1969 in comics

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Notable events of 1969 in comics. See also List of years in comics.

This is a list of comics-related events in 1969.

Events

Year overall

• Paragon Publications established in Longwood, Florida, by Bill Black.
• Tower Comics goes out of business.
• George Klein, long-time Superman inker, dies in his fifties from cirrhosis of the liver, six months after getting married.^[1]
• Kinney National Company, parent of National Periodical Publications made a takeover of Warner Bros.-Seven Arts, changing its name to just Warner Bros.

January

• Sub-Mariner #9: First appearance of the Serpent Crown.

February

• The Golden Age character Phantom Stranger makes his first Silver Age appearance in Showcase #80.
• Flash Gordon (1966 series), with issue #12, is picked up by Charlton Comics, taking over from the defunct King Comics.

March

• Strange Adventures, with issue #217, becomes a reprint title. (DC Comics)

April

• House of Mystery #179, "The Man Who Murdered Himself" was the first professional comic work by artist Bernie Wrightson.^[2]

June

• DC Comics raises the price of its typical comic from 12 cents to 15 cents.

July

• Long-time DC Comics logo designer and letterer Ira Schnapp dies at age 76.

August

• Marvel Comics follows DC's lead and raises the price of its typical comic from 12 cents to 15 cents.

September

• The Brave and the Bold #85, Artist Neal Adams updated Green Arrow's visual appearance by designing a new costume for the character in The Brave and the Bold #85 (August -September 1969).^[3]
• Classics Illustrated cartoonist Alex Blum dies at age 80.

October

• The Marvel Comics reprint title Marvel Collectors' Item Classics, with issue #23, becomes Marvel's Greatest Comics.

December

• Metal Men, with issue #41 (December 1969/January 1970 cover-date), suspends publishing. (The title is revived in 1973 as a reprint book, the goes on hiatus until 1976.) (DC Comics)

Conventions

• Comicon '69 (British Comic Art Convention 2) (Waverley Hotel, London, England) — organized by Bram Stokes, Frank Dobson, and Steve Moore; guests include Steve Parkhouse and Barry Smith^[4]
• June 7-8: Triple Fan Fair (Howard Johnson's Downtown Motor Lodge, Detroit, Michigan) — guests include Edmond Hamilton, Leigh Brackett, Stan Lee, and Al Williamson
• June 20-22: Houstoncon (Ramada Inn, Houston, Texas)
• July 4–6: Comic Art Convention (Statler Hilton Hotel, New York City) — first official Comic Art Convention, produced by Phil Seuling; guest of honor: Hal Foster; other guests and attendees include Gil Kane, Roy Thomas, Gray Morrow, John Buscema, Al Williamson, Jeff Jones, Don McGregor, Richard Marschall;^[5] Al Milgrom, Alan Weiss, Angelo Torres, Archie Goodwin, Arvell Jones, Bill Devine, Bill Pearson, Bob Lewis, Carole Seuling, Dick Giordano, Gary Brown, Gary Groth, Gary Via, Greg Potter, Hal Foster, Irene Vartanoff, Jerry Bails, Joe Sinnott, John Fantucchio, John Verpoorten, Len Wein, Mark Hanerfeld, Martin Greim, Marv Wolfman, Mary Skrenes, Phil Seuling, Rich Buckler, Richard "Grass" Green, Sal Trapini, Tom Fagan, and Woody Gelman; attendees pay $3.50 for a three-day ticket, with daily passes at $1.50.^[6] Admittance free with a hotel room rental, which costs $15-and-up per day.^[6]

Awards

Alley Awards

Presented July 1969 at the Comic Art Convention

Best Comic Magazine Section

• Best Adventure Title — Fantastic Four  (Marvel Comics)
• Best Fantasy/SF/Supernatural Title - Doctor Strange  (Marvel Comics)
• Best Western Title - Bat Lash  (DC Comics)
• Best War Title - Star Spangled War Stories  (DC Comics)
• Best Humor Title - Archie  (Archie Comics)
• Best Romance Title - Young Love  (DC Comics)
• Best Reprint Title - Marvel Super-Heroes  (Marvel Comics)

Professional Work

• Best Editor - Dick Giordano (DC Comics)
• Best Writer - Roy Thomas
• Best Pencil Artist - Neal Adams
• Best Inking Artist - Tom Palmer
• Best Cover - Captain America #113, by Jim Steranko
• Best Full-Length Story - "...And Who Shall Mourn for Him?," by Stan Lee, John Buscema & Sal Buscema, The Silver Surfer #5  (Marvel Comics)
• Best Feature Story - "At the Stroke of Midnight," by Jim Steranko, Tower of Shadows #1 (Marvel Comics)
• Hall of Fame - "Deadman", by Neal Adams (DC Comics)

Special Awards

• Carmine Infantino, "who exemplifies the spirit of innovation and inventiveness in the field of comic art".
• Joe Kubert, "for the cinematic storytelling techniques and the exciting and dramatic style he has brought to the field of comic art".
• Neal Adams, "for the new perspective and dynamic vibrance he has brought to the field of comic art".

