2016 in comics
Notable events of 2016 in comics. It includes any relevant comics-related events, deaths of notable comics-related people, conventions and first issues by title.
Events
DC Rebirth is a 2016 relaunch by DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic books.February
February 25: In The Hague, a statue of Marnix Rueb's comic character Haagse Harry is inaugurated. February 28: During the Stripdagen in Rijswijk, Maaike Hartjes wins the Stripschapprijs and publisher Strip2000 wins the P. Hans Frankfurtherprijs. Publishing company VanderHout & Co wins the Bulletje en Boonestaakschaal.April
April 18: Al Jaffee makes the Guinness Book of Records for being the oldest active cartoonist in the world.May
May 3: Iranian cartoonist Atena Farghadani, jailed in 2014 over a cartoon offending the Iranian government, is finally released from prison thanks to international sympathy campaigns for her cause. May 13: French cartoonist Piem is named Commander in the Ordre National du Mérite.June
June 3–12 For the first time the Stripdagen in Haarlem lasts a week, rather than just a weekend.July
July 27: Belgian comic artist Marc Sleen receives the Honorary Sign of the Flemish Community.- Image comic Morning Glories by Nick Spencer and Joe Eisma concludes its second season and goes on hiatus following the publication of issue #50.
August
- Cancellation of the Dutch children's and comics magazine ''Taptoe''
September
September 27: Dutch cartoonist Peter van Straaten wins his fifth Inktspotprijs for Best Political Cartoon. September 28: DC Comics writer Greg Rucka confirms that Wonder Woman is canonically bisexual. This makes her the first U.S. superhero to be officially bisexual.October
- Artist Fred Dewilde publishes Mon Bataclan, a personal account of the November 2015 Paris attacks, which he experienced firsthand at the Bataclan Theatre in Paris, nearly one year earlier.
November
- Dutch journalist/comic artist Robin Vinck and publisher Seb van der Kaaden launch the Stripjournaal Podcast, a news podcast on which they discuss and interview people and events regarding the Dutch-Belgian comic industry.
Specific date unknown
- Julia Gfrörer publishes her graphic novel Laid Waste.
- French comic writer Jean-David Morvan and South Korean artist Kim Jung Gi publish the biographical graphic novel McCurry, NYC, 911 about photojournalist Steve McCurry.
Exhibitions
January 28–April 17: "Our Comics Ourselves: Identity, Expression, and Representation in Comic Art", Interference Archive — artists include Cathy Guisewite, Julie Doucet, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Phoebe Gloeckner, Sheri S. Tepper, Carol Tyler, and Leela Corman; exhibition later toured to George Mason University and the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center on the University of Connecticut, Storrs CampusMarch 2–May 7: "The ZAP Show: A Cultural Revolution", Society of Illustrators — featuring the work of R. Crumb, S. Clay Wilson, Robert Williams, Victor Moscoso, Spain Rodriguez, Rick Griffin, and Paul Mavrides; curated by Monte BeauchampConventions
- January 26–31: Angoulême International Comics Festival April 23: FLUKE Mini-Comics & Zine Festival
- March 5: New York Comic Book Marketplace
- March 5–6: STAPLE!
- March 18–20: Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo
- March 24–26: Salt Lake Comic Con FanXperience
- March 25–27: WonderCon Los Angeles
- May 26–29: MegaCon
- April 2–3: MoCCA Arts Festival
- April 7–10: Emerald City Comicon
- April 9–10: Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo April 14-16: International Comic Arts Forum — guests include Cece Bell, Michael Chaney, Howard Cruse, Dominique Goblet, Sanford Green, Gary Jackson, and Keith Knight
- April 16–17: East Coast Comicon April 23: FLUKE Mini-Comics & Zine Festival
- May 14–15: Toronto Comic Arts Festival
- May 13–15: Motor City Comic Con May 14: Comica Comiket: The Independent Comics Market — part of "Comica London Weekender"; features the "drawing parade" Cavalcade of Celebrity CartoonistsMay 21: East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention
- June 2–5: Phoenix Comicon
- June 3–5: Fan Expo Dallas June 11–12: Chicago Alternative Comics Expo
— special guests: Chester Brown, Tyrell Cannon, Ezra Claytan Daniels, Sammy Harkham, Cathy G. Johnson, Patrick Kyle, Laura Park, Trina Robbins, Leslie Stein - June 17–19: Heroes Convention
