1975 in comics

Events and publications

Year overall

• Following up their various Giant-Size series from 1974, Marvel publishes a number of one-shot Giant-Size annuals featuring reprints of "classic" Captain America, Captain Marvel, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Hulk, Invaders, Iron Man, Power Man, and Thor stories. In addition, the company publishes three Giant-Size issues of Kid Colt, and two Giant-Size issues of the reprint title Marvel Triple Action. On the other hand, the company cancels 10 Giant-Size titles, including Giant-Size Avengers, Giant-Size Conan, Giant-Size Defenders, Giant-Size Fantastic Four, Giant-Size Man-Thing, Giant-Size Master of Kung Fu, Giant-Size Spider-Man, Giant-Size Super-Villain Team-Up, Giant-Size Werewolf, and Giant-Size X-Men.
• The horror/suspense comic resurgence ends, as publishers cancel titles in droves. Marvel and its black-and-white magazines are particularly hard hit, canceling Adventure Into Fear, Dead of Night, Dracula Lives!, Giant-Size Chillers, Giant-Size Werewolf, Haunt of Horror, both Man-Thing titles, Masters of Terror, Monsters Unleashed, Supernatural Thrillers, Tales of the Zombie, Vampire Tales, and Where Monsters Dwell. DC Comics cancels Black Magic, Secrets of Haunted House, Tales of Ghost Castle, and Weird Mystery Tales. Gold Key Comics cancels Mystery Comics Digest, and Archie Comics even cancels their title Red Circle Sorcery.
• Newspaper strip Cecil C. Addle by Ray Collins begins publication

  January

• 23-26 January: Will Eisner is the first American to win the Grand Prix de la ville d'Angoulême at the annual Comics Festival of Angoulême.
• DC Comics raises the price of its typical comic book from 20 cents to 25 cents, keeping the page-count at 36.

  February

• The final issue of the Lucky Luke monthly magazine is published.

  Spring

• DC Special is revived with issue #16; the title had ceased publishing in 1971.
• Art Spiegelman, Diane Noomin and Bill Griffith establish the underground comix magazine Arcade.

  March

• Adventure Comics #438: A "Seven Soldiers of Victory" script by Joseph Samachson written in the 1940s was serialized as a backup feature in Adventure Comics beginning with issue #438 and running through #443, with each chapter illustrated by a different artist including Dick Dillin, Howard Chaykin, Lee Elias, Mike Grell, Ernie Chan, and José Luis García-López.

  April

• April 1: The first issue of the French satirical comics magazine Fluide Glacial is published.
• April 1: The first episode of Moebius' Arzach is prepublished in Métal Hurlant.
• Detective Comics, with issue #446, resumes a monthly schedule, after going bi-monthly in June/July 1973.

  May

• Giant-Size X-Men #1, written by Len Wein and illustrated by Dave Cockrum. First appearance of the new X-Men Colossus, Storm, Nightcrawler, and Thunderbird

  July

• Canadian publisher Comely Comix, based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, debuts with Captain Canuck #1.
• The Buyer's Guide to Comics Fandom switches to weekly publication.

  August

• Uncanny X-Men #94 — first issue of title featuring the new X-Men. Written by Chris Claremont; he will write the title continuously for the next 17 years.

  Fall

• Atlas/Seaboard Comics folds, after parts of two years in business, having published 23 comics titles and five comics magazines.

  September

• September 12: Patty Klein and Jan Steeman's Noortje makes its debut in the Dutch girls' magazine Tina. It will run for 41 years, becoming the longest-running Dutch comic strip by the same creative team.
• The first issue of the Dutch alternative comics magazine De Vrije Balloen is published.

  October

• October 3: The final issues Dutch comics magazines Sjors and Pep are published and both are merged into a new magazine which is first published on this date: Eppo. In 1985 it changes its name to Eppo Wordt Vervolgd, to tie in with the popular TV show Wordt Vervolgd about comics and cartoons.
• October 13 The first issue of the German children's comics magazine Yps is published and will run until 10 October 2000. It will be relaunched on 11 October 2012 as an adult magazine.
• October 24: The Nero story De Groene Gravin by Marc Sleen begins publication in the newspapers and introduces Clo-Clo, the moustached son of Madam Pheip and Meneer Pheip.
• Marvel debuts three new ongoing titles, The Champions, The Inhumans, and Marvel Presents. Simultaneously, it cancels six ongoing titles: Giant-Size Fantastic Four, Man-Thing, Outlaw Kid, Supernatural Thrillers, War is Hell, and Where Monsters Dwell.

  November

• Skartaris introduced in 1st Issue Special #8.
• Korak, Son of Tarzan, with issue #60, changes its name to Tarzan Family.

  December

• Secrets of Haunted House, with issue #5, goes on hiatus.

