2018 in comics

Events

February

• February 13: A legal declaration on behalf of Stan Lee's attorney Tom Lallas accuses Lee's daughter, Joan Boocock Lee, and attorneys Jerry Olivarez, Keya Morgan and Kirk Schenck of "continuing attempts to control Lee's life and exercise undue influence over his property, assets and business affairs." In April Lee is however filmed denying the accusations, yet confirming that he signed the statement, despite not being able to properly read it due to macular degeneration.
• February 16: Stan Lee's tour manager, Max Anderson, is removed by the police for aggressive behaviour towards Lee. The report is filed by Keya Morgan and denied by Anderson.
• February 18: Guy Gilchrist quits drawing Nancy after continuing the series for 22 years.
• Anne Guillard's comic book On A Chopé la Puberté in her Les Pipelettes series causes controversy on the accusation that it's sexist and confirms stereotypes about young women being lust objects. A petition is signed to remove it from shops and the publishing company agrees to not reprint it. Guillard writes an open letter the next month, effectively terminating her series there and then.

  March

• March 18: During an episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver John Oliver presents the book A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss, illustrated by Gerald Kelley under the pseudonym E.G. Keller, a parody of Charlotte Pence's ', illustrated by Karen Pence. Both books are about U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's pet rabbit Marlon Bundo, but the one presented during Oliver's show has a LGBT themed story and is a satire on Mike Pence's controversial homophobic policies.
• March 31- April 1''': During the Stripdagen in Utrecht Peter van Dongen wins the Stripschapprijs. Comics journalists Rob van Eijck, Willem van Helden and Joost Pollmann win the P. Hans Frankfurtherprijs. Peter Middeldorp receives the Bulletje en Boonestaakschaal.

  April

• April 9: Olivia Jaimes continues Nancy.
• April 13: Stan Lee files a lawsuit against his former manager Jerardo Olivarez, alleging fraud, financial abuse of an elder and misappropriation of his name and likeness.
• April 18: Action Comics #1000 released.

  May

• May 15: Stan Lee sues POW! Entertainment for "manufacturing a fraudulent intellectual property agreement, which granted POW! the exclusive right to use Lee's name, identity, image and likeness on a worldwide basis in perpetuity".
• May 24: Dutch comics salesman, publisher and collector Hans Matla is knighted as Ridder in de Orde van Oranje-Nassau.

  June

• June 13: Stan Lee's former business manager Keya Morgan is arrested for filing a false report of an emergency and two counts of filing a false report of a crime, along with a probation violation. Two days later a restraining order is filed against him too. He denies the accusations.
• June 26: Bill Morrison becomes executive editor of Mad.

  August

• August 6: In Ghent, Belgium cartoonist Mauro Padovani and his husband Thomas become victim of gay bashing. They have to be brought to a hospital. The culprits are later arrested.
• August 10: In an interview Stan Lee confirms that he made some bad decisions regarding his financial matters, but denies any bad relations with his daughter.

  September

• September 28: French comics artist Bastien Vivès causes controversy with the graphic novel Petit Paul, about a ten-year-old boy who is stalked for his huge penis by adult women. A petition is signed to ban the book, which some stores effectively do.

  Deaths

January

• January 8: Ron Tandberg, Australian cartoonist and comics artist, dies at age 74.
• January 18: Mark Campos, American alternative comics artist, commits suicide at age 55.
• January 18: Chandi Lahiri, Indian cartoonist, dies at age 86.
• January 24: Jan Steeman, Dutch comics artist, dies at age 74.
• January 25: Torvald Sundbaum, Swedish comics artist, dies at age 89.
• January 27: Mort Walker, American comics writer/creator and artist, dies at age 94.
• January 31: Cav Bøgelund, Danish animator and comics artist, drowns at age 39 in mysterious circumstances.

  February

• February 2: Servais Tiago, Portuguese comics artist and animator, passes away at age 92.
• February 22: Forges, Spanish film director, television director and cartoonist, dies at age 76 from pancreatic cancer.
• February 25: Howard Sparber, American painter, sculptor and comics artist, dies at age 97.
• February 27:
• * William Gezzio, Uruguayan comics artist, dies at age 73.
• * Bill Lignante, American comics artist, courtroom sketch artist and animator, dies at age 91.

  March

• March 1: Hans Räde, German graphic artist, painter and comics artist, dies at age 96.
• March 15: Robert Grossman, American painter, caricaturist, sculptor, filmmaker, poster designer, comics artist, cartoonist and animator, dies at age 78.
• March 19: Murray Karn, Canadian comics artist, dies at age 92 or 93.
• March 25: Fred Boatman, American cartoonist and graphic artist, passes away at age 83.
• March 26: Lee Holley, American comics artist, dies at age 84 in an airplane crash.
• Specific date unknown: Gérald Gorridge, French comics artist, dies at age 60.

  April

• April 8: Gunnar Persson, Swedish comics artist, dies at age 85 after injuries from a fall.
• April 9: Phil Collins, Canadian comics artist, dies at age 86.
• April 10: F'murr, French comics artist, dies at age 72.
• April 18: Pino Rinaldi, Italian comics artist, dies from pancreatic cancer at the age of 60.

