2011 in comics

Events

January

• January 4: Axel Alonso is named editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics, replacing Joe Quesada.
• January 11: Dutch cartoonist Peter van Straaten wins his fourth Inktspotprijs for Best Political Cartoon.
• January 13: Tunisian cartoonist Nadia Khiari creates Willis the Cat, who will rise to become a symbol of opposition during the Arab Spring in Tunisia.
• January 20–21: DC Comics and Archie Comics both drop the Comics Code Authority seal, DC Comics however used a rating system, and Archie Comics did not ever use a rating system.
• January 29: Belgian comic writer Jean Van Hamme is named Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres.

  February

• February 24: Scripps Company strikes a distribution deal with Universal Uclick for syndication of United Media's 150 comic strip and news features, which becomes effective on June 1.
• In Melbourne, Australia, Mitch Davies and Troy Varker found the comics store All Star Comics Melbourne.

  March

• March 12–13: During the Stripdagen in Gorinchem Minck Oosterveer receives the Stripschapprijs. He will tragically die in a motor accident in September. The magazine Stripschrift wins the P. Hans Frankfurtherprijs. Eiso Toonder, son of Marten Toonder, receives the Bulletje en Boonestaak Schaal.
• Catawiki, an online compendium of collector's catalogues, becomes available in English.

  April

• April 29: Martin Lodewijk is knighted in the Order of Orange-Nassau.
• Mark Millar, Leinil Francis Yu, Frank Quitely, Dave Gibbons, John Romita Jr., Paul Cornell, Andy Diggle, Jock, Duncan Fegredo, Sean Phillips and over fifty other comic book creators collaborate at the inaugural Kapow Comic Convention and enter the Guinness World Records twice for creating the fastest comic book ever produced and the biggest number of creators working on a single comic, namely Superior. The Superior World Record Special was written, penciled, inked and lettered in less than 12 hours and sold as a limited 10,000 copy book with all proceeds from its sales going to Yorkhill Sick Children's Hospital in Scotland.

  June

• June 4:
• * Belgian comic artist Marc Sleen is declared a honorary citizen of Hoeilaart.
• * The comic character Kari Lente receives a statue in Brasschaat, Belgium.

  July

• July 19: Stage show Batman Live premiers in Manchester Evening News Arena

  August

• August 27: Signe Wilkinson's Family Tree ends after three and a half years.
• As part of their The New 52 publishing scheme, DC Comics cancels all their ongoing titles.

  September

• September 9: Dutch comic artist Peter Pontiac receives the Marten Toonderprijs award.
• During the month, DC Comics releases 52 brand-new titles as part of their The New 52 publishing scheme.

  October

• October 25: U.S. cartoonist Dave Simpson is caught with plagiarism and instantly announces his retirement from the cartooning industry.

  November

• November 8: Israeli-French cartoonist Michel Kichka is knighted as Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

  Specific date unknown

• Greg Tessier and Amandine launch their comics series Mistinguette.
• Jeroom creates his gag comic Het Knuffelbos.

  Deaths

January

• January 6: Jacques van der Smissen, Dutch painter, graphic artist and comics artist, dies at age 68.
• January 18: Marcel Marlier, Belgian illustrator, dies at age 80.
• January 28: Gaspare de Fiore, Italian comics artist, dies at age 84.
• January 29: Orhan Halil Tolon, Turkish comics artist, illustrator and caricaturist, dies at age 88 or 89.

  February

• February 4: Peter Csihas, Swedish comic artist, dies at age 65.
• February 6: Ahmed Bouanani, Moroccan film director and comics artist, dies at age 72.
• February 9: Félix Molinari, French comic artist, dies at age 80.
• February 21: Dwayne McDuffie, American comic book writer, dies at age 49 of complications from emergency heart surgery.
• February 24: Anant Pai, Indian comics writer and artist, dies at age 73.
• February 25: Ioanna Salajan, American teacher, painter and comic artist, dies at an unknown age.

  March

• March 4: Eduardo Ferro, Argentine comics artist, dies at age 93.
• March 10: Bill Blackbeard, American comics scholar, historian and collector, dies at age 84.
• March 21:
• * Juan Carlos Eguillor, Spanish comic artist, dies at age 63.
• * Gustav Krum, Czech painter, illustrator and comics artist, dies at age 86.

  April

• April 6: Gerard van Straaten, Dutch illustrator and comics artist, dies at age 86.

  May

• May 8: Carlos Trillo, Argentine comics writer, dies at age 68.
• May 13: Alain Voss, Brazilian-French comics artist, dies from a stroke at age 65.
• May 19: Jeffrey Catherine Jones, American comics artist and painter, dies at age 67.
• May 21:
• * Paul Gillon, French comics artist
• * Bill Rechin, American comics artist, dies at age 80.
• May 22: Francine Vandenbosch, French comics writer and colorist, wife of Jean Graton, dies at age 79.

