Notable events of 2002 in comics. Events Chuck Rowles and Steve Rowles begin the webcomic Gods of Arr-Kelaan First KomMissia festival held in Moscow. Jeroom creates his gag comic Reetman.
January January 29: Zak becomes the first Belgian cartoonist to win the Dutch Inktspotprijs for Best Political Cartoon (edition 2001).
March Adventures of Superman #600: super-sized anniversary issue by Joe Casey, Mike Wieringo, and Jose Marzan, Jr. (DC Comics) In Anders And & Co., "Forget It!" by Don Rosa.
April Batman #600: "Bruce Wayne: Fugitive," part one, 64-page giant, written by Ed Brubaker.
May May 4: The first Free Comic Book Day is established. . The British satirical cartoon magazine Punch, which had ended in 1992 but briefly revived since 1996, is once again disestablished.
June June 3: Webcomic A Miracle of Science by Jon Kilgannon and Mark Sachs debuts. June 14: British comic artist Posy Simmonds is honoured with an Officer in the Order of the British Empire medal. After 59 years of continuous serialisation Albert Chartier's comic Onésime comes to an end. June 26: Acclaimed best-selling Batman Hush storyline begins in #604 by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee.
July July 7: The final episode of Peter O'Donnell's Modesty Blaise is published. Its final artist was Dick Giordano.
August August 17: In Santa Rosa, California the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center opens its doors.
September September 14–15: During the Stripdagen in Den Bosch, Eric Schreurs wins the Stripschapprijs. The Teken mijn verhaal foundation wins the P. Hans Frankfurtherprijs. Art Spiegelman's graphic novel In The Shadow Of No Towers about the 9/11 terrorist attacks is prepublished in Die Zeit, since no U.S. magazine dares to publish it.
November November 30: In the Belgian Comic Strip Center in Brussels the first Stripvos awards are handed out. Marc Sleen is the first person to receive a statue.Marc Sleen gehuldigd door collega-striptekenaars De Tijd. (subscription required) Time Warner was announced to drop the AOL name.
December December 16: Paul Geerts is knighted in the Order of the Dutch Lion. December 31: After 55 years of continuous publication Marc Sleen ends his long-running newspaper comic The Adventures of Nero.
Deaths
January January 10: John Buscema, American comics artist (Silver Surfer) dies at age 74. January 13: Pierre Joubert, French illustrator and comics artist (Gribouille, Scout), dies at age 91. January 24: Kurt Schaffenberger, American comics artist (continued Captain Marvel and Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane), dies at age 81. Specific date unknown: Susumu Nemoto, Japanese manga artist (Kuri-chan), dies from heart disease at age 86.
February February 15: Vincenzo Monzi, Italian comics artist (Goldrake, continued Joselito, Tex Willer), dies at age 60. February 22: Chuck Jones, American animator, film director and comics artist (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, Crawford), dies at age 89.
March March 5: Lucien De Roeck, Belgian graphic designer, painter, illustrator, typographer and comic artist (Klawieter), dies at age 86. March 15: Rand Holmes, Canadian underground cartoonist (The Adventures of Harold Hedd), dies at age 60. March 16: Paul Schindeler, Dutch comics artist (assistant on Sjef van Oekel), dies at an unknown age. March 18: Marcel Denis, Belgian comics writer (Hultrasson) and artist (Les Frères Clips, continued Tif et Tondu), dies at age 79. March 24: Ángel Umpierrez, Uruguayan comic artist (Don Cristóbal), dies at age 81. March 28: Nicola Del Principe, Italian comics artist (comics for Renato Bianconi, Angelica, Il Camionista, Tom & Jerry comics), dies at age 74.
April April 2: Stanley Pitt, Australian comics artist (Silver Starr, Captain Power, Yarmak, Jungle King), dies at age 77. April 4: Camillo Zuffi, Italian comics artist (Il Piccolo Sceriffo), dies at age 89. April 11: Jaime Juez Castellà, aka Xirinius, Spanish cartoonist and comic artist (worked on El Jabato, continued Ögan), dies at age 95. April 15: Szymon Kobylinski, Polish graphic artist, illustrator, historian, designer and comics artist, dies at age 74. April 19: Alberto Beltrán, Mexican comics artist, painter and illustrator, dies at age 79. Jean Albert Carlotti, French painter and comic artist (worked on the La Crime Ne Paie Pas and Les Amours Célèbres series), dies at age 92. April 22: Denis McLoughlin, British comics artist (adventure comics for DC Thomson), dies at age 84. April 23: Alfredo Pons, Spanish comics writer (Los Amores de Juan Eclipse) and artist, dies at age 44.
