2024 in comics

January

• January: Jan Vriends officially becomes the new Stripmaker des Vaderlands (Comic Artist of the Mother Country) in the Netherlands, whose task is to promote the comics medium.^[1][2][3]
• January 10: The first issue of Marvel's Ultimate Spider-Man by Jonathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto is published. This version of Spider-Man is set on Earth-6160 and follows a 35-year old Peter Parker, who is married to Mary Jane Watson and has 2 kids with her and wasn't bitten by the radioactive spider when he was teenager, as he deals with his newfound heroic responsibilities.^[4]
• January 15: Dutch comic artist Wilma van den Bosch wins the annual Stripschapprijs.^[5][6][7] De Inktpot, a Utrecht collective of comics creators, receives the annual P. Hans Frankfurtherprijs.^[8][9] The ceremony takes place on 17 March.^[10]
• January 24: Belgian publishing company Plantyn announces that in the fall all their children's magazines, namely Zonneland, Zonnekind, Zonnestraal, Doremi and Doremini will cease to be printed on paper. Zonneland in particular was Belgium's oldest still-running children's magazine and the oldest to contain comics.^[11][12][13]
• January 25: Posy Simmonds receives the career award Grand Prix de la ville d'Angoulême at the Angoulême International Comics Festival, which marks the first time in the festival's history that a British comic artist has been awarded this prize.^[14][15]

March

• March 15: Publishing company Standaard Uitgeverij sends a letter to all surviving former artists of Willy Vandersteen's studio, informing them that they are no longer allowed to make or sign drawings with the Suske en Wiske characters for fans or at book signings, without the publisher's permission. The letter is made public and causes a lot of controversy, not only among the general audience, but also the veteran artists themselves. Standaard Uitgeverij eventually reacts and acknowledges miscommunication on their part. The artists are still allowed to sign books they've drawn themselves, but no longer drawings on loose pieces of paper.^[16][17][18]

April

• April 9: A rare copy of the very first Superman issue (Action Comics 1) sells for $6 million at an auction, breaking a record as the most expensive sale of a comic book ever. ^[19][20]

January

• January 1: David Kunzle, American comic historian, writer and journalist (author of the books The Early Comic Strip, The History of the Comic Strip in the 19th Century, Rebirth of the English Comic Strip, Father of the Comic Strip Rodolphe Töpffer), dies at age 87.^[21][22]
• January 2: Attila Futaki, Hungarian comic artist and art director of the Hungarian comic magazine Roham, dies at age 29.^[23]
• January 3: Jan Smet, Belgian archivist, comic journalist (chief editor of the comic information magazine Stripgids), historian and author (co-wrote a 1985 biography about Marc Sleen,^[24] author of the book Duizend Bommen en Castraten. Censuur in de Strip, about censorship in comics), dies at age 78.^[25]
• January 10: Walmir Amaral, Brazilian comic artist (O Vingador, Zhor, O Atlanta, Zorro, Alex e Cris, made local versions of The Phantom, continued Aventuras do Anjo), dies at age 84.^[26][27]
• January 12: Haruo Takahashi, Japanese manga artist (Iwayuru Hitotsu no Chō-san Shugi), dies at age 76.^[28]
• January 18: Trini Tinturé, Spanish comic artist and illustrator (Emma es Encantadora, Oh, Tinker, Curly, Biggi, Micky, Siska), dies at age 88.^[29][30]
• January 19: Marti Riera, A.K.A. Marti, Spanish comic artist (Taxista, Doctor Vértigo), dies at age 68 or 69.^[31]
• January 20: Alain De Kuyssche, Belgian journalist, comics writer (Didi, Germain et nous..., Gaston), biographer (wrote biographical books about Jacques Martin, Dino Attanasio, Eddy Paape and Raoul Cauvin) and chief editor of Spirou (1978-1982), dies at age 77.^[32]
• January 29: Hinako Ashihara, Japanese manga writer and artist (Forbidden Dance, Sand Chronicles, Sexy Tanaka-san), dies at age 50.^[33]

