1997 in comics

Events

• Publisher Blatant Comics founded by Chris Crosby and Bobby Crosby.
• WildStorm established the Cliffhanger imprint.

  January

• January 8: In Italy, the first issue of Fantacomix Day is published, a magazine specialized in Argentine sci-fi comics; it lasts for four issues.
• January 22: In Disney comics magazine Topolino the Mickey Mouse story Chief Casey's Longest Night, by Tito Faraci and Giorgio Cavazzano is published, which marks the debut of Brick Boulder.
• Specific date in January unknown: Peter van Straaten wins his second Inktspotprijs for Best Political Cartoon.
• Aloys Oosterwijk's gag comic Willems Wereld debuts. It will run until 2017.
• In Shadis magazine, the first episode of Dork Tower, by John Kovalic is printed.
• In The Incredible Hulk #449, the Thunderbolts make their debut.
• The first episode of Due by Alessandro Sisti, Corrado Mastrantuono and Paolo Mottura is published, in which two central figures of PKNA, the evil computer Due and the mysterious scientist and businessman Everett Ducklair, make their debut. Later in the year, the series’ supporting cast is enriched by several other recurring characters, such as the android Odin Eidolon and the secret agent Mary Ann Flagstar.

  March

• March 19: Sonic the Hedgehog #47 "End Game" is released. Similar to the long-time controversy of Gwen Stacy's death, this issue received backlash for the attempt of "killing off" the comic's heroine Princess Sally Acorn from the comics before Archie Comics was urged to revive Sally by changing the result that she was put in a coma and survived three issues later.
• March 20: Liberty meadows by Frank Cho makes its debut.
• March 22: The final episode of Steve Dowling's long-running newspaper comic Garth is published.
• The final episode of Daniel Clowes' Ghost World is prepublished in Eightball. In the same issue Clowes publishes his essay Modern Cartoonist.
• In Italy, La Lunga Notte dell’Investigatore Merlo, by Leo Ortolani is first published, a parody of Humphrey Bogart’s movies.

  April

• April 1:
• * Tony Barbieri and Bill Wray's satirical teenage comic Monroe makes its debut in the 356th issue of Mad. It will run until 2010, albeit with a different artist from 2006 on: Tom Fowler.
• * In U.S. newspapers, a comic strip switcheroo takes place, in commemoration of April Fools' Day; several cartoonists trade their signature comic series for the day.
• April 3: The first issue of Knuckles the Lark legion by Ken Penders is published.
• In Smoke Magazine, Cigarman, by Sam Gross and Randy Jones, begins publication. It will run until 1998.
• Marvel cancels The Punisher with issue #18
• A history of violence by John Wagner and Vince Locke.
• First issue of the annual magazine Il Grande Diabolik.
• First issue of Rat-Man collection by Leonardo Ortolani.

  May

• May 24: The British girls' magazine Mandy and Judy, who merged in 1991, now merge with Bunty. It will run in this form until 2001.
• First issue of 2020 Visions by Jamie Delano.
• In Cable 45, the crossover Operation: Zero tolerance begins.
• Sergio Bonelli editore launches two new magazines: the semi-annual Agenzia alfa and the annual I Grandi Comici del Fumetto, inaugurated by Cocco Bill Diquaedilà, one of Benito Jacovitti’s last works.

  June

• June 15: Un Copieur Sachant Copier !, by Zidrou and Godi, the first album of the series L'Élève Ducobu is published.
• First issue of Hellboy: wake the devil, by Mike Mignola.
• Fiftieth anniversary of Scrooge McDuck's first appearance. The event is celebrated by two stories: Secret of the Incas, by Byron Erickson and Giorgio Cavazzano and A little something special, by Don Rosa.
• Fort Ghost, the first album of the western-fantasy series Magico Vento, by Gianfranco Manfredi.
• The Largo Winch album L’heure du tigre is published, by Jean Van Hamme and Philippe Francq.

  July

• July 7: Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman's Zits makes its debut.
• July 15: In Topolino, the story Paperino e la Macchina della Conoscenza, by Corrado Mastantuono is published, which marks the debut of Bum-Bum Ghigno.
• July 31: The Belgian city Middelkerke starts an annual project where statues of famous Belgian comics characters are placed at the dijk during the summer. The first one to be honoured this way is Jommeke.
• Marvel Comics' Flashback month: all issues were released with the number −1.

  August

• First issue of Major Bummer, by John Arcudi and Doug Mahnke.
• The Lucky Luke story OK Corral by Morris, Éric Adam and Xavier Fauche is published.

