1976 in comics

Events

Year overall

• American Splendor, Harvey Pekar's long-running autobiographical comic book title, publishes its debut issue.
• Fantagraphics Books, Inc. founded by Gary Groth and Michael Catron.
• Bloodstar, based on a short story by Robert E. Howard and illustrated by Richard Corben, published by Morning Star Press. It is possibly the first graphic novel to call itself a “graphic novel” in print.
• , an illustrated novel by Jim Steranko, published by Pyramid Books.
• Flying Buttress Publications is founded in Syracuse, N.Y. by Terry Nantier.
• Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man, the first major intercompany crossover, is co-published by DC Comics and Marvel Comics.

  January

• Jenette Kahn replaces Carmine Infantino as DC Comics' publisher and editorial director.
• DC revives All Star Comics with issue #58, continuing the numbering from the original 1940 series. Written by Gerry Conway, with art by Ric Estrada and Wally Wood.
• With issue #244 — after an eight-year hiatus — DC revives Blackhawk, which began in 1944 under Quality Comics, was acquired by DC in 1957, and stopped publishing in 1968.
• Marvel Super Action, a Curtis Magazines one-shot, edited by Archie Goodwin, is released.
• The first episode of Lo scimmiotto, by Silverio Pisu and Milo Manara, reduction of the Chinese classic Journey to the West, appears on the Italian magazine .
• In France, Adèle and the beast, by Jacques Tardi, first album of The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec, is released by Casterman.

  March

• March 1: The first episode of Moebius's The Airtight Garage is prepublished in Métal Hurlant.
• DC Comics raises the prices of its standard comics from 25 cents to 30 cents, keeping the page-count at 36.
• Gerry Conway succeeds Marv Wolfman as Marvel Comics editor-in-chief in March 1976, but holds the job only briefly, relinquishing the post before the month is out, succeeded in turn by Archie Goodwin.
• The Warlord, with issue #2, goes on hiatus until October /November

  April

• With issue #45, DC revives Metal Men, which itself was a 1973 revival of a 1963 series which had stopped publishing in 1969.
• In France, The demon of the Eiffel Tower, by Jacques Tardi, second album of The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec, is released by Casterman.
• April 25: the first episode of Obelix and Co., by Goscinny and Uderzo, appears on the Nouvel Observateur.

  May

• Vince Colletta named as DC Comics art director.

  June

• Superman #300: "Superman, 2001!" — an imaginary story featuring a Superman who came to Earth in 1976 — by Cary Bates, Elliot S! Maggin, Curt Swan, and Bob Oksner.
• Star Spangled War Stories #200, featuring the Unknown Soldier and Enemy Ace, edited by Joe Orlando.
• The Incredible Hulk #200: "An Intruder in the Mind!" by Len Wein, Sal Buscema, and Joe Staton.

  July

• July 29: The first episode of Phil Collins' Leonardo is published.
• July 31: Lank Leonard's Mickey Finn comes to a close after 40 years of syndication.

  August

• Captain America #200: Special Bicentennial issue, by Jack Kirby and Frank Giacoia.
• X-Men #100: "Greater Love Hath No X-Man..." by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum.
• With issue #90, DC revives the title Green Lantern, which began in 1960 and stopped publishing in 1972.
• Superman #302: The first issue with the restored credit that Superman was "created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster."
• The first strips of Nilus, by the Origone brothers, appear on the Italian magazine Il mago.

  September

• September 25: First issue of the British comics magazine Roy of the Rovers is published. It will run until 1993.
• The Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art, founded by Joe & Muriel Kubert, begins teaching its first class of students, some of whom include Stephen R. Bissette, Thomas Yeates, and Rick Veitch.
• With issue #9, DC suspends publication of Claw the Unconquered; it picks up again with issue #10 in 1978.
• Following DC's lead, Marvel Comics raises the prices of its standard comic book from 25 cents to 30 cents, keeping the page-count at 36.
• I promessi paperi, by Edoardo Segantini and Giulio Cherchini, parody of Alessandro Manzoni’s The bethrothed, with Donald Duck and Daisy as Renzo and Lucia, appears on Topolino.

