2011 in comics

2011

2010 in comics

2012 in comics

Notable events of 2011 in comics. See also List of years in comics.

Events

• DC Comics and Archie Comics both drop the Comics Code Authority seal, DC Comics however used a rating system, and Archie Comics did not ever used a rating system.

January

• January 4: Axel Alonso is named editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics, replacing Joe Quesada.

March

• Catawiki, an online compendium of collector's catalogues, becomes available in English.

July

• July 19: Stage show Batman Live premiers in Manchester Evening News Arena

August

• As part of their The New 52 publishing scheme, DC Comics cancels all their ongoing titles.

September

• During the month, DC Comics releases 52 brand-new titles as part of their The New 52 publishing scheme.

Deaths

February

• February 21: Dwayne McDuffie, co-founder of Milestone Media, dies at age 49.

June

• June 18: Lew Schwartz, Golden Age artist on Batman, dies at age 84.
• June 23: Gene Colan, long-time artist for Marvel Comics, died at age 84.

August

• August 18: Jean Tabary, creator of Iznogoud, died at age 81.

September

• September 4: Dave Hoover dies at age 56.
• September 16: Tom Wilson, creator of the comic strip Ziggy, dies at age 80.
• September 18: Jack Adler, long-time member of the production staff at DC Comics, dies at age 94.

October

• October 31: Mick Anglo, creator of Marvelman, dies at age 95.

November

• November 8: Bil Keane, creator of The Family Circus, died at age 89.

December

• December 7: Jerry Robinson, creator of the Joker, dies at age 89.
• December 14: Joe Simon, co-creator with Jack Kirby of Captain America, dies at age 98 after a brief illness.

