Mystery Funnies #2 - Centaur PublicationsDetective Comics #19 - DC ComicsFamous Funnies #50 - Eastern Color PrintingFeature Funnies #12 - Comic Favorites, Inc.Funny Pages #10 - Centaur PublicationsFunny Picture Stories #10 - Centaur PublicationsJumbo Comics #1 - Fiction House: Fiction House's Real Adventures Publishing Company imprint. It marks the U.S. debut of Will Eisner, Jerry Iger and Mort Meskin's Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, who debuted in January 1937 in the British magazine Wags.More Fun Comics #35 - National Periodical PublicationsNew Adventure Comics #30 - National Periodical PublicationsStar Comics #14 - Centaur Publications

October

October 15: First issue of the British comics magazine Radio Fun, which will run until 1961.October: Centaur Publications changes the name of Cowboy Comics to Star Ranger Funnies starting with issue 15.Ace Comics #19 - David McKay PublicationsAction Comics #5 - DC ComicsDetective Comics #20 - DC ComicsFamous Funnies #51 - Eastern Color PrintingFeature Funnies #13 - Comic Favorites, Inc.More Fun Comics #36 - National Periodical PublicationsNew Adventure Comics #31 - National Periodical PublicationsStar Ranger Funnies #15 - Centaur Publications, Final Issue

November

November 6: Stephen Slesinger and Fred Harman's Red Ryder is first published in the newspapers.November 13: In Fascist Italy the importation and translation of all American and British comic books, except for the far too popular Mickey Mouse is outlawed. This also means the end of Italian comics magazine Jumbo.Ace Comics #20 - David McKay PublicationsAction Comics #6 - DC ComicsAdventure Comics #32 – DC ComicsAmazing Mystery Funnies #3 - Centaur PublicationsDetective Comics #21 - DC ComicsFamous Funnies #52 - Eastern Color PrintingFeature Funnies #14 - Comic Favorites, Inc.Funny Pages #11 - Centaur PublicationsFunny Picture Stories #11 - Centaur PublicationsMore Fun Comics #37 - National Periodical PublicationsStar Comics #15 - Centaur Publications

December

December: As a result of the Spanish Civil War it becomes more difficult to find the materials needed to publish the Spanish illustrated children's magazine En Patufet and thus its final issue appears. It will briefly be revived between 1968 and 1973.December 17: The first appearance of Hugh McNeill's Pansy Potter, one of the longest running comic strips in The Beano.December 18: Date of the first edition of Polish Mickey Mouse comic Gazetka Miki.Ace Comics #21 - David McKay PublicationsAction Comics #7 - DC ComicsAdventure Comics #33 – DC ComicsAmazing Mystery Funnies #4 - Centaur PublicationsDetective Comics #22 - DC ComicsFamous Funnies #53 - Eastern Color PrintingFeature Funnies #15 - Comic Favorites, Inc.Funny Pages #12 - Centaur PublicationsMore Fun Comics #38 - National Periodical PublicationsStar Comics #16 - Centaur Publications, Final Issue

Specials

New Book of Comics #2 – National Periodical Publications

Specific date unknown

  • William St. John Glenn creates Ballyscunnion, which will run until 1968.
  • Arthur Warden creates Snowdrop's Zoo, which will run until 1955.
  • Maurieta Wellman creates The G-Twins, written by Garry Cleveland Myers, which will later change its name to Goofus and Gallant.
  • Kaneko Shigemasa publishes Shin Nipponto - Sho-chan no Boken.

Births

January

January 13: Cabu, French comic strip artist and caricaturist,

June

June 22: Fred Carter, American comic book artist,.

September

September 3: Calvi, French cartoonist,.September 23: Jean-Claude Mézières, French comic artist,.September 26: Raoul Cauvin, Belgian comics writer,.

Specific date unknown

  • hugOKÉ, Belgian cartoonist and comics artist,.

Deaths

January

January 9: Johnny Gruelle, American cartoonist, children's book author, illustrator and comics artist, dies at age 57.January 20: Émile Cohl, French animated film director, caricaturist and comics artist, dies at age 81.

February

February 19: Foster Morse Follett, American comics artist, dies at age 59 after being involved in a car accident a week later.February: Bertram Lamb, British comics writer, dies at age 50 or 51.

March

March 6: Walt McDougall, American cartoonist, illustrator and comics artist, commits suicide at age 80.March 8: Eugen Kirchner, German illustrator and comics artist, dies at age 73.

June

June 2: Louis Morin, French illustrator, caricaturist, comics artist, novelist and painter, dies at age 82.June 6: Karl Theodor Zelger, a.k.a. K.T. Zelger, Austrian comics artist, dies at age 49.

August

August 11: Wilhelm Heinrich Detlev Körner, German-American comics artist, dies at age 59.

September

September 18: Johannes Kesler, Dutch painter, graphic artist and comics artist, dies at age 74.

October

October: Roy L. Williams, American comics artist, dies at an unknown age.13 October: E.C. Segar, American comics artist, dies at age 44.

November

November 11: Fred Spencer, American animator and comics artist, dies at age 34 in a road accident.November 15: Harry Grant Dart, American illustrator and comics artist, dies at age 79.November 18: Joan Llaverías, Spanish painter, illustrator and comics artist, dies at age 63.

Specific date unknown

  • Harry Julius, Australian comics artist, animator, caricaturist and printmaker, dies at age 52 or 53.
  • Will Spurrier, British comics artist, dies at age 58 or 59.

First issues by title

Renamed titles

Initial appearances by character name