  October

• October: The first issue of the British comics magazine Captain Britain Weekly is published, featuring the debut of Chris Claremont and Alan Davis' Captain Britain.
• October: The final issue of the British comics magazine Valiant is published.
• Il Corriere dei ragazzi is renamed Corrier Boy and changes radically the editorial formula, with more articles and fewer comics. The new trend will lead to the qualitative decline and the closure of the magazine.
• The first episode of On the false earths, by Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mezieres, appears on Pilote magazine.

  November

• The final issue of the Belgian comics magazine Samedi-Jeunesse is published.
• Marvel cancels 6 ongoing titles: Amazing Adventures, Chamber of Chills, Jungle Action, Marvel Feature, Skull the Slayer, and the Curtis Magazines title Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction.
• With issue #44, DC revives Teen Titans vol. 1, which began in 1966 and stopped publishing in 1973.
• Sergio Bonelli publishes the collection Un uomo un avventura, introducing in Italy the self-contained graphic novel; the first issue is The man of Khartoum by Sergio Toppi, followed the next month by The man of Zululand, by Gino d’Antonio. In the subsequent years, all the most important Italian cartoonists give their contribution to the series.
• Sandopaper e la perla di Labuan, by Michele Gazzari and Giovan Battista Carpi, parody of Emilio Salgari’s The tigers of Mompracem, with Donald Duck as Sandokan, appears on Topolino.

  December

• Marvel Comics launches its third ongoing Spider-Man series, Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man.
• The first episode of Colombo, tragedia di un bighellone, by Francesco Tullio Altan, appears on the Italian magazine Linus. The comic mocks mercilessly Cristoforo Colombo, here seen as a greedy and vulgar adventurer and a pedophile too.
• Hans G. Kresse and Lo Hartog van Banda receive the Stripschapprijs.

  Deaths

January

• January 22: Fletcher Hanks, American comics artist, dies at age 88, from hypothermia.
• January 26: Fred Meagher, American comics artist, passes away at age 73.
• January 30: William Juhre, American illustrator and comics artist, dies at age 72.

  February

• February 27: Lieuwe Brolsma, Dutch novelist and comics writer, dies at age 63.
• February: Willy Murphy, American comics artist, dies of pneumonia at around age 38.

  March

• March 8: Romer Zane Grey, American animator and comics writer, dies at age 66.
• March 24: E.H. Shepard, British illustrator and cartoonist, passes away at age 96.

  April

• April 1: Max Ernst, German painter, sculptor, graphic artist, poet and comics artist, dies at age 84.
• April 9: Emilio Boix, Spanish comics artist, passes away at age 67.

  May

• May: Cecil Jensen, American cartoonist and comics artist, passes away at age 74.

  June

• June 5: Henk Backer, Dutch comics artist, passes away at age 77.
• June 19: Mike Arens, American animator and comics artist, dies at age 60.
• June 21: Albert Dubout, French illustrator, caricaturist, sculptor, cartoonist and comics artist, passes away at age 71.
• June 25: Mike Hubbard, Irish-British comics artist, dies at age 74.

  July

• July 5: Frank Bellamy, British comics artist, dies at age 59.

  September

• September 6: Hans Ducro, Dutch comics artist, passes away at age 52.

  December

• December 5: Tack Knight, American animator and comics artist, dies at age 81.
• December 6: Pierre Donga, aka Pierre Duffourc, French comics artist and illustrator, dies at age 68.
• December 27: André Daix, French animator and comics artist, dies at age 75.

  Specific date unknown

• Gérard Dorville, French comics artist, passes away at age 42 or 43.
• Clyde Lewis, American comics artist, passes away at age 65/75 or 66/76.
• Jack Monk, British comics artist, passes away at age 71 or 72.
• Frank Roberge, American comics artist, may have died in this year. If so he would have been 59 or 60 years old.
• George Storm, American comics artist, dies at age 82 or 83.
• Ed Verdier, American comics artist, dies at age 88 or 89.

