Notable events of 1997 in comics.
Events
Publisher Blatant Comics founded by Chris Crosby and Bobby Crosby. WildStorm established the Cliffhanger imprint.
January
January 8: In Italy, the first issue of Fantacomix Day (Eura editoriale) is published, a magazine specialized in Argentine sci-fi comics; it lasts for four issues. January 22: In Disney comics magazine Topolino the Mickey Mouse story Chief Casey's Longest Night, by Tito Faraci and Giorgio Cavazzano is published, which marks the debut of Brick Boulder. Specific date in January unknown: Peter van Straaten wins his second Inktspotprijs for Best Political Cartoon. Aloys Oosterwijk's gag comic Willems Wereld debuts. It will run until 2017. In Shadis magazine, the first episode of Dork Tower, by John Kovalic is printed. In The Incredible Hulk #449 (Marvel Comics), the Thunderbolts make their debut. The first episode of Due by Alessandro Sisti, Corrado Mastrantuono and Paolo Mottura (Walt Disney Italia) is published, in which two central figures of PKNA, the evil computer Due and the mysterious scientist and businessman Everett Ducklair, make their debut. Later in the year, the series’ supporting cast is enriched by several other recurring characters, such as the android Odin Eidolon and the secret agent Mary Ann Flagstar.
March March 19: Sonic the Hedgehog #47 "End Game" is released. Similar to the long-time controversy of Gwen Stacy's death, this issue received backlash for the attempt of "killing off" the comic's heroine Princess Sally Acorn from the comics before Archie Comics was urged to revive Sally by changing the result that she was put in a coma and survived three issues later. March 20: Liberty meadows by Frank Cho makes its debut. March 22: The final episode of Steve Dowling's long-running newspaper comic Garth is published. The final episode of Daniel Clowes' Ghost World is prepublished in Eightball. In the same issue Clowes publishes his essay Modern Cartoonist. In Italy, La Lunga Notte dell’Investigatore Merlo (Detective Merlo's long night), by Leo Ortolani (Edizioni Bande Dessinée) is first published, a parody of Humphrey Bogart’s movies.
April April 1: Tony Barbieri and Bill Wray's satirical teenage comic Monroe makes its debut in the 356th issue of Mad. It will run until 2010, albeit with a different artist from 2006 on: Tom Fowler. In U.S. newspapers, a comic strip switcheroo takes place, in commemoration of April Fools' Day; several cartoonists trade their signature comic series for the day, among them Ballard Street, For Better or for Worse, Blondie, Shoe, Drabble, Mother Goose and Grimm, Non Sequitur, Jump Start, Garfield, Momma, Baby Blues, Bizarro, 9 Chickweed Lane, The Family Circus and Dilbert. April 3: The first issue of Knuckles the Lark legion (later Knuckles the Echidna) by Ken Penders is published. In Smoke Magazine, Cigarman, by Sam Gross and Randy Jones, begins publication. It will run until 1998. Marvel cancels The Punisher (1995 series) with issue #18 A history of violence by John Wagner and Vince Locke (Paradox press). First issue of the annual magazine Il Grande Diabolik (Astorina). First issue of Rat-Man collection (Panini comics) by Leonardo Ortolani.
May May 24: The British girls' magazine Mandy and Judy, who merged in 1991, now merge with Bunty. It will run in this form until 2001.Bunty with M&J First issue of 2020 Visions by Jamie Delano (Vertigo). In Cable 45, the crossover Operation: Zero tolerance begins. Sergio Bonelli editore launches two new magazines: the semi-annual Agenzia alfa (spin-off of Nathan Never) and the annual I Grandi Comici del Fumetto (The Great Authors of Humor Comics), inaugurated by Cocco Bill Diquaedilà, one of Benito Jacovitti’s last works.
