Notable events of 1978 in comics. Events
January Green Lantern #100: Double-size special featuring Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Air Wave. (DC Comics). The first episode of L’uomo di Tsushima (The man of Tsushima) by Bonvi is published, a retelling of the famous battle as seen by Jack London, for the series Un uomo un’avventura (Bonelli).
February February 2: Belgian comics artist Maurice Tillieux is killed in a car crash. The first issue of the Belgian comics magazine À Suivre is published. It will run until December 1997. In the first issue of A Suivre the first chapter of Jean-Claude Forest and Jacques Tardi's Ici Même (Just Here) makes its debut. Detective Comics #475, "The Laughing Fish" by Steve Englehart, Marshall Rogers, and Terry Austin. (DC Comics) February 8: Marvel UK publish Star Wars Weekly in a black-and-white anthology format. February 28:The first appearance of ElfQuest by Wendy and Richard Pini in issue #1 (and only) of Fantasy Quarterly.
March March 2: In Spirou, the first chapter of the Yoko Tsuno episode La fille du vent, by Roger Leloup, is published. March 21: In Pilote, the first chapter of the Valérian story Heroes of the Equinox by Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières is published. In the second issue of À Suivre Benoît Sokal's Inspector Canardo makes its debut. Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams' comic book Superman vs. Muhammad Ali is published in which Superman meets boxing champion Muhammad Ali.
April April 13: The first episode of Bernard Hislaire's Bidouille et Violette debuts in Spirou. April 18: In the Le journal de Tintin, the first chapter of the second Thorgal story The island of frozen seas by Jean Van Hamme and Grzegorz Rosiński is published. April 20: In Spirou, the first chapter of Kodo le tyran, by Jean-Claude Fournier is published. Claw the Unconquered, with issue #10 (April /May), is revived by DC after an 18-month hiatus. Power Man, with issue #50, changes its name to Power Man and Iron Fist.
May May 14-21: In Topolino, The planetary wars, by Guido Martina and Giovan Battista Carpi, a spoof of Star Wars, is published. May 19: Scripps Company merges its two syndication arms, Newspaper Enterprise Association and United Feature Syndicate (established by Scripps in 1919), to form United Media Enterprises."United Features consolidates," The Comics Journal #44 (Jan. 1979), p. 17. Showcase #100: "Awesome Anniversary Edition! 60 Sensational Super-Stars" — featuring almost every character who ever appeared in Showcase — by Paul Kupperberg, Paul Levitz, and Joe Staton. IPC Magazines publishes the first issue of the short-lived comics magazine Starlord
June Continuing the "DC Explosion", the company increases its titles' page counts to 25 story pages and increases the price of a typical comic from 35 cents to 50 cents. Batman #300: "The Last Batman Story—?", by David V. Reed, Walt Simonson, and Dick Giordano. Garfield, by Jim Davis is launched on June 19 in 41 newspapers. In the magazine Cannibale RanXerox by Tanino Liberatore makes its debut.
Summer DC Special Series #15 — "I Now Pronounce You Batman and Wife!", marriage of Batman and Talia al Ghul, by Dennis O'Neil, Michael Golden, and Dick Giordano.DC Special Series #15 at the Grand Comics Database See also Batman: Son of the Demon
July July 4 : In Tintin magazine, the first chapter of the Jonathan story L'Espace bleu entre les nuages (The blue space amongst the clouds) by Cosey, the fifth episode of the series, is published.
August The DC Implosion takes hold, as the company cancels 4 ongoing titles, Aquaman, Claw the Unconquered, Mister Miracle, and Shade, the Changing Man. Fledgling publisher Eclipse Comics releases Sabre: Slow Fade of an Endangered Species, by Don McGregor and Paul Gulacy, considered one of the industry's first "graphic novels". With issue #10 The Rampaging Hulk changes its title to The Hulk!, and goes from black-and-white to color (Curtis Magazines).
