1979 in comics

Events

January

• January 6: The first episode of Pat Mills and Joe Colquhoun's Charley's War is prepublished in Battle Picture Weekly and will run until October 1986.
• January 17: In Il Male, the demented space adventurer Joe Galaxy makes his debut in a two-strip story by Massimo Mattioli.
• January 24: In issue #330 The Mighty World of Marvel, changes its name to Marvel Comic.
• January 28: In Il giornalino, Una tequila señor by Giuliano Longhi and Renato Polese marks the debut of the West Angels, a trio of easy-going bounty-hunters.
• The final Asterix story written by René Goscinny, Asterix in Belgium, drawn by Albert Uderzo is published. It also ran in Le Monde as a serial.

February

• February 20: Kees Kousemaker and his wife Evelien publish Wordt Vervolgd. Stripleksikon der Lage Landen, the follow-up to their earlier comics encyclopaedia Strip voor Strip.
• February 22: In Spirou, the first chapter of the Yoko Tsuno story La lumiere d’Ixo, by Roger Leloup, is published.
• February 26: In Pif Gadget, Les Robinsons de la Terre by Roger Lécureux and Alfonso Font makes its debut.
• First issue of Cliff, by Luciano Secchi; the series, a sort of Italian version of Hulk, lasts just 16 numbers.

March

• March 6: In Tintin, the first chapter of the Alix story L' Enfant Grec by Jacques Martin, is published.
• March 7: In the TV show SuperGulp, Bonvi's Marzolino Tarantola makes his debut.
• March 23 : In Tintin the first chapter of the Ric Hochet story Le Fantome de l’alchimiste by André-Paul Duchâteau and Tibet is published.
• March 28: Corrier Boy changes its headline in Corrier Boy serie music and furtherly reduces the comics’ space.
• IPC Magazines launches Tornado, a short-lived weekly British comic published for 22 issues.
• The Human Fly, with issue #19, is cancelled by Marvel.
• In Metal hurlant, Exterminator 17, by Jean-Pierre Dionnet and Enki Bilal is first published.

April

• April 9: The first episode of Vahan Shirvanian's No Comment is published.
• April 15: The final episode of The Captain and the Kids is published. Originally drawn by Rudolph Dirks, it was continued by his son John Dirks since 1962.
• Kid Colt Outlaw, with issue #225, canceled by Marvel.
• The reprint title Marvel Triple Action, with issue #47, is cancelled by Marvel.
• La nuit des rapaces, first Jeremiah’s album by Herman Huppen.
• First issue of the magazine Maxmagnus.

May

• May 5: David Sutherland introduces Dennis' pet pig Rasher in Dennis the Menace and Gnasher.
• May 15: In Tintin, the first chapter of the Jonathan story Douniacha, il y a longtemps... by Cosey is published.
• May 19: A statue of Suske en Wiske, designed by René Rosseel, is revealed at the Antwerp Zoo.
• Frank Miller takes over from Gene Colan as regular penciler on Daredevil with issue #158.
• Vince Colletta resigns as art director of DC Comics.
• Rawhide Kid, with issue #135, canceled by Marvel.
• Captain Marvel, with issue #62, cancelled by Marvel.
• Howard the Duck, with issue #31, canceled by Marvel.
• Black Panther, with issue #15, cancelled by Marvel.
• In Il mago, ''Piombo di mancia'' by Vittorio Giardino; debut of the Bolognese private eye Sam Pezzo.

June

• June 6: In Tintin, the first chapter of the Thorgal story Les Trois Vieillards du pays d'Aran, by Jean Van Hamme and Grzegorz Rosiński is published.
• June 17: The final episode of the weekly political-satirical gag comic spin-off of Jean Tabary's Iznogoud is printed in the Sunday newspaper Journal du Dimanche.
• June 21: In Spirou, the first chapter of the Spirou & Fantasio story Des haricots partout by Jean Claude Fournier is published.
• First issue of Il Paperino d’oro, published by Mondadori Editore|Mondadori]; reprints of the classic stories by Carl Barks.
• In Alterlinus, La lunga notte, by Sergio Toppi, first episode of the series Sharaz-de, inspired by One Thousand and One Nights.
• In Super Goofy, The Day a Knight Was Born, by Del Connel and Pete Alvarado; debut of the Mighty Knight, Middle-age version of Super Goofy.
• Cico story, by Guido Nolitta and Gallieno Ferri; first album fully dedicated to the Zagor’s Mexican partner.
• In Italy, first issue of Storie blu, anthological magazine of sci-fi and erotic comics.