May May 3: Tom Sutton, American comics artist (Vampirella) dies at age 65. May 6: Ionaldo Cavalcanti, Brazilian painter, comics artist (Crimes que Abalaram São Paulo ("Crimes that shook São Paulo")), and comics scholar (O Mundo dos Quadrinhos, Esses incríveis heróis de papel), dies at age 57 or 59. May 7: Robert Kanigher, American comics writer (Wonder Woman, Enemy Ace and most of DC Comics' war comics line), dies at age 86. May 15: Arthur Peddy, American comics artist (Phantom Lady, Jann of the Jungle), dies at age 85. May 17: Dave Berg, American comics artist (The Lighter Side of...), dies at age 81.
June June 7: Waldyr Igayara de Souza, Brazilian comics artist (Disney comics), dies at age 68. June 13: Vincent Fago, American animator and comics artist (Terrytoons comics, continued Peter Rabbit), dies at age 83. June 17: Rafael Araiza, El Che, Mexican comics artist (A Batacazo Limpio), dies at age 86. June 24: Larry Alcala, Philippine comic artist (Siopawman, Slice of Life, Bim, Bam Bung, Lolo Brigido, Kalabog & Bosyo), dies at age 75. June 30: Jaime Brocal Remohí, Spanish comics artist (Katan, Ögan, Kronan, Arcane, Ta-ar), dies at age 66.
July July 8: Ward Kimball, American animator and one of Disney's Nine Old Men, dies at age 88. July 11: Jorge Zaffino, Argentine comics artist (worked on Nippur de Lagash and Punisher), dies at age 42 or 43 from a heart attack. July 23: Đorđe Lobačev, Russian-Serbian comics artist and illustrator (Gospodar Smrti), dies at age 93. July 25: Lucia Pamela, American outsider musician and illustrator (made a colouring book to go along with the narrative of her music album Into Outer Space with Lucia Pamela In The Year 2000), dies at age 98.
August August 2: Kees van Lent, Dutch comics artist (advertising comics for Prins Leo, De Avonturen van het Aapje Joekie), dies at age 82. August 5: Grass Green, American comics artist (Xal-Kor the Human Cat, Wildman and Rubberroy), dies at age 63 from lung cancer. August 13: Flavio Colin, Brazilian comics artist (Sepé, Vizunga, Mulher-Diaba no rastro de Lampião, O Boi das Aspas de Ouro and Estórias Gerais), dies at age 72.
September September 7: Len Dworkins, American comics artist (assisted on Draftie and Wade Cabot and continued Buck Rogers and Skyroads), dies at age 80. September 13: Fred Guardineer, American comics writer and illustrator (Durango Kid, Zatara) dies at age 88.
October October 3: Robert Bagage, A.K.A. Robba, French comic artist and publisher (founder of Éditions Impéria), dies at age 86. October 19: Hans Jürgen Press, German illustrator, caricaturist and comics artist (Der Kleine Herr Jakob), dies at age 76. October 22: Robert Nixon, British comics artist (Ivy the Terrible, The 12½p Buytonic Boy), dies at age 63.
November November 14: Charles Dupuis, Belgian comics publisher (Dupuis), dies at age 84. November 16: Hussein Amin Bicar, Egyptian poet, painter, photographer, philosopher and comic artist (Chaddad & Adouad, made comics for the magazine Sinbad), dies at age 90. November 17: Larry Mayer, American comics artist, inker and letterer (Disney comics), dies at age 91. November 26: Marco Biassoni, Italian comic artist, illustrator and animator (Lingottino, Prode Anselmo), dies at age 71 or 72.
December December 18: Mic Delinx, Belgian comics artist (La Jungle en Folie), dies at an unknown age. December 27: Renzo Restani, Italian comics artist (Dave Devil, Baby Bang, Moses, Yal Brunn), dies at age 74.