June June 15: Un Copieur Sachant Copier !, by Zidrou and Godi, the first album of the series L'Élève Ducobu is published. First issue of Hellboy: wake the devil, by Mike Mignola (Dark Horse). Fiftieth anniversary of Scrooge McDuck's first appearance. The event is celebrated by two stories: Secret of the Incas, by Byron Erickson and Giorgio Cavazzano (June 24, Topolino) and A little something special, by Don Rosa (June 26, Anders and Co.). Fort Ghost, the first album of the western-fantasy series Magico Vento, by Gianfranco Manfredi (Sergio Bonelli editore). The Largo Winch album L’heure du tigre is published, by Jean Van Hamme and Philippe Francq (Dupuis).
July July 7: Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman's Zits makes its debut. July 15: In Topolino, the story Paperino e la Macchina della Conoscenza, by Corrado Mastantuono is published, which marks the debut of Bum-Bum Ghigno. July 31: The Belgian city Middelkerke starts an annual project where statues of famous Belgian comics characters are placed at the dijk during the summer. The first one to be honoured this way is Jommeke. Marvel Comics' Flashback month: all issues were released with the number −1.
August First issue of Major Bummer, by John Arcudi and Doug Mahnke (DC comics). The Lucky Luke story OK Corral by Morris, Éric Adam and Xavier Fauche is published.
September September 12 : L’Occhio di Vetro (The Glass Eye) by Carlo Ambrosini, the first album of the mystery-fantasy series Napoleone (Sergio Bonelli) is published. The first issue of the second Marvel Team-up series is published. The first issue of Transmetropolitan by Waren Ellis and Frank Robertson (Vertigo) is published. The XIII album Le Jugement, by William Vance and Jean Van Hamme is first published (Dargaud)
October October 10: In the Danish version of Donald Duck (Anders And & Co.) the story W.H.A.D.A.L.O.T.T.A.J.A.R.G.O.N. by Don Rosa is published, revealing how Huey, Dewey and Louie joined the Junior Woodchunks. October 11–12: During the Stripdagen in Haarlem, the Netherlands, Peter Pontiac receives the Stripschapprijs. Sunnya van der Vegt en René van Royen receive the P. Hans Frankfurtherprijs for their book Asterix en de waarheid, about the historicity in Astérix. Family Values by Frank Miller (Dark Horse). First issue of Ascension, by David Finch and Matt Banning (Top Cow) The last complete story of Zanardi (untitled, but known as “Zanardi in the Middle Ages”) by Andrea Pazienza, appears in the Italian magazine Comic Art.. The giant album Gli uomini in nero (The Man in Black) by Alfredo Castelli and Esposito Bros is published by Sergio Bonelli. It tells the whole story of the Martin Mystere universe, from the fall of Atlantis to the present.
November November 29: Willy Vandersteen's old villa in Kalmthout, Belgium, becomes an interactive children's museum. Mayo Kaan takes out newspaper ads claiming to be the original model for Superman,Bisbee, Dana. "Obituary; Mayo J. Kaan, said to be inspiration for Superman", Boston Herald, Jul 11, 2002 p.057 although his allegations were later proven false."Mayo Kaan 1915 – 2002," Superman Super Site. Accessed Oct. 28, 2012. The Thorgal story La Cage by Jean Van Hamme and Grzegorz Rosiński (Le Lombard) is first published. The Blueberry story Ombres sur Tombstone by Jean Giraud (Dargaud) is first published. La Pourpre et l'Or by Jean Dufaux and Philippe Delaby (Dargaud), the first album of the Murena series, is published.
December The final issue of the Belgian comics magazine À Suivre is published. Marvel returns the Avengers and Fantastic Four to their main continuity in Heroes Reborn: The Return #1–4 Bad boy by Frank Miller and Simon Bisley (ONI press)
Specific date unknown Finnish comic artist Arja Kajermo launches her gag comic Tuula, which will run until 2019. The final album of the Belgian comics series Bessy, originally created by Willy Vandersteen, is published. The final episode of the Belgian comics series Tif et Tondu is published, ending it just a year before its 60th birthday. The final episode of Howard Rands' newspaper gag comic Twitch appears in print. The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish by Neil Gaiman and David McKean (White Wolf) In Norway, the first strip of Den swarte siden (later, Nemi) by Lise Myhre is published. In Italy, number 0 of the series No Name by Davide Barzi and Oskar (Edipierre) is published, a parody of the superhero comics.