  June

• June 6: Mohamed Al-Zawawi, Libyan cartoonist and comics artist, dies at age 74 or 75.
• June 18: Lew Schwartz, American comics artist, dies at age 84.
• June 23: Gene Colan, American comics artist, died at age 84.
• June 27: Thierry Martens, Belgian novelist, journalist and publisher, dies at age 69.

  July

• July 5: George Martin, British comic artist, dies at age 82 or 83.
• July 9: Gideon Brugman, Dutch comics artist, dies at age 68.
• July 12: Leo Leonhard, German comics artist, dies at age 72.
• July 19: Henri Taymans, aka Timme, Belgian comics artist, dies at age 76.

  August

• August 6: John Adkins Richardson, American comic artist and author of The Complete Book of Cartooning, dies at age 81.
• August 12: Francisco Solano Lopéz, Argentine comics artist, dies at age 82.
• August 15: Pap Dean, American cartoonist and comics artist, dies at age 95.
• August 18: Jean Tabary, French comics artist, died at age 81.
• August 22: Vicco von Bülow, aka Loriot or Pirol, German comedian, comics artist, cartoonist, film director, writer and actor, dies at age 87.

  September

• September 4: Dave Hoover, American comics artist and animator, dies at age 56.
• September 6: George Kuchar, American underground film director and comics artist made a comics biography about H.P. Lovecraft), dies at age 69.
• September 9: Daniel Hulet, Belgian comics artist, dies at age 66.
• September 11: Michel-Paul Giroud, French comic artist, dies at age 78.
• September 14: Gilles Chaillet, French comics artist, dies at age 65.
• September 15: Gilbert Schats, Belgian comic artist, dies at age 66.
• September 16: Tom Wilson, American comics artist, dies at age 80.
• September 17: Minck Oosterveer, Dutch comics artist, dies in a motor accident at age 50.
• September 18: Jack Adler, American cover artist and colourist, dies at age 94.
• September 21: Júlio Resende, Portuguese painter and comics artist, dies at age 93.
• September 25: Dick Briel, Dutch comics artist, dies at age 60.
• September 26: Sergio Bonelli, Italian comics writer, dies at age 78.
• September 29: Albert Weinberg, Belgian comics artist, dies at age 91.

  October

• October 21: Ahmed Hijazy, Egyptian comic artist, dies at age 74 or 75.
• October 31: Mick Anglo, British comics artist, dies at age 95.

  November

• November 7: Jorge Kato, Brazilian comics, dies at age 75.
• November 8: Bil Keane, American comics artist, dies at age 89.
• November 9: Terry Willers, British-Irish comics artist, dies at age 76.
• November 30: Carlos A. Killian, Argentine comics artist and caricaturist, dies at age 64.

  December

• December 2: Bruno Bianchi, French animator and comics artist, dies at age 45 or 46 from cancer.
• December 7: Jerry Robinson, American comics artist, dies at age 89.
• December 13:
• * Maria Pascual Alberich, Spanish illustrator and comics artist, dies at age 78.
• * Carlo Peroni, Italian comics artist, dies at age 82.
• December 14: Joe Simon, American comics artist, dies at age 98 after a brief illness.
• December 15: Eduardo Barreto, Uruguayan comics artist, dies at age 57, apparently from meningitis
• December 21: Eric Resetar, New Zealand comics artist, dies at age 83.
• December 26:
• * Jo Dustin, Belgian painter, art critic and editorial cartoonist, dies at age 75.
• * Ola Ericson, Swedish comics artist, dies at age 91.
• December 30: Ronald Searle, British illustrator, cartoonist and comics artist, dies at age 91.

  Specific date unknown

• Didier Geluck, aka Diluck, Belgian cartoonist and father of Philippe Geluck, dies at age 86 or 87.
• Antonio Ghura, British comics artist, dies at age 60 or 61.

  Exhibitions and shows

• May 12–June 25: "Zap: Masters of Psychedelic Art, 1965-74" — featuring the work of Robert Crumb, Robert Williams, Rick Griffin, Victor Moscoso, S. Clay Wilson, Gilbert Shelton, and Spain Rodriguez
• May 26–August 19: "Marvels & Monsters: Unmasking Asian Images in U.S. Comics, 1942–1986" — taken from the William F. Wu Collection at the Fales Library. Later traveled to the Asian/Pacific/American Institute at NYU, the Asian Arts Initiative, the Multicultural Success Center, Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis, the Museum of Chinese in America, the Japanese American National Museum, and Stony Brook University
• June 30–October 16: ''"Lyonel Feininger: At the Edge of the World"''