Notable events of 2011 in comics. It includes any relevant comics-related events, deaths of notable comics-related people, conventions and first issues by title.
Events
January January 4: Axel Alonso is named editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics, replacing Joe Quesada.Moore, Matt. "Marvel Promotes Axel Alonso to Editor-in-Chief", ABC News, January 4, 2011"Marvel Promotes Axel Alonso to Editor-in-chief", CBS News, January 4, 2011 January 11: Dutch cartoonist Peter van Straaten wins his fourth Inktspotprijs (edition 2010) for Best Political Cartoon. January 13: Tunisian cartoonist Nadia Khiari creates Willis the Cat, who will rise to become a symbol of opposition during the Arab Spring in Tunisia. January 20–21: DC Comics and Archie Comics both drop the Comics Code Authority seal, DC Comics however used a rating system, and Archie Comics did not ever use a rating system. January 29: Belgian comic writer Jean Van Hamme is named Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres.
February February 24: Scripps Company strikes a distribution deal with Universal Uclick (now known as Andrews McMeel Syndication) for syndication of United Media's 150 comic strip and news features, which becomes effective on June 1.Universal Uclick to Provide Syndicate Services for United Media, PR Newswire, February 24, 2011. In Melbourne, Australia, Mitch Davies and Troy Varker found the comics store All Star Comics Melbourne.
March March 12–13: During the Stripdagen in Gorinchem Minck Oosterveer receives the Stripschapprijs. He will tragically die in a motor accident in September. The magazine Stripschrift wins the P. Hans Frankfurtherprijs. Eiso Toonder, son of Marten Toonder, receives the Bulletje en Boonestaak Schaal.Bekendmaking van de P. Hans Frankfurtherprijs 2011 Stripdagen (in Dutch) Catawiki, an online compendium of collector's catalogues, becomes available in English.
April April 29: Martin Lodewijk is knighted in the Order of Orange-Nassau. Mark Millar, Leinil Francis Yu, Frank Quitely, Dave Gibbons, John Romita Jr., Paul Cornell, Andy Diggle, Jock, Duncan Fegredo, Sean Phillips and over fifty other comic book creators collaborate at the inaugural Kapow Comic Convention and enter the Guinness World Records twice for creating the fastest comic book ever produced and the biggest number of creators working on a single comic, namely Superior. The Superior World Record Special was written, penciled, inked and lettered in less than 12 hours and sold as a limited 10,000 copy book with all proceeds from its sales going to Yorkhill Sick Children's Hospital in Scotland.
June June 4: Belgian comic artist Marc Sleen is declared an honorary citizen of Hoeilaart. The comic character Kari Lente receives a statue in Brasschaat, Belgium.
July July 19: Stage show Batman Live premiers in Manchester Evening News Arena
August August 27: Signe Wilkinson's Family Tree ends after three and a half years. As part of their The New 52 publishing scheme, DC Comics cancels all their ongoing titles.
September September 9: Dutch comic artist Peter Pontiac receives the Marten Toonderprijs award. During the month, DC Comics releases 52 brand-new titles as part of their The New 52 publishing scheme.
October October 25: U.S. cartoonist Dave Simpson is caught with plagiarism and instantly announces his retirement from the cartooning industry.
November November 8: Israeli-French cartoonist Michel Kichka is knighted as Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
Specific date unknown Greg Tessier and Amandine launch their comics series Mistinguette. Jeroom creates his gag comic Het Knuffelbos.
Deaths
January January 6: Jacques van der Smissen, Dutch painter, graphic artist and comics artist (made gag comics for Aloha magazine), dies at age 68. January 18: Marcel Marlier, Belgian illustrator (Martine), dies at age 80. January 28: Gaspare de Fiore, Italian comics artist (assistant of Sergio Rosi), dies at age 84. January 29: Orhan Halil Tolon, Turkish comics artist, illustrator and caricaturist (Zipzip Ali'nin Oyunlari, Eciş & Bücüş, Lük-Lük, Çetin Kaptan, Tektel Amca), dies at age 88 or 89.