  Conventions

• Pittcon '76
• January: Cincinnati Comic Convention — 2nd annual show; guests include Frank Brunner, Steve Gerber, Mary Skrenes, and Martin Pasko
• February 27–29: Super DC Con '76 — organized by Phil Seuling to celebrate Superman's birthday; guests include Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, and Julius Schwartz
• March 19–21: Comics 101 — organized by Denis Gifford to celebrate the 101st year of British comics; guests include John M. Burns, Ron Embleton, Don Lawrence, Frank Hampson, Alan Class, Mick Anglo, Stanley White, and Steve Dowling; presentation of the Ally Sloper Awards
• April: Mid-America Comic Convention — 2nd annual show
• April 23–25: Marvel-Con '76 — 2nd annual show; guests include Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Roy Thomas, and John Buscema
• April 30–May 2: Underground '76 — another iteration of Berkeleycon, organized by Clay Geerdes/Comix World
• June 11–14: D-Con
• Summer: Atlanta Fantasy Fair — official guests include Frank Brunner, Steve Gerber, Dick Giordano, and Kenneth Smith
• July 16–18: Omnicon — produced by Don Rosa and James Van Hise; guests include Frank Brunner, DeForest Kelley, and Michael Kaluta.
• July 2–6: Comic Art Convention
• July 2–4: Konvention of Alternative Komix — underground comix convention produced by the Birmingham Arts Lab; guests include Chris Welch, Steve Bell, Bryan Talbot, Mike Higgs, Suzy Varty, and Hunt Emerson
• July 21–25: San Diego Comic-Con — 3,000+ attendees, special guests include Sergio Aragonés, Mel Blanc, Milton Caniff, Rick Griffin, Dale Messick, Joe Shuster, Noel Sickles, Don Thompson, Maggie Thompson
• August 6–8: Chicago Comicon — produced by Joe Sarno and Mike Gold. Special guests: Stan Lee, Jenette Kahn, Harvey Kurtzman, Mike Grell, and Tim Conrad
• August 21–22: Comicon '76 — organized by Rob Barrow; guests include Paul Neary and Tony Weare; convention booklet features artwork by Dave Gibbons, John Bolton, Kevin O'Neill, Paul Neary, Brian Bolland, Ron Embleton, John M. Burns, Brian Lewis, Martin Asbury, Frank Hampson, John Romita, Sr., Bryan Talbot, and Hunt Emerson
• September 3–5: Spectrum Con 76 — guests include Jim Steranko and Pat Boyette
• September 12: Comic Rama Con — guests include Jerry Iger
• September 18–19: OrlandoCon '76 — guests include Jack Davis, Harvey Kurtzman, and Floyd Gottfredson
• October: Detroit Triple Fan Fair — 11th edition of the fair; guests include Joe Kubert, John G. Fuller, and Mike Nasser
• October 1–3: Fourth Dimension Con — guests include Frederick Pohl, Will Eisner, Val Mayerik, Paul Gulacy, and Harlan Ellison
• October 22–24: Newcon '76 — guests include Jim Steranko, Michael Kaluta, Dick Giordano, Harvey Kurtzman, Gil Kane, Carl Barks, and John Stanley
• November 20–21: Sonja-Con — two-day convention dedicated to Red Sonja, produced by Delaware Valley Comic Art Convention; official guests include Frank Thorne, Dave Cockrum, Gene Colan, Joe Staton, Dick Giordano, and Bob Layton
• November 26–28: Big Comicon Creation Convention — 4,500 attendees; official guests include Ralph Bakshi, Jenette Kahn, Michael Kaluta, Jeff Jones, Gil Kane, Steve Gerber, Nicola Cuti, Bob Smith, Alex Niño, Martin Pasko, Marv Wolfman, Jim Steranko, Howard Chaykin, Joe Staton, Jerry Iger, and Len Wein

  Awards

Eagle Awards

• Favourite Comic Book : Uncanny X-Men
• Favourite Comic Magazine : Savage Sword of Conan
• Favourite Team: Uncanny X-Men
• Favourite Comic Book : Howard the Duck, by Steve Gerber'
• Favourite New Comic: Howard the Duck, by Steve Gerber'
• Favourite Single Comic Book Story: "Four Feathers of Death! : or Enter the Duck," Howard the Duck #3, by Steve Gerber and John Buscema'
• Favourite Continued Comic Story: Master of Kung Fu #48-51 by Doug Moench and Paul Gulacy
• Favourite Comic Book Character: Conan the Barbarian'
• Favourite Comicbook Writer: Roy Thomas
• Favourite Comics Writer : Chris Claremont'
• Favourite UK Title: House of Hammer
• Roll of Honor: Stan Lee

  First issues by title

DC Comics

Marvel Comics

Other publishers

Canceled titles

Charlton Comics

• Doomsday + 1, with issue #6 — revived in 1978 as a reprint title
• Midnight Tales, with issue #18