Fall DC Special Series #16 — "The Last Bounty Hunter!", death of Jonah Hex, by Michael Fleisher and Russ Heath.DC Special Series #16 at the Grand Comics Database DC Special Series goes on hiatus after this issue and is revived in Summer 1979.
September September 7: The first episode of Frank Pé's Broussaille is published in Spirou. September 30: Martin Lodewijk receives the Stripschapprijs. Matt Groening's gag comic Life in Hell, launched in 1977, appears in print for the first time in the art magazine Wet. Suffering from the DC Implosion, the company cancels 8 ongoing titles, All Star Comics, Battle Classics, Black Lightning, Doorway to Nightmare, Dynamic Classics, Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth, Showcase, and Our Fighting Forces. In addition, DC cuts back comic story pages to 17, and the typical cover price to 40 cents. Gold Key Comics, with issue #19, picks up Flash Gordon (1966 series) from Charlton Comics, which had stopped publishing the title in 1970. After many delays, DC releases All-New Collectors' Edition #C-56, featuring the story Superman vs. Muhammad Ali. In Pilote, the first chapter of The black order brigade by Pierre Christin and Enki Bilal is published.
October The DC Implosion forces the company to cancel 6 more ongoing titles: Firestorm, House of Secrets, Secrets of Haunted House, Star Hunters, Steel: The Indestructible Man, and The Witching Hour. Will Eisner's graphic novel A Contract with God is published by Baronet Books. An early landmark of the graphic novel form. Will Eisner's "Signal From Space" storyline begins in Spirit Magazine #19 (continuing through issue #26, October 1980). In À Suivre, Milo Manara's HP and Giuseppe Bergman, is first published. October 14: IPC Magazines merged two comic books: 2000 AD and Starlord into "2000 AD and Starlord". October 15: The Dutch comics organisation Het Stripschap holds a dinner to celebrate their 10th anniversary. During the event one of their guests, Dick Matena, starts making a scene while drunk. The incident will become legendary afterwards. Diane Noomin releases the collective comic book Lemme Outa Here! Growing Up Inside the American Dream, published by Print Mint.
November November 22: In Belgium the Vlaamse Onafhankelijke Stripgilde (Flemish Independent Comics Guild) is founded, with cartoonist Eddy Ryssack as their first president. Fantastic Four #200: Double-sized anniversary issue, "When Titans Clash!" by Marv Wolfman, Keith Pollard, and Joe Sinnott. (Marvel Comics) L’uomo delle nevi (The snowman), by Alfredo Castelli and Milo Manara, for the series Un uomo un’avventura (Bonelli). In Il Mago Soviet secret agent Ivan Timbrovic by Massimo Cavezzali makes his debut. First volume of the Storia d’Italia a fumetti di Enzo Biagi (Enzo Biagi’s History of Italy in comics), drawn by some of the best Italian cartoonists (Milo Manara, Sergio Toppi, Dino Battaglia).
December Kamillo Kromo, book for children by Francesco Tullio Altan. Art Spiegelman creates Ed Head, published in Playboy on an irregular basis until November 1981.
Specific date unknown Edwina Dumm becomes the first female comic artist to receive the Gold Key Award from the National Cartoonists Society. DC suffers the DC Implosion, the abrupt cancellation of more than two dozen ongoing and planned titles including All Star Comics, Aquaman, House of Secrets, Our Fighting Forces, Showcase, and The Witching Hour. The vast majority of the books leave uncompleted story lines, most of which are later wrapped up in other titles. Archie Goodwin resigns as Marvel Comics editor-in-chief, replaced by Jim Shooter (who will hold the post until mid-1987). Underground publisher the Print Mint stops publishing comics. "The Korvac Saga" story arc, written by Jim Shooter and David Michelinie, with art by George Pérez and David Wenzel, runs through The Avengers, beginning in issue #167 (February) and running through issue #177 (November) "The Cursed Earth" Judge Dredd storyline runs in 2000 AD (May – October) Belgian comic artist Hergé is knighted as Officer in the Order of Leopold II. Roger Brunel starts drawing porn parodies of famous comics, serialized in the magazine Circus and released in album format by Glénat under the title Pastiches. The final episode of Crawford is published, a newspaper comic launched by animation director Chuck Jones. In the Argentina magazine D’artagnan, debut of Savarese by Robin Wood and Domingo Mandrafina; the protagonist of the series is an Italian-American cop and then FBI agent, fighting crime in the roaring Twenties.
