1977 in comics

Notable events of 1977 in comics.

Events

Year overall

January

February

Spring

March

April

May

June

July

August

  • August 23: The Flemish comics magazine Patskrant, a weekly children's supplement of the newspapers Het Nieuwsblad, De Standaard, Het Handelsblad, De Gentenaar and De Landwacht, changes its name to the Stipkrant. It will run until September 2000.
  • With issue #94 (August /September cover date), DC revives Showcase, continuing the numbering from the 1956 series, which ceased publishing in 1970.
  • With issue #57, DC revives Aquaman, continuing the numbering from the 1962 series, which ceased publishing in 1971.
  • With issue #230, DC cancels Superboy (at this point titled Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes).
  • With issue #29, DC cancels DC Special (1968 series).
  • With issue #12 (August /September cover date), DC cancels Hercules Unbound.
  • With issue #12, Marvel cancels The Inhumans.
  • With issue #12, Marvel cancels the anthology title Marvel Presents.

September

  • September 13: The first episode of Jeff MacNelly's Shoe is published.
  • September 24: The first issue of the short-lived British comics magazine Plug is published. It will run until 1979.
  • The first episode of David A. Trampier's Wormy is published. It will run until 1988.
  • With issue #19, DC revives Mister Miracle (1971 series), which had gone on hiatus in 1974.
  • With issue #10, Marvel publishes the final issue of 2001: A Space Odyssey.
  • In this month's issue of Pif Gadget André Chéret kills off his character Rahan. The issue sells 1,5 million copies, but two issues later Rahan is already back from the dead.[19]

October

November

December

Specific date unknown

Births

Deaths

January

February

March

  • March 6: Pop Hollinger, American comic book collector and retailer, dies at age 90. [40] [41]
  • March 20: Han Krug, Dutch illustrator and comics artist (Juffrouw Snater, Het Avontuur van Knor-Knor), dies at age 86.[42]
  • March 23: Ed Dobrotka, American comics artist (continued Superboy, Lois Lane, co-creator of the Toyman), dies at age 69.[43]
  • March 31: Alexey Komarov, Russian painter, sculptor, cartoonist, illustrator, poster artist and comics artist (Every Woman Should Know How To Raise A Child Properly), dies at age 97.[44]

April

May

  • May 25:
    • Christian Kittilsen, Norwegian illustrator and comics artist (Grane), dies at age 70.[47]
    • Frans Mandos, Dutch painter, illustrator and comics artist, dies at age 67.[48]

June

July

  • July 5: Theo Funke Küpper, Dutch comics artist (De Verstrooide Professor), dies at age 72.[53]
  • July 8: Roy Crane, American comics artist (Wash Tubbs, Captain Easy, Buz Sawyer), dies at age 75.[54]
  • July 9: Alfred Georges Pavis, French painter, illustrator and comics artist, dies at age 91.[55]
  • Specific date unknown: Milt Stein, American animator and comics artist (Supermouse), commits suicide at age 56.[56]

August

  • August 1: Bernard van Vlijmen, Dutch painter, graphic artist, illustrator and comics artist (created occasional comics for Ons Eigen Tijdschrift), dies at age 81.[57]
  • Specific date unknown: August: Louis Cazeneuve, Argentine comics artist (co-creator of Red Raven), dies at age 68 or 69.[58]

September

October

  • October 5: Jotie T'Hooft, Belgian poet and comics artist (Jesus Superstar), commits suicide by a drug overdose at age 21.[63]
  • October 12: Antoon Heckenrath, Belgian comics artist (De Wonderlijke Reis van Jan Knap, In de Greep van de Octopus), dies at age 70.[64]
  • October 28:
    • Ratip Tahir Burak, Turkish comics artist and editorial cartoonist, dies at age 72 or 73.[65]
    • Miguel Mihura, Spanish playwright and comics artist, dies at age 72.[66]