Specific date unknown Fieke Asscher, Dutch illustrator, graphic artist and comics artist (De Rare Belevenissen van Professor Stap-door-den-Tijd), dies at age 76.
Exhibitions and shows January 22 — February 7: "Heroes Among Us" (New York City Firehouse Museum, New York City) — featuring original artwork from Marvel Comics' Heroes and Alternative Comics' 9-11: Emergency Relief 9/11 benefit books, including creators such as John Romita, Sr., Neal Adams, Alex Ross, Frank Cho, Dean Haspiel, Josh Neufeld, Joe Quesada, Stuart Moore, Renée French, Ted Rall, Tom Hart, Michael Kupperman, Tomer Hanuka, Neil Kleid, Will Eisner, and Nick Bertozzi; later traveled to Wayland Baptist University's Abraham Art Gallery (Plainview, Texas); and Lloyd Center (Portland, Oregon) March 7 – May 26: Whitney Biennial, Whitney Museum of American Art (New York City) — features original pages by Chris Ware April 25 – June 23: "She Draws Comics: Trina Robbins and 27 Women Cartoonists", Secession Gallery, Vienna, Austria — curated by Trina Robbins; artists include Robbins, Joan Hilty, Lauren Weinstein, Leanne Franson, Fly, Isabella Bannerman, Sharon Rudahl, Lark Pien, Roberta Gregory, Paige Braddock, Molly Kiely, Mary Fleener, Sabrina Jones, Donna Barr, Diane DiMassa, Joyce Chin, Leela Corman, Mary Wilshire, Marie Severin, Sandra Bell-Lundy, Joyce Farmer, Katherine Arnoldi, and Carol Tyler; in 2006, the exhibition toured to the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (New York City)Gardner, Alan. "SHE DRAWS COMICS EXHIBIT TO OPEN AT MOCCA," Daily Cartoonist (March 17, 2006).
Conventions January 19: Big Apple Comic Book Art and Toy Show (St. Paul's Church Auditorium, New York City) — guests include Guy Gilchrist, Ethan Van Sciver, Bill Plympton, Irwin Hasen, Dick Ayers, The Iron Sheik, April Hunter, Wagner Brown, Tammy Lynn Sytch, Chris Candido, and Virgil January 19: FLUKE Mini-Comics & Zine Festival (Tasty World, Athens, Georgia) — first iteration of this festival February 9–10: Alternative Press Expo (Herbst Pavilion, Fort Mason, San Francisco) February 22–24: MegaCon (Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida) — guest of honor: Kevin Smith; other guests: George Pérez, Butch Guice, Mark Waid, Erin Gray, June Lockhart, David Prowse, Michonne Bourriague, Eugene Roddenberry Jr., Bob May, and Mark RolstonSzadkowski, Joseph. "The keen and obscene at Florida's MegaCon," Washington Times (9 March 2002), p. B02. March: Granada Comics Festival (Granada, Spain) — 7th annual show; controversy as awards are given out in a mock terrorist attack.Reynolds, Eric. "Spanish Comics Convention Scandalized by Live Sex Performance," The Comics Journal #243 (May 2002), pp. 15-17. March 9–10: Chicago ComicFest (Rosemont, Illinois) March 23–24: Planet Comicon (Kansas City, Kansas) April 20: Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo (S.P.A.C.E.) (Ohio Expo Center, Rhodes Center, Columbus, Ohio) — special guests: Dave Sim and Gerhard April 19–21: WonderCon (Oakland Convention Center, Oakland, California) April 26–28: Pittsburgh Comicon (Pittsburgh Expomart, Monroeville, Pennsylvania) — guests include Carmine Infantino, Billy Tucci,Lolley, Sarah. "Comicon Characters Old Legends and Edgy Newcomers Combine Forces at Comic Book Convention," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (26 April 2002), p. 22. George Pérez, Ted Dibiase, Nikolai Volkoff, Frank Cho, Julius Schwartz, Al Williamson, Kenny Baker, Michonne Bourraigue, and Jerome Blake"Does anyone have Earth Day off on Monday? Probably not. But think about it...," Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (21 April 2002), p. F-2. May 5: Alberta Comic Collectors Association Comic & Toy Show (Red & White Club, McMahon Stadium, Alberta, Canada)