Summer

• DC Special Series #17 — DC Special Series returns after it had gone on hiatus in Fall 1978.

July

• World of Krypton – #1 of 3, by DC Comics. The first official limited series, this three-issue "mini-series" was originally slated for Showcase #104-106 to coincide with the premiere of Superman: The Movie. The storyline was rescheduled for Showcase #110-112 when the film's release date was delayed; but ultimately, Showcase was cancelled after issue #104. Finally, the material is revised and released as a limited series by Paul Kupperberg and Howard Chaykin.
• With issue #24, Marvel cancels Godzilla, [King of the Monsters (comics)|Godzilla, King of the Monsters].
• La resa dei conti, by Magnus, last episode of La compagnia della forca.
• In Marvel Two-in-one 53, the story arc Project Pegasus begins.
• July 25: Marvel UK publishes the final weekly issue of Marvel Comic.
• July 26: In the German magazine Zack, the parody Western series Silas Finn by the Italian authors Tiziano Sclavi and Giorgio Cavazzano is published.

August

• With issue #70, Marvel publishes the final issue of The Tomb of Dracula, ending writer Marv Wolfman and artist Gene Colan's uninterrupted six-year run on the title.
• In the story Mister No va alla guerra, by Guido Nolitta and Gallieno Ferri, the true name of the character is revealed.
• In Pif Gadget, debut of two adventure series: Ayak, by Jean Ollivier and Eduardo Teixeira Coelho, set in the Klondike Gold rush, with an arctic wolf as protagonist, and Marine fille de pirate by Francois Corteggiani and Pierre Tranchand.
• August 19: in Topolino, Topolino e l’enigma di Mu, by Massimo De Vita; debut of Prof. Zachary Zapotec.
• August 25: IPC Magazines merged two comic books 2000 AD and Starlord and Tornado into "2000 AD and Tornado".

September

• September: The Indian comics magazine Target is launched. Inside the first issue, Ajit Ninan's detective comic Detective Moochhwala makes its debut.
• September 9: For Better or For Worse, by Lynn Johnston, debuts, distributed by Universal Press Syndicate.
• September 17: Jaap Vegter receives the Stripschapprijs.
• All-Out War #1: a new war title in the Dollar Comics format is launched by DC Comics with a September/October cover date.
• The Best of DC #1: a reprint anthology title in the digest format is launched by DC Comics with a September/October cover date.
• "[Proteus (Marvel Comics)|The Proteus Saga]", by Chris Claremont and John Byrne, begins in Uncanny X-Men #125.
• Marvel Comic, with issue #353, becomes a monthly title and is renamed Marvel Superheroes.
• The Invaders, with issue #41, is cancelled by Marvel.
• The first edition of the Helsinki Comics Festival is organized in Helsinki, Finland.
• Calibro 45, by Ennio and Vladimiro Missaglia ; first album of the short-lived western series Judas,
• In the fall issue of Co-Evolution Quarterly, Robert Crumb's one-shot comic A Short History of America is printed.

October

• October 1: Hergé's Tintin and Snowy receive a statue in Uccle.
• January 6: The final episode of Kees Stip and Nico Visscher's newspaper gag-a-day comic In de Wolken is published.
• October 6: In The Louisville Times, the first episode of Don Rosa’s Captain Kentucky is published.
• October 21: In Il Giornalino, the first chapter of Gargantua e Pantagruel, Dino Battaglia’s comics adaptation of Gargantua and Pantagruel, is published.
• Action Comics #500: 68-pages, "The Life Story of Superman," by Martin Pasko, Curt Swan, and Frank Chiaramonte.
• Star*Reach, with issue #18, publishes its final issue.
• Time Warp #1: a new science-fiction anthology in the Dollar Comics format is launched by DC Comics with an October/November cover date.
• With issue #28, Marvel cancels John Carter, Warlord of Mars.
• In the Argentine magazine El pendulo the first episode of the series Las puertitas del senor Lopez, by Carlos Trillo and Horacio Altuna is published.