Births
June
June 24: Carlo Pagulayan, Filipino comic book artist (Deathstroke, The Incredible Hulk, Elektra).
July
July 15: Tom King, American comic book writer (Batman, Omega Men, Mister Miracle, The Vision).
Deaths
January January 1: Don Freeman, American comics artist, painter, illustrator and children's novelist (Corduroy), dies at age 61. January 9: Tijs Dorenbosch, Dutch comics artist (Sjefke Schrober, Henkie van 't Grijze Nest, Pieternel, Heintje Hups en Honkie), dies at age 66. January 18: Clark Haas, American comics artist, animator and animation producer (Sunnyside, assisted on Buz Sawyer and Tim Tyler's Luck), dies at age 58.
February February 1: Roland Kohlsaat, German illustrator and comics artist (Jimmy das Gummipferd, Julios Abenteuerliche Reisen), dies at age 64. February 2: Maurice Tillieux, Belgian comics artist (Félix, Gil Jourdan), dies in a car accident at age 56. February 5: Frans Van Immerseel, Belgian painter, caricaturist, cartoonist, illustrator and comics artist (De Lotgevallen van Janssens), dies at age 68. February 7: Enrique Rapela, Argentine comics artist (Cirilo El Audaz), dies at age 67. February 9: Woody Gelman, American animator, comics artist, novelist and publisher (The Dodo and the Frog, co-creator of Bazooka Joe), dies of a stroke at age 62. Warren King, American comics artist (The Firefly), dies at age 62. February 19: Gisela Zimmermann, German comics artist (continued Digedags and Abrafaxe), dies at age 65 of heart failure. February 21: Pol Dom, Belgian-Dutch illustrator, sculptor, caricaturist and comic artist (made comics for the jam factory De Betuwe), dies at age 92. February 28: Glenn Chaffin, American comics writer (Tailspin Tommy), dies at age 80.
March March 3: Frank Fogarty, American comics artist (Mr. & Mrs., continued Clarence), dies at age 80. March 8: Tjeerd Bottema, Dutch illustrator and comics artist (Er Was Eens Een Oud Vrouwtje), dies at age 94. March 30: István Köpeczi Bócz, Hungarian poster designer, costume designer, illustrator and comics artist, dies at age 58.
April April 9: Elmer Woggon, American comics artist (Big Chief Wahoo (Steve Roper and Mike Nomad)), dies at age 79. April 14: André Beautemps, Belgian comics writer and artist (Michael Logan), dies at age 29. April 29: Louis Zansky, American comics artist (worked for Classics Illustrated), dies at age 57.
May May 7: Mort Weisinger, American comic book writer (DC Comics), dies at age 63. May 11: Clinge Doorenbos, Dutch comedian, singer, songwriter, children's novelist, poet, journalist and comics writer (Flippie Flink ), dies at age 93. May 27: Jo Spier, Dutch illustrator and cartoonist, dies at age 77.
June June 22: William Reusswig, American illustrator and comics artist (made comic adaptations of novels), dies at age 75.
July July 23: Tom Hill, American comics artist (continued Mark Trail), dies at age 56.
August August 1: Geoffrey William Backhouse, British illustrator and comics artist, dies at age 74. August 5: Paul Cuvelier, Belgian comics artist and painter (Corentin, Epoxy), dies at age 54.
September September 9: Barbara Shermund, American cartoonist (Shermund's Sallies), dies at age 79.
October October 4: Sezgin Burak, Turkish comics artist (Tarkan), dies at age 43.