- June 18–19: St. Louis Comicon July 21–24: San Diego Comic-Con
- July 29–31: Wizard World Columbus
- August 24–27: Wizard World Chicago
- September 2–5: Dragon Con
- September 2–4: Baltimore Comic-Con
- September 17–18: Small Press Expo September 24–25: Rhode Island Independent Publishing Expo — third iteration of this event
- October 6–9: New York Comic Con October 8–9: Alternative Press Expo October 8: Comica Comiket — Drawing Parade; guests include Peter Hampson, son of Frank HampsonOctober 13–16: Cartoon Crossroads Columbus — special guests Bruce Worden, Derf Backderf, Garry Trudeau, Sergio Aragonés, Raina Telgemeier, Nate Beeler, Charles Burns, Ann Telnaes, Ronald Wimberly, Stan Sakai, Mark Osborne, Keith Knight, Julia Gfrörer, Lalo Alcaraz, John Canemaker, Brandon Graham, Jay Hosler, Ben Katchor, Ed Koren, Sacha Mardou, Seth, Carol Tyler, Scottie YoungOctober 28–30: Comikaze Expo October 29–30: Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo November 2–3: WES Feminist Comic Con — first annual eventNovember 5: CAB/Comic Arts Brooklyn
- November 11–13: Rhode Island Comic Con December 3–4: Comic Arts Los Angeles — featured guests: Sam Bosma, Matt Furie
Deaths
January
January 2: Zdravko Zupan, Serbian comics artist dies at age 65.January 11: Franco Oneta, Italian comics artist dies at age 82.January 14: Shaolin, Brazilian TV comedian and cartoonist, dies at age 44 from a heart attack after being involved in a car accident.January 17: Hansrudi Wäscher, Swiss-German comics artist dies at age 87.January 19: Mike Docherty, Scottish comics artist and animator, dies at age 60.January 21: Willem Dolphyn, Belgian comics artist, dies at age 80.January 26: Bernard Cookson, British cartoonist, dies from cancer at age 79.January 29: Linus Maurer, American cartoonist and comics artist, dies at age 90.February
February 1: Antoon Mortier, Belgian painter and comic artist, dies at age 96. February 2: Bob Elliott, American comedian and comics writer, dies at age 92.February 3: Jack Elrod, American comics artist, dies at age 91.February 8: Piet Zeeman, Dutch comics writer, editor and translator, dies at age 58.February 21: John Caldwell, American gag cartoonist, dies at age 69.February 23: Angel Gabriele, American comics artist and publisher, dies at age 59. February: Alvin Buenaventura, American comic book publisher, dies at age 39.March
March 5: Alberto Dose, Argentine comics artist, dies at age 68.March 7:- * Scott Goodall, British comic book writer, dies at age 80.
- * Paul C. Ryan, American comics artist, dies at age 65.March 15: Augie Scotto, American comics artist, dies at age 88. March 16: He Youzhi, Chinese comics artist, dies as age 94.March 18: Klaus Vonderwerth, German cartoonist and comics artist, dies at age 80.March 25: Ken Barr, Scottish cover painter and occasional interior artist of American comics and comic magazines, dies at age 83.
April
April 2: Gallieno Ferri, Italian comics artist dies at age 87.April 3: Dick Hodgins, Jr., American comics artist, dies at age 85.April 6: Oto Reisinger, Croatian animator, illustrator, cartoonist and comics artist dies at age 89.April 8: William Hamilton, American cartoonist and playwright, dies at age 76.April 8: Paul Fung Jr., American comics artist, dies at age 93.April 19: Frits Klein, Dutch comics artist, dies at age 91.April 21: Siem Praamsma, Dutch comics artist, dies at age 95.April 27: William Hamilton, American cartoonist, is killed in a car accident at age 76.April 27: V.T. Thomas, aka Toms, Indian comics artist, dies at age 86.April 28: René Hausman, Belgian comics artist, dies at age 80.April 29: Jok Church, American comics artist, dies at age 66 from a heart attack.May
May 2: Cleet Boris, French comics artist dies at age 53.May 5: Siné, French cartoonist, dies at age 87.May 14: Darwyn Cooke, Canadian animator and comics artist, dies of cancer at age 53.May 22: George Wildman, American comics artist, dies at age 88.May 24: Mell Lazarus, American cartoonist, dies at age 89.May 26: Julio Berríos, A.K.A. Juber, Chilean comics artist, dies at age 84. May 27: Frank Modell, American cartoonist, dies at age 98.June
