Notable events of 2010 in comics. It includes any relevant comics-related events, deaths of notable comics-related people, conventions and first issues by title.
Events
January January 1: In Mad, the final episode of the long-running humor series Monroe is printed. January 4: Steve Kelley and Jeff Parker's Dustin makes its debut. January 12: Dutch cartoonist Jos Collignon wins the Inktspotprijs for Best Political Cartoon (edition 2009). January 22: The final Valérian and Laureline album L'OuvreTemps, is published by Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières. January 26: British TV host Jonathan Ross releases Turf, a comic book scripted by him and drawn by Tommy Lee Edwards.
February February 18: Jim Lee and Dan DiDio announced as the new co-publishers of DC Comics, replacing Paul Levitz. February 26: In the Netherlands, the Marten Toonderprijs is awarded for the first time. Jan Kruis is the first winner.
March March 1: The first episode of Brett Koth's Diamond Lil appears in print.
April April 20: Cartoonist Molly Norris creates the Everybody Draw Mohammed Day cartoon, in response to the controversy over the South Park episodes 200 and 201 (South Park). She gets involved in a media frenzy, with death threats and her name eventually appearing on Al-Qaeda's hitlist for people deemed acceptable for assassination. Since then she kept a low profile. April 29: Dutch comics artists Bert Bus and Nico van Dam are knighted in the Order of Orange-Nassau.
May May 25: The final episode of Jonas Geirnaert's Kabouter Wesley is published in Humo. May 29: In Gouda, The Netherlands, a museum dedicated to Hans G. Kresse opens its doors.
June June 7: The first episode of Gene Weingarten, Dan Weingarten and David Clark's Barney & Clyde is published. June 11: Hiromu Arakawa's series Fullmetal Alchemist is concluded. June 13: The final episode of Little Orphan Annie appears in newspapers, ending the long-running series afer 86 years.
July July 18: Publication of the first issue of the Kodansha shōjo manga magazine Aria.
September September 9: The play Cheapjack Shakespeare, based on the comic of the same name, debuts in Buffalo, New York. September 20: The first episode of Ed Stein's newspaper gag comic Freshly Squeezed appears in print. The series will run until 2014. September 25–26: During the Stripdagen in Houten, the Netherlands, Jesse van Muylwijck wins the Stripschapprijs. Ger van Wulften wins the P. Hans Frankfurtherprijs. Rupert van der Linden wins the Bulletje en Boonestaakschaal during the same event.
October October 3: Cathy Guisewite's newspaper gag comic Cathy comes to a close after 34 years of syndication. In the final episode, Cathy reveals to her parents that she is pregnant with a girl. October 4: The first episode of Paul Trap's Thatababy is published. October 31: The final episode of Bill Hinds' Cleats is printed.
November November 11: In an episode of Garfield, a spider about to be swatted by Garfield explains that after his death he'll be remembered by fellow spiders in a remembrance day titled "National Stupid Day", referring to Garfield. The comic is published on Veterans Day, which leads to many angry reader's letters. Cartoonist Jim Davis issues an official apology, explaining the unfortunate publication coincidence. November 25: On the same day the characters Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and his girlfriend Ortensia the cat are integrated in the Mickey Mouse universe through the video game Epic Mickey, the two characters also debut in Disney comics, namely two stories for the European market by Peter David and Claudio Sciarrone (Clocktower Cleaners and The Rubbish Cup).
December DC Comics shuts down its WildStorm imprint.
Specific date unknown Julia Gfrörer publishes her graphic novel Flesh and Bone. The Digital Comic Museum is founded. The Stan Lee Foundation for literacy is created. Bongo Comics drops the Comics Code Authority seal. The final episode of Seung-Jin Park and Kim Jung Gi's webcomic TLT - Tiger the Long Tail is published.
