1970 in comics

Events and publications

January

• January 5: The first episode of Kim Casali's Love Is... appears in print.
• January 10: The first issue of the British football comics magazine Scorcher is published. In its first issue Fred Baker and John Gillatt's comic strip Billy's Boots makes its debut.
• January 18: Jim Lawrence and Jorge Longaron's Friday Foster makes its debut and will run until 1974.
• Detective Comics #395: "The Secret of the Waiting Graves", the first collaboration between Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams.
• Our Fighting Forces #123
• Avengers #72
• The Amazing Spider-Man #80: "On the trail of... the Chameleon!"
• Charlton Comics, with issue #18, publishes its final issue of Flash Gordon.

  February

• February 14: The British comics magazine The Wizard, cancelled in 1963, is relaunched. It will run until 10 June 1978.
• February 15: In Quino's Mafalda the girl Libertad makes her debut.
• February 26: The first episode of François Walthéry's Natacha is published.

  March

• March 2: James Childress' Conchy is first published. It will until 1977.
• March 21: The first San Diego Comic-Con is organized. A few months later it will be held again as a three-day event.
• March 24: Frans Piët officially retires and passes Sjors en Sjimmie on to his successor Jan Kruis.
• March 26: Berck's Sammy makes his debut.
• Teen Titans #26

  April

• April 15: The first issue of the underground comix magazine Slow Death is published. The first issue was copyrighted by the "Visual Yoyo Tribe," a Berkeley-based collective of which Turner was a member.
• April 19: Russell Myers' Broom-Hilda makes its debut.
• Green Lantern #76, Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams became the creative team and rechristen the title as Green Lantern/Green Arrow. This begins a long story arc in which the characters undertook a social-commentary journey across America.
• Ron Turner founds Last Gasp in San Francisco

  June

• June 6: The first issue of the British comics magazine Cor!! is published. In its first issue Reg Parlett's Ivor Lott and Tony Broke makes its debut.
• June 17: The first episode of Ted Shearer's Quincy is published.
• Detective Comics #400: "Challenge of the Man-Bat", by Frank Robbins, Neal Adams, and Dick Giordano.

  Summer

• John Bagley founds Company & Sons in San Francisco.

  July

• July 25: The final episode of R.B. Clark's Boofhead is published.
• Fantastic Four #100: "The Long Journey Home", by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Joe Sinnott..
• The one-shot feminist comics magazine It Ain't Me Babe is published.
• The first issue of the British adult comics magazine Cyclops is published. It will run for only three months.

  August

• August 1-3: The first three-day San Diego Comic-Con is held. Five months earlier a first event was organized but just for one day.

  September

• September 24: Roger Leloup's Yoko Tsuno makes its debut.
• Denis Kitchen founds Krupp Comic Works in Princeton, Wisconsin.
• The Flash #200: "Count 200 — and Die", by Robert Kanigher, Irv Novick, and Murphy Anderson.
• Showcase, with issue #93, is cancelled by DC Comics.
• Fantastic Four #102: After 102 consecutive issues written by Stan Lee and drawn by Jack Kirby, Kirby's final issue as Fantastic Four artist.
• Silver Surfer, with issue #18, cancelled by Marvel.

  October

• October 26:
• * Garry Trudeau's long-running satirical newspaper comic Doonesbury is first published.
• * The first episode of Mell Lazarus' Momma is published.
• October 30: Kees Kousemaker and his wife Evelien publish Strip voor Strip, the first standard Dutch-language book about comics.
• Jack Kirby, with issue #133, debuts as writer/artist on Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, introducing the concepts and characters of his Fourth World epic. In his first issue alone, Kirby creates the characters Morgan Edge and Intergang, as well as Project Cadmus, a fictional government genetic engineering project.
• The first issue of Young Lust is published and will run until 1993.

  November

• November 16: The French satirical comics magazine Hara-Kiri mocks the death of President Charles de Gaulle on its cover. This leads to its third and definitive ban within one decade. To thwart the ban the publication changes its name to Charlie Hebdo.
• November 23: The first issue of the French satirical comics magazine Charlie Hebdo is published.
• Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134
• Robert M. Overstreet publishes the first edition of his Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, soon to become the primary authority on the subject of American comic book grading and pricing.