  September

• September 12 : L’Occhio di Vetro by Carlo Ambrosini, the first album of the mystery-fantasy series Napoleone is published.
• The first issue of the second Marvel Team-up series is published.
• The first issue of  Transmetropolitan by Waren Ellis and Frank Robertson is published.
• The XIII album Le Jugement, by William Vance and Jean Van Hamme is first published

  October

• October 10: In the Danish version of Donald Duck the story W.H.A.D.A.L.O.T.T.A.J.A.R.G.O.N. by Don Rosa is published, revealing how Huey, Dewey and Louie joined the Junior Woodchunks.
• October 11–12: During the Stripdagen in Haarlem, the Netherlands, Peter Pontiac receives the Stripschapprijs. Sunnya van der Vegt en René van Royen receive the P. Hans Frankfurtherprijs for their book Asterix en de waarheid, about the historicity in Astérix.
• Family Values by Frank Miller.
• First issue of Ascension, by David Finch and Matt Banning
• The last complete story of Zanardi by Andrea Pazienza, appears in the Italian magazine Comic Art.''.''
• The giant album Gli uomini in nero by Alfredo Castelli and Esposito Bros is published by Sergio Bonelli. It tells the whole story of the Martin Mystere universe, from the fall of Atlantis to the present.

  November

• November 29: Willy Vandersteen's old villa in Kalmthout, Belgium, becomes an interactive children's museum.
• Mayo Kaan takes out newspaper ads claiming to be the original model for Superman, although his allegations were later proven false.
• The Thorgal story La Cage by Jean Van Hamme and Grzegorz Rosiński is first published.
• The Blueberry story Ombres sur Tombstone by Jean Giraud is first published.
• La Pourpre et l'Or by Jean Dufaux and Philippe Delaby , the first album of the Murena series, is published.

  December

• The final issue of the Belgian comics magazine À Suivre is published.
• Marvel returns the Avengers and Fantastic Four to their main continuity in Heroes Reborn: The Return #1–4
• Bad boy by Frank Miller and Simon Bisley

  Specific date unknown

• Finnish comic artist Arja Kajermo launches her gag comic Tuula, which will run until 2019.
• The final album of the Belgian comics series Bessy, originally created by Willy Vandersteen, is published.
• The final episode of the Belgian comics series Tif et Tondu is published, ending it just a year before its 60th birthday.
• The final episode of Howard Rands' newspaper gag comic Twitch appears in print.
• The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish by Neil Gaiman and David McKean
• In Norway, the first strip of Den swarte siden by Lise Myhre is published.
• In Italy, number 0 of the series No Name by Davide Barzi and Oskar is published, a parody of the superhero comics.

  Deaths

January

• January 5:
• * André Franquin, Belgian comics artist, dies at age 73.
• * Frans Piët, Dutch comics artist, dies at age 91.
• January 6: Pétur Bjarnason, Icelandic-Swedish comic artist, dies at age 50.
• January 8: Normand Hudon, Canadian animator and comics artist, dies at age 67.
• January 25: Dan Barry, American cartoonist and comics artist, dies at age 73.

  February

• February 3: Geoffrey Foladori, Uruguayan comics artist, dies at age 88.
• February 7: Nina Albright, American comics artist, dies at age 89.
• February 13: Hans Schlensker, dies at age 82.
• February 15: Jack Sparling, Canadian-American comics artist, dies at age 81.
• February 23: Larry Antonette, aka Dean Carr, American comics artist, dies at age 87.
• Specific date unknown: Arthur Horner, Australian-British cartoonist, dies at age 80.

  March

• March 10: Stan Drake, American comics artist, dies at age 75.

  April

• April 4: Billy Graham, American comics artist, dies at age 61.
• April 11: Helge Kühn-Nielsen, Danish comics artist, teacher, painter and illustrator, dies at age 76.
• April 16: Roland Topor, French novelist, illustrator, cartoonist, comics artist, film script writer, TV script writer, animator and playwright, dies at age 59.
• April 20: Stamatis L. Polenakis, Greek comic artist and animator, dies at age 88 or 89.
• April 27: Víctor Arriazu, Spanish comics artist, dies at age 61 or 62.

  May

• May 1: Sirius, Belgian comics artist, dies at age 86.
• May 4: Lou Stathis, American comics editor of DC's Vertigo line, dies of complications related to a brain tumor at age 44.
• May 31: Ruth Atkinson, Canadian-American comics artist, dies at age 78.