2015 in comics
Notable events of 2015 in comics. It includes any relevant comics-related events, deaths of notable comics-related people, conventions and first issues by title. For an overview of the year in Japanese comics, see 2015 in manga.
Events
January
January 7: Charlie Hebdo shooting: In Paris, terrorists invade the office of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and murder 12 people, injuring 11. Among the cartoonists murdered that morning are Cabu, Charb, Philippe Honoré, Tignous and Georges Wolinski. The shooting brings about a huge rally of national unity under the name Je suis Charlie. Two days later, the assassins are shot by the police.January 23: An original The Adventures of Tintin cover for The Shooting Star is auctioned and sold for €2.5 million at the Brussels Antiques and Art Fair.March
March 4:- * American Gothic Press is founded.
- * Ken Bald makes the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest active comics artist in the world. He would break this record again on 8 May 2017.March 7–8: During the Stripdagen in Gorinchem, Marcel Ruijters wins the Stripschapprijs. The Dutch comics magazine Tina wins the P. Hans Frankfurtherprijs. Thom Roep wins the Bulletje en Boonestaakschaal.
April
April 1: Taylor Robins' webcomic Never Satisfied makes its debut.April 20: The 533th issue of Mad Magazine is guest-edited by "Weird Al" Yankovic and Patton Oswalt.May
May 3: The final episode of the long-running comic panel Grin and Bear It, originally created by George Lichty, is published.June
June 9: Hergé's estate Moulinsart loses the court case against a Dutch Tintin fanclub, Hergé Society, because the court rules that the rights to the character are not theirs, but belong to Casterman.June 20: The first chapter of the long-awaited sequel to the Dragon Ball series Dragon Ball Super is published.July
July 17: Belgian comic writer Jean Van Hamme is knighted.September
September 8: Zep makes a special Titeuf comic in which the cast members becomes victims of warfare and become refugees, to provide commentary on the war refugee crisis. September 23: Joep Bertrams wins his second Inktspotprijs for Best Political Cartoon.October
October 6: A rare drawing of the Tintin story The Blue Lotus is auctioned and sold for over 1 million dollars.October 16: Suske en Wiske receive a comics mural in Antwerp, Belgium.October 27: Two pages from the Tintin story King Ottokar's Sceptre are auctioned and sell for €1.56 million.November
November 2: Snoopy receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.November 7: The final episode of Larry Wright's Kit 'n' Carlyle appears in print.November 13: In Paris terrorist attacks take place at the Bataclan concert hall. One of the people to witness this tragic events at the theater is cartoonist Fred Dewilde, who adapted the experience into the graphic novel Mon Bataclan in 2016.November 22: The final episode of the long-running comics series Apartment 3-G, originally created by Nicholas P. Dallis and Alex Kotzky, is published.Specific date unknown
- Dutch illustrator Cor Blok releases his graphic novel The Iron Parachute at age 82, making him the second oldest man at that time to ever debut as a comics author.
- Anton Martin of the design agency Power & Glory releases a comic strip based on the lyrics of the song Badaboum by Hooverphonic.
Deaths
January
January 7: Charlie Hebdo shooting:- * Charb, French cartoonist and editor-in-chief, killed at age 47.
- * Cabu, French cartoonist, killed at age 76.
- * Philippe Honoré, French cartoonist, killed at age 73.
- * Tignous, French cartoonist, killed at age 57.
- * Georges Wolinski, French cartoonist, killed at age 80.January 13:
- * Ulli Bürer, Dutch comics artist and illustrator, dies at age 49.
- * José Luis Moro, Spanish animator and comics artist, dies at age 88.January 20: Peter Pontiac, Dutch underground comics artist, illustrator and letterer, dies from liver disease at age 63.January 26: R. K. Laxman, Indian comics artist, dies at age 93.
February
February 3: Géri, Belgian comics artist, dies at age 80.February 4: Roland Garel, French comics artist, dies at age 84 or 85.February 4: Dick Millington, British comics artist and writer, dies at age 81.February 6: Jacques Kamb, French comics writer and artist, dies at age 81.February 7: Ugurcan Yüce, Turkish painter, illustrator and comics artist, dies at age 68.February 9: Lucia Steinbach, Dutch illustrator and comic artist, dies at age 92. February 16: Brett Ewins, British comic book artist, dies at age 59February 19: Talus Taylor, French novelist, dies at the age of 82.February 20: Gérard Calvi, French composer, dies at age 92.March
March 7: Yoshihiro Tatsumi, Japanese manga artist, credited with starting the gekiga style of alternative comics in Japan, dies from lung cancer at age 79.March 8: Göte Göransson, Swedish comics artist, dies at age 94.March 9: Lou Silverstone, American TV and comics writer, dies at age 90.March 13: Irwin Hasen, American comics artist, dies at age 96.March 18: Roy Doty, American comics artist, dies at age 92.March 20: Jim Berry, American comics artist and comic writer, dies at age 83.March 22: Tom Koch, American comics writer, dies at age 89.March 29: Jim Whiting, American comic artist, dies at age 88. 'March 30''': Roger Slifer, American comics writer, dies at age 60 from the effects of a 2012 hit-and-run accident.April
April 1: Cynthia Powell, AKA Cynthia Lennon, British graphic artist and painter, dies at age 75. April 6: Cliff Voorhees, American animator and comics artist, dies at age 85.April 10: Jordi Macabich, Spanish comic artist, dies at age 89 or 90. April 13:- * Dexter Taylor, American comics writer and artist, dies at age 84.
