January 12: in Topolino 2250, Topolino e la pietra di Sbilenque (The Silenque stone) by Giorgio Pezzin and Massimo De Vita, first episode of Tops Stories. The series, set in the Thirties, tells the adventures, in Indiana Jones style, of Top de Tops, an English uncle of Mickey Mouse.[2]
January 22: in the Dutch magazine Donald Duck, Pawns of the loup garou by Daan Jippes and Carl Barks; the Barks’ script had been already published in 1967, with Tony Strobl’s drawings.[4]
January 29: Dutch cartoonist Stefan Verwey wins the Inktspotprijs for Best Political Cartoon. He won the award the year before too.[5]
February 2: In Topolino, Il grande splash by Silvia Ziche begins. It's a parodic detective story in 14 episodes, where the characters of the Duck universe must discover the thief of Uncle Scrooge’s patrimony.[7]
...et mourir by Jean Van Hamme and Philippe Francq, 10th episode of the series Largo Winch.
First issue of the parodic series Vext, by Keith Giffen and Mike McKone, with the god of misfortune as protagonist (DC Comics). It's suspended after just six issues for insufficient sales.
April 4: The Dutch comics magazine Sjosji Striparazzi which changed its name into Striparazzi, publishes its final issue, marking the end of a long history under many different names.[8]
April 14: The Belgian comics magazine Spirou (Robbedoes in Dutch) brings out a special issue: all the pages of issue #3183 are illustrated by one and the same artist: Philippe Bercovici.[9]
June 4: first album of Gea by Luca Enoch (Sergio Bonelli), fantasy miniseries in an anarchist and feminist key.[11]
June 18: The Agent 327 story Dossier Minimum Bug is presented to the public. It's the smallest comic book ever, being only 2,6 x 3,7 cm. A year later it lands its author, Martin Lodewijk, an official entry in the Guinness Book of Records.[12]
July 28: André Franquin's heirs and copyright holders win the trial against the Walt Disney Animation Studios over their animated TV series version of Franquin's comics character Marsupilami, citing breaches of its license contract: Disney had failed to produce thirteen half-hour episodes (instead producing six to eight minute shorts) or use its "best efforts" to secure a commitment from a network to air the show, and it launched its marketing campaign during a time when the show was not being broadcast. Marsu also accused Disney of fraudulent concealment; the judge noted that Disney had decided to not devote sufficient resources to the Marsupilami project, and had concealed this fact from Marsu.[17][18] Disney pays back the damage and hands the rights to the series back to Franquin's company Marsu Productions.
Vent’anni dopo (Twenty years later) – by Luigi Mignacco, Roberto Diso and Oreste Suarez (Sergio Bonelli); first apparition of Jerome Drake, father of Mister No.[21]
October
October 3: The first episode of the Uncle Scrooge story The Coin by Don Rosa is serialized in Picsou Magazine. The story had been realized years ago for Egmont, but was rejected by the editor.[22]
November 1: The Dutch comics store Lambiek launches its online comics encyclopedia, nicknamed The Comiclopedia, listing illustrated biographies of all possible comics artists and writers in existence.[25]
Comix 2000, album realized by 324 independent cartoonist from 29 different countries for the French editor L’association.
First album of Fisietto & C. La Saga dei Pistis, satirical comic in Sardinian language, realized and auto published by the brothers Bruno and Paolo Tremolo.[26]
Deaths
January
January 15: Bozidar Veselinović, Serbian comics artist (Dabisa), dies at age 77.[27]
January 25: Jean-Gérard Imbar, French novelist, screenwriter and comics writer (Le Polar de Renard,[28]Les Aventures de Protéo[29]), dies at age 54.[30]
February
February 3: Vin Sullivan, American comics artist (Spike Spaulding, Jibby Jones, Bucks McKale) and editor, dies at age 87.[31][32]
Werner Büchi, Swiss caricaturist, illustrator and comics artist (continued Globi), dies at age 83.[40]
April 13: Filip van der Schalie, Dutch comics artist, radio producer and presenter (Bollie Bof), dies at age 75.[41]
April 14:
Arthur Beeman, American comics artist (Homer Doodle, Inferior Man, Kidding the Kids, Miss Winky, Snappy, Tommy Tinkle, K.P. Jones, Seein' Stars, Those Were The Days), dies at age 85.[42]
August 30: Raymond Poïvet, French comics artist (Les Pionniers de l'Espérance), dies at age 89.[60]
September
September 14: Joel Beck, American underground cartoonist (Lenny of Laredo, Marching Marvin, The Profit), dies from complications from alcoholism at age 56.[61]
September 17: Antal Szemere, Hungarian comics artist, dies at age 76.[62]
September 29: Alfred J. Buescher, American comics artist (Illustrated Sunday School Lesson, Joe and Judy, Eski), dies at age 96.[63]
September 30: Antoni Batllori Jofré, Spanish comics artist (published in TBO), dies at age 84.[64]