1938 in comics

Events and publications

January

• January 24: In Ernie Bushmiller's Fritzi Ritz Nancy first meets her sidekick friend Sluggo.
• Ace Comics #10 - David McKay Publications
• Detective Comics #11 - DC Comics
• Famous Funnies #42 - Eastern Color Printing
• Feature Funnies #4 - Comic Favorites, Inc.
• The Funnies #16 - Dell Comics
• More Fun Comics #28 - National Periodical Publications
• New Adventure Comics #23 - National Periodical Publications

  February

• February 2: First publication of Bob Karp and Al Taliaferro's Donald Duck newspaper comic strip.
• Ace Comics #11 - David McKay Publications
• Detective Comics #12 - DC Comics
• Famous Funnies #43 - Eastern Color Printing
• Feature Funnies #5 - Comic Favorites, Inc.
• More Fun Comics #29 - National Periodical Publications
• New Adventure Comics #24 - National Periodical Publications

  March

• March 6: The first episode of Gervy's detective comic series Pat'Apouf is published. The series will eventually come to an end in 1990.
• March 17: In Bob Karp and Al Taliaferro's Donald Duck Donald's dog Bolivar makes his debut as a comics character, having debuted two years earlier in the animated short Alpine Climbers.
• March 22: The first issue of the Italian comics magazine Albi dell'Audace is published, which will run until 22 October 1939. In its first issue Vincenzo Baggioli and Carlo Cossio's Dick Fulmine makes its debut.
• Ace Comics #12 - David McKay Publications
• Detective Comics #13 - DC Comics
• Famous Funnies #44 - Eastern Color Printing
• Feature Funnies #6 - Comic Favorites, Inc.
• More Fun Comics #30 - National Periodical Publications
• New Adventure Comics #25 - National Periodical Publications

  April

• April 16: Arthur R. "Pop" Momand's newspaper comic strip Keeping Up with the Joneses comes to an end.
• April 21: First issue of the Belgian comics magazine Le Journal de Spirou is published. It features the debuts of the series Spirou by Rob-Vel and Les Aventures de Tif by Fernand Dineur.
• Ace Comics #13 - David McKay Publications
• Detective Comics #14 - DC Comics
• Famous Funnies #45 - Eastern Color Printing
• Feature Funnies #7 - Comic Favorites, Inc.

  May

• May 9: In Bob Karp and Al Taliaferro's Donald Duck newspaper comic Gus Goose makes his debut.
• May: Ernie Bushmiller's Fritzi Ritz is retitled Nancy
• Ace Comics #14 - David McKay Publications
• Detective Comics #15 - DC Comics
• Famous Funnies #46 - Eastern Color Printing
• Feature Funnies #8 - Comic Favorites, Inc.
• More Fun Comics #31 - National Periodical Publications
• New Adventure Comics #26 - National Periodical Publications

  June

• June 4: Debut of Bernard Graddon's newspaper comic Just Jake in The Daily Mirror. It will run until 1952.
• Ace Comics #15 - David McKay Publications
• Action Comics #1 - DC Comics: This marks the first appearance of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's Superman.
• Detective Comics #16 - DC Comics
• Famous Funnies #47 - Eastern Color Printing
• Feature Funnies #9 - Comic Favorites, Inc.
• More Fun Comics #32 - National Periodical Publications.
• New Adventure Comics #27 - National Periodical Publications.

  July

• July 1: In Bob Karp and Al Taliaferro's newspaper comic Donald Duck Donald's iconic red car is first seen.
• July 30: First issue of the long-running British comics magazine The Beano, featuring debuts of Dudley D. Watkins' Lord Snooty, James Jewell's Wee Peem, The Dinelli Brothers' Tin-Can Tommy, Basil Blackaller's Hairy Dan, Hugh McNeill's Ping the Elastic Man, Eric Roberts' Helpful Henry and Reg Carter's Big Eggo.
• Ace Comics #16 - David McKay Publications
• Action Comics #2 - DC Comics
• Detective Comics #17 - DC Comics
• Famous Funnies #48 - Eastern Color Printing
• Feature Funnies #10 - Comic Favorites, Inc.
• More Fun Comics #33 - National Periodical Publications
• New Adventure Comics #28 - National Periodical Publications

  August

• August 4: Hergé's Tintin story King Ottokar's Sceptre is prepublished in Le Petit Vingtième. Halfway the story opera diva Bianca Castafiore makes her debut.
• August 13: The final issue of the Flemish comics magazine Ons Kinderland is published.
• Ace Comics #17 - David McKay Publications
• Action Comics #3 - DC Comics
• Amazing Mystery Funnies #1 - Centaur Publications
• Detective Comics #18 - DC Comics. In this issue Gardner Fox and Don Lynch's Steve Malone, District Attorney makes his debut.
• Famous Funnies #49 - Eastern Color Printing
• Feature Funnies #11 - Comic Favorites, Inc.
• More Fun Comics #34 - National Periodical Publications
• New Adventure Comics #29 - National Periodical Publications