- * Herb Trimpe, American comics artist, dies at age 75.April 14: Kō Kojima, Japanese manga artist, dies at age 87.April 25: Marcel Steurbaut, Belgian comics artist, dies at age 82.April 23: Sixto Valencia Burgos, Mexican comic artist, dies at age 81.
May
May 7: John Dixon, Australian comics artist, dies at age 86.May 17: Robert Bressy, French comics artist, dies at age 90.May 30: Michele Wrightson, American underground cartoonist and superhero comic colorist, as well as the former wife of both Roger Brand and Bernie Wrightson, dies at age 73.June
June 19: Earl Norem, American magazine and comics illustrator known for his painted covers for Marvel Comics, dies at age 92.June 25: Fred Marcus, Dutch comics artist and illustrator, dies at age 91 or 92.June 26: Kája Saudek, Czech comics artist, dies at age 80.June 30:- * Leonard Starr, American comics artist, dies at age 89.
- * Paolo Piffarerio, Italian comics artist and animator, dies at age 90.
July
July 16: Alan Kupperberg, American animator, comics writer and artist, dies of thymus cancer at age 62.July 20: Tom Moore, American comics artist, dies at age 86.July 22: Stuf, Belgian comics artist, dies at age 56 from a heart attack.July 31: Jean-Jacques Loup, French comics artist and caricaturist, dies at age 78 or 79.August
August 7: Art Finley, American radio and TV comedian, presenter and comics writer, dies from a heart attack at age 88 or 89.August 8: Coyote, French comics artist, dies from cardiac arrest at age 52.August 11: Randy Glasbergen, American comics artist, dies from cardiac arrest at age 58.August 19: Emmanuel Ratier, A.K.A. Rémi, French essayist, editor, political activist and comic artist, dies at age 57. August 30:- * Brad Anderson, American comics artist, dies at age 91.
- * The Pizz, American illustrator, graphic designer and comics artist, commits suicide at age 57.
September
September 13: Jay Scott Pike, American comics artist, dies at age 91.September 26: Liliane Funcken, Belgian comics artist and writer, dies at 88.October
October 8: Dennis Eichhorn, American comics writer/editor, dies of pneumonia at age 70.October 9: Tony Rafty, Australian caricaturist and comics artist, dies at age 99.October 9: Zdravko Zupan, Serbian comics artist and comics journalist, dies at age 65.October 14: Vince Musacchia, American comics artist, dies at age 63.October 16: Angus McGill, Scottish columnist and comic writer, dies at age 87. October 22: Murphy Anderson, American comics artist, dies at age 89.November
November 8: Félix Arburola Bustos, Costa Rican comics artist and children's book illustrator, dies at age 77 or 78 from lymphatic cancer.November 16: Ingvar Persson, Swedish comics artist, dies at age 85.November 17: Henri Arnold, American comics artist, dies at age 91.November 28: Rosa Galcerán Vilanova, Spanish comics artist, editor and publisher, dies at age 98.November 30: Shigeru Mizuki, Japanese manga artist, dies at age 93.December
December 11: Zyx, Canadian cartoonist and comics artist, dies at age 65.December 12: Luis Bermejo, Spanish comics artist and illustrator, dies at age 84.December 13: Suzzy Bailleux, Belgian comic artist, dies at age 77. December 19: Jacques Rampal, French playwright, comic writer and artist, dies at age 71. December 22: Carson Van Osten, American comics artist, dies at age 69.Specific date unknown
- Jordi Macabich, Spanish comics artist, dies at age 89 or 90.
- The Pizz, American painter and comics artist, dies at age 56 or 57.
