1971 in comics


Notable events of 1971 in comics.

Events

January

  • January 6: The first episode of Kees Stip and Nico Visscher's newspaper gag-a-day comic In de Wolken is published. It will run until 1979.
  • January 10: The castle of Nederhorst den Berg in the Netherlands burns down, also destroying Marten Toonder's comic studio.
  • January 12: In Pif Gadget, the Corto Maltese story La Conga des Bananes by Hugo Pratt kicks off. The story belongs to a cycle of Corto Maltese's adventures set in Central America and South America. This story marks the debut of the dark lady Venexiana Stevenson, a recurring antagonist of the captain.
  • January 28: The Comics Code becomes less strict and will soften its rules a few more times during the year. Initially "liberalized" on January 28, 1971, to allow for the sometimes "sympathetic depiction of criminal behavior... corruption among public officials" as well as permitting some criminal activities to kill law-enforcement officers and the "suggestion but not portrayal of seduction." Also newly allowed were "vampires, ghouls and werewolves... when handled in the classic tradition such as Frankenstein, Dracula, and other high calibre literary works written by Edgar Allan Poe, Saki, Conan Doyle and other respected authors whose works are read in schools around the world." Zombies, lacking the requisite "literary" background, remain taboo.
  • January 30: Al Capp and Raeburn Van Buren's Abbie an' Slats comes to a close after nearly 34 years of syndication.
  • Blackmark published by Bantam Books. Conceived and drawn by Gil Kane, and scripted by Archie Goodwin from an outline by Kane, it is one of the first American graphic novels.
  • "The Sandman Saga" Superman story-arc, written by Denny O'Neil and drawn by Curt Swan, begins in Superman #233. Among other things, the story arc eliminates all Kryptonite on Earth, makes Clark Kent less wimpy, and essentially reinvents Superman for the Bronze Age.
  • Bad Day for Troop A by Carl Barks.
  • Empire of a Thousand Planets by Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières.

    February

  • Alan Light publishes the first issue of The Buyer's Guide to Comics Fandom.
  • World's Finest Comics #200: "Prisoners of the Immortal World!" by Mike Friedrich, Dick Dillin, and Joe Giella.
  • New Gods #1 by Jack Kirby
  • Chamber of Darkness, with issue #9, changes its name to Monsters on the Prowl.

    Spring

  • Classics Illustrated, published under that title since March 1947, canceled by Gilberton after 288 issues.

    March

  • March 2: The first episode of Bill Tidy's The Fosdyke Saga appears in print. The series will continue until 1985.
  • March 4: The first episode of the Astérix story The Mansions of the Gods, by Goscinny and Uderzo, is prepublished in Pilote.
  • March 11: The final episode of Andries Brandt's Horre, Harm en Hella is published.
  • March 14: In the story La resa dei conti, by Claudio Nizzi and Carlo Boscarato, Larry Yuma gets his definitive name.
  • March 20: Andries Brandt and Jan Van Haasteren's Aafje Anders makes its debut. After a few stories Robert Hamilton and Richard Klokkers take over the artwork. The series will run until 17 April 1973.
  • The Avengers #85
  • Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., with issue #18, canceled by Marvel.
  • Tower of Shadows, with issue #10, changes its name to Creatures on the Loose.
  • Ka-Zar, with issue #3, is canceled by Marvel.
  • Bill Griffith's Zippy the Pinhead makes it debut.
  • Il figlio di Mefisto by Gianluigi Bonelli and Galep. The evil wizard Mefisto, dies, torn apart by rats, but in the same story his son Yama takes his place as Tex Willer’s nemesis.

    April

  • April 1: in Pilote, first chapter of Ma Dalton, by Goscinny and Uderzo.
  • April: The final issue of the long-running French satirical cartoons and comics magazine Le Rire is published.
  • Mister Miracle #1
  • Aquaman, with issue #56, is canceled by DC Comics.

    May

  • May 8: Al Capp is charged with sexual harassment, sodomy, attempted adultery and indecent exposure. The trial on 12 February 1972 will eventually only fine him for attempted adultery in a plea bargain, but damages his public image and the popularity of Li'l Abner beyond repair.
  • May 10: The final episode of John M. Burns' The Seekers is published.
  • May 11: in Le journal de Tintin, first chapter of Rush by Jean Graton.
  • Action Comics #400: "My Son... Is He Man or Beast?", by Leo Dorfman, Curt Swan, and Murphy Anderson.
  • The "Green Goblin Reborn!" story-arc begins in The Amazing Spider-Man #96. Written by Stan Lee, and drawn by Gil Kane and John Romita, Sr., it is recognized as the first mainstream comic publication which portrayed and condemned drug abuse, and was published without the seal of approval of the Comics Code Authority.
  • Detective Comics #411
  • Forever People #2
  • Mister Miracle #2
  • With the publication of Savage Tales #1, Marvel creates its black-and-white magazine line, which published material that doesn't carry the seal of the Comics Code Authority.