  May

• May 7: Miki Muster, Slovenian sculptor, illustrator, comics artist and animator, dies at age 92.
• May 14: William Vance, Belgian comics artist, passes away at age 82 from Parkinson's disease.
• May 18: Antonio Lupatelli aka Tony Wolf, Oda Taro, L'Alpino and Antony Moore, Italian illustrator, writer and comics artist, passes away at age 88.
• May 18: Fred Peters, American animator and comics artist, dies at age 95.
• May 27: Julio Ribera, aka Jules McSide, aka Bop, Spanish comics artist, passes away at age 91.

  June

• June 2: Nick Meglin, American comics writer, theatre lyricist, screenwriter and editor-in-chief, passes away from a heart attack at age 82.
• June 11: Rumen Petkov, Bulgarian animator and comics artist, passes away at age 70.
• June 28: Harlan Ellison, American novelist; screenwriter and comics writer, dies at age 82.
• June 29: Steve Ditko, American comics artist, dies at age 90.

  July

• July 3: Takahiro Satō, Japanese manga artist, dies at age 41.
• July 5: Pepe Ferré, Spanish comics artist , dies at the age of 69.
• July 13: Frank Giroud, French comics writer, passes away at age 62.
• July 20: Jeff Hook, Australian cartoonist, dies at age 89.
• July 26: Luigi Corteggi, aka Cortez, Italian comics artist, dies at age 85.

  August

• August 1: Luigi Corteggi, aka Cortez, Italian art director, painter, illustrator and comics artist, dies at age 85.
• August 5: John Blair Moore, American cartoonist and comics artist, dies at age 69 or 70.
• August 21: Vincino, Italian cartoonist and journalist, dies at age 73.
• August 23: Russ Heath, American comic book artist and animator , dies at age 91 from cancer.
• August 30: Gary Friedrich, American comics writer, dies at age 75.
• August 30: Marie Severin, American comics artist and colorist, dies at age 89.

  September

• September 6: Edouard Aidans, aka Jok, Joke, Delcroix and Hardan, Belgian comics artist, dies at age 88.
• September 7: Carlos Ceesepe, Spanish painter, illustrator and comics artist, dies at age 60 from leukemia.
• September 24: Norm Breyfogle, 58, American comic book artist, complications from a stroke.
• September 24: Bert Cornelius, Dutch comics artist, dies at age 66.
• September 30: René Pétillon, French political cartoonist and comics artist, passes away at age 72.
• September 30: Carlos Ezquerra, Spanish comics artist, dies at age 70.

  October

• October 2: Hermenegildo Sábat, Uruguayan-Argentine comics artist, journalist, jazz musician and caricaturist, dies at age 85.
• October 7: Gibba, Italian animator and comics artist, dies at age 93.
• October 13: Nesten, Belgian caricaturist and painter, dies at age 71 from cancer.
• October 17: Leone Frollo, Italian comics artist, dies at age 87.
• October 18: Anthea Bell, British translator, dies at age 82.
• October 23: Roberto Renzi, Italian comics artist, dies at age 95.
• October 31: Enzo Apicella, Italian cartoonist, dies at age 95.

  November

• November 7: John Allard, British comics artist, dies at age 89 or 90.
• November 11: Jack Tremblay, Canadian comics artist, dies at age 92.
• November 12: Stan Lee, American comic-book writer, editor, film executive producer, actor, and publisher, dies at 95.
• November 15: Mike Noble, British comics artist, dies at age 88.
• November 15: Werner Wejp-Olsen, Danish-American comics artist, dies at age 80.
• November 19: Larry Pickering, Australian cartoonist and caricaturist, dies at age 76.
• November 26: Stephen Hillenburg, American comics artist and animator, dies at age 57.

  December

• December 13: Jean-Pierre Van Rossem, Belgian economist, politician, criminal and comics writer, passes away at age 73.
• December 20: F. W. Bernstein, German poet and cartoonist, dies at age 80.
• December 24: Grazia Nidasio, Italian comics artist, dies at age 87.
• December 27: Børge Ring, Danish animator, jazz musician and comics artist, dies at age 97.

  Conventions

• March 24: FLUKE Mini-Comics & Zine Festival
• April 7–8: MoCCA Festival
• April 28–29: Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo
• May 19: East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention
• June 2–3: Chicago Alternative Comics Expo
• September 8–9: STAPLE!
• September 15–16: Small Press Expo
• September 27–30 Cartoon Crossroads Columbus — special guests Liana Finck, Georgia Webber, M. K. Czerwiec, Rachel Lindsay, Hilary Price, Noah Van Sciver, Emi Gennis, Michael DeForge, Annie Koyama, Dustin Harbin, Keiler Roberts, Jessica Campbell, Jim Woodring, Lynn Johnston, and Darrin Bell
• November 11 — special guests Doug Allen, Austin English, Charles Burns, Mike Diana, Julie Doucet, Simon Hanselmann, Frank Henenlotter, Todd James, Patrick Kyle, Xander Marro, Mark Newgarden, Dirt Palace, Ariel Schrag, Olivier Schrauwen, Nick Thorburn, Matthew Thurber, Lauren Weinstein, Jim Woodring
• December 8–9 Comic Arts Los Angeles — featured guest: Ronald Wimberly

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