Notable events of 1985 in comics.
Events and publications
Year overall More independent publishers enter the marketplace: Aircel Comics, Arrow Comics, Blackthorne Publishing, Dragon Lady Press, NOW Comics, Sirius Comics, Strawberry Jam Comics, and Wonder Comics all publish their first titles. In addition, David Anthony Kraft's Comics Interview publishes its first comic book titles (it had been publishing the Comics Interview magazine since 1983). After 41 years as a publisher, Charlton Comics folds. Marvel Comics publishes Heroes for Hope: Starring the X-Men, an all-star benefit book for African famine relief and recovery.
January January 21: The first episode of Dan Piraro's Bizarro appears in print. Warrior, with issue #26, publishes its final issue (Quality Communications)
February February 18: The first episode of Jim Meddick's Monty is published. February 28: Bill Tidy's The Fosdyke Saga comes to an end after having been in syndication for 14 years. Jack Dunkley's The Larks is also discontinued. Tales of the Teen Titans #50: Donna Troy marries Terry Long. (DC Comics) With issue #150, Marvel Comics cancels the Spider-Man title Marvel Team-Up (Web of Spider-Man will debut two months later).
March March 7: Albert Uderzo is honoured as Knight in the Légion d'Honneur. March 17: First publication of Greg Evans' Luann. Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #100: "Breakin'!" written and drawn by Al Milgrom. "The Surtur Saga" comes to a conclusion in Thor #353 by Walt Simonson. In London an exhibition of Tomi Ungerer's artwork and cartoons is wrecked with spray-paint by feminist activists led by Valerie Wise who protest against his S&M erotic cartoons.
April To promote and fund an upcoming museum devoted to Belgian comics, various Belgian comic artists have an official meeting with king Baudouin of Belgium and queen Fabiola at the royal palace. In 1989, this museum will open as the Belgian Comic Strip Center. Crisis on Infinite Earths 12-issue "maxi-series" debuts, produced by DC Comics to simplify their then-50-year-old continuity. Written by Marv Wolfman, and illustrated by George Pérez (pencils/layouts), with Mike DeCarlo, Dick Giordano, and Jerry Ordway (who shared inking/embellishing work). The series eliminates the concept of the Multiverse in the fictional DC Universe and kills off many characters, including long-standing superheroes Supergirl and Barry Allen.
May The Norwegian band A-ha releases a re-recorded version of their song "Take On Me", with a partially animated music video, in which a girl is brought into a comic book world. The video is directed by Steve Barron and Candace Reckinger, with the animation done by Michael Patterson. The comic featured in the music video is drawn by Michael Patterson and later printed in the sleeve of the single release. Sgt. Rock #400: "Easy's 400th," by Robert Kanigher and Adrian Gonzales. (DC Comics)
June June 1: The first episode of Yann and Bernard Hislaire's Sambre debuts in the magazine Circus. In the Italian magazine Corto Maltese, Y todo a media luz (or Tango) by Hugo Pratt; in Buenos Aires, Corto Maltese meets Butch Cassidy.
Summer Marvel Comics publishes New Mutants Special Edition #1. Written by Chris Claremont, it is the first X-Men related art by fan-favorite Art Adams with inks by Terry Austin. It continues in Uncanny X-Men Annual #9 again by Claremont and Adams with inks by Al Gordon, Mike Mignola, and Adams.
July July 29: Jimmy Johnson's Arlo and Janis makes its debut. Secret Wars II debuts continuing the adventures of the Beyonder from the original Secret Wars series. In Middelkerke, Belgium, the first edition of the comics festival Stripfestival Middelkerke is organized, though it's still named Milky Way Stripfestival at this point.
August August 23: The Dutch comics magazine Eppo changes its name into Eppo Wordt Vervolgd, to tie in with the popularity of the TV show Wordt Vervolgd (1983-1997), which deals with comics and cartoons. Under this new name it continues until 1988. In the first issue Ruud Straatman and Peter de Wit's De Familie Fortuin makes its debut. DC publishes Superman Annual #11: "For the Man Who Has Everything," by the future Watchmen team of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.
