1970 in comics

This is a list of comics-related events in 1970.

1970

1969 in comics

1971 in comics

Notable events of 1970 in comics. See also List of years in comics.

Events and publications

• Denis Kitchen founds Kitchen Sink Press in Princeton, Wisconsin

January

• Detective Comics #395: "The Secret of the Waiting Graves", the first collaboration between Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams.^[1][2] (DC Comics)
• Our Fighting Forces #123 (January/February cover date) (DC Comics)

First appearance of the Losers

• Avengers #72 (Marvel Comics)

First appearance of Zodiac, as well as team members Aquarius, Aries, Cancer, Capricorn, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Pisces, Sagittarius, Taurus, and Virgo

• The Amazing Spider-Man #80: "On the trail of... the Chameleon!" (Marvel Comics)
• Charlton Comics, with issue #18, publishes its final issue of Flash Gordon (1966 series).

March

• Teen Titans #26 (March/April cover date) (DC Comics)

First appearance of Mal Duncan, DC Comics' first black superhero.

• Lloyd Jacquet, founder of Funnies, Inc., dies at age 71.

April

• Green Lantern #76, Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams became the creative team and rechristen the title as Green Lantern/Green Arrow. This begins a long story arc in which the characters undertook a social-commentary journey across America.^[3]
• Last Gasp debuts as a publisher with the underground anthology Slow Death Funnies #1.

June

• Detective Comics #400: "Challenge of the Man-Bat", by Frank Robbins, Neal Adams, and Dick Giordano. (DC Comics)

First appearance of the Man-Bat.^[4]

July

• Fantastic Four #100: "The Long Journey Home", by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Joe Sinnott. (Marvel Comics)

August

• August 2: Lank Leonard, creator of Mickey Finn, dies at age 74.

September

• The Flash #200: "Count 200 — and Die", by Robert Kanigher, Irv Novick, and Murphy Anderson. (DC Comics)
• Showcase (1956 series), with issue #93, is cancelled by DC Comics.
• Fantastic Four #102: After 102 consecutive issues written by Stan Lee and drawn by Jack Kirby, Kirby's final issue as Fantastic Four artist (and his temporary departure from Marvel Comics).
• Silver Surfer, with issue #18, cancelled by Marvel.

October

• Jack Kirby, with issue #133, debuts as writer/artist on Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen, introducing the concepts and characters of his Fourth World epic.^[5] In his first issue alone, Kirby creates the characters Morgan Edge and Intergang, as well as Project Cadmus, a fictional government genetic engineering project.

November

• Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134 (DC Comics)

First appearance of Darkseid

• Robert M. Overstreet publishes the first edition of his Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, soon to become the primary authority on the subject of American comic book grading and pricing.

December

• Adventure Comics #400: 35th anniversary issue, "Return of the Black Flame!", by Mike Sekowsky.
• Challengers of the Unknown (1958 series), with issue #77 (December 1970/January 1971 cover date), is canceled by DC Comics.
• Metal Men (1963 series), with issue #41 (December 1970/January 1971 cover date), is canceled by DC.
• Fantastic Four #105: "Monster in the Streets", drawn by John Romita, Sr.

Conventions

• Comicon '70 (British Comic Art Convention) (Rutland Hotel, Sheffield, England) — organized by Sam Plumb^[6]
• Disneyland Hotel Comicon (Anaheim, California) — one and only event of its kind^[7]
• Phoenixcon (Phoenix, Arizona) — produced by Bruce Hamilton^[7]
• March 21: Golden State Comic-Minicon (U.S. Grant Hotel, San Diego, California) — Shel Dorf organizes a one-day convention "as a kind of 'dry run' for the larger convention he hope[s] to stage."^[8] Official guests: Forrest J. Ackerman, Mike Royer
• June 18–20: Multicon 70 (Skirvan Hotel, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) — first iteration of this show; guest speaker: Reed Crandall^[9]
• July 3–5: Metro Comic Art Convention (Statler Hilton Hotel, New York City)
• August 1–3: Golden State Comic-Con (U.S. Grant Hotel, San Diego) — Dorf's first three-day San Diego comics convention, it draws 300 people.^[10] Official guests: Forrest J. Ackerman, Ray Bradbury, Jack Kirby, Bob Stevens, A. E. van Vogt
• August 23–24: Toronto Triple Fan Fair a.k.a. "Fan Fair 2" (King Edward Hotel, Toronto, ON, Canada) — Guests of Honour: Isaac Asimov and Anne McCaffrey; 450 attendees
• September 5–7: Detroit Triple Fan Fair^[11] (Howard Johnson New Center Motor Lodge, Detroit, Michigan) — Program dedicated to Jack Kirby. Western-themed cover by Jim Steranko and interior art pages by Neal Adams and Bernie Wrightson.

