1983 in comics

Events and publications

• Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird found Mirage Studios, which is headquartered at Northampton, Massachusetts.
• Chicago-based First Comics makes a strong entry into the publishing field, putting out four ongoing titles, American Flagg!, E-Man, Jon Sable Freelance, and Warp!; featuring the talents of such established creators as Howard Chaykin, Mike Grell, Frank Brunner, and Joe Staton.
• DC Comics acquires most of Charlton Comics' "Action Hero" superhero characters — including Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, and the Question — from the failing publisher.
• Long-time comics publisher Warren Publishing declares bankruptcy.
• The publicly traded Archie Comics is acquired by Richard Goldwater and Michael Silberkleit, returning the publisher to private ownership.
• Noble Comics, original publisher of Justice Machine, ceases publication. Texas Comics picks up the title, publishing the Justice Machine Annual, featuring the first appearance of Bill Willingham's Elementals, as well as a crossover between the Justice Machine and the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents. After Texas folds later the same year, Comico takes over both Justice Machine and Elementals.

  January

• January 2: La Dernière Carte, by Jean Michel Charlier and Jean Giraud, the first album of the saga The rehabilitation of Blueberry.
• January 14: The first episode of Gilles de Geus by Hanco Kolk and Peter de Wit is published in Eppo.
• The first volume of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is published
• Debut of the western series Kerry il trapper, written by Tiziano Sclavi, published in appendix to Comandante Mark.
• In the Italian erotic magazine Playmen, first chapter of Milo Manara's Click.
• Ramor's conch, by Serge Le Tendre and Regis Loisel, first album of the saga La Quête de l'oiseau du temps.
• 300 à l'heure dans Paris by Jean Graton.
• The Lucky Luke album Daisy Town by Goscinny and Morris is released.
• The first episode of Ram Waeerkar's comic series Suppandi is published.

  February

• Wonder Woman #300: Special anniversary issue written by Roy Thomas, Danette Thomas, and Dan Mishkin.
• Bizarre Adventures publishes its final issue, #34.
• The Buyer's Guide to Comics Fandom is acquired by Krause Publications and changes its name to Comics Buyer's Guide.
• The Thorgal story La chute de Brek Zarith by Jean Van Hamme and Grzegorz Rosiński.

  March

• March 16: Queen Fabiola of Belgium pays an official visit to Willy Vandersteen's studio.
• March 20: In the Disney comics magazine Topolino, the first episode of Messer Papero, by Guido Martina and Giovan Battista Carpi is serialized, a saga in 7 episodes, starring Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge, living in the medieval Florence.
• March 22: The newspaper comic Philippe Geluck's Le Chat makes its debut in Le Soir. It will run for 30 years.
• David Anthony Kraft publishes the first issue of his long-running magazine Comics Interview.
• Archie Comics revives its Red Circle Comics superhero imprint with Mighty Crusaders #1.
• Billy the Kid, with issue #153, canceled by Charlton.
• In RAW, the horror comic Big Baby by Charles Burns makes its debut.

  April

• The Legion of Super-Heroes vol. 2 #298 features an insert previewing the upcoming Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld series by writers Dan Mishkin and Gary Cohn and artist Ernie Colón.
• After releasing its final issue, nr. 94, Crazy Magazine is cancelled.
• In Epic illustrated, ''The chess game, by Archie Goodwin and Pepe Moreno, first chapter of the sci-fi series Generation Zero, set after the Third World War.
• In the Spanish magazine Metropol, Polux, spy story by Manfred Sommer.
• First issue of the annual magazine Trumoon, published by a collective of cartoonists in Salerno.
• The Alix story L'Empereur de Chine'' by Jacques Martin is published.

  May

• May 27: The first issue of the short-lived magazine Full is published. It will last until December.
• Jason Todd makes his debut as the second Robin in Detective Comics #526.
• In Glamour international magazine, Little Ego, by Vittorio Giardino makes his debut.

  June

• June 1: in Pilote, first chapter of The ghosts of Inverloch, by Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières.
• June 7: The first episode of Cosey's À La Recherche de Peter Pan is serialized in Tintin.
• June 25: Jack Edward Oliver's Cliff Hanger debuts in Buster.
• Action Comics #544: 68-page anniversary issue; origins of revamped Lex Luthor and Brainiac.
• Adventure Comics #500: 148-page giant, reprints of "Tales of the Legion of Super-Heroes" from issues #305–313, mostly written by Edmond Hamilton.
• Legion of Super-Heroes #300: 68-page anniversary issue; the cover features the Legionnaires drawn by over twenty separate artists.
• With issue #124, DC publishes the final issue of its supernatural war comic Weird War Tales.
• Master of Kung Fu, with issue #125, is cancelled by Marvel.
• Marvel Two-in-One, with issue #100, is cancelled by Marvel.
• In the Italian magazine Orient express, L'Intervista by Gino D’Antonio is published, the epilogue of the saga Storia del West.
• The Ric Hochet story La fleche de sang by André-Paul Duchâteau and Tibet is published.
• Les murailles de Samaris by François Schuiten and Benoît Peeters is published.