February February 4: Peter Csihas, Swedish comic artist (Fantasier, comic strip versions of De Hemligas Ö, Peter och Janne), dies at age 65. February 6: Ahmed Bouanani, Moroccan film director and comics artist (made a newspaper comic for the paper Al Maghrib), dies at age 72. February 9: Félix Molinari, French comic artist (Garry, Super Boy, Tora, Les Héritiers d'Orphée, Les Tigres Volantes, Les Survivants de l'Atlantique, Le Dernier Kamikaze), dies at age 80. February 21: Dwayne McDuffie, American comic book writer (Milestone Media, Marvel Comics, DC Comics), dies at age 49 of complications from emergency heart surgery.McLellan, Dennis. "Dwayne McDuffie dies at 49; comic book and animation writer", Los Angeles Times, February 24, 2011. WebCitation archive. February 24: Anant Pai, Indian comics writer and artist (Indrajal Comics, Amar Chitra Katha, Tinkle), dies at age 73. February 25: Ioanna Salajan, American teacher, painter and comic artist (Zen Comics), dies at an unknown age.
March March 4: Eduardo Ferro, Argentine comics artist (Don Pitazo, Asserín y Pan Rallado, Langostino, Bólido, Tara Service, Pandora, Pampa Barbara, Chapaleo, continued El Fantasma Benito), dies at age 93. March 10: Bill Blackbeard, American comics scholar, historian and collector (wrote comics reviews and articles for The Riverside Quarterly and Hogan's Alley, while also contributing to various comics reprint collections), dies at age 84. March 21: Juan Carlos Eguillor, Spanish comic artist (Mari Aguirre, Krisket eta Popolo), dies at age 63. Gustav Krum, Czech painter, illustrator and comics artist (comics adaptations of literary novels), dies at age 86.
April April 6: Gerard van Straaten, Dutch illustrator and comics artist (Marten Toonder Studio's, several realistic comics for various Dutch newspapers and magazines), dies at age 86.
May May 8: Carlos Trillo, Argentine comics writer (Cybersix, El Negro Blanco, El Loco Chavez), dies at age 68. May 13: Alain Voss, Brazilian-French comics artist (Parodies de Al Voss, Anarcity), dies from a stroke at age 65. May 19: Jeffrey Catherine Jones, American comics artist and painter (Idyl, I'm Age), dies at age 67. May 21: Paul Gillon, French comics artist (Les Naufragés du Temps, La Survivante) Bill Rechin, American comics artist (Out of Bounds , Crock), dies at age 80. May 22: Francine Vandenbosch, French comics writer (Les Labourdet) and colorist, wife of Jean Graton, dies at age 79.
June June 6: Mohamed Al-Zawawi, Libyan cartoonist and comics artist (The Young Hero, With One Blow I Killed Seven), dies at age 74 or 75. June 18: Lew Schwartz, American comics artist (worked on Batman, co-creator of Deadshot), dies at age 84. June 23: Gene Colan, American comics artist (Marvel Comics, Howard the Duck, The Tomb of Dracula, co-creator of Falcon and Blade), died at age 84. June 27: Thierry Martens, Belgian novelist, journalist and publisher (chief editor of Spirou 1969–1978), dies at age 69.
July July 5: George Martin, British comic artist (Bunion, Captain Bungle, Greedy Pig, Desperate Dawg, The Hillys and the Billys), dies at age 82 or 83. July 9: Gideon Brugman, Dutch comics artist (Zonk en Stronk, Professor Ambrosius), dies at age 68. July 12: Leo Leonhard, German comics artist (Rüssel in Komikland), dies at age 72. July 19: Henri Taymans, aka Timme, Belgian comics artist (De Avonturen van Wim Rits en Jan Blok: De Bende van de Hertog), dies at age 76.
August August 6: John Adkins Richardson, American comic artist (Maxor, Fever Dreams, The Hunting of the Snark) and author of The Complete Book of Cartooning, dies at age 81. August 12: Francisco Solano Lopéz, Argentine comics artist (El Eternauta, Janus Stark), dies at age 82. August 15: Pap Dean, American cartoonist and comics artist, dies at age 95. August 18: Jean Tabary, French comics artist (Iznogoud, Totoche, Corinne et Jeannot), died at age 81. August 22: Vicco von Bülow, aka Loriot or Pirol, German comedian, comics artist, cartoonist, film director, writer and actor (Wahre Geschichten erlogen von Loriot, Reinhold das Nashorn), dies at age 87.