February

• February 5:
  • José Delbo, Argentine comics artist (drew for the Wonder Woman, The Transformers and Batgirl series, celebrity comics based on The Monkees and a Yellow Submarine comic book adaptation), dies at age 90.^[34][35]
  • Walter van den Broeck, Belgian playwright and comics writer (wrote De Tranen van Turnhout, illustrated by Reinhart Croon^[36][37]), dies at age 82.^[38]
• February 7: Alfredo Castelli, Italian comics writer (Martin Mystère, Mister No, Dylan Dog, Zagor), dies at age 76.^[39][40]
• February 10:
  • Jack Higgins, American editorial cartoonist, dies at age 69.^[41]
  • Paul Neary, British comic writer and artist (Madman), inker (Ultimates) and chief editor of Marvel UK, dies at age 74.^[42][43]
• February 15: Enrique Badía Romero, Spanish comic artist (AXA, continued Modesty Blaise, assisted on Rahan), dies at age 93.^[44][45]
• February 24:
  • Benoît van Innis, Belgian cartoonist, painter and illustrator (published in The New Yorker, among other magazines), dies at age 63.^[46]
  • Ramona Fradon, American comics artist (Adventure Comics, Brenda Starr, Reporter, co-creator of Metamorpho and Fire), dies at age 97.^[47][48]

March

• March 1:
  • Akira Toriyama, Japanese manga artist (Dr. Slump, Dragon Ball), dies at age 68.^[49][50]
  • Chance Browne, American comic writer and artist (continued Hi and Lois), dies at age 75.^[51][52]
• March 6: Yū Asai, manga creator and wife of manga creator Motoyuki Asai, dies in a car accident.^[53]
• March 7: Stéphane Rosse, French comic writer (Naisen Kanssa) and artist (Rocky), dies at age 61.^[54][55]
• March 10: Roger Noel Cook, British comics writer (Doctor Who, Popeye, Tom and Jerry), dies at age 77.^[56]
• March 22:
  • Laurent de Brunhoff, French children's book writer and illustrator (continued Babar the Elephant), dies at age 98. ^[57]
  • Dave Darrigo, Canadian comic book writer (Wordsmith, Joe Shuster Awards Hall of Fame 2010 inductee) dies at age 69.^[58][59]
• March 24: Don Wright, American cartoonist, dies at age 90.^[60]
• March 25: Enrique Ventura, Spanish comics artist (Grouñidos en El Desierto), dies at age 77. ^{[61] [62]}
• March 27:
  • James A. Moore, American novelist, role-playing game author and comic writer (Hellraiser, Nocturnals), dies at age 58.^[63]
  • Robert Beerbohm, American comic book retailer (Comics and Comix, Best of Two Worlds, The Funny Pages, Best Comics) and historian (did research after 19th-century comics, particularly the work of Rodolphe Töpffer), dies at age 71.^[64]
  • M.D. Bright, American comic book artist (Iron Man, Green Lantern, Icon, Quantum and Woody), dies at age 68. ^[65][66]

April

• April 1: Ed Piskor, American comic writer and artist (Hip Hop Family Tree, Wizzywig, Red Room, worked on X-Men stories), commits suicide at age 41.^[67][68]
• April 6: Ziraldo, Brazilian painter, journalist and comic writer & artist (Turma do Pererê, O Menino Maluquinho), dies at age 92.^[69]
• April 10: Trina Robbins, American comic writer, artist (It Ain't Me Babe, Wimmen's Comix, scripted stories for Wonder Woman and GoGirl!), author ((co)-wrote Womens and the Comics, A Century of Women Cartoonists, The Great Women Superheroes, From Girls to Grrrlz: A History of Women's Comics from Teens to Zines, The Great Women Cartoonists, Pretty in Ink) and activist (co-founder of Friends of Lulu), dies at age 85. ^{[70] [71]}