1978 in comics

Events

January

• The first episode of L’uomo di Tsushima by Bonvi is published, a retelling of the famous battle as seen by Jack London, for the series Un uomo un’avventura.

February

• The first issue of the Belgian comics magazine À Suivre is published. It will run until December 1997.
• * In the first issue of A Suivre the first chapter of Jean-Claude Forest and Jacques Tardi's Ici Même makes its debut. Detective Comics #475, "The Laughing Fish" by Steve Englehart, Marshall Rogers, and Terry Austin. February 8: Marvel UK publish Star Wars Weekly in a black-and-white anthology format.February 28:The first appearance of ElfQuest by Wendy and Richard Pini in issue #1 of Fantasy Quarterly.

March

• In the second issue of À Suivre Benoît Sokal's Inspector Canardo makes its debut.
• Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams' comic book Superman vs. Muhammad Ali is published in which Superman meets boxing champion Muhammad Ali.

April

• April 18: In the Le journal de Tintin, the first chapter of the second Thorgal story The island of frozen seas by Jean Van Hamme and Grzegorz Rosiński is published.
• April 20: In Spirou, the first chapter of Kodo le tyran, by Jean-Claude Fournier is published.
• Claw the Unconquered, with issue #10, is revived by DC after an 18-month hiatus.Power Man, with issue #50, changes its name to Power Man and Iron Fist.

May

• May 14-21: In Topolino, The planetary wars, by Guido Martina and Giovan Battista Carpi, a spoof of Star Wars, is published.May 19: Scripps Company merges its two syndication arms, Newspaper Enterprise Association and United Feature Syndicate, to form United Media Enterprises.
• Showcase #100: "Awesome Anniversary Edition! 60 Sensational Super-Stars" — featuring almost every character who ever appeared in Showcase — by Paul Kupperberg, Paul Levitz, and Joe Staton.
• IPC Magazines publishes the first issue of the short-lived comics magazine ''Starlord''

June

• Continuing the "DC Explosion", the company increases its titles' page counts to 25 story pages and increases the price of a typical comic from 35 cents to 50 cents.Batman #300: "The Last Batman Story—?", by David V. Reed, Walt Simonson, and Dick Giordano.Garfield, by Jim Davis is launched on June 19 in 41 newspapers.
• In the magazine Cannibale RanXerox by Tanino Liberatore makes its debut.

Summer

July

August

• The DC Implosion takes hold, as the company cancels 4 ongoing titles, Aquaman, Claw the Unconquered, Mister Miracle, and Shade, the Changing Man.
• Fledgling publisher Eclipse Comics releases Sabre: Slow Fade of an Endangered Species, by Don McGregor and Paul Gulacy, considered one of the industry's first "graphic novels".
• With issue #10 The Rampaging Hulk changes its title to The Hulk!, and goes from black-and-white to color.

Fall

September

• Matt Groening's gag comic Life in Hell, launched in 1977, appears in print for the first time in the art magazine Wet.
• Suffering from the DC Implosion, the company cancels 8 ongoing titles, All Star Comics, Battle Classics, Black Lightning, Doorway to Nightmare, Dynamic Classics, Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth, Showcase, and Our Fighting Forces. In addition, DC cuts back comic story pages to 17, and the typical cover price to 40 cents.
• Gold Key Comics, with issue #19, picks up Flash Gordon from Charlton Comics, which had stopped publishing the title in 1970.
• After many delays, DC releases All-New Collectors' Edition #C-56, featuring the story Superman vs. Muhammad Ali.
• In Pilote, the first chapter of The black order brigade by Pierre Christin and Enki Bilal is published.

October

• The DC Implosion forces the company to cancel 6 more ongoing titles: Firestorm, House of Secrets, Secrets of Haunted House, Star Hunters, Steel: The Indestructible Man, and The Witching Hour.
• Will Eisner's graphic novel A Contract with God is published by Baronet Books. An early landmark of the graphic novel form.
• Will Eisner's "Signal From Space" storyline begins in Spirit Magazine #19.
• In À Suivre, Milo Manara's HP and Giuseppe Bergman, is first published.
• October 14: IPC Magazines merged two comic books: 2000 AD and Starlord into "2000 AD and Starlord".
• October 15: The Dutch comics organisation Het Stripschap holds a dinner to celebrate their 10th anniversary. During the event one of their guests, Dick Matena, starts making a scene while drunk. The incident will become legendary afterwards.
• Diane Noomin releases the collective comic book Lemme Outa Here! Growing Up Inside the American Dream, published by Print Mint.

November

• L’uomo delle nevi, by Alfredo Castelli and Milo Manara, for the series Un uomo un’avventura.
• In Il mago Soviet secret agent Ivan Timbrovic by Massimo Cavezzali makes his debut.
• First volume of the Storia d’Italia a fumetti di Enzo Biagi, drawn by some of the best Italian cartoonists.

December

• Kamillo Kromo, book for children by Francesco Tullio Altan.
• Art Spiegelman creates Ed Head, published in Playboy on an irregular basis until November 1981.

