January •
January 3: The first episode of
Bunny Matthews' comic series ''Vic and Nat'ly'' appears in print. The series will run until 2005. •
January 14: In the Belgian comic magazine
Spirou, the first episode of the
Spirou and Fantasio adventure,
La boite noire, by Nic Broca and
Raoul Cauvin, is serialized. •
29-31 January: During the
Angoulême International Comics Festival,
Claire Bretécher becomes the first woman to win the
Grand Prix de la ville d'Angoulême. •
Warren Publishing suspends publication. •
DC Comics Presents #41 features an
insert previewing the new
Wonder Woman creative team of writer
Roy Thomas and artist
Gene Colan as well as an update of the character's costume. •
House of Mystery #300: "Special Thrill-Filled 300th Issue," edited by
Karen Berger. (DC Comics) •
Phantom Zone #1 (of a four-issue
limited series), by
Steve Gerber,
Gene Colan, and
Tony DeZuniga; published by
DC Comics. •
Marvel Super-Heroes (1967 series), with issue #105, cancelled by Marvel. • "
Apocalypse War"
Judge Dredd storyline begins in
2000 AD. (continues through July) •
Paris-Dakar by
Jean Graton, 41th album of the
Michel Vaillant series. • The seventh issue of
Jan Bucquoy's Belgian adult comics magazine Spetters focuses on
Hergé in a direct reaction to the trial against Filip Denis' porn parody
Tintin in Switzerland. The entire issue is deliberately made to offend Hergé in the crudest possible way and to defend the
freedom of speech. This is a turning point in the career of Bucquoy, who will focus more and more on provocative stunts.
February •
The Flash #306 began a
Doctor Fate backup series by writer
Martin Pasko and artist
Keith Giffen which ran through issue #313. •
The New Teen Titans #16 features an
insert previewing the upcoming
Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew! series by
Roy Thomas and
Scott Shaw. •
Savage She-Hulk, with issue #25, is cancelled by Marvel. • The final issue of
Jan Bucquoy's Belgian adult comics magazine Spetters is published. •
March 27: Britain's weekly
Eagle comic relaunched by
IPC Media in a mostly
photonovel format. •
March 29: The first episode of
Mort Walker and
Johnny Sajem's
The Evermores appears in print. It will run until 1986. • The debut of
Alan Moore's new, darker
Marvelman in
Warrior #1. • The debut of
Alan Moore and
David Lloyd's
V for Vendetta in
Warrior #1. •
Justice League of America #200: 76-page anniversary issue, "A League Divided". The double-sized issue was a "jam" featuring a story written by
Gerry Conway, a framing sequence drawn by
George Pérez, and chapters drawn by
Pat Broderick,
Jim Aparo,
Dick Giordano,
Gil Kane,
Carmine Infantino,
Brian Bolland, and
Joe Kubert. Bolland's chapter gave the artist his "first stab at drawing Batman." • DC's horror-suspense anthology
Secrets of Haunted House ceases publication with issue #46. •
Flash Gordon (1966 series), with issue #37, is cancelled by the
Gold Key Comics imprint
Whitman Comics. •
Sarah Bernardt by
Morris, Xavier Fauche and Jean Léturgie (
Dargaud). •
La tribu fantome (The ghos tribe) – by
Jean-Michel Charlier and
Jean Giraud, last album of the “fugitive
Blueberry”. trilogy. • First regular issue of the Italian anthological magazine ''L'eternauta'' (Comic Art; an "issue zero" had already been published in October 1980). It contains the first of the "silent stories" by
Carlos Trillo and
Domingo Mandrafina.
April •
April 1 : in
Pif Gadget, debut of
Les enigmes de Tim by Jean-Pierre Dirick, series of one-page detective riddles. •
April 16: in
Spirou,
La proie et l’ombre by
Roger Leloup. •
April 25: The final episode of
Vahan Shirvanian's
No Comment is published. •
Daredevil #181 –
Bullseye fatally stabs
Elektra. • The long-running British series
The Trigan Empire ceases publication with the cancellation of
Look and Learn with issue #1042. • In the Brazilian magazine
Tio Patinhas,
O Furacão Branco e Preto, by Gérson Luiz Borlotti Teixeira and Irineu Soares Rodrigues; debut of Biquinho, the
Fethry Duck’s nephew. •
Gli uomini in nero (
Men in black) by
Alfredo Castelli and
Giancarlo Alessandrini, first album of the
Martin Mystere series (
Sergio Bonelli)
May •
May 2: • The final episode of
Frank O'Neal's
Short Ribs is published. •
Marten Toonder is named Officer in the
Order of Orange-Nassau. •
May 3: In a
Frank and Ernest gag by
Bob Thaves a line about Hollywood actor
Ginger Rogers' dance talent is published (
She did everything he did, backwards and in high heels). The quote will eventually become one of the most often repeated descriptions about Rogers in non-fiction publications. • To help raise money for his lawsuit against
Marvel Comics for ownership of
Howard the Duck,
Steve Gerber brings out his own
Destroyer Duck from
Eclipse Comics. •
Fantastic Four Roast a
one-shot written by
Fred Hembeck is published by Marvel Comics. • DC's long-running weird/horror anthology
The Unexpected ceases publication with issue #222. •
Ghosts, with issue #112, is cancelled by DC. •
The Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves, with issue #72, is cancelled for the second time by Charlton. •
When the wind blows by
Raymond Briggs (
Hamish Hamilton) •
Rififi en F1 by
Jean Graton, 40th album of the
Michel Vaillant series. •
La galere noire (The black galley
), by
Jean Van Hamme and
Grzegorz Rosiński, 14th album of the
Thorgal series (
Le Lombard). •
La vendetta di Ra (
Ra’s revenge) by
Alfredo Castelli and
Giancarlo Alessandrini (
Bonelli) ; Sergej Orlof, the
Martin Mystere's nemesis, makes his debut.
