1978 in comics

This is a list of comics-related events in 1978.
==Events==
=== Year overall ===
* DC suffers the DC Implosion, the abrupt cancellation of more than two dozen ongoing and planned titles, with the vast majority of the books leaving uncompleted storylines (which were later wrapped up in other titles).
* Archie Goodwin resigns as Marvel Comics editor-in-chief, replaced by Jim Shooter (who will hold the post until mid-1987).
* Underground publisher the Print Mint stops publishing comics.
* "The Korvac Saga" story arc, written by Jim Shooter and David Michelinie, with art by George Pérez and David Wenzel, runs through The Avengers, beginning in issue #167 (Feb.) and running through issue #177 (Nov.)
* "The Cursed Earth" Judge Dredd storyline runs in 2000 AD (May – October)
=== January ===
* Green Lantern #100: Double-size special featuring Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Air Wave. (DC Comics)
* DC Super Stars, with issue #18 (Jan./Feb. cover date), is cancelled by DC.
* The Eternals, with issue #19, cancelled by Marvel.
* The Champions, with issue #17, is cancelled by Marvel.
=== February ===
* Detective Comics, with issue #475, begins publishing on a bimonthly schedule. (DC Comics)
* Metal Men, with issue #56 (Feb./Mar. cover date), is cancelled by DC.
* Teen Titans, with issue #53, is cancelled by DC.
===March===
* Super-Team Family, with issue #15 (March/April cover date), is cancelled by DC (the basic concept is reborn a few months later with the July debut of DC Comics Presents).
* Welcome Back, Kotter, with issue #10 (March/April cover date), is cancelled by DC.
===April===
* Claw the Unconquered, with issue #10 (Apr./May), is revived by DC after an 18-month hiatus.
* Power Man, with issue #50, changes its name to Power Man and Iron Fist.
* Ghostly Haunts, with issue #58, cancelled by Charlton.
* April 15: Krazy, with issue #79, is cancelled by IPC and merged with Whizzer and Chips.
===May===
* Showcase #100: "Awesome Anniversary Edition! 60 Sensational Super-Stars" — featuring almost every character who ever appeared in Showcase — by Paul Kupperberg, Paul Levitz, and Joe Staton.
* Shazam!, with issue #35 (May/June cover date), is cancelled by DC (and folded into the DC Dollar Comic World's Finest)
* The Many Ghosts of Doctor Graves, with issue #65, is cancelled by Charlton. (The title picks up again with issue #66 in May 1981.
* May 17: Mort Weisinger, Silver Age editor of DC's Superman line, dies at age 63.
===June===
* Continuing the "DC Explosion," the company increases its titles' page counts to 25 story pages and increases the price of a typical comic from 35 cents to 50 cents.
* Batman #300: "The Last Batman Story—?", by David V. Reed, Walt Simonson, and Dick Giordano.
* Challengers of the Unknown, with issue #87 (June/July cover date), is cancelled by DC.
* Secret Society of Super Villains, with issue #15 (June/July cover date), is cancelled by DC.
* Garfield, by Jim Davis is launched on June 19 in 41 newspapers.
=== Summer ===
* DC Special Series #15 — "I Now Pronounce You Batman and Wife!", marriage of Batman and Talia al Ghul, by Dennis O'Neil, Michael Golden, and Dick Giordano.DC Special Series #15 at the Grand Comics Database See also Batman: Son of the Demon
===July===
* Karate Kid, with issue #15 (July/August cover date), is cancelled by DC.
* Freedom Fighters, with issue #15 (July/August cover date), is cancelled by DC.
* Return of The New Gods, with issue #19 (July/August cover date), is cancelled by DC. (The numbering had continued from the New Gods 1971 series, which itself had been cancelled in 1972.)
===August===
* Fledgling publisher Eclipse Comics releases Sabre: Slow Fade of an Endangered Species, by Don McGregor and Paul Gulacy, considered one of the industry's first "graphic novels".
* With issue #10 The Rampaging Hulk changes its title to The Hulk!, and goes from black-and-white to color (Curtis Magazines).
* Aquaman, with issue #63 (August/September cover date), is cancelled by DC.
* Claw the Unconquered, with issue #12 (August/September cover date), is cancelled by DC.
* Shade, the Changing Man, with issue #9 (August/September cover date), is cancelled by DC.