  September

• Ace Comics #18 - David McKay Publications
• Action Comics #4 - DC Comics
• Amazing Mystery Funnies #2 - Centaur Publications
• Detective Comics #19 - DC Comics
• Famous Funnies #50 - Eastern Color Printing
• Feature Funnies #12 - Comic Favorites, Inc.
• Jumbo Comics #1 is launched. under Fiction House's Real Adventures Publishing Company imprint. It marks the U.S. debut of Will Eisner, Jerry Iger and Mort Meskin's Sheena, Queen of the Jungle, who debuted in January 1937 in the British magazine Wags.
• More Fun Comics #35 - National Periodical Publications
• New Adventure Comics #30 - National Periodical Publications

  October

• October 15: First issue of the British comics magazine Radio Fun, which will run until 1961.
• Ace Comics #19 - David McKay Publications
• Action Comics #5 - DC Comics
• Detective Comics #20 - DC Comics
• Famous Funnies #51 - Eastern Color Printing
• Feature Funnies #13 - Comic Favorites, Inc.
• More Fun Comics #36 - National Periodical Publications
• New Adventure Comics #31 - National Periodical Publications

  November

• November 6: Stephen Slesinger and Fred Harman's Red Ryder is first published in the newspapers.
• November 13: In Fascist Italy the importation and translation of all American and British comic books, except for the far too popular Mickey Mouse is outlawed. This also means the end of Italian comics magazine Jumbo.
• Ace Comics #20 - David McKay Publications
• Action Comics #6 - DC Comics
• Adventure Comics #32 - DC Comics
• Amazing Mystery Funnies #3 - Centaur Publications
• Detective Comics #21 - DC Comics
• Famous Funnies #52 - Eastern Color Printing
• Feature Funnies #14 - Comic Favorites, Inc.
• More Fun Comics #37 - DC Comics

  December

• December: As a result of the Spanish Civil War it becomes more difficult to find the materials needed to publish the Spanish illustrated children's magazine En Patufet and thus its final issue appears. It will briefly be revived between 1968 and 1973.
• December 17: The first appearance of Hugh McNeill's Pansy Potter, one of the longest running comic strips in The Beano.
• Ace Comics #21 - David McKay Publications
• Action Comics #7 - DC Comics
• Adventure Comics #33 - DC Comics
• Amazing Mystery Funnies #"4" - Centaur Publications
• Detective Comics #22 - DC Comics
• Famous Funnies #53 - Eastern Color Printing
• Feature Funnies #15 - Comic Favorites, Inc.
• More Fun Comics #38 - DC Comics

  Specials

• New Book of Comics #2 - National Periodical Publications

  Specific date unknown

• William St. John Glenn creates Ballyscunnion, which will run until 1968.
• Arthur Warden creates Snowdrop's Zoo, which will run until 1955.
• Maurieta Wellman creates The G-Twins, written by Garry Cleveland Myers, which will later change its name to Goofus and Gallant.

  Deaths

January

• January 9: Johnny Gruelle, American cartoonist, children's book author, illustrator and comics artist, dies at age 57.

  February

• February 19: Foster Morse Follett, American comics artist, dies at age 59 after being involved in a car accident a week later.
• February: Bertram Lamb, British comics writer, dies at age 50 or 51.

  March

• March 6: Walt McDougall, American cartoonist, illustrator and comics artist, commits suicide at age 80.
• March 8: Eugen Kirchner, German illustrator and comics artist, dies at age 73.

  June

• June 2: Louis Morin, French illustrator, caricaturist, comics artist, novelist and painter, dies at age 82.
• June 6: Karl Theodor Zelger, a.k.a. K.T. Zelger, Austrian comics artist, dies at age 49.

  August

• August 11: Wilhelm Heinrich Detlev Körner, German-American comics artist, passes away at age 59.

  September

• September 18: Johannes Kesler, Dutch painter, graphic artist and comics artist, dies at age 74.

  October

• October: Roy L. Williams, American comics artist, passes away.
• 13 October: E.C. Segar, American comics artist, dies at age 44.

  November

• November 11: Fred Spencer, American animator and comics artist, dies at age 34 in a road accident.
• November 15: Harry Grant Dart, American illustrator and comics artist, passes away at age 79.

  Specific date unknown

• Will Spurrier, British comics artist, dies at age 58 or 59.

  First issues by title

• Action Comics cover dated June, published by DC Comics.
• Comics on Parade cover dated April, published by United Features Syndicate.
• Jumbo Comics Cover dated June, published by Fiction House.
• Amazing Mystery Funnies cover dated August, published by Centaur Publications.
• The Beano cover dated July, published by DC Thomson.

  Renamed titles

• New Adventure Comics renamed Adventure Comics as of the November cover date.

  Initial appearances by character name

• Lois Lane in Action Comics #1, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, published by National Periodical Publications.
• Superman in Action Comics #1, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, published by National Periodical Publications.
• Zatara in Action Comics #1, created by Fred Guardineer, published by National Periodical Publications
• Jimmy Olsen in Action Comics #6, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, publisher by National Periodical Publications
• Crimson Avenger in Detective Comics #20, created by Jim chambers, publisher by National Periodical Publications
• Tex Thompson in Action Comics #1, created by Ken Fitch and Bernard Baily, published by National Periodical Publications
• Tigress in Action Comics #1, created by Fred Guardinner, published by National Periodical Publications