Conventions

• March 4–6: Emerald City ComiCon (Washington State Convention & Trade Center, Seattle, Washington, USA) — 32,000 attendees; guests: Frank Quitely, Jonathan Hickman, Max Brooks, Geof Darrow, Steve Epting, Jacen Burrows, Guy Davis, Terry & Rachel Dodson, Mike McKone, Sergio Aragonés, Dan Jurgens, Marv Wolfman, Cameron Stewart, John Arcudi, Yanick Paquette, Bruce Timm, Brian Michael Bendis, Frank Cho, J. G. Jones, Mike Mignola, Tony Harris, Jim Cheung, Matt Fraction, Cully Hamner, Ron Marz, Erik Larsen, Mark Brooks, Todd Nauck, Adam Hughes, Skottie Young, Dustin Nguyen, Greg Rucka, Ed Brubaker, Jeff Parker, C. B. Cebulski, Michael Avon Oeming, Doug TenNapel, John Layman, Tim Sale, Ryan Ottley, Ben Templesmith, David Mack, Jason Pearson, Karl Kesel, Jim Mahfood, Nick Spencer, Cliff Chiang, Darick Robertson, Pete Woods, Kurt Busiek, Scott Allie, Farel Dalrymple, Todd Dezago, Joshua Hale Fialkov, Chrissie Zullo, Tony Shasteen, Chris Roberson, Mark Morales, Paul Azaceta, Ray Fawkes, Jeremy Haun, Humberto Ramos, Francisco Herrera, Pia Guerra, Brian Hurtt, Ryan Benjamin, Andy Kuhn, Joe Quinones, Raina Telgemeier, Sean Gordon Murphy, Ivan Brandon, Kris Straub, Dave Kellett, Scott Kurtz, Brad Guigar, Danielle Corsetto, Jeph Jacques, Ian Boothby, Jim Zubkavich, Dave Stewart, Dustin Weaver, Sean Galloway, and Brandon Graham
• March 5–6: STAPLE! — event expands to two days for the first time; guests include Jill Thompson, Alex Robinson, Brian Clevinger, Scott Wegener, and James O'Barr
• March 18–20: Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo (C2E2) (McCormick Place, Chicago, Illinois, USA) — guests include Chris Hemsworth
• March 18–20: Wizard World Toronto (Direct Energy Centre, Hall D, Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
• March 19–20: Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo (S.P.A.C.E.) (Ramada Plaza Hotel & Conference Center, Columbus, Ohio)
• March 25–27: MegaCon (Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida, USA) — guests include Stan Lee, William Shatner, and Jimmy Palmiotti
• April 1–3: WonderCon (Moscone Center, San Francisco, California, USA)
• April 9–10: MoCCA Festival (69th Regiment Armory, New York City, USA)
• April 9–10: Toronto ComiCON Fan Appreciation Event (Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
• April 15–17: Pittsburgh Comicon (Monroeville Convention Center, Monroeville, Pennsylvania, USA) — guests include George Pérez, Terry Moore, Mike Grell, Tom Mandrake, Ernie Chan, Herb Trimpe, Scott McDaniel, Joshua Ortega, Joe Jusko, Gary Friedrich, Talent Caldwell, Stuart Sayger, Bob Almond, Wayne Faucher, Chad Hardin, Bob Hall, Kirk Lindo, Arvell Jones, Dan Parent, Billy Tucci, Dave Hoover, Mike Grell, Sam Witwer, and Sarah Allen
• April 16–17: Stumptown Comics Fest (Oregon Convention Center, Portland, Oregon)
• May 7–8: Toronto Comic Arts Festival (Toronto Reference Library, Toronto, Canada)
• May 13–15: Motor City Comic Con (Suburban Collection Showplace, Novi, Michigan, USA) — guests include David Petersen, Tim Sale, George Takei, Brent Spiner, Kate Mulgrew, Tricia Helfer, Sam Huntington, and Ernie Hudson
• May 14–15: Comic Expo (Ramada City Inn/Mercure Holland House Hotel, Bristol, UK) — guests include Martin Asbury, Paul Grist, Dave Gibbons, Rick Veitch, and Richard Starkings