December

• December 21: In VSD, the first chapter of Le magot des Dalton by Morris and Vicq is published. Vicq succeeds the late Goscinny as Lucky Luke’s writer.
• The final issue of the Dutch adult comics magazine Gummi/De Ballooen is published.
• In Linus, the first strip of Sergio Staino’s Bobo appears.

Specific date unknown

• Due to weak sales numbers from 1978, during the course of the year Marvel Comics cancels a number of ongoing titles: Black Panther; Captain Marvel; Godzilla, King of the Monsters; Howard the Duck; The Human Fly; The Invaders; John Carter, Warlord of Mars; Kid Colt Outlaw; Marvel Triple Action; and Rawhide Kid.
• The "Demon in a Bottle" storyline, by David Michelinie, Bob Layton, and John Romita, Jr., runs through Iron Man.
• Alien: The Illustrated Story, a comics adaptation of Alien, by Archie Goodwin and Walt Simonson, published by Heavy Metal.
• In Turnhout, Belgium the first edition of the Stripgids Festival is organized by Jan Smet.
• Belgian comic artist Morris is knighted in the Order of Leopold II.
• Comic artist Gary Panter publishes the Rozz Tox Manifesto, in which he encourages counterculture artists to infiltrate the mainstream media.

Births

March

• March 27: Mia Ikumi, Japanese manga artist,.

November

• November 22: Jeremy Dale, American comics artist,.

Deaths

January

• January 8: Victor Hubinon, Belgian comics writer, dies from a heart attack at age 59.

February

• February 9: Daniël Jansens, Belgian comics writer, dies from a heart attack at age 47.
• February 15: Roy d'Ami, Italian comics writer, artist and founder of the Studio Creazioni d'Ami, dies at age 55.
• February 22: John Coleman Burroughs, American illustrator and comics artist, dies at age 65.

March

• March 24: Ole Lund Kirkegaard, Danish novelist and illustrator, freezes to death at age 38.

April

• April 29: Hardie Gramatky, American novelist, comics artist and animator, dies at age 72.

May

• May 10: Louis Paul Boon, Belgian novelist, poet and comic writer, dies at age 67.

June

• June 25: Dave Fleischer, American animator, film producer and director, dies of a stroke at age 84.

July

• July 4: Pagsilang Rey Isip, Filipino-American comics artist, painter, photographer and musician, dies at age 68 from a heart attack.
• July 19: Paul Bransom, American comics artist, illustrator and painter, dies at age 94.

August

• August 10: Emmerich Huber, German comics artist, illustrator and advertising artist, dies at age 75.
• August 15: Walter Berndt, American comics artist, dies at age 80.
• August 26: Mika Waltari, Finnish novelist and comics writer, dies at age 70.

September

• September 12: Les Clark, American animator, dies at age 71.
• September 20: Erich Gold, AKA Goltz, AKA Eric Peters, Austrian-American caricaturist, political cartoonist, comic writer and artist, dies at age 80.
• September 26: Carl Grubert, American comics artist, dies at age 68.

October

• October 16: René Brantonne, French illustrator and comics artist, dies at age 76.
• October 30: Oscar Conti, aka Oski, Argentine cartoonist, caricaturist, animator and comics artist, dies at age 65.

November

• November 2: Walter Bell, British comics artist, dies at age 86.
• November 5: Al Capp, American comics artist, dies at age 70.
• November 22: Hugh McNeill, British comics artist, dies at age 68.
• November 23: Eugène Gire, French comics artist, dies at age 73.
• November 30: Dick Huemer, American animator and comics writer, dies at age 81.

December

• December 20: Leslie Illingworth, British cartoonist and comics artist, dies at age 77.

Specific date unknown

• Garrett Price, American comics artist, cartoonist and illustrator, dies at age 81 or 82.
• Carlos Laffond, Spanish comics artist, dies at age 49 or 50.