September September 15: The first episode of Gleever's comic strip Oktoknopie is published in the Dutch children's magazine Taptoe. September 15: In the Italian Disney magazineTopolino, Topolino e il segreto della Gioconda, by Bruno Concina and Massimo De Vita; the first episode of the serial Mickey and the time machine is published, which marks the debut of Dr. Spike Marlin. September 20: Peter de Smet wins the Stripschapprijs. Joost Swarte and the PTT Post receive the Jaarprijs voor Bijzondere Verdiensten (nowadays the P. Hans Frankfurtherprijs). The "Who Is Sensor Girl?" storyline, written by Paul Levitz, begins in Legion of Super-Heroes #14 (and continues through issue #27). Mighty Crusaders vol. 2, with issue #13, is cancelled by Archie Adventure Series. Missouri Demons, by Jean Michel Charlier and Colin Wilson, fourth chapter of La jeunesse de Blueberry; first chapter of the Quantrill saga. In Orient express, first episode of Un principe per Norma (A prince for Norma) by Giancarlo Berardi and Ivo Milazzo, retelling of Hamlet with Ken Parker as the prince and a Marylin Montoe's double as Ophelia.
October With issue #350, DC Comics publishes the final issue of The Flash (volume 1). "The Death of Jean DeWolff" story arc, written by Peter David, begins in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #107 (eventually running through issue #110). Music for Mechanics, the first Love and Rockets collection, is published by Fantagraphics. The Vision and the Scarlet Witch vol. 2 #1, the first issue of a 12–issue limited series.
November November 18: Bill Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes makes its debut. With issue #50, Arak, Son of Thunder (1981 series) is canceled by DC Comics. Tales of the Teen Titans, with issue #59, becomes a reprint book. (DC Comics) Iron Man #200: "Resolutions!" by Denny O'Neil, Mark D. Bright, and Akin & Garvey. Tony Stark resumes the identity of Iron Man and defeats Iron Monger. (Marvel Comics) In Australia the annual comics awards, the Stanley Awards, are established. Eloise de Montigri by Herman, second episode of The Towers of Bois-Maury (Glenat) The Rige by Serge Le Tendre and Régis Loisel, third chapter of the saga La Quête de l'oiseau du temps (Dargaud).
December The Warlord #100: double-sized issue, "Skartaris Unchained," by Michael Fleisher and Adam Kubert. (DC Comics) Uncanny X-Men #200: "The Trial of Magneto!," by Chris Claremont, John Romita Jr., and Dan Green. (Marvel Comics) Thundercats #1: "Survival Run". (Star Comics) December 31: The Dreamer, by Will Eisner, is published by Kitchen Sink. The final episode of Bernard Hislaire's Bidouille et Violette is printed in Spirou.
Specific date unknown The final issue of the Flemish comics magazine/fanzine Stripgids is published. It will be relaunched in October 2006. Alfred Bestall receives a Member of the British Empire medal. Will Eisner publishes the book Comics and Sequential Art.
Deaths
January January 4: Otto Milo, Dutch film critic, comics artist and cartoonist, dies at age 62. January 10: José Luis Salinas, Argentine comics artist (Hernán el corsario, The Cisco Kid), dies at age 76. January 29: George Needham, aka George Robb, British-Australian comics artist (The Dwight Family, The Bosun and Choclit), dies at age 81.
February February 5: Cees Bantzinger, Dutch comics artist (Knobbel), drowns himself in a river out of shame over his war past. He is 70 years old.
March March 5: Kaare Bratung, Norwegian comic artist (Dagros, Baldrian), dies at age 78. March 24: Dick Kinney, American animator, screenwriter and comics writer (Donald Duck, Scrooge McDuck), dies at age 68. March 27: Don Rico, American novelist and comics writer (Jann of the Jungle, Leopard Girl, Lorna the Jungle Girl), dies at age 72. Hans Kossatz, German illustrator, comics artist and cartoonist (Willi und Familie Kaiser also known as: Vater Kaiser und Dackel Willi), dies at age 84. March 28: Ferry Zipper, Austrian-Dutch illustrator and comics artist, dies at age 74.