Specific date unknown

• Edwina Dumm becomes the first female comic artist to receive the Gold Key Award from the National Cartoonists Society.
• DC suffers the DC Implosion, the abrupt cancellation of more than two dozen ongoing and planned titles including All Star Comics, Aquaman, House of Secrets, Our Fighting Forces, Showcase, and The Witching Hour. The vast majority of the books leave uncompleted story lines, most of which are later wrapped up in other titles.
• Archie Goodwin resigns as Marvel Comics editor-in-chief, replaced by Jim Shooter.
• Underground publisher the Print Mint stops publishing comics.
• "The Korvac Saga" story arc, written by Jim Shooter and David Michelinie, with art by George Pérez and David Wenzel, runs through The Avengers, beginning in issue #167 and running through issue #177
• "The Cursed Earth" Judge Dredd storyline runs in 2000 AD
• Belgian comic artist Hergé is knighted as Officer in the Order of Leopold II.
• Roger Brunel starts drawing porn parodies of famous comics, serialized in the magazine Circus and released in album format by Glénat under the title Pastiches.
• The final episode of Crawford is published, a newspaper comic launched by animation director Chuck Jones.
• In the Argentina magazine D’artagnan, debut of Savarese by Robin Wood and Domingo Mandrafina; the protagonist of the series is an Italian-American cop and then FBI agent, fighting crime in the roaring Twenties.

Births

June

July

Deaths

January

February

• * Woody Gelman, American animator, comics artist, novelist and publisher, dies of a stroke at age 62.
• * Warren King, American comics artist, dies at age 62.February 19: Gisela Zimmermann, German comics artist, dies at age 65 of heart failure.February 21: Pol Dom, Belgian-Dutch illustrator, sculptor, caricaturist and comic artist, dies at age 92. February 28: Glenn Chaffin, American comics writer, dies at age 80.

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Specific date unknown

• Aldo De Amicis, Italian comics artist, dies at age 74 or 75.
• Al Fago, American comics artist, dies at age 73 or 74.
• Frank Fogarty, American comics artist, dies at age 90 or 91.
• Henry Le Monnier, French illustrator and comics artist, dies at age 84 or 85.
• Oscar Novelle, Argentinean-American comic artist, dies at age 57 or 58.

Conventions

• Lancaster Comic Art Convention — produced by Chuck Miller and Charlie RobertsSummer: Atlanta Fantasy Fair — official guests included Stan Lee, Jim Starlin, Howard Chaykin, Jim SterankoJune 23–25: Houstoncon — guests include Frankie Thomas, Kirk Alyn, Ron Goulart, Gil Kane, Jenette Kahn, Frank Brunner, Ray Harryhausen, Greg Jein, Kerry Gammill, Jim Newsome, and Paula CristJuly 2–5: Comic Art Convention I July 8–9: Comic Art Convention II July 14–16: Chicago Comicon — 3rd annual convention under that nameJuly 26–30: San Diego Comic-Con — show reaches attendance mark of 5,000 for the first time. Official guests: John Buscema, Howard Chaykin, Shary Flenniken, Alan Dean Foster, Gardner Fox, Steve Gerber, Burne Hogarth, Greg Jein, Bob Kane, Gray Morrow, Clarence "Ducky" Nash, Grim Natwick, Wendy Pini, Frank Thorne, Boris VallejoJuly 29–30: Comicon '78 (British Comic Art Convention) — "10th anniversary special;" guests include Don McGregor, George Pérez, Jim Salicrup, Duffy Vohland, Brian Bolland, John Bolton, Brian Lewis, Trevor Goring, Dez Skinn, and Dave Gibbons; 2nd annual presentation of the Eagle AwardsSeptember: OrlandoCon — guests include Will Eisner, Bob Clampett, Les Turner, Ralph Dunagin, C. C. Beck, Edmond Good, Bill Black, Morris Weiss, Ralph Kent, Bill Crooks, and Zack MosleySeptember 2–3: Albany Comic Con — tentative guest list included Joe Sinnott, Joe Staton, and Al MilgromSeptember 2–3: Comicon II — Guest of honor: Dave Cockrum, other guests: Paul Neary, Hunt Emerson, Chris WelchOctober 29–November 5: Salone Internazionale dei Comics — 13th edition of the festival November 13–15: OAF SF & Nostalgia Show 1978 — science fiction/nostalgia convention staged by the Oklahoma Alliance of Fans, producers of MulticonNovember 17–19: Delaware Valley Comicart Consortium Third Annual Convention Honoring Women in Comics — guests included Paty, Mary Jo Duffy, Wendy Pini, Frank Thorne, Boris Vallejo, and Bill WardNovember 24–26: Creation '78 — guests include John Byrne, Howard Chaykin, Jim Steranko, Herb Trimpe, Gray Morrow, Bob Larkin, John Romita, Sr., John Romita, Jr., Gene Colan, Rudy Nebres, and Tom YeatesDecember 1–3: Wintercon '78 December 29: Albany Comic Con II

Awards

[Eagle Awards]

American section

U.K. section

First issues by title

DC Comics

Marvel Comics

Other publishers

Canceled titles

DC Comics

Marvel Comics

Other publishers

Initial appearances by character name

DC Comics

Marvel Comics