  July

• July 13: The first episode of the Lucky Luke story Fingers is prepublished in the magazine VSD, which marks the first time Luke is drawn with a straw, rather than a cigarette.
• First issue of Frank Miller's Ronin limited series published by DC Comics.
• With issue #200, DC publishes the final issue of The Brave and the Bold, which also features a preview insert for the new title Batman and the Outsiders.
• Last album of Akim; the Italian version of Tarzan closes his cycle after 33 years of editorial life.

  August

• August 20: In 2000 AD, TheTtime mMnster, by Pat Mills and Angie Kincaid is published, marking the debut of Slaine.
• Alan Moore's "The Bojeffries Saga" starts with "The Rentman Cometh," in Warrior #12, published by Quality Communications.
• Harris Publications acquires bankrupt publisher Warren Publishing's company assets at auction.
• La Ccittà delle Ombre Diafane by Alfredo Castelli and Giancarlo Alessandrini is published, important antecedents of the Martin Mystère series are revealed.
• The Thorgal story Au-delà des ombres by Jean Van Hamme and Grzegorz Rosiński is published.

  September

• September 1: In the Italian Disney magazine Topolino, the Mickey Mouse story Topolino e la regina d’Africa, by Romano Scarpa marks the debut of the African princess Zenobia, who'll become Goofy’s girlfriend.
• September 11: The final episode of the newspaper comic Priscilla's Pop is published.
• September 29: The first episode of Raoul Cauvin and Marc Hardy's Pierre Tombal is published in Spirou.
• With issue #503, DC ceases publishing Adventure Comics, which had been running continuously since November 1938.
• First issue of Storie blu special, an Italian horror and erotic comics magazine.

  October

• October 1: The final episode of Pil's long-running comic series Meneerke Peeters is published.
• House of Mystery, with issue #321, canceled by DC.
• The Comet — #1 of a planned six-issue limited series, published by Red Circle Comics.
• The Black Hood, with issue #3, is cancelled by Red Circle.
• First issue of Corto Maltese, Italian magazine of author comics; the first number includes a version of Bram Stoker’s Dracula by Guido Crepax and Tutto cominciò con un’estate Indiana, by Hugo Pratt and Milo Manara, set in the colonial New England.
• Star Wars: Return of the Jedi by Archie Goodwin, Al Wiliamson and Carlos Garzon.
• The Astérix story Asterix and son is published, by Albert Uderzo.
• The Buddy Longway story Capitaine Ryan by Derib is published.
• The Ric Hochet story Le Malefice Vaodou is published, by André-Paul Duchâteau and Tibet.

  November

• Walt Simonson makes his debut as writer/artist on Thor with issue #337 and introduces the character Beta Ray Bill.
• The Daredevils, with issue #11, is merged with The Mighty World of Marvel.
• Pertini by Andrea Pazienza, an ironic and affectionate homage to the Italian president.

  December

• December 15: The first episode of Washington "Tonton" Young's Pupung appears in print.
• First issue of Marvel's Magik , written by Chris Claremont.
• Lancelot Strong: The Shield, with issue #3, is re-titled Shield—Steel Sterling.
• The Comet, a planned six-issue limited series, is cancelled with issue #2 by Red Circle Comics.
• First issue of the Lupo Alberto story Il mensile di Lupo Alberto is published
• Sur l'etoile by Moebius is published, originally as a simple promotional album for Citroen. It later becomes the first chapter of the saga Le Monde d'Edena.

  Specific date unknown

• Peter van Straaten wins the Stripschapprijs. The Jaarprijs voor Bijzondere Verdiensten is given to Maarten de Meulder, the editorial board of Donald Duck and Betty Sluyzer, Cees Taheij and Fred Marschall for their book Stripwerk.
• The official Rupert the Bear fanclub, The Followers of Rupert, is founded.
• In L. A. Reader, the first episode of The Angriest Dog in the World, by film director David Lynch is published. It will run until 1992.
• The first strip of the series DTWOF by Alison Bechdel is published.
• In Don, la revista para Juan, the sci-fi series Husmeante, by Carlos Trillo and Domingo Roberto Mandrafina debuts.
• François Rivière and Francis Carin publish the first episode of their historical adventure comic series Victor Sackville.
• Albert Uderzo successfully sues a German translation of Roger Brunel's pornographic parody series Pastiches, because of a porn parody of his series Astérix. All titles are confiscated.
• Little Archie, published since 1956, is discontinued.