Conventions

• April 6–8: MiamiCon II — first iteration of the show since 1975; guests include Stan Lee
• June: Comicon — first Australian comic book convention
• June: Houstoncon — guests include George Pérez and Walter Koenig
• June: World of Comics — guests include Jim Steranko
• June 7–10: D-Con '79 — Larry Lankford's revival of D-Con after a hiatus; antecedent to Lankford's later Dallas Fantasy Fair
• June 30–July 1: Comic Art Convention I
• July 14–15: Comic Art Convention II
• July 20–22: Chicago Comicon — special guests: Mike W. Barr and John Byrne; first year that Joe Sarno is not one of the show's organizers, leaving the duties to Larry Charet and Bob Weinberg
• August: Atlanta Fantasy Fair — official guests include John Byrne, Dave Sim
• August: FantaCon '80 — first annual Albany-area horror and comic book convention, hosted by FantaCo Enterprises publisher Thomas Skulan
• August 1–5: San Diego Comic-Con — 6,000 attendees; official guests: Kelly Freas, Mike Jittlov, Harvey Kurtzman, Victor Moscoso, Nestor Redondo, Marshall Rogers, John Romita Sr., Mort Walker, Len Wein, and Marv Wolfman
• August 11–12: Comicon '79 (London) British Comic Art Convention 11 — sponsored by Valhalla Books of Ilford, and organized by Ian Starling, Neville Ferris, and Ian Knox; guests include Jim Starlin, Paul Neary, Dez Skinn
• August 31–September 2: Comicon '79 (Birmingham) U.K. Comic Art & Fantasy Convention — produced by Colin Campbell/Biytoo Books; guests include Jim Steranko, Marshall Rogers, Terry Austin, Paul Levitz, Howard Chaykin, Len Wein, Joe Staton, Dez Skinn, and Dave Gibbons; presentation of the Eagle Awards
• September: OrlandoCon — guests include Will Eisner, C. C. Beck, Bob Cummings, Kirby Grant, and Jack Rosen
• November 24–26: Creation '79 — guests include Tom Savini; admission: $6/day
• December 15: "Christmas Con" — guests include Rick Marschall

Awards

[Eagle Awards]

• Roll of Honor: Jack Kirby
• Favourite Writer: Chris Claremont
• Favourite Comicbook Artist: John Byrne
• Favourite Inker: Terry Austin
• Favourite Comic Book : Uncanny X-Men
• Favourite Comic Book : Howard the Duck, by Steve Gerber and Gene Colan
• Favourite New Comic Title: Howard the Duck
• Favorite Single Comic Book Story: "Demon in a Bottle," Iron Man #s 120–128, by David Michelinie, John Romita, Jr., and Bob Layton
• Favourite Continued Comic Story: X-Men #125-128, by Chris Claremont and John Byrne
• Best Comicbook Cover: The Avengers #185, by George Pérez
• Favourite Team: X-Men
• Favourite Character: Wolverine
• Favourite Supporting Character: Wolverine
• Favourite Villain: Magneto
• Character Most Worthy of Own Title: Warlock
• Favourite Title : Starburst, edited by Dez Skinn

First issues by title

DC Comics

Marvel Comics

Independent titles

Initial appearances by character name

DC Comics

• Blok, in Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #253
• Carl Draper, in Superman #331
• Green Fury, in Super Friends #25
• Firebug, in Batman #318
• Lucius Fox, in Batman #307
• Timothy Fox, in Batman #313
• Maxie Zeus, in Detective Comics #483

Marvel Comics

• El Águila, in Power Man and Iron Fist #58
• Alpha Flight, in Uncanny X-Men #120
• * Aurora
• * Northstar
• * Sasquatch
• * Shaman
• * Snowbird
• Black Cat, in The Amazing Spider-Man #194
• Dire Wraith, in Rom #1
• Followers of the Light, in Shogun Warriors #1
• Justin Hammer, in Iron Man #120
• H.E.R.B.I.E., in Fantastic Four #209
• Kroton (Cyberman), in Doctor Who Weekly #5
• Cassie Lang, in Marvel Premiere #47
• Scott Lang, in The Avengers #181; as Ant-Man in Marvel Premiere #47
• Lady Lotus, in Invaders #37
• Night Raven, in Hulk Comic #1
• Quasar, in The Incredible [Hulk (comic book)|The Incredible Hulk] #234
• Proteus, in Uncanny X-Men #125
• Rom, in Rom: Spaceknight #1
• Schizoid Man, in Spectacular Spider-Man #36
• Shadow King, in Uncanny X-Men #117
• Screaming Mimi, in Marvel Two-in-One #54
• Vampiro, in The Mighty Thor #290
• War Machine, in Iron Man #118
• Debra Whitman, in The Amazing Spider-Man #196
• Mariko Yashida, in Uncanny X-Men #118