November

December

  • December 11:
    • Giovanni Bissietta, A.K.A. Giuseppe Fontanelli, Italian painter, illustrator and comics artist (early unlicensed Italian comics based on Mickey Mouse), dies at age 66 or 67.[70]
    • Victor Weixler, Austrian illustrator and comic artist (Bobby, der Grosse Sportsmann), dies at age 94. [71]
  • December 15: John Verpoorten, American comics inker and Marvel Comics production manager, dies at age 37.[72]

Specific date unknown

  • Robert Baldwin, also known as Rupe, American comics artist and cartoonist (Freddy), dies at age 72 or 73.[73]
  • Alberto Cognigni, Argentine comics artist (Negrazón and Chaveta), dies at age 44 or 45.[74]
  • John Gee, American illustrator and comics artist (The Timbertoes), dies at age 81 or 82.[75]
  • Walter Hofmann, aka Von Waldl, German caricaturist and comics artist (worked for Nazi publications during World War II), dies at age 71 or 72.[76]
  • Moma Markovic, Serbian-Canadian comics artist (Stojadin, Rista Sportista), dies at age 74 or 75.[77]
  • Héctor Germán Oesterheld, Argentine journalist and comics writer (El Sargento Kirk, Ernie Pike, El Eternauta, Mort Cinder) mysteriously disappears, presumed arrested and murdered by soldiers of President Jorge Rafael Videla's regime.[78]
  • Jack Pamby, British comics artist, dies at age 68 or 69.[79]
  • Gottfried Spachholz, German comics artist (propaganda comics for the DDR magazine Berliner Zeitung), dies at age 70 or 71.[80]
  • Peter Sutherland, British comics artist (continued Alf Tupper), dies at age 55 or 56.[81]
  • Wu Yun, Chinese comics artist, dies at age 54 or 55.[82]

Exhibitions and shows

There were many TV shows based on comics in 1977, featuring Spider-Man, Captain America, Doctor Strange, and Wonder Woman.

Conventions

Awards

Presented in 1978 for comics published in 1977:

First issues by title

DC Comics

Black Lightning

Release: April. Writer: Tony Isabella. Artist: Trevor Von Eeden.

DC Special Series: catch-all series primarily for one-shots of different formats, released on an irregular schedule

Release: September. Editor: Paul Levitz.

Jonah Hex

Release: March/April. Writer: Michael Fleisher. Artist: José Luis García-López.

Men of War

Release: August. Editor: Paul Levitz.

Shade, the Changing Man

Release: June/July. Writers: Steve Ditko and Michael Fleisher. Artist: Steve Ditko.

Star Hunters

Release: October /November Writer: David Michelinie. Artists: Don Newton and Bob Layton.

Marvel Comics

Black Panther

Release: January. Writer/Artist: Jack Kirby.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Release: August. Writer: Doug Moench. Artists: Herb Trimpe and Jim Mooney.

John Carter, Warlord of Mars

Release: June. Writer: Marv Wolfman. Artists: Gil Kane and Dave Cockrum.

Human Fly

Release: September. Writer: Bill Mantlo. Artists: Lee Elias.

Logan's Run

Release: January. Writer: Gerry Conway. Artists: George Pérez and Klaus Janson.

Marvel Super Action

Release: May. Reprints classic Captain America stories.

Marvel Super Special

Premiere issues features the rock band Kiss in a 40-page fictional adventure written by Steve Gerber, penciled by Alan Weiss, John Buscema, Rich Buckler, and Sal Buscema.

The Rampaging Hulk

Release: January by Curtis Magazines. Editor: John Warner.

Star Wars

Release: July. Writer: Roy Thomas. Artist: Howard Chaykin.

What If

Release: February. Writer/Editor: Roy Thomas.

Independent publishers

2000 AD

Release: February 26 by IPC Media. Editor: Tharg the Mighty.

Cerebus the Aardvark

Release: December by Aardvark-Vanaheim. Writer/Artist: Dave Sim.

Heavy Metal

Release: April by HM Communications, Inc. Editor: Sean Kelly and Valerie Marchant.

La Compagnia della Forca

Writer & Artist: Magnus

Rip Off Comix

Release: April by Rip Off Press.

Hakusensha

Bessatsu Hana to Yume

Release: July

Initial appearance by character name

DC Comics

Marvel Comics

Other titles

References