Awards

Goethe Awards

Published in a 1971 issue of Maggie Thompson's fanzine Newfangles for comics published in 1970.^[12]

• Favorite Pro Artist: Neal Adams^[13]
• Favorite Pro Writer: tie
  • Denny O'Neil^[14]
  • Roy Thomas^[15]
• Favorite Pro Editor: Dick Giordano
• Favorite Pro Comic Book: Green Lantern/Green Arrow
• Favorite Underground Comic: Captain George Presents
• Favorite Comic-Book Story: "“No Evil Shall Escape My Sight"” by Denny O'Neil/Neal Adams in Green Lantern/Green Arrow #76 (DC)
• Favorite Comic-Book Character: Deadman (DC)
• Favorite Fanzine: Newfangles
• Favorite Fan Writer: Jan Strnad
• Favorite Fan Artist: Robert Kline

Shazam Awards

Presented in 1971 for comics published in 1970: (Award presentation: May 12, 1971, at the Statler Hilton Hotel's Terrace Ballroom.)

• Best Story: "No Evil Shall Escape My Sight", by Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams, Green Lantern/Green Arrow #76 (DC Comics)
• Best Continuing Feature: Green Lantern/Green Arrow (DC Comics)
• Best Drama Writer: Dennis O'Neil
• Best Drama Penciller: Neal Adams
• Best Drama Inker: Dick Giordano
• Best Letterer: Sam Rosen
• Best Colorist: Jack Adler
• Best Humor Penciller: Bob Oksner
• Best Humor Inker: Henry Scarpelli
• Best Humor Writer: Carl Barks, The Junior Woodchucks (Gold Key Comics)
• Best New Talent: Barry Smith
• Outstanding Achievement by an Individual: Jim Steranko, for The Steranko History of Comics
• Best Foreign Title: Legionarios del Espacio (writer-artist Esteban Maroto, Spain)
• Special Recognition Outside the Field: Nostalgia Press (for comic strip reprints)
• Hall of Fame: Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster
• Special Plaque: Stan Lee ("for forming ACBA")

First Issue by title

DC Comics

All-Star Western vol. 2

Release: September. Editor: Dick Giordano.

Marvel Comics

Amazing Adventures vol. 2

Release: August. Editor: Stan Lee.

Astonishing Tales

Release: August. Editor: Stan Lee.

Conan the Barbarian

Release: October. Writer: Roy Thomas. Artist: Barry Smith and Dan Adkins.

Fear

Release: November. Editor: Stan Lee.

Ka-Zar

Release: January. Editor: Stan Lee.

Outlaw Kid (second series)

Release: August. Editor: Stan Lee.

Where Monsters Dwell

Release: August. Editor: Stan Lee.

Western Gunfighters (second series)

Release: August. Editor: Stan Lee.

Independent titles

Hulk: The Manga

Release: by Weekly Bokura Magazine. Writer: Kazuo Koike. Artists: Yoshihiro Moritou and Kosei Saigou.

Oriental Heroes

Release: by Jade Dynasty. Writer/Artist: Wong Yuk Long.

Spider-Man: The Manga

Release: by Monthly Shōnen Magazine. Writer/Artist: Ryoichi Ikegami.