• May 20–21: East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention (African American Museum in Philadelphia and Crowne Plaza Hotel, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) — guests include Jerry Craft, Alex Simmons, and Eric Battle; presentation of the Glyph Comics Awards
• May 21–22: Dallas Comic Con (Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas, Irving, Texas, USA) — guests include Stan Lee, John Romita, Jr., Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, Cal Slayton, Bernie Wrightson, Steve Niles, Tim Bradstreet, Rick Leonardi, Kerry Gammill, Todd Nauck, James O'Barr, and Michael Lark
• May 21–22: Wizard World Big Apple Comic Con (Penn Plaza Pavilion, New York City, USA)
• May 26–29: Phoenix Comicon (Phoenix, Arizona, USA) — 23,001 attendees; official guests: Stan Lee, Wil Wheaton, Leonard Nimoy, George Takei, Sandeep Parikh, Jeff Lewis, Cassandra Peterson, Billy Dee Williams, Paul McGillion, Todd McFarlane, Max Brooks, Bruce Boxleitner, Jaime Paglia, Aaron Douglas, Alex Albrecht, Kristin Bauer van Straten, Vic Mignogna, Brina Palencia, and Ernie Hudson
• June 3–5: Heroes Convention (Charlotte Convention Center, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA) — guests include Josh Adams, Neal Adams, Bob Almond, Jim Amash, John Arcudi, Robert Atkins, Jeremy Bastian, Paul Benjamin, Eddie Berganza, Pat Broderick, Mark Brooks, Stephanie Buscema, Talent Caldwell, Richard Case, Nick Cardy, Cliff Chiang, Frank Cho, Becky Cloonan, Paty Cockrum, Darwyn Cooke, Jeremy Dale, Farel Dalrymple, Geof Darrow, Shane Davis, Todd Dezago, Kristian Donaldson, Michael Dooney, Evan Dorkin, Sarah Dyer, Nathan Edmondson, Tommy Lee Edwards, Steve Epting, Tom Feister, Ian Flynn, Tom Fowler, Matt Fraction, Francesco Francavilla, Gary Friedrich, Chris Giarrusso, Michael Golden, Keron Grant, Jackson Guice, Cully Hamner, Scott Hampton, Scott Hanna, Dustin Harbin, Tony Harris, Jeremy Haun, Clayton Henry, Jonathan Hickman, Adam Hughes, Jeff Johnson, Nat Jones, Joe Jusko, Karl Kesel, Matt Kindt, Scott Kolins, Peter Krause, Roger Langridge, Jason Latour, Rick Leonardi, Mike Lilly, Heidi MacDonald, David W. Mack, Kevin Maguire, Clay Mann, Laura Martin, Nathan Massengill, Paul Maybury, Ed McGuinness, Bob McLeod, Carla Speed McNeil, Terry Moore, Tony Moore, Chris Moreno, Sean Murphy, Steve Niles, Mike Norton, Phil Noto, Kevin Nowlan, Jeff Parker, Jason Pearson, Brandon Peterson, Ed Piskor, Chris Pitzer, Joe Pruett, Gary Reed, Chris Roberson, Andrew Robinson, Budd Root, Don Rosa, Craig Rousseau, Stéphane Roux, Jim Rugg, Andy Runton, Tim Sale, Alex Saviuk, Jim Scancarelli, Tom Scioli, Declan Shalvey, Ryan Sook, Charles Soule, Jim Starlin, Joe Staton, Brian Stelfreeze, Karl Story, Mark Texeira, Art Thibert, Roy Thomas, Rich Tommaso, William Tucci, Tim Townsend, Dean Trippe, Koi Turnbull, Jen Van Meter, Ethan Van Sciver, Tim Vigil, Dexter Vines, Chris Walker, Loston Wallace, Michael W. Watkins, Renée Witterstaetter, Bernie Wrightson, Skottie Young, Jim Zubkavich, and Chrissie Zullo
• June 12: Scranton Comic Book Convention (Johnson College, Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA) — guests include Scott Beatty, Dawn Best, Ed Coutts, Ken Haeser, C.J. Henderson, Dave Hoover, Paul Kupperberg, Alitha Martinez, Rudy Nebres, and Dan Parent
• June 17–19: Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo (Calgary, Alberta, Canada)
• June 17–19: Expo Comic MX (Mexico City, Mexico)