September September 4: Dave Hoover, American comics artist and animator (Wanderers, Starman, Captain America), dies at age 56. September 6: George Kuchar, American underground film director and comics artist made a comics biography about H.P. Lovecraft, dies at age 69. September 9: Daniel Hulet, Belgian comics artist (Charabia, Léo Gwenn, Pharaon), dies at age 66. September 11: Michel-Paul Giroud, French comic artist (La Bande des Loups, Yankee, Toy, worked on Arthur le fantôme justicier, continued Cap'tain Vir de Bor and La Pension Radicelle), dies at age 78. September 14: Gilles Chaillet, French comics artist (Vasco), dies at age 65. September 15: Gilbert Schats, Belgian comic artist (Koning Bubu AKA Le Roi Bubu), dies at age 66. September 16: Tom Wilson, American comics artist (Ziggy), dies at age 80. September 17: Minck Oosterveer, Dutch comics artist (Nicky Saxx, Zodiak, Jack Pott, Claudia Brücken, worked on Storm), dies in a motor accident at age 50. September 18: Jack Adler, American cover artist and colourist (DC Comics), dies at age 94. September 21: Júlio Resende, Portuguese painter and comics artist (O Fagundes Arrepiado, O Senhor Freitas and O Feli-Feli), dies at age 93. September 25: Dick Briel, Dutch comics artist (Professor Palmboom), dies at age 60. September 26: Sergio Bonelli, Italian comics writer (Zagor, Mister No), dies at age 78. September 29: Albert Weinberg, Belgian comics artist (Dan Cooper), dies at age 91.
October October 21: Ahmed Hijazy, Egyptian comic artist (Thnablet El Sibian), dies at age 74 or 75. October 31: Mick Anglo, British comics artist (Marvelman), dies at age 95.
November November 7: Jorge Kato, Brazilian comics (Disney comics), dies at age 75. November 8: Bil Keane, American comics artist (The Family Circus, Channel Chuckles), dies at age 89. November 9: Terry Willers, British-Irish comics artist (Toonder Studios), dies at age 76. November 30: Carlos A. Killian, Argentine comics artist and caricaturist (Perloto), dies at age 64.
December December 2: Bruno Bianchi, French animator and comics artist (Inspector Gadget), dies at age 45 or 46 from cancer. December 7: Jerry Robinson, American comics artist (Batman, creator of the Joker and Robin), dies at age 89.Boucher, Geoff. "Jerry Robinson, key creator behind the Joker and Robin, dead at 89". Los Angeles Times. December 8, 2011 December 13: Maria Pascual Alberich, Spanish illustrator and comics artist (Rosas Blancas, Sissi), dies at age 78. Carlo Peroni, Italian comics artist (Gianconiglio), dies at age 82. December 14: Joe Simon, American comics artist (co-creator with Jack Kirby of Captain America), dies at age 98 after a brief illness. December 15: Eduardo Barreto, Uruguayan comics artist (Batman, Judge Parker, The New Teen Titans, Superman), dies at age 57, apparently from meningitis December 21: Eric Resetar, New Zealand comics artist (Crash Carson of the Future, Crash O'Kane), dies at age 83. December 26: Jo Dustin, Belgian painter, art critic and editorial cartoonist (published in Le Drapeau Rouge), dies at age 75. Ola Ericson, Swedish comics artist (Tvillingdetektiverna, Broknäsflickorna), dies at age 91. December 30: Ronald Searle, British illustrator, cartoonist and comics artist (St Trinian's School), dies at age 91.
Specific date unknown Didier Geluck, aka Diluck, Belgian cartoonist (published in Pourquoi Pas? and Le Drapeau Rouge) and father of Philippe Geluck, dies at age 86 or 87. Antonio Ghura, British comics artist (Truly Amazing Love Stories, Bogey), dies at age 60 or 61.
Exhibitions and shows