April April 11: Bill Zaboly, American comics artist (Otto Honk, worked on Popeye, Wash Tubbs, Our Boarding House), dies at age 74. April 15: Andries Brandt, Dutch comics artist and writer (Holle Pinkel, Horre, Harm en Hella, Aafje Anders, Tina en Debbie, Roel Dijkstra), dies at age 86.
May May 5: Erkki Tanttu, Finnish comics artist (Rymy-Eetu), dies at age 77. May 11: Chester Gould, American comics artist (Dick Tracy), dies at age 84. May 20: Nettie van Wijland, Dutch illustrator and comics artist (De Avonturen van Tijs Loerendraaier en Dikkie Duik), dies at age 73.
June June 20: Ralph A. Wolfe, American animator and comic artist (The Outline of Polar Exploration, Sancho and the Don, Animal Wisecracks, continued The Pioneers), dies at age 90. June 21: Charles Wojtkoski (usually credited as "Charles Nicholas"), American comics artist (Blue Beetle), dies at age 63. June 28: Lynd Ward, American illustrator and comic artist (God's Man, Madman's Drum, Wild Pilgrimage, Prelude to a Million Years, Song Without Words, Vertigo), dies at age 80.
July July: Ernie Hart, American comics writer and artist (Super Rabbit), dies at age 64. July 8: Frank Hampson, British comics artist (Dan Dare), dies at age 66. July 13: Einar Norelius, Swedish illustrator and comics artist (Pelle Svanslös, Jumbo I Djungeln), dies at age 85.
August August 6: Ken Ernst, American comics artist (continued Don Winslow, Mary Worth), dies at age 67. August 25: Pino Zac, Italian illustrator, cartoonist, comics artist and animator (Gatto Filippo), co-publisher of the magazine Il Male, dies at age 55.
September September 7: José Zabala-Santos, aka Mang Pepe, Filipino comics artist (Sianog Sano, Popoy, Lukas Malakas), dies at age 74.
October October 12: George Lemont, American comics artist (Rhode Island Red later retitled Feeny Farm, Micro-Funnies, Doctor Smock), dies from a stroke at age 58. October 15: Sandro Angiolini, Italian comics artist (Isabella, Vartan), dies at age 65. October 18: Jack Kent, American comics artist (King Aroo), dies from leukemia at age 65. October 22: Jean Pouzet, French comic artist (L'Histoires de France en 80 Gags), dies at age 60. October 23: Adolphe Barreaux, American comics artist (Sally the Sleuth, The Enchanted Stone of Time), dies at age 86. October 25: Alberto Bróccoli, Argentinian caricaturist and comic artist (Juan y EL Preguntón, El Mago Fafa), dies at age 42. Charles Kemper, Dutch painter and comics artist (De Avonturen van Bob en Bobby), dies at age 72. October 26: Cecil Langley Doughty, British illustrator and comics artist (Dick Turpin, continued Jack O'Lantern), dies at age 71. October 30: Manon Iessel, French illustrator and comics artist (Capucine), dies at age 76.
November November 6: Viktor Kálmán, aka Victor Vashi, Hungarian painter, animator and comics artist (Kuksi), dies at age 74. November 23: Roger Brand, American comics artist (Creepy, Eerie, Jungle Jim and Web of Horror), dies of liver failure at age 42.T.H. "Comix Artist Richard Brand Dead," The Comics Journal #107 (Apr. 1986). November 24: C. Buddingh', Dutch poet and comics writer (Spekkie en Blekkie, Jesje en Josje), dies at age 67.
December December 3: Sam Gilman, American actor and comics artist (worked for Funnies Inc. and Centaur Comics), dies at age 70. December 6: Walter B. Gibson, American magician, novelist and comics writer (The Shadow), dies at age 88. December 15: Lars Wangensten-Berge, Norwegian illustrator and comic artist (Bassen & Co), dies at age 80.