2018 in comics

Events

February

• February 3: The final episode of Bud Grace's Piranha Club is published.
• February 13: A legal declaration on behalf of Stan Lee's attorney Tom Lallas accuses Lee's daughter, Joan Celia Lee, and attorneys Jerry Olivarez, Keya Morgan and Kirk Schenck of "continuing attempts to control Lee's life and exercise undue influence over his property, assets and business affairs." In April, Lee is, however, filmed denying the accusations, yet confirming that he signed the statement, despite not being able to properly read it due to macular degeneration.
• February 16: Stan Lee's tour manager, Max Anderson, is removed by the police for aggressive behaviour towards Lee. The report is filed by Keya Morgan and denied by Anderson.
• February 18: Guy Gilchrist quits drawing Nancy after continuing the series for 22 years.
• Anne Guillard's comic book On A Chopé la Puberté in her Les Pipelettes series causes controversy on the accusation that it is sexist and confirms stereotypes about underage teen girls being lust objects, as well as being hebophilic. A petition is signed to remove it from shops. The publishing company agrees to not reprint it. Guillard writes an open letter the next month, effectively terminating her series there and then.

  March

• March 18: During an episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver John Oliver presents the book A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss, illustrated by Gerald Kelley under the pseudonym E.G. Keller, a parody of Charlotte Pence's Marlon Bundo's: A Day in the Life of the Vice President, illustrated by Karen Pence. Both books are about U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's pet rabbit Marlon Bundo, but the one presented during Oliver's show has an LGBT themed story and is a satire on Mike Pence's controversial homophobic policies.
• March 31- April 1: During the Stripdagen in Utrecht Peter van Dongen wins the Stripschapprijs. Comics journalists Rob van Eijck, Willem van Helden and Joost Pollmann win the P. Hans Frankfurtherprijs. Peter Middeldorp receives the Bulletje en Boonestaakschaal.

  April

• April 4: IDW Publishing releases the 1st issue of Sonic the Hedgehog reboot comic series. Following a legal disput, the reboot will have no connection with the previous continuity.
• April 9: Olivia Jaimes continues Nancy.
• April 13: Stan Lee files a lawsuit against his former manager Jerardo Olivarez, alleging fraud, financial abuse of an elder and misappropriation of his name and likeness.
• April 18: Action Comics #1000 released.
• April 26: Dutch comic artist Eric Heuvel is knighted in the Order of the Netherlands Lion.

  May

• May 15: Stan Lee sues POW! Entertainment for "manufacturing a fraudulent intellectual property agreement, which granted POW! the exclusive right to use Lee's name, identity, image and likeness on a worldwide basis in perpetuity".
• May 24: Dutch comics salesman, publisher and collector Hans Matla is knighted as Ridder in de Orde van Oranje-Nassau.

  June

• June 13: Stan Lee's former business manager Keya Morgan is arrested for filing a false report of an emergency and two counts of filing a false report of a crime, along with a probation violation. Two days later a restraining order is filed against him too. He denies the accusations.
• June 19: In the Central Station of Brussels a ceiling fresco depicting The Smurfs is inaugurated.
• June 25: The heirs of Belgian comic artist Pom win their case against publisher 't Mannekesblad over breach of contract, regarding the reprints of his signature series Piet Pienter en Bert Bibber. Standaard Uitgeverij will now reprint the series instead.
• June 26: Bill Morrison becomes executive editor of Mad.

  August

• August 6: In Ghent, Belgium, cartoonist Mauro Padovani and his husband Thomas become victim of gay bashing. They have to be brought to a hospital. The culprits are later arrested.
• August 10: In an interview Stan Lee confirms that he made some bad decisions regarding his financial matters, but denies any bad relations with his daughter.
• August 29: In the British comic magazine The Beano the character Gnasher is announced to have disappeared, but in the next issue, printed on 5 September, it turns out to have been a publicity stunt for the animal welfare society Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.
• August 30: Mercy-Man debuts as Tajikistan's first superhero.

  September

• September 24: Comic characters Suske en Wiske receive a statue in Middelkerke, Belgium.
• September 25: Dutch cartoonist Tjeerd Royaards wins the Inktspotprijs for Best Political Cartoon.
• September 28: French comics artist Bastien Vivès causes controversy with the graphic novel Petit Paul, about a ten-year-old boy who is stalked for his huge penis by adult women. A petition is signed to ban the book, which some stores effectively do.

  October

• October 19: The final episode of Paige Braddock's Jane's World is published.