Popularity Poll

• Best Adventure Hero Strip - The Amazing Spider-Man  (Marvel Comics)
• Best Adventure Group Strip - Fantastic Four  (Marvel Comics)
• Best Supporting Character - Rick Jones (The Incredible Hulk, The Avengers, and Captain America)  (Marvel Comics)
• Best Villain - Doctor Doom (Fantastic Four)  (Marvel Comics)
• Strip Most Needing Improvement - Superman  (DC Comics)

Newspaper Strip Section

• Best Adventure or Human Interest Strip - Prince Valiant, by Hal Foster
• Best Humor Strip or Panel - Peanuts, by Charles Schulz
• Hall of Fame - Tarzan, by Burne Hogarth

Fan Activity Section

• Best Limited Reproduction Fanzine - Newfangles by Don & Maggie Thompson
• Best Unlimited Reproduction Fanzine - The Comic Reader
• Best Fan Artist - John Fantucchio
• Best Comic Strip Writer - Mark Hanerfeld
• Best Fan Project - 1969 New York ComiCon

National Cartoonist Society

• Advertising and Illustration Award — Ronald Michaud

First issues by title

DC Comics

Date with Debbi

Release: January /February Editor: Dick Giordano.

From Beyond the Unknown

Release: October Editor: Julius Schwartz.

The Phantom Stranger

Release: May–June. Editor: Joe Orlando.

The Witching Hour

Release: February /March : Editor: Joe Orlando.

Marvel Comics

Chamber of Darkness

Release: October. Editor: Stan Lee.

Tower of Shadows

Release: September Editor: Stan Lee.

Other publishers

Alan Ford

Release: by Max Bunker Press. Writer: Max Bunker. Artist: Magnus.

Archie's TV Laugh-Out

Release: December by Archie Comics.

Everything's Archie

Release: May by Archie Comics.

Golden Comics Digest

Release: May by Gold Key Comics.

Gothic Blimp Works

Release: February 1 by East Village Other. Editor: Vaughn Bodé

Čtyřlístek

Creator: Jaroslav Němeček

Poem Strip

Creator: Dino Buzzati

Canceled titles

DC Comics

• Bat Lash, with issue #7 (October /November )
• Beware the Creeper, with issue #6 (March /April )
• Secret Six, with issue #7 (April /May)

Marvel Comics

• Not Brand Echh, with issue #13 (May)
• Doctor Strange, with issue #183 (November )

Other publishers

• T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, with issue #20 (November )

Initial appearance by character name

DC Comics

• Abel, in DC Special #4 (July–September )
• Jason Bard, in Detective Comics #392 (October )
• Black Canary (Dinah Lance), in Justice League of America #75 (November ) — ret-con
• Mindgrabber Kid, in Justice League of America (vol. 1) #70 (March )
• Nightmaster, in Showcase #82 (May)
• Superman (Earth-Two), in Justice League of America #73 (August )
• Tala, in Phantom Stranger vol. 2, #4 (November –December )

Marvel Comics

• Controller, in Iron Man vol. 1, #12 (April )
• Digger, in Tower of Shadows #1 (September )
• Falcon, in Captain America #117 (September )
• Father Set, in Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner #9 (January )
• Vanessa Fisk, in The Amazing Spider-Man #70 (March )
• Frankenstein's Monster, Silver Surfer #7 (August )
• Galaxy Master, in The Incredible Hulk vol. 2 #111 (January)
• Glob, in The Incredible Hulk vol. 2, #121 (November)
• Grandmaster, in The Avengers #69 (October )
• Guardians of the Galaxy, by Marvel Super-Heroes #18 (January )
• Havok, in Uncanny X-Men #54 (March )
• Hyperion, in The Avengers #69 (October )
• Larry Trask, in Uncanny X-Men #57 (June)
• Living Monolith, in Uncanny X-Men #54 (March )
• Machinesmith (Starr Saxon), in Daredevil #49 (February )
• Man Mountain Marko, in The Amazing Spider-Man #73 (June)
• Man-Ape, in The Avengers #62 (March )
• Midas, in Iron Man #17 (September )
• Naga, in Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner #9 (January )
• Nighthawk (Kyle Richmond), in The Avengers #69 (October )
• Prowler, in The Amazing Spider-Man #78 (November )
• Sauron, in Uncanny X-Men vol. 1, #60 (September )
• Savage Land Mutates
  • Amphibius, in Uncanny X-Men vol. 1, #62 (November )
  • Barbarus, in Uncanny X-Men vol. 1, #62 (November )
  • Brainchild, in Uncanny X-Men vol. 1, #62 (November )
  • Gaza, in Uncanny X-Men vol. 1, #62 (November )
  • Lorelei, in Uncanny X-Men vol. 1, #63 (December )
  • Lupo, in Uncanny X-Men vol. 1, #62 (November )
  • Piper, in Uncanny X-Men vol. 1, #62 (November )
• Silvermane, in The Amazing Spider-Man #73 (June)
• Doctor Spectrum, in The Avengers #69 (November )
• Speed Demon, in The Avengers #70 (November )
• Stingray, in Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner #19 (November )
• Super-Patriot, in Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #13 (July)
• Titanium Man, in Tales of Suspense #69 (September )
• Undying Ones, in Doctor Strange vol. 1, #183 (November )
• Viper, in Captain America #110 (February )
• Whizzer II (James Sanders), in The Avengers #69 (October )

References