Deaths
January January 2: Marion Hull Hammel, American art teacher, illustrator and comics artist (continued Goofus and Gallant), dies at age 87. January 3: Tibet (aka Gilbert Gascard), French comics artist (Chick Bill, Ric Hochet)), dies at age 78. January 3: Barry Blair, Canadian comics artist (Aircel Comics) dies at age 55. January 21: Jacques Martin, French comics artist (The Adventures of Alix, Lefranc), dies at age 88. January 25: Bill Ritchie, American comics artist (Baby Crockett and Sweet Sue), dies at age 78. January 26: John Dirks, American comics artist (continued The Captain and the Kids), dies at age 92.
February February 4: Te Wei, Chinese comics artist and animator (The Proud General), dies at age 94. February 11: Marvin Stein, American comics artist, animator and illustrator (Captain Valiant, Superboy, Funnyman), dies at age 85. February 18: Fernando Krahn, Chilean artist, animator, illustrator and comics artist, dies at age 75. February 19: Jerry Grandenetti, American comics artist (assisted on The Spirit, worked on Rip Tide, co-creator of Prez), dies at age 83. February 25: Virgilio Muzzi, Italian comic artist (worked on Tex Willer), dies at age 76. February 26: Violet Barclay, American comics artist (Rusty, Super Rabbit), dies at age 87.
March March 6: Don Sherwood, American comics artist (Dan Flagg, Charlton Comics, The Flintstones newspaper comic strip, the comic strip adaptation of Dick Clark's Rock, Roll & Remember), dies at age 79. March 11: Turhan Selçuk, Turkish cartoonist (Abdul Canbaz), dies at age 87. March 12: Timo Aarniala, Finnish comics artist (Cauchemar) and film director, dies at age 64. March 12: Glauco Villas Boas, Brazilian comics artist, illustrator, rock artist and religious leader (Geraldão), is murdered at age 52. March 19: John Hicklenton, British comics artist (Nemesis the Warlock), commits euthanasia at age 42 after suffering from multiple sclerosis. March 27: José Antunes, Portuguese comics artist (realistically-drawn adventure comics in the magazine O Mundo de Aventuras), dies at age 72. Dick Giordano, American comics artist (Charlton Comics, DC Comics) dies at age 77.
April April 4: Henry Scarpelli, American comics artist (Archie Comics), dies at age 79. April 15: Bill DuBay, American horror comics editor, writer, and artist, dies at age 62. Parents' last name spelled "DuBay" here; original spelling "Dubay" per Bill DuBay Social Security Death Index and California Birth Index records cited here. April 27: Kees Kousemaker, Dutch comics store owner (the Amsterdam comics store Lambiek), publisher (Les Editions Lambiek), writer, scholar (the encyclopedias Strip voor Strip, Wordt Vervolgd. Striplexicon der Lage Landen and De Wereld van de Nederlandse Strip) and establisher of the online encyclopedia Comiclopedia, dies at age 68.
May May 1: Pierre Stora, AKA Espé, French cartoonist, dies at age 66. May 3: Peter O'Donnell, British comics writer (Garth, Romeo Brown, Modesty Blaise), dies at age 90. May 10: Frank Frazetta, American comics artist and illustrator (Thun'da, King of the Congo, White Indian, The Shining Knight), dies at age 82. May 15: Juan José Carbo Gatignol, Spanish comics artist (Robustiano Fortachón, El Penado 113, Ivanchito), dies at age 83. May 16: Philippe Bertrand, French comics artist (Linda Aime L'Art), dies at age 61 May 22: Howard Post, American comics artist (Harvey Comics) dies at age 83. May 23: Roy Mitchell, British comic artist (Project Pete, God Is..., The Chalks and the Cheeses), dies at age 63 or 64. May 25: Gabriel Vargas, Mexican comics artist (Los Superlocos, La Familia Burrón), dies at age 95. May 28: Otello Scarpelli, Italian comic artist (Dev Bardai, comics based on Ivanhoe), dies at age 71. May 29: Philippe Josse, aka Barberousse, French comics artist (Tonic), dies at age 89. May 31: Coq Scheltens-Jongkind, Dutch politician, illustrator and comics artist (Scoutertje, Dikkie), dies at age 67.