June 1: Anatol Kovarsky, A.K.A. Akov, Russian-American painter, cartoonist and illustrator, dies at age 97.June 19: Rodolfo Zalla, Argentine-Brazilian comics artist, dies at age 85.June 22: Peter Chapman, Australian comic artist, dies at age 91. June 23: Julio Schiaffino, Argentine comic artist, dies at age 79 or 80. June 25: Manfred Deix, Austrian cartoonist and comic strip artist, dies at age 66.June 26: Angel Nadal Quirch, Spanish comics artist, dies at age 85.June 27: Fred Wagner, American comics artist, dies at age 75..July
July 3: Albert Survie, Dutch comics artist, dies at age 75.July 4: Didier Savard, French comics artist, dies at age 65.July 5: Nine Culliford, Belgian comic book colourist and wife of Peyo, dies at age 86.July 8: Frank Dickens, British cartoonist, dies at age 84.July 9: Geneviève Castrée, Canadian cartoonist, illustrator, and musician, dies from pancreatic cancer at age 35.July 9: Lothar Dräger, German comics writer, dies at age 89.July 16: Carlos Nine, Argentine comics artist, dies at age 72.July 26: Coen van Hunnik, Dutch comics artist, dies at age 90.July 27: Jack Davis, American comics artist, dies at age 91.July 27: Brett Merhar, American comics artist, dies at age 46.July 27: Richard Thompson, American comics artist,, dies at age 58.July 29: Guy Dessicy, Belgian comic book colorist, dies at age 92. He was also head of Publiart, a commercial agency specializing in comic book merchandising and co-founder of the Belgian Comic Strip Center.August
August 4: Gaspar Saladino, American comics letterer, dies at age 88.August 7: Jean Sanitas, French writer, journalist and comics writer, dies at age 88.August 17: Víctor Mora, Spanish comic book writer, dies at age 85.Specific date in August unknown: Jukka Murtosaari, Finnish animator and comics artist, dies at age 53.September
September 7: Sparky Moore, American animator and comics artist, dies at age 91.September 24: Joonas, Finnish comic artist, dies at age 87. September 25: Fernando Puig Rosado, Spanish cartoonist and comics artist, dies at age 85.September 30: Ted Benoît, French comics artist, dies at age 69.October
October 8: Lyn Chevli, American comics artist, dies at age 84.October 10: Carlos Roose Silva, Peruvian comics artist, dies at age 87.October 12: Benoît Gillain, Belgian-French comics artist, dies at age 78.October 22: Steve Dillon, British comics artist, dies at age 54.October 23: Jack Chick, American comics artist, dies at age 92.October 27: Ton Beek, Dutch comics artist dies at age 90.November
November 1: Dave Broadfoot, Canadian comedian and comics writer, dies at age 90.November 1: Carlos Alberto Santos, Portuguese comics artist, dies at age 73.November 4: John Gillatt, British comics artist, dies at age 87.November 5: Averardo Ciriello, Italian comics artist, dies at age 98.November 6: Marc Sleen, Belgian comics artist, dies at age 93.November 12: Jerry Dumas, American cartoonist and comics writer, dies at age 86. November 19: Gino Gavioli, Italian comics artist and animator, dies at age 93.November 22: Alfredo Brasioli, Italian comic artist, dies at age 81. November 27: Micharmut, Spanish comics artist, dies at age 63.December
December 2: Liliana Fantoni, Italian comics artist, dies at age 96.December 4: Marcel Gotlib, French comics artist, dies at age 82.December 8: Peter van Straaten, Dutch comics artist and political cartoonist, dies at age 81.December 15: Christian Lippens, French comic artist, dies at age 86. December 20: Mix & Remix, Swiss cartoonist, dies at age 58.December 23: Paul Peter Porges, Austrian-American comics artist, dies at age 89.December 23: Zdenko Svirčić, Croatian comics artist, dies at age 92.December 25: Núria Pompeia, Spanish comics artist, dies at age 85.December 26: Duck Edwing, American comics artist, dies at age 81 or 82.December 27: John Calnan, American comics artist, dies at age 84.December 28–29: Raymond Burki, Swiss political cartoonist, dies at age 67.December 29: Emilio Uberti, Italian comics artist, illustrator, film director and documentary maker, dies at age 84.December 30: Roger Leiner, Luxembourgian cartoonist and comics artist, dies at age 61.December 30: Giovanni Degli Esposti Venturi, Italian comics artist and illustrator, dies at age 52.Specific date unknown
- Bernard Linssen, Belgian comics artist, dies at age 49 or 50.
First issues by title
;Aether & Empire;Batgirl and the Birds of Prey
;Civil War II
;Dept H
;Fourth Planet
;The Flintstones
;James Bond 007: Hammerhead
;Kill or Be Killed
;The Land That Time Forgot
;Motor Girl
;Resident Alien: The Man with No Name
;La Sagesse des mythes
;''Space Battle Lunchtime''