1976 in comics
Notable events of 1976 in comics. See also List of years in comics.
This is a list of comics-related events in 1976.
Events
Year overall
- American Splendor, Harvey Pekar's long-running autobiographical comic book title, publishes its debut issue.
- Fantagraphics Books, Inc. founded by Gary Groth and Michael Catron.
- Bloodstar, based on a short story by Robert E. Howard and illustrated by Richard Corben, published by Morning Star Press. It is possibly the first graphic novel to call itself a “graphic novel” in print.[1]
- Chandler: Red Tide, an illustrated novel by Jim Steranko, published by Pyramid Books.
- Flying Buttress Publications (later to be known as NBM Publishing) is founded in Syracuse, N.Y. by Terry Nantier.
- Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man, the first major intercompany crossover, is co-published by DC Comics and Marvel Comics.
January
February
March
- DC Comics raises the prices of its standard comics from 25 cents to 30 cents, keeping the page-count at 36.
- Gerry Conway succeeds Marv Wolfman as Marvel Comics editor-in-chief in March 1976,[2] but held the job only briefly, relinquishing the post before the month was out and succeeded in turn by Archie Goodwin.
- Warlord, with issue #2 (Mar./Apr. cover date), goes on hiatus until Oct./Nov.
April
- With issue #45, DC revives Metal Men, which itself was a 1973 revival of a 1963 series which had stopped publishing in 1969.
May
June
August
September
November
December
Awards
Eagle Awards
Two British comics fans, Mike Conroy and Richard Burton, create the Eagle Awards, named after the fondly remembered 1950s comic title Eagle. The first set of awards are presented in 1977 for comics published in 1976:
First issues by title
DC Comics
Blitzkrieg
- Release: January/February. Writer: Robert Kanigher. Artist: Ric Estrada.
DC Super Stars: mostly reprint title.
- Release: March. Editor: E. Nelson Bridwell.
Four Star Spectacular: reprint title.
- Release: March/April. Editor: E. Nelson Bridwell.
Freedom Fighters
- Release: March/April. Writers: Gerry Conway and Martin Pasko. Artists: Ric Estrada and Mike Royer.
Isis
- Release: Oct./Nov. Writer: Denny O'Neil. Artists: Ric Estrada and Wally Wood.
Karate Kid
- Release: March/April. Writers: Paul Levitz. Artists: Ric Estrada and Joe Staton.
Kobra
- Release: February/March. Writers: Jack Kirby, Steve Sherman, and Martin Pasko. Artists: Jack Kirby and Pablo Marcos.
Ragman
- Release: August/September. Writers: Bob Kanigher. Artists: Joe Kubert and Redondo Studio.
Secret Society of Super Villains
- Release: May/June. Writers: Gerry Conway. Artists: Pablo Marcos and Bob Smith.
Starfire
- Release: August. Writer: David Michelinie. Artist: Mike Vosburg.
Super Friends
- Release: November. Writer: E. Nelson Bridwell. Artists: Ric Estrada, Joe Orlando, and Vince Colletta.
Warlord
- Release: January/February. Writer/Artist: Mike Grell.
Welcome Back, Kotter
- Release: November. Writer: Elliot Maggin. Artists: Jack Sparling and Bob Oksner.
Marvel Comics
2001: A Space Odyssey
- Release: December. Writer: Jack Kirby. Artists: Jack Kirby and Mike Royer.
Captain Britain Weekly
- Release: October 13 by Marvel UK. Editor: Larry Lieber.
Eternals
- Release: July. Writer: Jack Kirby. Artists: Jack Kirby and John Verpoorten.
Haunt of Horror
- Release: May by Curtis Magazines. Editor: Roy Thomas.
Howard the Duck
- Release: January. Writer: Steve Gerber. Artists: Frank Brunner and Steve Leialoha.
Nova
- Release: September. Writers: Marv Wolfman. Artists: John Buscema and Joe Sinnott.
Omega the Unknown
- Release: March. Writers: Mary Skrenes and Steve Gerber. Artist: Jim Mooney.
Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider Man
- Release: December. Writer: Gerry Conway. Artists: Sal Buscema, Mike Esposito, and Dave Hunt.
Other publishers
Action
- Release: February 14 by IPC Magazines. Editor: Pat Mills.
American Splendor
- Release: by Harvey Pekar. Writer: Harvey Pekar.
Bullet
- Release: February by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.
LaLa
- Release: July by Hakusensha
Storm
- Release: Big Balloon (Dutch). Artist: Don Lawrence.
Canceled titles
Charlton Comics
DC Comics
- 1st Issue Special, with issue #13 (Apr.)