  Deaths

January

• January 8: Ron Tandberg, Australian cartoonist and comics artist, dies at age 74.
• January 18: Mark Campos, American alternative comics artist, commits suicide at age 55.
• January 18: Chandi Lahiri, Indian cartoonist, dies at age 86.
• January 20: Bob Wakelin, British album cover & video game cover designer and comic artist, dies at age 65 or 66.
• January 24:
• * Marc Ratal, Belgian comics artist, dies at age 75.
• * Jan Steeman, Dutch comics artist, dies at age 74.
• January 25: Torvald Sundbaum, Swedish comics artist, dies at age 89.
• January 27: Mort Walker, American comics writer/creator and artist, dies at age 94.
• January 28: Cav Bøgelund, Danish animator and comics artist, drowns at age 39 in mysterious circumstances.

  February

• February 1: Pat Tourret, British comic artist, dies at age 88 or 89.
• February 2: Servais Tiago, Portuguese comics artist and animator, dies at age 92.
• February 22: Forges, Spanish film director, television director and cartoonist, dies at age 76 from pancreatic cancer.
• February 25: Howard Sparber, American painter, sculptor and comics artist, dies at age 97.
• February 27:
• * William Gezzio, Uruguayan comics artist, dies at age 73.
• * Bill Lignante, American comics artist, courtroom sketch artist and animator, dies at age 91.

  March

• March 1: Hans Räde, German graphic artist, painter and comics artist, dies at age 96.
• March 15: Robert Grossman, American painter, caricaturist, sculptor, filmmaker, poster designer, comics artist, cartoonist and animator, dies at age 78.
• March 19: Murray Karn, Canadian comics artist, dies at age 92 or 93.
• March 25: Fred Boatman, American cartoonist and graphic artist, dies at age 83.
• March 26: Lee Holley, American comics artist, dies at age 84 in an airplane crash.
• March 27: Carlos Cruz González, Spanish comics artist, dies at age 87.
• Specific date unknown: Gérald Gorridge, French comics artist, dies at age 60.

  April

• April 8: Gunnar Persson, Swedish comics artist, dies at age 85 after injuries from a fall.
• April 9: Phil Collins, Canadian comics artist, dies at age 86.
• April 10: F'murr, French comics artist, dies at age 72.
• April 18: Pino Rinaldi, Italian comics artist, dies from pancreatic cancer at age 60.

  May

• May 7: Miki Muster, Slovenian sculptor, illustrator, comics artist and animator, dies at age 92.
• May 14: William Vance, Belgian comics artist, dies at age 82 from Parkinson's disease.
• May 18:
• * Antonio Lupatelli aka Tony Wolf, Oda Taro, L'Alpino and Antony Moore, Italian illustrator, writer and comics artist, dies at age 88.
• * Fred Peters, American animator and comics artist, dies at age 95.
• May 27: Julio Ribera, aka Jules McSide, aka Bop, Spanish comics artist, dies at age 91.

  June

• June 2: Nick Meglin, American comics writer, theatre lyricist, screenwriter and editor-in-chief, dies from a heart attack at age 82.
• June 11: Rumen Petkov, Bulgarian animator and comics artist, dies at age 70.
• June 28: Harlan Ellison, American novelist; screenwriter and comics writer, dies at age 82.
• June 29: Steve Ditko, American comic book artist and writer, dies at age 90.

  July

• July 3: Takahiro Satō, Japanese manga artist, dies at age 41.
• July 5: Pepe Ferré, Spanish comics artist , dies at age 69.
• July 13: Frank Giroud, French comics writer, dies at age 62.
• July 19: Claude Viseur, A.K.A. Clovis, Belgian animator and comics artist, dies at age 72.
• July 20:
• * Jeff Hook, Australian cartoonist, dies at age 89.
• * Carlos Vogt, Argentine animator and comic artist, dies at age 85.
• July 26: Luigi Corteggi, aka Cortez, Italian art director, painter, illustrator and comics artist, dies at age 85.

  August

• August 5: John Blair Moore, American cartoonist and comics artist, dies at age 69 or 70.
• August 21: Vincino, Italian cartoonist and journalist, dies at age 73.
• August 23: Russ Heath, American comic book artist and animator, dies at age 91 from cancer.
• August 27: Marten Bierman, Dutch politician, engineer and comics artist dies at age 78.
• August 30: Gary Friedrich, American comics writer, dies at age 75.
• August 30: Marie Severin, American comics artist and colorist, dies at age 89.