Notable events of 2020 in comics. It includes any relevant comics-related events, deaths of notable comics-related people, conventions and first issues by title.
Events January January 20: Legendary comics writer René Goscinny receives a statue in Paris. He is the first comics artist to be honoured this way in the French capital. January 28: A cartoon by Niels Bo Bojesen in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten causes a diplomatic incident with the Chinese embassy for depicting the Chinese flag, with its yellow stars depicting the coronavirus particles. January 29: Dutch comics artist Wasco wins the Stripschapprijs. On 8 February it is announced that Bas Schuddeboom and Kjell Knudde, editors of the comics encyclopedia website Comiclopedia, connected to the Amsterdam comics store Lambiek, win the P. Hans Frankfurther Prize.
February February 4: Belgian cartoonist Lectrr causes a diplomatic incident with the Association of Chinese Enterprises in Belgium and Luxemburg by drawing the Chinese flag and replacing the yellow stars with 'danger' symbol(s). February 23: The final episode of Norm Feuti's Retail is published. Chris Yambar and Randy Bish launch a revival of Richard F. Outcault's classic newspaper comic character The Yellow Kid, albeit in comic book format.
March March 23: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown Diamond Comic Distributors stops sending comics to retail shops until further notice. Issues of comics with United States release dates of April 1 or later, and with United Kingdom release dates of March 25 or later, will not be shipped until normal operations resume."Largest US comics distributor won't ship new books 'until further notice' due to coronavirus" Polygon.com. Accessed Mar. 24, 2020. March 28: The final daily episode of Bob Weber's Moose & Molly is published. The final Sunday episode appears on 5 April. On 17 October of the same year Weber dies.
April April 1: De Kiekeboes are from now on drawn digitally rather than by hand. Creator Merho passes his pencil on to his successors: Kristof Fagard and Steve Van Bael, though keeps writing the scripts.
May May 7: To support comics stores who had to close down several months due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown various Dutch and Flemish comics artists release a free collective comic book titled Striphelden versus Corona, which is handed out in stores to everybody who buys a comic for minimum 15 euro. May 20: For the first time since his retirement in 2002, Paul Geerts presents a new Suske en Wiske story, drawn by himself: De Preutse Prinses. The title was set to be presented in March, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic the release had to be postponed.
June June 5: DC Comics announces that they will discontinue their distribution through Diamond Comic Distributors and instead have their comics distributed through Penguin Random House, USC Comic Distributors and Lunar Distribution instead."DC Cuts Ties with Diamond Comic Distributors" Hollywoodreporter.com. Accessed Jun. 5, 2020. June 10: At age 99 Al Jaffee retires from the comics industry. Mad Magazine releases a thematic special, which features his final fold-in.
July July 1: The second posthumous The Adventures of Nero story, De Toet van Tut, starts serialisation in Knack, scripted by Willy Linthout and drawn by Luc Cromheecke. July 13: The final episode of Doc and Raider is published. Three weeks later, creator Sean Martin dies from pancreatic cancer. July 26: The final episode of Jan Eliot's Stone Soup appears in print.
August August 29: An unfinished Suske en Wiske story by Willy Vandersteen, De Sonometer, is presented in a finished version, written by François Corteggiani and Dirk Stallaert. It is prepublished in De Telegraaf.
September September 2: In the Central Station of Brussels, Belgium, the ceiling fresco depicting The Smurfs, which was inaugurated in 2018, collapses due to a water leak. September 17: Belgian comics scholar Pascal Lefèvre receives an honorary doctorate at the University of Malmö, Sweden. September 22: Dutch cartoonist Len Munnik wins his second Inktspotprijs for Best Political Cartoon. The first time happened in 1996.
October October 2: During the Stripdagen in Haarlem Herman Roozen is named the new Dutch Stripmaker des Vaderlands (Comics Laureate of the Netherlands). During the Stripdagen in Haarlem Bas Schuddeboom and Kjell Knudde, writers and editors of Lambiek's comics encyclopedia Comiclopedia, receive the P. Hans Frankfurtherprijs. Johnny Sampson makes his first fold-in for Mad.