===September===
* Suffering from the DC Implosion, the company cuts back story pages to 17 and the typical cover price to 40 cents.
* Gold Key Comics, with issue #19, picks up Flash Gordon (1966 series) from Charlton Comics, which had stopped publishing the title in 1970.
* Mister Miracle, with issue #25, is cancelled by DC.
* Showcase, with issue #104, is cancelled by DC. (The numbering had continued from the first volume of Showcase, which itself had been cancelled in 1970.)
* All Star Comics, with issue #74 (September/October cover date), is cancelled by DC.
* Battle Classics, with issue #1 (September/October cover date), is cancelled by DC.
* Black Lightning, with issue #11 (September/October cover date), is cancelled by DC.
* Doorway to Nightmare, with issue #5 (September/October cover date), is cancelled by DC (and folded into the DC Dollar Comic The Unexpected)
* Dynamic Classics, with issue #1 (September/October cover date), is cancelled by DC.
* Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth, with issue #59 (September/October cover date), is cancelled by DC.
* Our Fighting Forces, with issue #181 (September/October cover date), is cancelled by DC.
* After many delays, DC releases All-New Collectors' Edition vol. 7, no. C-56, a.k.a., Superman vs. Muhammad Ali.
=== Fall ===
* DC Special Series #16 — "The Last Bounty Hunter!", death of Jonah Hex, by Michael Fleisher and Russ Heath.DC Special Series #16 at the Grand Comics Database DC Special Series goes on hiatus after this issue and is revived in Summer 1979. 
===October===
* Will Eisner's graphic novel A Contract with God is published by Baronet Books. An early landmark of the graphic novel form.
* Will Eisner's "Signal From Space" storyline begins in Spirit Magazine #19 (continuing through issue #26, October 1980).
* The Witching Hour, with issue #85, is cancelled by DC (and folded into the DC Dollar Comic The Unexpected).
* Firestorm, the Nuclear Man, with issue #5 (October/November cover date), is cancelled by DC.
* House of Secrets, with issue #154 (October/November cover date), is cancelled by DC.
* Secrets of Haunted House, with issue #14 (October/November cover date), is cancelled by DC. (It is revived a year later, however, with issue #15; the title continues until issue #46 in March 1982.)
* Star Hunters, with issue #7 (October/November cover date), is cancelled by DC.
* Steel: The Indestructible Man, with issue #5 (October/November cover date), is cancelled by DC.
* Kull the Destroyer, with issue #29, is cancelled by Marvel.
* October 7: Starlord, with issue #22, is cancelled by IPC Media.
===November===
* Fantastic Four #200: Double-sized anniversary issue, "When Titans Clash!" by Marv Wolfman, Keith Pollard, and Joe Sinnott. (Marvel Comics)
* Batman Family, with issue #20, is cancelled (and folded into the newly reformatted DC Dollar Comic Detective Comics).
* Army at War, with issue #1, is cancelled by DC.
===December===
* Devil Dinosaur, with issue #9, is cancelled by Marvel.
* Bullet, with issue #147, is merged with Warlord (D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd).
* December 31: Basil Wolverton, "Producer of Preposterous Pictures of Peculiar People who Prowl this Perplexing Planet," dies at age 69.
==Conventions==
* British Comic Art Convention, Great Britain — presentation of the Eagle Awards
* July 2–5: Comic Art Convention I, Americana Hotel, New York City
* July 8–9: Comic Art Convention II, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
* July 26–30: San Diego Comic-Con, El Cortez Hotel, San Diego, California — Show reaches attendance mark of 5,000 for the first time. Official guests: John Buscema, Howard Chaykin, Shary Flenniken, Alan Dean Foster, Gardner Fox, Steve Gerber, Burne Hogarth, Greg Jein, Bob Kane, Gray Morrow, Clarence "Ducky" Nash, Grim Natwick, Wendy Pini, Frank Thorne, Boris Vallejo
== Awards ==
=== Eagle Awards ===
Presented in 1979 for comics published in 1978:
* Roll of Honour: Steve Englehart
==== American section ====
* Favourite Writer: Chris Claremont
* Favourite Artist: John Byrne
* Favourite Inker: Terry Austin
* Favourite Comic Book (Drama): Uncanny X-MenLetters page, Uncanny X-Men #119 (March 1979). (Marvel Comics)
* Favourite New Comics Title: Micronauts
* Favourite Single Story: "Mindgames", Uncanny X-Men #111, by Chris Claremont and John Byrne
* Best Continuing Story: "The Korvac Saga", in The Avengers #167, 168, 170-177, written by Jim Shooter and David Michelinie, with art by George Pérez and David Wenzel
* Favourite Cover: Master of Kung Fu #67, by Paul Gulacy
* Favourite Team: X-Men
* Favorite Supporting Character: Wolverine
* Favourite Villain: Magneto
* Character Most Worthy of His Own Title: Silver Surfer
* Favourite Specialist Comics Publication: Comic Media News
==== U.K. section ====
* Favourite Writer: T.B. Grover
* Favourite Artist: John BoltonBolton profile, Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999.