  December

• December 12: Jan Kruis' Jan, Jans en de Kinderen makes its debut.
• Adventure Comics #400: 35th anniversary issue, "Return of the Black Flame!", by Mike Sekowsky.
• Challengers of the Unknown, with issue #77, is canceled by DC Comics.
• Metal Men, with issue #41, is canceled by DC.
• Fantastic Four #105: "Monster in the Streets", drawn by John Romita, Sr.

  Deaths

January

• January 16: Dave Breger, American comics artist, dies at age 69.
• January 17: Norman E. Jennett, American illustrator and comics artist, dies at age 92.
• Specific date unknown: Munson Paddock, aka Pad, American comics artist, dies at age 86.

  February

• 2 February: William Donahey, American comics artist and children's book illustrator , dies at age 87.
• 11 February: Lee W. Stanley, American comics artist, passes away at age 84.
• 13 February: H.M. Bateman, Australian-British comics artist and cartoonist, dies at age 83.
• 18 February: Jim Holdaway, British comics artist, dies at age 42 from a heart attack.

  March

• March: Lloyd Jacquet, American comics publisher '', dies at age 71.
• 18 March: Jacobus Grosman, Dutch comics artist, passes away at age 62.

  April

• April 17: Rudolf Petersson, Swedish comics artist, dies at age 73.
• April 30: Sam Milai, African-American cartoonist, dies at age 62

  May

• May 3: Ken Kling, American comics artist, dies at age 74.
• May 19: Martin Branner, American comics artist, dies at age 81.
• May 30: Heinz Ludwig, German comics artist, dies at age 63.

  June

• June 5: Jay Irving, American comics artist, dies at age 69 from a heart attack.
• June 6: Victor E. Pazmiño aka VEP, Ecuadorian-American comics artist, dies at the age of 70.
• June 13: Hubuc, Belgian comics artist, dies from leukemia at the age of 42.
• June 15: José Sobral De Almada Negreiros, Portuguese comics artist, dies at age 67.

  July

• July 9: Elov Persson, Swedish comics artist, dies at age 75.
• July 11: George Wilson, American illustrator and comics artist, dies at age 67.
• July 24: James McIsaac, Canadian caricaturist, illustrator and comics artist, dies at age 81.

  August

• August 2: Lank Leonard, American comics artist, dies at age 74.
• August 13: Dan Gordon, American comics artist, animator, animation director and animation writer, passes away in a house fire at age 68.
• August 28: Bud Neill, Scottish comics artist, passes away at age 58.

  September

• September 17: Cyril Gwyn Price, Welsh comics artist, passes away at age 65.

  October

• October 24: Job Denijs, Dutch designer, architect, advertising illustrator and comics artist, dies at age 77.

  November

• November 6: John Giunta, American comics artist, dies at age 50.
• November 10: Cal Alley, American comics artist, dies at age 55 from cancer.
• November 24: Eeli Jaatinen, Finnish illustrator and comics artist, dies at age 64.
• Specific date unknown: Bob Barnes, American comics artist, dies at age 66 or 67.

  December

• December 7: Rube Goldberg, American comics artist and cartoonist, passes away at age 87.
• December 9: Harrison Cady, American illustrator and comics artist, dies at age 93.
• December 14: Malcolm Kildale, American illustrator and comics artist, passes away at age 57.
• December 30: Clifford David Vormelker, American comics writer, passes away at age 64.

  Specific date unknown

• Harry Anderson, American comics artist, dies at age 68 or 69.
• R.B. Clark, Australian comics artist, dies at age 59 or 60.
• John Henry Crosman, American painter, illustrator and comics artist, dies at age 72 or 73.
• Helen Jacobs, British illustrator and comics artist, dies at age 89 or 90.
• Dick Wood, American comics writer and short stories writer, dies at age 50 or 51.