Exhibitions
May 14 – September 21: The Type Directors Club — "The Super Type of Ira Schnapp", curated by Arlen SchumerConventions
- January 29–31: Salt Lake Comic Con FanXperience — guests include Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Billie Piper, Carrie Fisher, Christopher Lloyd, Felicia Day, Tom Felton, Steven Yeun, Emily Kinney, Laurie Holden, Lena Headey, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Brandon Routh, Ray Park, Paul Wesley, Phoebe Tonkin, Nichelle Nichols, Anthony Michael Hall, Mark Pellegrino, Alaina Huffman, Ralph Macchio, Glenn Morshower, RJ Mitte, Jim Cummings, Jess Harnell, Rob Paulsen, and over 100 other guests
- January 29 – February 1: Angoulême International Comics Festival
- March 7: New York Comic Book Marketplace — guests include Jason David Frank, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Rich Buckler, Bill Plympton, Bob Camp, and Johnny Brennan
- March 7–8: STAPLE!
- March 27–29: Emerald City Comicon March 28: Towson Black Comic Mini-Fest
- April 3–5: WonderCon
- April 10–12: MegaCon April 11: FLUKE Mini-Comics & Zine Festival
- April 11–12: MoCCA Arts Festival — guests of honor: Aline Kominsky-Crumb, Scott McCloud, Raina Telgemeier, and J. H. Williams III
- April 11–12: East Coast Comicon
- April 24–26: C2E2 May 3–10: San Francisco Comics Fest — week-long series of events presented by the California College of the Arts, the Cartoon Art Museum, Academy of Art University and the San Francisco Public Library
- May 9–10: Toronto Comic Arts Festival — featured guests include Lucy Knisley, Matt Holm, Scott McCloud, Jennifer Holm, Ed Luce, and Hunt Emerson
- May 15–17: Motor City Comic Con
- May 16: East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention
- May 22–24: St. Louis Comicon
- May 28–31: Phoenix Comicon — guests include Summer Glau, Jason Momoa, Paul Cornell, Mike Zeck, Edward James Olmos, Charisma Carpenter, Renee Witterstaetter, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Jim Beaver, William Tucci, Scott Sigler, Lou Ferrigno, Weston Ochse, Yvonne Navarro, Van Jensen, Michael Shanks, Alexis Denisof, Alyson Hannigan among others.
- May 29–31: Dallas Comic Con — guests include Stan Lee, Amanda Conner, Alex Maleev, Esad Ribić, Kaare Andrews, Greg Pak, Steve Epting, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Bob LaytonJune 6–7: Chicago Alternative Comics Expo
— special guests: Eleanor Davis, Gilbert Hernandez, Jaime Hernandez, Keiler Roberts, Zak Sally, Dash Shaw, Jillian Tamaki, Lale Westvind - June 19–21: Heroes Convention
- July 9–12: San Diego Comic-Con
- July 18–19: Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo
- August 20–23: Wizard World Chicago
- September 4–7: Dragon*Con
- September 18–20: Wizard World Ohio Comic Con
- September 19–20: Small Press Expo September 20: CanalCon/Comica Comiket — exhibitors include Rebellion Publishing, SelfMadeHero, Knockabout Comics, First Second Books, Soaring Penguin, Centrala Books, Escape Books; guests include Dave Gibbons
- September 25–27: Baltimore Comic-Con October 1–3: Cartoon Crossroads Columbus — first annual event; featured guests include Jeff Smith, Kate Beaton, Art Spiegelman, Craig Thompson, Bill Griffith, Francoise Mouly, and animation historian Jerry Beck
- October 8–11: New York Comic Con October 17–18: Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo
October 31 – November 2: Comikaze Expo — scheduled guests include Stan Lee, Elvira, Kevin Smith, Kevin Conroy, Burt Ward, Gwendoline Christie, Alfie Allen, Stephen Moyer, Kristin Bauer, Barbara Eden, Mindy Sterling, John Barrowman, Jewel Staite, Tara Strong, Howie Mandel, James Hong, Eric Roberts, Original Power Rangers, Cast of AMC's Comic Book Men, and Tommy Wiseau - November 6–8: Rhode Island Comic Con November 7–8: Comic Arts Brooklyn
December 5–6: NY Winter Comic & Sci-Fi Expo December 5–6: Comic Arts Los Angeles — featured guests: Jaime Hernandez, ND Stevenson
First issues by title
;Accelerators: Momentum;Arcadia
;Archie vs. Predator
;Convergence
;The Grievous Journey of Ichabod Azrael
;Harrow County
;Hellbreak
;Invader Zim
;Invisible Republic
;James Bond 007
;King Tiger
;Metal Locus
;Pastaways
;Pisces
;Postal
;Resident Alien: The Sam Hain Mystery
;Reyn
;Secret Wars
;Sons of the devil
;Star Wars
;Surface Tension
;Tokyo Ghost
;''The Violent''