  Specific date unknown

• Costa Rican artist Carlos Alvarado Salazar creates Carlos Pincel.
• Maurice Tillieux and Jijé receive the Stripschapprijs.

  Deaths

January

• January 4: Bob Montana, American comics artist, dies at age 54 of a heart attack.
• January 19: Marino Benejam Ferrer, Spanish comics artist, passes away at age 84.

  February

• February 9: Blanche Dumoulin, aka Davine, Belgian comics artist and writer, passes away from cancer at age 80.
• February 20: Artie Simek, American comics letterer, dies at age 59.
• February 28: Robert Lips, Swiss comics artist, passes away at age 62.

  March

• March 2: Salvador Mestres, Spanish animator and comics artist, dies at age 64 or 65.

  April

• April 3: Otto Soglow, American comics artist, dies at age 74.
• April 11: Huibert Vet, Dutch illustrator and comics artist, dies at age 55.
• April 19: Jim Navoni, American comics artist, dies at age 87.

  May

• May 1: José Peñarroya, Spanish comics artist, dies at age 64 or 65.
• May 8: George Baker, American comics artist, dies at age 59.

  June

• June 3: Victor Dancette, French playwright and comics writer, passes away at age 74.

  July

• July 11: Crockett Johnson, American comics artist and illustrator, dies at age 68.
• July 18: Vaughn Bodé, American comics artist, dies of autoerotic asphyxiation at age 33.

  August

• August 5: Bob Karp, American comics writer, dies at age 64.
• August 13: Thornton Fisher, American comics artist, dies at age 87.
• August 17: René Bastard, French comics artist, dies at age 74.

  September

• September 15: Carlos Conti, Spanish comics writer, and artist, dies at age 59.

  October

• October 2: Ton van Tast, Dutch illustrator, caricaturist, painter, lithographer and comics artist, dies at age 91.
• October 26: Asmo Alho, Finnish comics artist, dies at age 72.

  November

• November 1: Mel Graff, American comics artist, dies at age 67 or 68.
• November 5: Sigurd Lybeck, Norwegian writer and comics writer, dies at age 80.

  December

• December 13: John Millar Watt, British comics artist, dies at age 80.
• December 14: Ben Thompson, American comics artist, passes away at age 69.
• December 24: Harold Mack, British animator and comics artist, passes away at the age 67.

  Specific date unknown

• , American comics artist, dies at age 61 or 62.
• Arturo Lanteri, Argentine comics artist and film director, passes away at age 93 or 94.
• Sergej Solovjev, Russian-Serbian comics atist dies at age 73 or 74.

  Exhibitions and shows

• 18 Oct–2 Nov: Institute of Contemporary Arts — "Marvel: Exhibition of Original Marvel Comics Art Work"

  Conventions

• Cosmicon IV — final iteration of this multi-genre convention; official guests include Bernie Wrightson, Howard Chaykin, Joe Staton, Tom Sutton, Ralph Reese, Jeff Jones, Johnny Craig, Vincent Marchesano, Scott Edelman, and Marv Wolfman
• Multicon '75 — produced by OAK ; guests include George Takei, George Pal, Spanky McFarland, Bret Morrison, Jim Bannon, Al Williamson, and Steve Barrington
• Ohiocon '75 — program booklet, edited by Joe Zabel, includes a history of the Youngstown Comic Art Association
• Pittcon '75
• January: Cincinnati Comic Convention — 1st annual show, produced by comics retailer the Yellow Kid Comics Shoppe
• March: Mid-America Comic Convention — sponsored by Northern Kentucky’s only comic book shop, the Northern Kentucky Bookstore
• March 22–24: Mighty Marvel Comicon — 1st annual show, produced by Marvel Comics
• Summer: Nostalgia '75, 4th Annual Chicago Comic and Nostalgia Convention — produced by Nancy Warner
• June 25–29: Houstoncon '75 — merged with the Houston Star Trek convention; guests include C. C. Beck, George Takei, Jock Mahoney, John Wooley, and Don "Red" Barry
• July 3–7: Comic Art Convention
• July 30–August 3: San Diego Comic-Con — 1,100 attendees; official guests: Robert Bloch, Will Eisner, Mark Evanier, Gil Kane, Jack Katz, Stan Lee, Dick Moores, Chuck Norris, Don Rico, Jerry Siegel, Jim Starlin, Jim Steranko, and Theodore Sturgeon
• August: Cleveland Comic Convention — produced by Vladimir Swyrinsky; guests include Tony Isabella
• August 1–3: Toronto Triple Fan Fair a.k.a. "Fan Fair 3" — Guests of Honour: Lester del Rey and Cy Chauvin; 600 attendees
• August 2–3: Comicon '75 — organized by Rob Barrow; guests include Frank Hampson and Paul Neary
• August 22–24: Atlanta Comics & Fantasy Fair — first iteration of this event; official guests include Stan Lee, Kenneth Smith, and collector Mike Curtis
• September: OrlandoCon '75 — guests include Harvey Kurtzman, Burne Hogarth, Roy Crane, and Hal Foster
• November 7–9: Famous Monsters Convention — guests include James Warren, Forrest J Ackerman, Peter Cushing, Verne Langdon, Ingrid Pitt, and Barbara Leigh
• December 18–21: MiamiCon I — 3,000 attendees; guests include Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Neal Adams, C. C. Beck, James Doohan; admission price: $3.50