November November 29: Jan Godschalk and Ton Kooreman win the annual Bulletje en Boonestaakschaal.
December December 13: Frank von Hebel and Fred de Heij create a homage story to Pieter Kuhn's classic comic Kapitein Rob, which is serialized in Het Parool, 75 years after the character's debut in the paper. Since 1966 no official new stories of this series had been published.
Deaths January January 2: Bogusław Polch, Polish comics artist (Funky Koval, Wiedźmin), dies at age 78. January 7: Tobias Tak, Dutch comics artist (Gaboon, Zizmo the cat), dies at age 65. January 11: Steve Stiles, American comics artist (The Adventures of Professor Thintwhistle and His Incredible Aether Flyer, Xenozoic Tales), dies at age 76. January 14: Jacques Stoll, French animator and comics artist (Colonel Nightingale, Bing et Boing), dies at an unknown age. January 19: Pirana, Belgian cartoonist and comics artist (Mevrouw Dallemans), dies at age 72 from euthanasia. January 20: Wolfgang J. Fuchs, German author, historian (co-author of Anatomie eines Massenmediums and Comics-Handbuch with Reinhold Reitberger ) and comic book translator, dies at age 74. January 23: Zsolt Richly, Hungarian comic artist and animator (comics based on his animated series A Kockásfülű nyúl), dies at age 78. January 25: Horst Alisch, German illustrator, animator and comics artist (Bürokrates, Sohn des Pedantes, Ali und Archibald, Emmy and Käpt'n Lütt), dies at age 94. January 30: Bill Canfield, American sports cartoonistst, dies at age 99. Specific date unknown: Raymond Larrett, aka Norman Dog, American illustrator and comics artist (Bad Habits), dies at an unknown age.
February February 3: Philippe Adamov, French illustrator, animator and comics artist (Seule au Monde, Le Vent des Dieux, Dayak, L'Impératrice Rouge, Le Malédiction de Zener, Dakota), dies at age 63. February 8: Victor Gorelick, American comic book editor (Archie Comics), dies at age 78. February 10: Claire Bretécher, French comics artist (Les Frustrés, Hector, Agrippine, Celullite) and editor (co-founder of L'Écho des Savanes), dies at age 79. February 12: Hubert Boulard aka Hubert, French comics writer (Le Legs de l'alchimiste, Miss Pas Touche, Beauté, Les Ogres-Dieux) and colorist, dies at age 49. February 21: Nick Cuti, American comics writer (E-Man, Michael Mauser, Captain Cosmos), editor, animator and artist (Moonchild), dies at age 75. Specific date unknown: Alice Schenker, American underground comix and poster publisher (Print Mint Press), dies at age 88.
March March 2: Abdullah Turhan, Turkish comics artist (Uzun Kılıçlı Kahraman, Kara Murat, Tolga, Burak Bey), dies at age 87. Suat Yalaz, Turkish comics artist (Karaoğlan), dies at age 88. March 4: Helen Courtney, New Zealand cartoonist (made cartoons for Broadsheet), dies at age 67. Frank McLaughlin, American comics artist (Judomaster, assisted The Heart of Juliet Jones, Brenda Starr, Reporter, Gil Thorp), dies at age 84. March 5: André Chéret, French comics artist (Rahan, Domino, Protéo, continued Bob Mallard), dies at age 82. March 9: Allen Bellman, American comics artist and one of the last living Golden Age of Comic Books artists (continued Captain America), dies at age 96. March 13: René Follet, Belgian illustrator and comics artist (Steve Steverin, continued Valhardi), dies at age 88. March 18: Erwin Drèze, Belgian comics artist (Les Aventures de Louis Valmont, assisted on Lefranc), dies at age 59 from a brain tumor. March 19: Roman Arámbula, Mexican animator and comics artist (Disney comics, continued the Mickey Mouse newspaper comic), dies at age 83. March 20: François Dermaut, aka Franjack, French comics artist (Les Chemins de Malefosse, Souvenirs de Toussaint), dies at age 71. Giovanni Romanini, Italian animator and comics artist (continued Kriminal, Satanik, Alan Ford, Martin Mystère, Disney comics), dies at age 75 from a heart attack. March 24: Juan Padrón, Cuban animator and comics artist (Elpidio Valdés), dies at age 73. Albert Uderzo, French comics artist (Jehan Pistolet, Oumpah-pah, Astérix, Tanguy et Laverdure), dies at age 92 from a heart attack. March 27: Daniel Azulay, Brazilian TV host and comics artist (Capitão Sol, Capitão Cipó, Turma do Lambe-Lambe), dies at age 72 from COVID-19. March 30: Tom Gianni, American comic artist (An Empty Love Story), dies at age 60. March 31: Emmanuel Malot, A.K.A. Malotruf, French comics artist (Contes des 1001 Vies - 7 Destins, L'Étoile Miraculeuse), dies at age 51 from COVID-19. Valeer Peirsman, Belgian sculptor (sculpted many statues of comics characters, among others for the Comics Route in Middelkerke), dies at age 87.