    June

  • June 10: In Pilote, the first chapter of the Blueberry story L'Homme qui valait 500 000 $ is published by Jean-Michel Charlier and Jean Giraud.
  • June 12: The first issue of the British comics magazine Knockout is published.
  • June 12: Norman Mansbridge's Fuss Pot makes its debut in Knockout.
  • June 17: In San Diego, California, Peanuts Day is declared.
  • June 26: The final episode of Marten Toonder's Koning Hollewijn is published.
  • Batman #232
  • The "Kree-Skrull War" story arc, written by Roy Thomas, begins in The Avengers #89.
  • Captain America and the Falcon #138: "It Happens in Harlem," drawn by John Romita, Sr.
  • Tarzan #200: "The Secret Vaults of Opar," by Gaylord DuBois, Paul Norris, and Mike Royer.
  • Hollywood Romances, with issue #59, cancelled by Charlton.
  • The first issue of the Italian humor series Abelarda, le avventure di una nonna terribile, is published by Bianconi.

    July

  • 10-16 July: The first episode of Peter de Smet's De Generaal is published. It will run until 1997.
  • 20 July: In Charles M. Schulz' Peanuts Marcie makes her debut.
  • July 25: in Il Giornalino, debut of the Science-fiction series Gli Astrostoppisti by Alfredo Castelli and Nevio Zeccara.
  • The final episode of Vic Forsythe's long-running newspaper comic Joe Jinks appears in print.
  • House of Secrets #92
  • The Incredible Hulk #141
  • Timmy the Timid Ghost'', with issue #23, canceled by Charlton.

    August

  • August 3: in Le journal de Tintin, first chapter of Le Monstre de Noireville, by André-Paul Duchâteau and Tibet.
  • August 5: In the obscenity case against the British underground magazine Oz and their issue Schoolkids Oz the publishers are convicted. Particularly a pornographic parody of the children's comic Rupert Bear made by a 16-year old pupil named Vivian Berger drew a lot of controversy. However, within a few months the sentences are overturned.
  • August 22: Henry Formhals quits drawing Freckles and His Friends, bringing the newspaper comic to a close after nearly 55 years of syndication.
  • DC Comics raises the price of its typical comic book from 15 cents to 25 cents, and the page-count from 36 to 52 by adding reprints and new backup features.
  • The "Snowbirds Don't Fly" story-arc, written by Denny O'Neil and drawn by Neal Adams, begins in Green Lantern #85 .

    September

  • September 9: In Spirou, the first chapter of the Spirou et Fantasio story L'abbaye truquée by Jean-Claude Fournier appears in print.
  • September 18: Vic Neill first publishes The McTickles in The Beano.
  • September 23:
  • * In Spirou, Jean-Marie Brouyère and Malik's series Archie Cash makes its debut.
  • * In Pif Gadget, the Corto Maltese story L'ange à la fenetre d'orient, by Hugo Pratt is first published. Set in Venice, it begins a new arc of Corto Maltese's adventures, with the First World War as background.
  • September 25: The final issue of the British comics magazine TV Century 21 is published.
  • September 30: The first episode of Asterix and the Laurel Wreath, by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, is prepublished in Pilote.
  • The first episode of Henk Groeneveld's gag comic Opa is published.
  • The Amazing Spider-Man #100: "The Spider or the Man?", by Stan Lee, Gil Kane, and Frank Giacoia. "The Six Arms Saga" story-arc begins.
  • With issue #20, Ghost Manor vol. 1 changes its title to Ghostly Haunts.

    October

  • October 5: In Tintin, the first chapters of Edgar P. Jacobs Mortimer in Tokyo and of the Bruno Brazil story La Nuit des Chacals by Greg and William Vance are prepublished.
  • October 22: In Copenhagen the comics store Fantask opens its doors, which will become the oldest Danish comics store in the world.
  • October 22: first issue of the Italian magazine Menelik dedicated to quality erotic comics.
  • The Brave and the Bold #98 — Jim Aparo's first issue as artist. Haney and Aparo continue to contribute the majority of issues until the series' finale in July 1983.
  • In the Days of the Mob #1 and Spirit World #1, two one-shot black-and-white magazines by Jack Kirby.
  • Mister Miracle #4
  • The Amazing Spider-Man #101
  • Girls' Romances, with issue #160, is cancelled by DC.
  • Under the sign of Capricorn, by Hugo Pratt, album reckoning six Corto Maltese's adventures set in the Caribbean and in Brazil.