• June 17–19: Philadelphia Comic Con (Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA) — guests include Aaron Kuder, Al Wiesner, Arthur Suydam, Bill Sienkiewicz, Bob Wiacek, Brad Guigar, C. Martin Croker, C. J. Henderson, Carlos Pacheco, Christopher Baldwin, Damion Scott, Dave Ryan, David Rankin, David Wong, Daxiong, Dennis Calero, Doug Braithwaite, Edgar Delgado, Ethan Van Sciver, Farel Dalrymple, Francisco Herrera, Franco Aureliani, Greg Horn, Humberto Ramos, J. David Spurlock, J. G. Jones, J.K. Woodward, Jim Calafiore, Jim Cheung, Jimmy Gownley, Johnny Zito, Jonathan Maberry, Josh Howard, Keith R. A. DeCandido, Kevin Maguire, Kim DeMulder, Koi Turnbull, Lou Ferrigno, Matt Howarth, Michael J. Sullivan, Mike Grell, Mike Lilly, Minck Oosterveer, Nathan Edmondson, Phil Jimenez, Ray Billingsley, Shane Davis, Terry LaBan, Tim Truman, Todd Klein, Tom Hodges, Tom Raney, Tony Bedard, Tony DiGerolamo, and Tony Trov
• June 24–26: Albuquerque Comic Expo (Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA)
• June 24–26: Texas Comicon (San Antonio, Texas, USA)
• June 26: Paris Comic Expo (Paris, France)
• July 2–3: Armageddon (Christchurch Expo Addington Raceway, Christchurch, New Zealand)
• July 8–10: London Film and Comic Con (Earls Court Exhibition Centre, London, England, UK)
• July 21–24: Comic-Con International (San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, California, USA) — 126,000+ attendees; official guests" Gerry Alanguilan, Sergio Aragonés, Jean Bails, Ed Benes, Anina Bennett, Jordi Bernet, Yves Bigerel, Joyce Brabner, Patricia Briggs, Chester Brown, Ernie Chan, Jo Chen, Seymour Chwast, Alan Davis, Dick DeBartolo, Tony DeZuniga, Eric Drooker, Garth Ennis, Mark Evanier, Joyce Farmer, David Finch, Dave Gibbons, Tsuneo Goda, Paul Guinan, Kim Harrison (Dawn Cook), Jonathan Hickman, John Higgins, Charlie Huston, Jamal Igle, Joëlle Jones, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Peter Kuper, Richard Kyle, Mell Lazarus, Jim Lee, Paul Levitz, David Lloyd, Patricia Lupoff, Richard A. Lupoff, Patrick McDonnell, Rebecca Moesta, Christopher Moore, Grant Morrison, Alex Niño, Ethan Nicolle, Malachai Nicolle, Anders Nilsen, Jerry Robinson, Bill Schelly, Scott Shaw, Louise Simonson, Walter Simonson, Jeff Smith, Frank Stack, Jim Steranko, Cameron Stewart, Dave Stewart, J. Michael Straczynski, Mark Tatulli, Roy Thomas, Maggie Thompson, Peter J. Tomasi, Scott Westerfeld, and Ashley Wood
• July 29–31: Steel City Con (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA)
• August 6–7: CAPTION: "Austerity" (East Oxford Community Centre, Oxford, England, UK)
• August 11–14: Wizard World Chicago (Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, Illinois, USA) — official guests: Jim Cheung, Brian Azzarello, Eduardo Risso, Gregg Hurwitz, Ariel Olivetti, Electra Avellan, Elise Avellan, Morena Baccarin, Betsy Baker, Julia Benson, Amy Bruni, David Della Rocco, Hal Delrich, Ted DiBiase, Brandon DiCamillo, Kelly Donovan, Lou Ferrigno, Dan Fogler, Gil Gerard, Noah Hathaway, Alaina Huffman, Maria Kanellis, Patricia Kara, Ken Anderson, Clare Kramer, Mercedes McNab, Barbara Nedeljáková, Gena Lee Nolin, Miguel Nunez, Kai Owen, Chandler Riggs, Ellen Sandweiss, Daniel Stewart, Theresa Tilly, Lisa Marie Varon, Val Venis, Virgil, Torrie Wilson, Eric Adams, Dave Atkins, Brian Azzarello, Franco Aureliani, Art Baltazar, Jolly Blackburn, Ian Boothby, Tom Brazelton, Brimstone, Jeffrey Brown, Ivan Brunetti, Steve Bryant, Jim Calafiore, Matt Campbell, David Campiti, Lilli Carré, C. Martin Croker, Geof Darrow, Daxiong, Mike Deodato, Jeff Easley, Larry Elmore, Alan