  First issues by title

DC Comics

Marvel Comics

Other publishers

Canceled titles

DC Comics

• Black Magic, with issue #9
• Justice, Inc., with issue #4
• Rima, the Jungle Girl, with issue #7
• The Sandman, with issue #6
• Sherlock Holmes, with issue #1
• Stalker, with issue #4
• Tales of Ghost Castle, with issue #3.
• Young Romance, with issue #208 — generally considered the first romance comic
• Weird Mystery Tales, with issue #24

  Marvel Comics

• Adventure into Fear, with issue #31
• Dead of Night, with issue #11
• The Frankenstein Monster, with issue #18
• Giant-Size Avengers, with issue #5
• Giant-Size Chillers, with issue #3
• Giant-Size Conan, with issue #5
• Giant-Size Defenders, with issue #5
• Giant-Size Fantastic Four, with issue #6
• Giant-Size Man-Thing, with issue #5
• Giant-Size Master of Kung Fu, with issue #4
• Giant-Size Spider-Man, with issue #6
• Giant-Size Super-Villain Team-Up, with issue #2
• Giant-Size Werewolf, with issue #5
• Giant-Size X-Men, with issue #2 — reprinted "classic" Roy Thomas/Neal Adams X-Men stories
• Man-Thing, with issue #22
• Outlaw Kid, with issue #30
• Supernatural Thrillers, with issue #15
• Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction, with issue #6
• War is Hell, with issue #15
• Western Gunfighters, with issue #33
• Where Monsters Dwell, with issue #38

  Curtis Magazines

• Dracula Lives!, with issue #13
• Haunt of Horror, with issue #5
• Kull and the Barbarians, with issue #3
• Masters of Terror, with issue #2
• Monsters Unleashed, with issue #11
• Savage Tales, with issue #11
• Tales of the Zombie, with issue #10
• Vampire Tales, with issue #11

  Other publishers

• E-Man vol. 1, with issue #10
• Mystery Comics Digest, with issue #26
• Red Circle Sorcery, with issue #11

  Initial appearance by character name

DC Comics

• Atlas, in 1st Issue Special #01
• Bronze Tiger, in Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter #01
• Claw the Unconquered, in Claw the Unconquered #01
• Deimos, in 1st Issue Special #08
• Dingbats of Danger Street, in 1st Issue Special #06
• Esper Lass, in Superboy Starring the Legion of Super-Heroes #212
• Richard Dragon, in Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter #01
• Golden Eagle, in Justice League of America #116
• Green Team: Boy Millionaires, in 1st Issue Special #02
• Kong the Untamed, in Kong the Untamed #01
• Lady Cop, in 1st Issue Special #04
• Lady Shiva, in Richard Dragon, Kung Fu Fighter #05
• Lucien, in Weird Mystery Tales #18
• Mark Shaw, in 1st Issue Special #05
• Sterling Silversmith, in Detective Comics #446
• Warlord, in 1st Issue Special #08

  Marvel Comics

• Vance Astrovik, in Giant-Size Defenders #5
• Janice Foswell, in Marvel Team-Up #39
• Gloria Grant, in The Amazing Spider-Man #140
• Harold H. Harold, in Tomb of Dracula #37
• Korvac, in Giant-Size Defenders #3
• Stephen Lang, in X-Men #96
• Moira MacTaggert, in X-Men #96
• Jamie Madrox, in Giant-Size Fantastic Four #4
• Master Man, in Giant-Size Invaders #1
• Moon Knight, in Werewolf by Night #32
• Moses Magnum, in Giant-Size Spider-Man #4
• Nova, in Fantastic Four #164
• Illyana Nikolievna Rasputin, in Giant-Size X-Men #1
• Razor Fist , in Master of Kung Fu #29
• Ben Reilly, in The Amazing Spider-Man #149
• Shroud, in Super-Villain Team-Up #5
• Straw Man, in Dead of Night #11
• U-Man, in Invaders #3
• White Tiger, in Deadly Hands of Kung Fu #19
• new X-Men, in Giant-Size X-Men #1
• * Colossus
• * Nightcrawler
• * Storm
• * Thunderbird

  Other publishers

• Captain Canuck, in Captain Canuck #1