April April 2: Juan Giménez, Argentine comics artist (Metabarons), dies at age 76 from COVID-19. April 4: Dale Crain, American comics artist (archive editor of DC Comics, worked on Thor), dies at an unknown age. Arnold Heertje, Dutch economist and comics writer (wrote De Geschiedenis van het Geld, illustrated by Peter de Smet), dies at age 86. Rao Pingru, Chinese illustrator and comics artist (Our Story), dies at age 97. April 8: Mort Drucker, American comics artist, illustrator and caricaturist (the film and TV parodies in Mad Magazine, Benchley), dies at age 91. April 12: Albert Roch, aka Béoc, Belgian comics artist (Patrick, Le Petit Irlandais, Dudule), dies at age 90. April 16: Gene Deitch, American animator, animated film director and comics artist (The Cat, Terr'ble Thompson, Maly Svet), dies at age 95. Tonet Timmermans, Belgian illustrator and comics artist (Genoveva van Brabant), dies at age 94. April 26: Jean-Claude Pertuzé, French comics artist, dies at age 70.
May May 2: Armando Huerta, Mexican-American illustrator, pin-up artist and comic artist (contributed to the Double Impact series), commits suicide at age 50. Paul Sellers, British comic artist (Eb and Flo, Lancelittle, comics based on Roger Hargreaves' Mr. Men and Little Miss), dies at age 89. May 7: Richard Sala, American comics artist, illustrator and animator (The Chuckling Whatsit, Evil Eye), dies at age 65.Dean, Michael. "Richard Sala 1955-2020," The Comics Journal (MAY 12, 2020). May 10: Martin Pasko, Canadian-American comics writer (wrote for Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Metal Men, Star Trek comics), dies at age 61. May 12: Frank Bolle, American comics artist (Children's Tales, Debbie Deere, Quick Quiz, continued Winnie Winkle, The Heart of Juliet Jones and Apartment 3-G), dies at age 95. May 18: Jennifer Kisler, British comics artist (continued Rupert Bear), dies at age 84. May 21: Mati Botezatu, Romanian comic artist, dies at age 68. Lluís Juste De Nin, aka L'Esquerrà, El Zurdo, Spanish comics artist, caricaturist and illustrator (La Norma, Petant La Xerrada, ELS NIN), dies at age 74 or 75. May 29: Eric Schreurs, Dutch comics artist (Joop Klepzeiker, Dick van Bill), dies from heart failure at age 61. Specific date in May unknown: Frank B. Johnson, American comics artist (Boner's Ark, Beany, Miss Caroline, Einstein, continued Bringing Up Father), dies at age 89.
June June 10: Murray Olderman, American sports cartoonist, dies at age 98. June 11: Dennis O'Neil, American comics writer (Marvel Comics, DC Comics, Charlton Comics), dies at age 81.Arrant, Chris. "Legendary Batman writer, Denny O'Neil dies at age 81: The iconic Batman writer and editor has passed away," GamesRadar+ (June 12, 2020).