  DC Comics

• 1st Issue Special, with issue #13
• Beowulf, Dragon Slayer, with issue #6
• Blitzkrieg, with issue #5
• The Joker, with issue #9
• Kong the Untamed, with issue #5
• Man-Bat, with issue #2
• Phantom Stranger vol. 2, with issue #41
• Plop!, with issue #24
• Swamp Thing, with issue #24
• Tarzan Family, with issue #66
• Tor, with issue #6

  Gold Key Comics

• Golden Comics Digest, with issue #48
• Walt Disney Comics Digest, with issue #57

  Harvey Comics

• Little Dot, with issue #164
• Little Lotta, with issue #120
• Playful Little Audrey, with issue #121

  Marvel Comics

• Amazing Adventures vol. 2, with issue #39, Marvel cancels the anthology title
• Astonishing Tales, with issue #36
• Chamber of Chills, with issue #25
• Jungle Action, with issue #24
• Marvel Feature vol. 2, with issue #7
• Skull the Slayer, with issue #8
• Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction, with issue #6

  Other publishers

• Arcade, with issue #7

  Initial appearance by character name

DC Comics

• Ace of Spades, in The Joker #05
• Atomic Skull , in Superman #303
• Black Spider, in Detective Comics #463
• Blackrock, in Action Comics #458
• Bumblebee , in Teen Titans #45
• Calculator, in Detective Comics #463
• Captain Stingaree, in Detective Comics #460
• , in 1st Issue Special #11
• Deborah Camille Darnell, in Secret Society of Super Villains #01
• Duela Dent, in Batman Family #06
• Grimbor the Chainsman, in Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #221
• Isis, in Isis #01
• Earthman, in Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #218
• Kobra, in Kobra #01
• Laurel Kent, in Superboy #217
• Machiste, in The Warlord #02
• Paul Kirk III in Secret Society of Super-Villains #01
• Outsiders, in 1st Issue Special #10
• Power Girl, in All Star Comics #58
• Ragman, in Ragman #01
• Revenger, in
• Starfire, in Starfire #01
• Mikaal Tomas, in 1st Issue Special #12
• Skull, in Superman #301
• Leslie Thompkins, in Detective Comics #457
• Tyroc, in Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #216
• Wendy, Marvin and Wonder Dog, in Super Friends'' #1

  Marvel Comics

• Amphibian, in Avengers #145
• Aron, in Captain Marvel #39
• Black Talon , in Avengers #152
• Black Tom Cassidy, in Uncanny X-Men #101
• Blizzard , in Iron Man #86
• Jamie Braddock, in Captain Britain Weekly #9
• Dmitri Bukharin, in Iron Man #109
• Bullseye, in Daredevil #131
• Captain Britain, in Captain Britain Weekly #1
• Captain Ultra, in Fantastic Four #177
• Celestials
• * Arishem the Judge, in The Eternals #2
• * Exitar the Exterminator, in Thor #387
• * Gammenon the Gatherer, in The Eternals #4
• Condor, in Nova #2
• Corruptor, in Nova #4 in
• Darkstar, in Champions #7
• Jean DeWolff, in Marvel Team-Up #48
• The Eternals, in The Eternals #1
• * Ajak, in The Eternals #2
• * Domo, in The Eternals #5
• * Ikaris, in The Eternals #1
• * Makkari, in The Eternals #1
• * Sersi, in The Eternals #3
• * Thena, in The Eternals #5
• * Zuras, in The Eternals #5
• Guardsman , in Iron Man #82
• Hellcat, in The Avengers #144
• Human Fly , in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #10
• Hurricane , in Captain Britain #3
• Jigsaw, in The Amazing Spider-Man #162
• Shen Kuei, in Master of Kung Fu #38
• Mirage, in The Amazing Spider-Man #156
• Lilandra Neramani, in X-Men #97
• Nova, in Nova #1
• Psylocke, in Captain Britain #8
• Rampage, in Champions #5
• Amanda Sefton, in Uncanny X-Men #98
• Star-Lord, in Marvel Preview #4

  Other publishers

• Big Sleeping, in Il mago
• Kandrax, druid by the extraordinary psychic powers, antagonist of Zagor
• Kriss Boyd, by Nevio Zeccara, agent of the Galactic Security Council gifted with paranormal powers, on Il giornalino
• Stefi, by Grazia Nidasio, younger sister of Valentina Mela Verde, on Il corriere dei piccoli
• Storm , in Storm