June June 2: Tony DiPreta, American comics artist (assisted on Mickey Finn, continued Joe Palooka and Rex Morgan, M.D.) dies at age 88. June 2: Antonio Parras, Spanish comics artist (Les Inoxyables), dies at age 81 June 12: Al Williamson, American comics artist and inker (EC Comics, continued Flash Gordon), dies at age 79. June 13: Hua Junwu, Chinese comics artist, dies at age 95. June 19: Ken Muse, American cartoonist and comics artist (Wayout), dies at age 75. June 23: Joe Messerli, American comics artist (made comics for Western Publishing), dies at age 79 or 80. June 25: Valentin Rozantsev, Russian cartoonist and comics artist (drew comics for the magazine Misha), dies at age 70. June 28: Lloyd Birmingham, American illustrator and comics artist (The Handy Family, Helen Homemaker), dies at age 85. Annette Tison, French novelist and illustrator (Barbapapa), dies at age 77.
July July 2: Víctor de la Fuente, Spanish comics writer and artist (Haxtur, Sunday, Mathai-Dor, Mortimer, Amargo, Haggarth, Los Gringos, continued Tex Willer), dies at age 83. Antonio Parras, Spanish comic artist (Ian MacDonald, La Lièvre de Mars, Le Méridien des Brumes), dies at age 81. July 12: Harvey Pekar, American comics writer (American Splendor), dies at age 70. July 12: Tuli Kupferberg, American rock musician, poet, activist and cartoonist, dies at age 86. July 24: John Callahan, American cartoonist, dies at age 59.
August August 6: Ted Rawlings, British comics artist (made comics for DC Thomson), dies at age 79. August 12: André Harvec, A.K.A. André Hervé, French comic artist (Les Aventures Sportives de Freluquet, Bob Flapi, Athlète Complet, Monsieur Bidulet, Alban, Célibataire Endurci), dies at age 92. August 16: Peter Wienk, Dutch comics artist, illustrator and painter (Nikkie, Noddy), dies at age 89. August 24: Satoshi Kon, Japanese manga artist and animator (Opus), dies at age 46 from pancreatic cancer. August 28: Roger Mas, French comics artist (Léo Bète à Part, continued Pif le chien), dies at age 86.
September September 10: Paul Conrad, American political cartoonist, dies at age 86. September 19: Stuart Hample, American playwright, children's book author, cartoonist and comics artist (Inside Woody Allen), dies at age 84. September 28: Dani Aguila, Philippine comics artist (Barrio Breeze, The Cock and Bull), dies at age 82. Specific date unknown: Bob Gibson, British caricaturist and comics artist (The text comic adaptation of Magical Mystery Tour), dies at age 71 or 72.
October October 6: Piet Wijn, Dutch comics artist (Frank de Vliegende Hollander, Douwe Dabbert), dies at age 81. October 9: Jim Seed, American comics artist and illustrator (Dr. Guy Bennett, Jane Arden), dies at age 83. October 24: Mike Esposito, American comics artist (Marvel Comics, DC Comics) dies at age 83. October 25: Buth, Belgian comics artist (Thomas Pips), dies at age 91. October 27: Don Donahue, American comics publisher (Apex Novelties, one of the instigators of the underground comix movement), dies at age 68.
November November 6: Peter Vos, Dutch comics artist and illustrator (Sylvester en Sebastiaan, Meneer Miereneter), dies from cancer at age 75. November 7: Max Emanuel Gruder, aka Burschi, Romanian illustrator and comic artist, dies at age 82. November 25: Lou Cameron, American illustrator, comics writer and artist (worked for Classics Illustrated), dies at age 86. Michel Douay, French comics artist, illustrator and animator (Séraphine, Zoé Enfant).
December December 8: Onno Docters van Leeuwen, Dutch graphic designer and illustrator (made designs for the Amsterdam comic shop Lambiek), dies at age 69. December 12: Marc Henniquiau, Kio, Belgian comics artist (worked on The Adventures of Alix), dies at age 52.
Specific date unknown