June •
June 17: in
Spirou,
Virus by
Tome and
Janry. •
June 24: in
Spirou, first episode of
Les Archanges de Vinéa, by
Roger Leloup. • The first issue of the French comics magazine
Psikopat is published. It will run until 2019. •
Fantagraphics publishes the
Hernandez brothers (
Jaime and
Gilbert)'s
Love & Rockets anthology. • Marvel begins publishing the
Hasbro-licensed series
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, which would sell over 200,000 copies and out-sell
Superman and the
X-Men. •
Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions #1 (of a three-issue limited series), by
Mark Gruenwald,
John Romita, Jr., and
Bob Layton; published by
Marvel Comics. • The two-issue "
Nothing Can Stop the Juggernaut!" storyline by creative team
Roger Stern,
John Romita Jr., and
Jim Mooney begins in
The Amazing Spider-Man #229. •
Silver Surfer one-shot scripted by
Stan Lee, plotted and penciled by
John Byrne, and inked by
Tom Palmer is published by Marvel Comics. • In
A suivre,
Les Murailles de Samaris by
François Schuiten and
Benoît Peeters, first chapter of the series
Les Cités obscures. • First issue of
Gil by Ennio Missaglia (
Bonelli), short-lived series with an “urban cowboy” as protagonist. • First issue of the anthological magazine
Orient express (
Bonelli); it contains
Rapsodia ungherese by
Vittorio Giardino, first adventure of the private eye Max Fridman. •
Storia di una storia (History of an history) by
Guido Crepax, comic version of
Georges Bataille's Story of the eye, with
Valentina (
Olympia press).
July •
July 11: In
Topolino,
The Case of the Circulating Saucer, by
Carlo Chendi e
Giorgio Cavazzano; debut of
Humphrey Gokart. •
The New Teen Titans #21 features an
insert previewing the upcoming
Night Force series by
Marv Wolfman and
Gene Colan. • The
Penguin Books imprint
Plume releases
Creepshow, a graphic novella based on the 1982 horror movie
Creepshow. • The
Marvel UK storyline "
Jaspers' Warp" (also known as "Crooked World") begins in
Marvel Superheroes #387 (continuing through June
1984 in
Mighty World of Marvel)
August •
August 1: The first episode of
Tom Armstrong's
Marvin is published. •
August 2: In
Montréal, Canada, comics store Komico is opened. •
August 29: in
Topolino,
Paperino e il vento del Sud (
Donald and the South wind), by
Guido Martina and
Giovan Battista Carpi, parody in five episodes of
Gone with the wind. • The
Legion of Super-Heroes storyline "
The Great Darkness Saga" begins with issue #290 (runs through December). •
Marvel Superheroes, with issue #388, is cancelled by
Marvel UK; it replaced in all but name by
The Mighty World of Marvel. • The first episode of
Massimo Mattioli's
Squeak the Mouse is published.
September •
September 5: Gaspar (Oscar Barbery Suarez) launches his long-running political gag comic
El Duende y su Camarilla. • In
Il giornalino, Fantasmi (Ghosts), by
Gianni De Luca and Gian Luigi Gonano, last adventure of
Commissario Spada. •
September 17:
Marten Toonder wins the
Stripschapprijs. The Jaarprijs voor Bijzondere Verdiensten (nowadays the P. Hans Frankfurtherprijs) is given to Nico Noordermeer. • Marvel's
Wolverine four-issue mini-series, by
Chris Claremont and
Frank Miller, begins. • Marvel's
Hercules: Prince of Power four-issue mini-series, by
Bob Layton, begins. • The Marvel/DC
intercompany crossover The Uncanny X-Men and The New Teen Titans, by
Chris Claremont,
Walt Simonson, and
Terry Austin. • First issue of
Love and Rockets by the
Hernandez brothers (
Fantagraphics) • In
Linus,
Frau Rosselli und Fraulein Lang by
Guido Crepax. • In
alter alter, Il ritorno della fenice, first of the two
Dino Battaglia's stories with the occult investigator Inspector Coke as protagonist. • In
Pif gadget, Le Fils du Soleil by
Roger Lécureux, first episode of the series
Tarao, with the son of
Rahan as protagonist.