Initial appearance by character name

DC Comics

• Appa Ali Apsa, in Green Lantern vol. 2 #76 (April)
• Darkseid, in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #134 (November)
• El Diablo, in All-Star Western #2 (October)
• Mal Duncan, in Teen Titans #26 (March/April)
• Morgan Edge, in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #133 (October)
• Intergang, in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #133 (October)
• Lilith, in Teen Titans #25 (January/February)
• Losers, in Our Fighting Forces #123 (January/February)
• Man-Bat, in Detective Comics #400 (June)
• Rose and the Thorn in Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane #105^[16][17]
• Ten-Eyed Man, in Batman #226 (November)

Marvel Comics

• Arkon, in Avengers #76 (April)
• Firebrand, in Iron Man #27 (July)
• Richard Fisk, in The Amazing Spider-Man #83 (April)
• Freak (Eddie March), in Iron Man #21 (January)
• Garokk, in Astonishing Tales #2 (November)
• Guardsman, in Iron Man #31 (November)
• Kangaroo, in The Amazing Spider-Man #81 (February)
• Llyra, in Sub-Mariner #32 (December)
• Starr the Slayer, in Chamber of Darkness #4 (April)
• Sunfire, in X-Men #64 (January)
• Valkyrie (Brunnhilde), in The Avengers #83 (December)
• Jim Wilson, in The Incredible Hulk #131 (September)
• Zodiac, in Avengers #72 (January)
  • Aquarius
  • Aries
  • Cancer
  • Capricorn
  • Gemini
  • Leo
  • Libra
  • Pisces
  • Sagittarius
  • Taurus
  • Virgo

Independent titles

• Cattivik, in Tiramolla (19 July)

References

1. McAvennie, Michael; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "1970s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. Dorling Kindersley. p. 143. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9. Artist Neal Adams and writer Denny O'Neil rescued Batman from the cozy, campy cul-de-sac he had been consigned to in the 1960s and returned the Dark Knight to his roots as a haunted crime fighter. The cover of their first collaboration, "The Secret of the Waiting Graves", was typical of Adams' edgy, spooky style.
2. Greenberger, Robert; Manning, Matthew K. (2009). The Batman Vault: A Museum-in-a-Book with Rare Collectibles from the Batcave. Running Press. p. 26. ISBN 0-7624-3663-8. Editor Julius Schwartz had decided to darken the character's world to further distance him from the camp environment created by the 1966 ABC show. Bringing in the talented O'Neil as well as the innovative Frank Robbins and showcasing the art of rising star Neal Adams...Schwartz pointed Batman in a new and darker direction, a path the character still continues on to this day.
3. McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 139: "Real-world politics have always gone hand-in-hand with comics and their creators' own personal perspectives. Yet this was never more creatively expressed than when writer Denny O'Neil and artist Neal Adams paired the liberal Green Arrow with the conservative Green Lantern."
4. Greenberger and Manning, p. 177 "Adams helped darken Gotham City in the 1970s [and] the scene was set for a new host of major villains. One of the first was Man-Bat, who debuted in the pages of 1970's Detective Comics #400."
5. McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 141 "Since no ongoing creative team had been slated to Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen, "King of Comics" Jack Kirby made the title his DC launch point, and the writer/artist's indelible energy and ideas permeated every panel and word balloon of the comic."
6. Skinn, Dez. "Early days of UK comics conventions and marts," DezSkinn.com. Accessed Mar. 3, 2013.
7. Beerbohm, Robert. "Update to Comics Dealer Extraordinaire Robert Beerbohm: In His Own Words," Comic-Convention Memories (June 24, 2010).
8. Evanier, Mark. POV Online: "Shel Dorf, R.I.P." (column of November 3, 2009).
9. Hanerfeld, Mark. "Comicon News," The Comic Reader #77 (Jan. 1970).
10. Comic-Con Souvenir Book #40 p.61 (2009).
11. Sloane, Leonard. "Nostalgia for Extinct Pop Culture Creates Industry," New York Times (Mar. 22, 1970)
12. Thompson, Maggie. "Comics Fan Awards 1961-1970" Comics Buyer's Guide (August 19, 2005). Archived September 14, 2015, at the Wayback Machine.
13. Adams entry, Who's Who in Comic Books: 1928–1999. Accessed Feb. 3, 2016.
14. O'Neil entry, Who's Who in Comic Books: 1928–1999. Accessed Feb. 3, 2016.
15. Thomas entry, Who's Who in Comic Books: 1928–1999. Accessed Feb. 3, 2016.
16. McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 141 "The second feature uncovered the roots of Rose Forrest/Thorn's identity, as told by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Ross Andru."
17. Cassell, Dewey (May 2013). "A Rose By Any Other Name...Would Be Thorn". Back Issue!. TwoMorrows Publishing (64): 28–32.