Evans, Ben Fisher, Nathan Fox, Kevin Freeman, Gary Friedrich, Paul Friedrich, Patrick Gleason, Michael Golden, Mike Grell, Pia Guerra, Michael Harvey, Tom Hodges, Greg Horn, Paul Jenkins, Nat Jones, Don Kramer, Mike Lynch, David W. Mack, Nina Matsumoto, Glenn McCoy, Mike McKone, John Jackson Miller, Jeff Miracola, B. Clay Moore, Stuart Moore, Paul Mounts, Mark A. Nelson, Rafael Nieves, Angus Oblong, Ariel Olivetti, Eric Olsen, Phil Ortiz, Dan Parent, Jim Pavelec, Justin Pierce, Andrew Pepoy, John Porcellino, Nate Powell, Humberto Ramos, Bill Reinhold, Eduardo Risso, Tim Seeley, Bill Sienkiewicz, Mike Stoklasa, William Stout, Arthur Suydam, Ben Templesmith, Mark Texeira, Koi Turnbull, Ethan Van Sciver, Matt Wagner, Chris Walker, Steve Wallace, Freddie Williams II, David Willis, Renée Witterstaetter, and David Wong
• August 20–21: Baltimore Comic-Con (Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA)
• August 27: ComiCONN (Stamford, Connecticut, USA)
• August 25–28: Fan Expo Canada (Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada) — 80,000 attendees; guests include William Shatner, Hayden Panettiere, Tom Felton, Eliza Dushku, Katee Sackhoff, John Astin, Anthony Daniels, Robert Englund, Lexa Doig, Vic Mignogna, Jeff Smith, Junko Mizuno, Lee Majors, Gary Kurtz, Kevin Sorbo, Michael Shanks, Barbara Eden, Larry Hagman, Michael Biehn, Nichelle Nichols, Marina Sirtis, Ethan Phillips, Malcolm McDowell, John Waters, Elvira, Doug Bradley, Danielle Harris, Tom Savini, Heather Brewer, Robert J. Sawyer, Martin Landau, Colleen Clinkenbeard, Caitlin Glass, Veronica Taylor, Lance Henriksen, Christopher Sabat, Mike McFarland, Brad Swaile, Joe Kubert, Anna Silk, Tony Moore, Tony Daniel, Andy Kubert, Adam Kubert, Stuart Immonen, Steve McNiven, Ethan Van Sciver, Chris Claremont, Dan DiDio, C.B. Cebulski, Steve Epting, Matt Fraction, David Finch, Jason Aaron, James Robinson, Fred Van Lente, Jill Thompson, Dan Slott, Alex Maleev, Yanick Paquette, Dale Eaglesham, Jonathan Hickman, Dale Keown, Jimmy Cheung, Jason Deline, Victor Lucas, Scott Jones, Tommy Tallarico, Jarett Cale, Ed Greenwood, Robin D. Laws, Casts of Todd and the Book of Pure Evil, Lost Girl, Dark Rising, Medium Raw: Night of the Wolf, Pure Pwnage, Electric Playground, and Reviews on the Run and surprise guest Guillermo del Toro
• September 2–5: Dragon Con (Hyatt Regency Atlanta/Marriott Marquis/Atlanta Hilton/Sheraton/Westin Peachtree Plaza, Atlanta, Georgia, USA) — 46,000 attendees; guests included Glenn Barr, Julie Bell, Joe Benitez, J. Scott Campbell, Amanda Conner, Darwyn Cooke, Peter David, Mike Grell, Karl Kesel, Stan Lee, Todd Lockwood, Don Maitz, Mike McKone, Jimmy Palmiotti, George Pérez, Don Rosa, Jim Starlin, Peter Steigerwald, Jim Steranko, William Stout, Koi Turnbull, Boris Vallejo, Michael Whelan, Bernie Wrightson, and Derek Yaniger
• September 10–11: El Paso Comic Con (El Paso, Texas)
• September 10–11: Small Press Expo (Bethesda, Maryland, USA)
• September 17–18: Montreal Comiccon (Place Bonaventure, Montreal, Quebec, Canada) — 20,000+ attendees; guests include Stan Lee (Guest of Honour), Adam West, Burt Ward, James Marsters, Doug Bradley, Sid Haig, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis, David Prowse (canceled), Clare Kramer, Mercedes McNab, Jeremy Bulloch, Maria de Aragon, Gil Gerard, Erin Gray, Noelle Hannibal, Neal Adams, Josh Adams, Sergio Aragonés, Jim Starlin (canceled), Stan Sakai, Gail Simone, Joe Benitez, Pia Guerra, Ian Boothby, Herb Trimpe, Dale Eaglesham, Vic Mignogna, Dany, Sgt Slaughter, Rick Martel, and Todd van der Heyden