October •
October 10r: first issue of the Italian anthological magazine
Più (Editoriale Domus) •
Norristown, Pennsylvania–based
Comico begins publishing with the release of the black-and-white anthology title
Primer #1. • With issue #251, DC again revives
Blackhawk volume 1, which ran from
1944 to
1968, and then from
1976 to
1977. •
Josie and the Pussycats (
1963 series) is cancelled by
Archie Comics with issue #106. •
Justice League of America #207 and
All-Star Squadron #14 feature the beginning of the "Crisis on Earth-Prime" crossover between the two titles. The storyline continues into
Justice League of America #208 and
All-Star Squadron #15 in November and concludes in
Justice League of America #209 in December. •
La vengeance (The revenge) by
Derib, 11th album of the
Buddy Longway series (
Le Lombard). •
Les fous de Kabul by Franz, first
Lester Cockney album (
Le Lombard). •
October 10 - Illustrator
Ben Krefta is born
November •
November 8: The first episode of
Bill Schorr's
Conrad is published. It will run until 1986. •
November 28: in
Topolino,
The travels of Marco Polo or the Milione, by
Guido Martina and
Romano Scarpa; retelling with the
ducks of the Venetian traveler's life. •
Jim Starlin's
Dreadstar, the first title published by Marvel's
creator-owned imprint
Epic Comics, begins. • Canadian publisher
Vortex Comics makes its entrée into the comics world with its anthology
Vortex • Marvel's
The Vision and the Scarlet Witch four-issue mini-series, by
Bill Mantlo,
Rick Leonardi,
Ian Akin and
Brian Garvey, begins.
December •
December 2:
Pierre Makyo and
Alain Dodier's
Jérôme K. Jérôme Bloche debuts in
Spirou. •
December 12: in
Topolino, The secret of the Ice Sword by Massimo De Vita; the adventures of
Mickey Mouse and
Goofy in Argaar, a
fantasy world inspired by
The sword of Shannara. The story over the years gets five sequels. •
December 13: Kevin McCormick's
Arnold makes its debut. •
December 20:
Katsuhiro Otomo's
Akira debuts in
Young Magazine •
December 22: In Antwerp, comics store
Mekanik Strip opens its doors. •
December 30 : in
Spirou,
Les faiseurs de silence, last
Spirou story by Nic and
Cauvin. • DC publishes its first tailored
direct market offering: the first of 12 issues of
Camelot 3000,
Mike W. Barr &
Brian Bolland's future-set tale of
King Arthur. It is widely recognized as the first "maxi-series". •
Detective Comics #521:
Green Arrow becomes the backup feature. • DC publishes the first issue of its three-issue
Masters of the Universe mini-series •
Charlton Bullseye, with issue #10, canceled by Charlton.
Specific date unknown • A Dutch comic artist, signing with the pseudonym
Ave, publishes two
pornographic parodies of the series
Astérix, titled
Asterix de Geilaard and
Asterix op de Walletjes. • San Diego–based independent publisher
Pacific Comics makes a strong push in the marketplace, following
Jack Kirby's
Captain Victory and the Galactic Rangers with four new ongoing titles,
Starslayer,
Ms. Mystic,
Twisted Tales, and
Alien Worlds, featuring such established talents as
Neal Adams and
Mike Grell. • To stem the flow of creators defecting to companies such as
First Comics,
Pacific Comics, and
Eclipse Comics,
DC Comics begins offering royalties to artists and writers of regular newsstand comics that sell more than 100,000 copies; Marvel soon follows suit with its creator-owned imprint
Epic Comics. Launched by editor-in-chief
Jim Shooter as a spin-off of the successful
Epic Illustrated magazine, the Epic imprint allows creators to retain control and ownership of their properties. Co-edited by
Al Milgrom and
Archie Goodwin, the imprint also allows Marvel to publish a mature line of comics oriented toward an older audience. Epic titles are printed on higher quality paper than typical Marvel comics, and are only available via the
direct market. • Marvel debuts its
Marvel Graphic Novels series, releasing five trade paperbacks over the course of the year:
The Death of Captain Marvel,
Elric: The Dreaming City,
Dreadstar,
The New Mutants, and
X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills. • Marvel publishes its first limited series titles:
Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions,
Wolverine,
Hercules: Prince of Power, and
The Vision and the Scarlet Witch. • After 41 years as a publisher,
Harvey Comics ceases publishing. • After ten years as a publisher,
Spire Christian Comics ceases publishing original titles. • Attempting to create synthesis for two
Warner Communications subsidiaries,
DC Comics teams up with
Atari Inc. to publish
Atari Force, storylines for Atari
home console games. The comics are packed in with the games
Defender,
Berzerk,
Star Raiders,
Phoenix, and
Galaxian. • DC cancels its last three suspense/horror anthologies,
The Unexpected,
Ghosts, and
Secrets of Haunted House. • With the demise of
New Media/Irjax,
Steve Geppi takes over their warehouses and distribution centers and founds
Diamond Comic Distributors;
14 years later the company would become the sole major comics distributor • Independent publisher
Paragon Publications changes its name to
Americomics. •
Eric Schreurs'
Joop Klepzeiker makes its debut in
De Nieuwe Revu. •
Gary Panter and Jay Cotton release the comic book
Pee-Dog. The Shit Generation. ==Exhibitions and shows==