* Favourite Comic: 2000 AD (Fleetway)
* Favourite Character: Judge Dredd
==First issues by title==
=== DC Comics ===
Army at War
: Release: November. Editor: Paul Levitz. (Immediately cancelled as a victim of the DC Implosion.)
Battle Classics
: Release: September/October. Writer: Robert Kanigher. Artist: Joe Kubert. (Immediately cancelled as a victim of the DC Implosion.)
DC Comics Presents
: Release: July. Writer: Martin Pasko. Artists: José Luis García-López and Dan Adkins.
Doorway to Nightmare
: Release: January/February. Writer: David Michelinie. Artist: Val Mayerik.
Dynamic Classics
: Release: September/October. Editor: Cary Burkett. (Reprint title immediately cancelled as a victim of the DC Implosion.)
Firestorm, the Nuclear Man
: Release: March. Writer: Gerry Conway. Artist: Al Milgrom.
Steel: The Indestructible Man
: Release: March. Writer: Gerry Conway. Artists: Don Heck and Joe Giella.
=== Marvel Comics ===
Devil Dinosaur
: Release: April. Writer/Artist: Jack Kirby.
Machine Man
: Release: April. Writer/Artist: Jack Kirby.
Man From Atlantis
: Release: February. Writer: Bill Mantlo. Artists: Tom Sutton and Sonny Trinidad.
Spider-Woman
: Release: April. Writer: Marv Wolfman. Artists: Carmine Infantino and Tony DeZuniga.
=== Independent titles ===
1984
: Release: June by Warren Publishing. Editor: Bill DuBay.
À Suivre
: Release: February by Casterman.
Elfquest
: Release: August by WaRP Graphics. Writers: Wendy Pini and Richard Pini. Artist: Wendy Pini.
Misty
: Release: February 4 by Fleetway.
Starlord
: Release: May 13 by IPC Media.
== Initial appearances by character name ==
=== DC Comics ===
* Air Wave (Harold Jordan), in Green Lantern #48 (January)
* Commander Steel, in Steel, the Indestructible Man #1
* Count Vertigo, World's Finest Comics #251
* Doctor Mist, in Super Friends #12
* The Elementals, in Super Friends #14 (October)
* Fadeaway Man, in Detective Comics #479
* Firestorm, in Firestorm, the Nuclear Man #1
* Killer Frost, in Firestorm, the Nuclear Man #3
* Madame Xanadu, in Doorway to Nightmare #1 (February)
* Madame Zodiac, in Batman Family #17
* Multiplex, in Firestorm, the Nuclear Man #2
* Ultraa, in Justice League of America #153
=== Marvel Comics ===
* Arcade, in Marvel Team-Up #65 (January)
* Big Wheel, in The Amazing Spider-Man #182
* Bethany Cabe, in Iron Man #117
* Carrion, in Spectacular Spider-Man #25
* Devil Dinosaur, in Devil Dinosaur #1 (April)
* Vindicator (later Guardian), in Uncanny X-Men #109
* Hoder, in Thor #274
* Hypno-Hustler, in Spectacular Spider-Man #24
* Kiber the Cruel, in Black Panther #11 (September)
* Moon-Boy, in Devil Dinosaur #1 (April)
* Moonstone, in Incredible Hulk #228
* Mystique, in Ms. Marvel #16
* Ben Urich, Daredevil #153
* Virako, in Thor Annual #7
* Wendell Vaughn (Marvel Man), in Captain America #217 (January)
== References ==
Category:1978