- Beowulf, Dragon Slayer, with issue #6 (Mar.)
- Blitzkrieg, with issue #5 (Sept./Oct.)
- The Joker, with issue #9 (Sept./Oct.)
- Kong the Untamed, with issue #5 (February/March)
- Man-Bat, with issue #2 (February/March)
- Phantom Stranger vol. 2, with issue #41 (February/March)
- Plop!, with issue #24 (Nov./Dec.)
- Swamp Thing, with issue #24 (Aug./Sept.)
- Tarzan Family, with issue #66 (Nov./Dec.)
- Tor, with issue #6 (March/April)
Gold Key Comics
Harvey Comics
Marvel Comics
Other publishers
Initial appearance by character name
DC Comics
- Atomic Skull (Albert Michael), in Superman #303 (September)
- Black Spider, in Detective Comics #463 (September)
- Blackrock, in Action Comics #458 (April)
- Bumblebee (Karen Beecher), in Teen Titans #45 (December)
- Calculator, in Detective Comics #463 (September)
- Captain Stingaree, in Detective Comics #460 (June)
- Codename: Assassin, in 1st Issue Special #11 (February)
- Deborah Camille Darnell, in Secret Society of Super Villains #1 (May/June)
- Duela Dent, in Batman Family #6 (July/Aug.)
- Grimbor the Chainsman, in Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #221 (November)
- Isis, in Isis #1 (Oct./Nov.)
- Kirt Niedrigh (Absorbency Boy), in Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #218 (July)
- Kobra, in Kobra #1 (February)
- Machiste, in Warlord #2 (March)
- Outsiders, in 1st Issue Special #10 (January)
- Power Girl, in All Star Comics #58 (Jan./Feb.)
- Ragman, in Ragman #1 (Aug./Sept.)
- SKULL, in Superman #301 (July)
- Leslie Thompkins, in Detective Comics #457 (March)
- Tyroc, in Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #216 (April)
- Wendy and Marvin, in Super Friends #1 (November)
- Tobias Whale, in Black Lightning #1 (April)
Marvel Comics
- Amphibian, in Avengers #145 (March)
- Aron, in Captain Marvel #39 (July)
- Black Talon (Samuel Barone), in Avengers #152 (October)
- Black Tom Cassidy, in Uncanny X-Men #101 (October)
- Blizzard (Gregor Shapanka), in Iron Man #86 (May)
- Jamie Braddock, in Captain Britain Weekly #9 (September)
- Dmitri Bukharin, in Iron Man #109 (April)
- Bullseye, in Daredevil #131 (March)
- Captain Britain, in Captain Britain Weekly #1 (October 13)
- Captain Ultra, in Fantastic Four #177 (December)
- Celestials
- Condor, in Nova #2 (October)
- Corruptor, in Nova #4 in (December)
- Darkstar, in Champions #7 (August)
- Jean DeWolff, in Marvel Team-Up #48 (August)
- The Eternals, in The Eternals #1 (July)
- Guardsman (Michael O'Brien), in Iron Man #82 (January)
- Hellcat, in The Avengers #144 (Feb.)
- Human Fly (Richard Deacon), in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #10
- Hurricane (Albert Potter), in Captain Britain #3 (October 27)
- Jigsaw, in The Amazing Spider-Man #162 (November)
- Shen Kuei, in Master of Kung Fu #38 (March)
- Mirage, in The Amazing Spider-Man #156 (May)
- Lilandra Neramani, in X-Men #97 (February)
- Nova, in Nova #1 (September)
- Psylocke, in Captain Britain #8 (December)
- Rampage, in Champions #5 (April)
- Amanda Sefton, in Uncanny X-Men #98 (April)
- Star-Lord, in Marvel Preview #4 (January)
Other publishers
References
- ^ Bloodstar. (The Morning Star Press Ltd., 1976): "BLOODSTAR is a new, revolutionary concept — a graphic novel, which combines all the imagination and visual power of comic strip art with the richness of the traditional novel."
- ^ Daniels, Les Marvel: Five Fabulous Decades of the World's Greatest Comics Harry N. Abrams, Inc. 1991 ISBN 0-8109-3821-9 p. 176
- ^ McAvennie, Michael; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "1970s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. Dorling Kindersley. p. 170. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9. "For the first time since 1947, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's names were back in Superman comics, and listed as the Man of Steel's co-creators."
- ^ Dahlen, Chris (July 23, 2009). "Interview: Steve Bissette". The A.V. Club. http://www.avclub.com/articles/steve-bissette,30751/. Retrieved April 10, 2010.