Deaths
January January 5: André Franquin, Belgian comics artist (Gaston Lagaffe, Marsupilami, Modeste et Pompon, Idées Noires, continued Spirou and Fantasio), dies at age 73. Frans Piët, Dutch comics artist (Sjors en Sjimmie), dies at age 91. January 6: Pétur Bjarnason, Icelandic-Swedish comic artist (Drottning Drusila later retitled Regina), dies at age 50. January 8: Normand Hudon, Canadian animator and comics artist (Julien Gagnon), dies at age 67. January 25: Dan Barry, American cartoonist and comics artist (Marvel Comics, continued Tarzan, Flash Gordon), dies at age 73.
February February 3: Geoffrey Foladori, Uruguayan comics artist (El Professor Pistacho, Pelopincho y Cachirula, Don Gumersindo, Don Tranquilo y Flia), dies at age 88. February 7: Nina Albright, American comics artist (Comandette, continued Miss Victory), dies at age 89. February 13: Hans Schlensker (Biff Baker, assisted on Buz Sawyer), dies at age 82. February 15: Jack Sparling, Canadian-American comics artist (Claire Voyant, Hap Hopper, Washington Correspondent), dies at age 81. February 23: Larry Antonette, aka Dean Carr, American comics artist (Dash Dixon, Bozo and the Baron, Calling the Duke), dies at age 87. Specific date unknown: Arthur Horner, Australian-British cartoonist (Colonel Pewter, The Thoughts of Citizen Doe), dies at age 80.
March March 10: Stan Drake, American comics artist (The Heart of Juliet Jones), dies at age 75.
April April 4: Billy Graham, American comics artist (worked on Luke Cage, Black Panther), dies at age 61. April 11: Helge Kühn-Nielsen, Danish comics artist, teacher, painter and illustrator, dies at age 76. April 16: Roland Topor, French novelist, illustrator, cartoonist, comics artist, film script writer, TV script writer, animator and playwright (Hara-Kiri), dies at age 59. April 20: Stamatis L. Polenakis, Greek comic artist and animator (Pipis Papias, Spagorammenos), dies at age 88 or 89. April 27: Víctor Arriazu, Spanish comics artist (assisted on El Jabato), dies at age 61 or 62.
May May 1: Sirius, Belgian comics artist (Timour), dies at age 86. May 4: Lou Stathis, American comics editor of DC's Vertigo line, dies of complications related to a brain tumor at age 44.Anderson, Paul M. (August 1997). "Vertigo Editor Stathis Succumbs to Cancer". Wizard (72). p. 22. May 31: Ruth Atkinson, Canadian-American comics artist (Patsy Walker, Millie the Model), dies at age 78.
June June 6: Manny Stallman, American comics artist (various horror comics), dies at age 70. June 8: Peggy Zangerle, American painter and comic artist (made comics for Ghost Breakers, Red Dragon Comics and Shadow Comics), dies at age 71. June 12: Rémy Bourles, French comics artist (Bob Mallard), dies at age 91. June 15: Kim Casali, New Zealand cartoonist and comics artist (Love Is...), dies of bone and liver cancer at age 55.
July July 6: Michele Pepe, Italian comic artist (Fury, Gli Eroi del Mare, worked on Zagor, Martin Mystère), dies at age 50. July 8: Clay Geerdes, American writer and photojournalist who extensively covered the underground comix movement (founded Comix World newsletter), dies of liver cancer at age 63.
August August 3: Ralph Graczak, American comic writer and artist (Our Own Oddities), dies at age 87. August 19: James Ringrose, Dutch comics artist (Tekko Taks, Blix Kater, Willie en Wop), dies at age 83.
September September 4: Nasjah Djamin, Indonesian illustrator and comics artist (drew a comic book about Hang Tuah), dies at age 72. September 15: Lode Pemmelaar, Dutch painter and comics artist (Romila the Velvet Girl), dies at age 54.