  Exhibitions

• December 31, 1970–February 7, 1971: AAARGH!: a Celebration of Comics, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London

  Conventions

• Comicon '70 — organized by Sam Plumb
• Disneyland Hotel Comicon — one and only event of its kind
• March 21: Golden State Comic-Minicon — Shel Dorf organizes a one-day convention "as a kind of 'dry run' for the larger convention he hope to stage." Official guests: Forrest J. Ackerman, Mike Royer
• June 18–20: Multicon 70 — first iteration of this show; guest speaker: Reed Crandall
• July 3–5: Metro Comic Art Convention
• August 1–3: Golden State Comic-Con — Dorf's first three-day San Diego comics convention, it draws 300 people. Official guests: Forrest J. Ackerman, Ray Bradbury, Jack Kirby, Bob Stevens, A. E. van Vogt
• August 23–24: Toronto Triple Fan Fair a.k.a. "Fan Fair 2" — Guests of Honour: Isaac Asimov and Anne McCaffrey; 450 attendees
• September 5–7: Detroit Triple Fan Fair — Program dedicated to Jack Kirby. Western-themed cover by Jim Steranko and interior art pages by Neal Adams and Bernie Wrightson.
• November 27–29: Phoenix Con — first iteration of the show, produced by Bruce Hamilton; attendees include Don Newton and John Barrett

  Awards

Goethe Awards

• Favorite Pro Artist: Neal Adams
• Favorite Pro Writer: tie
• * Denny O'Neil
• * Roy Thomas
• Favorite Pro Editor: Dick Giordano
• Favorite Pro Comic Book: Green Lantern/Green Arrow
• Favorite Underground Comic: Captain George Presents
• Favorite Comic-Book Story: "“No Evil Shall Escape My Sight"” by Denny O'Neil/Neal Adams in Green Lantern/Green Arrow #76
• Favorite Comic-Book Character: Deadman
• Favorite Fanzine: Newfangles
• Favorite Fan Writer: Jan Strnad
• Favorite Fan Artist: Robert Kline

  [Shazam Awards]

• Best Story: "No Evil Shall Escape My Sight", by Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams, Green Lantern/Green Arrow #76
• Best Continuing Feature: Green Lantern/Green Arrow
• Best Drama Writer: Dennis O'Neil
• Best Drama Penciller: Neal Adams
• Best Drama Inker: Dick Giordano
• Best Letterer: Sam Rosen
• Best Colorist: Jack Adler
• Best Humor Penciller: Bob Oksner
• Best Humor Inker: Henry Scarpelli
• Best Humor Writer: Carl Barks, The Junior Woodchucks
• Best New Talent: Barry Smith
• Outstanding Achievement by an Individual: Jim Steranko, for The Steranko History of Comics
• Best Foreign Title: Legionarios del Espacio
• Special Recognition Outside the Field: Nostalgia Press
• Hall of Fame: Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster
• Special Plaque: Stan Lee

  First Issue by title

DC Comics

Marvel Comics

Independent titles

Initial appearance by character name

DC Comics

• Appa Ali Apsa, in Green Lantern #76
• Darkseid, in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134
• Doctor Darrk, in Detective Comics #406
• El Diablo, in All-Star Western #02
• Mal Duncan, in Teen Titans #26
• Morgan Edge, in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #133
• Intergang, in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #133
• Lilith, in Teen Titans #25
• Losers, in Our Fighting Forces #123
• Man-Bat, in Detective Comics #400
• Rose and the Thorn in Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #105
• Francine Langstrom, in Detective Comics #400
• Ten-Eyed Man, in Batman #226

  Marvel Comics

• Arkon, in Avengers #76
• Firebrand, in Iron Man #27
• Richard Fisk, in The Amazing Spider-Man #83
• Freak , in Iron Man #21
• Garokk, in Astonishing Tales #2
• Guardsman, in Iron Man #31
• Kangaroo, in The Amazing Spider-Man #81
• Llyra, in Sub-Mariner #32
• Starr the Slayer, in Chamber of Darkness #4
• Sunfire, in X-Men #64
• Valkyrie , in The Avengers #83
• Jim Wilson, in The Incredible Hulk #131
• Zodiac, in Avengers #72
• * Aquarius
• * Aries
• * Cancer
• * Capricorn
• * Gemini
• * Leo
• * Libra
• * Pisces
• * Sagittarius
• * Taurus
• * Virgo

  Independent titles

• Cattivik, in Tiramolla