• September 17–18: New England Comic-Con (Boston, Massachusetts, USA)
• September 24–25: Wizard World Los Angeles (Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, California) — event postponed on August 15, 2011
• October 1–2: Alternative Press Expo (Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco, California, USA)
• October 11–14: New York Comic Con (Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, New York City, USA)
• October 22–23: Mid-Ohio Con (Greater Columbus Convention Center, Columbus, Ohio) — headline guests: Adam West, Burt Ward, Rob Liefeld; other guests: David W. Mack, Bill Sienkiewicz, Jeff Smith, Arthur Suydam, Pasqual Ferry, Mike Grell, Greg Horn, Phil Jimenez, Michael Golden, Mark Texeira, Charles Skaggs, Chris Sprouse, Eric Wight, Eliza Frye, Steve Hamaker, Ed Piskor, Thomas Scioli, Marc Sumerak, Carol Tyler, and Ryan Ottley
• October 28–30: Central Canada Comic Con (Winnipeg Convention Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) — guests include William Shatner, Jonathan Frakes, Kevin Sorbo, Kate Vernon, Ethan Phillips, Nana Visitor, Chase Masterson, Adrienne Wilkinson, Maria de Aragon, and Bret "The Hitman" Hart
• October 28–31: Armageddon Auckland Expo (ASB Showgrounds, Auckland, New Zealand)
• November 5–6: Comikaze Expo (Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, California) — 35,000 attendees; guests include Stan Lee, Elvira, Mark Hamill, Tony Todd, Ernest Borgnine, Tippi Hedren, Morgan Fairchild, Jhonen Vasquez, Lisa Foiles, Kel Mitchell, Josh Server, Robert Venditti, Marina Sirtis, Garrett Wang, Robert Beltran, Lori Beth Denberg, Cast of Nickelodeon's All That, Cast of Sushi Girl, Cast of Bad Kids Go to Hell, Cast of Police Academy, Select Cast of Star Trek Voyager and Deep Space 9, Top Shelf Comics, Top Cow Comics, Pow! Entertainment
• November 5: WildPig Comic Convention (Holiday Inn, Somerset, New Jersey) — official guests include Neil Vokes, Fernando Ruiz, and Rudy Nebres
• November 8–13: Komikazen (Ravenna, Italy) — guests include Amir & Khalil, Seth Tobocman, and Ganzeer
• November 11–13: Austin Comic Con (Austin, Texas) — run by Wizard Entertainment
• November 24: Genghis Con (Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland, Ohio) — guests included John Porcellino

First issues by title

'68

Release: April by Image Comics. Writer: Mark Kidwell, Artists: Nat Jones and Jay Fotos

All Fall Down

Release: by Arcana Studios. Writer: Casey Jones. Artists: Jason Reeves, Gian Fernando, Brian Brinlee, Anvit Randeria, Cirque Studios, and Pericles Junior.

Annihilators

Release: March by Marvel Comics. Writers: Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning Artist: Tan Eng Huat

Avenging Spider-Man

Release: November by Marvel Comics. Writer: Zeb Wells Artist: Joe Madureira

Bad Island

Release: August by Grafix. Writer: Doug TenNapel Artist: Doug TenNapel

Batman: Arkham City

Release: July by DC Comics. Writer: Paul Dini Artist: Carlos D'Anda

Drums

Release: May by Image. Writer: El Torres Artist: Abe Hernando

Fear Itself

Release: March by Marvel Comics. Writer: Matt Fraction Artist: Stuart Immonen

Graveyard of Empires

Release: June by Image Comics. Writer: Mark Sable Artist: Paul Azaceta

The Last of the Greats

Release: October by Image Comics. Writer: Joshua Hale Fialkov Artist: Brent Peeples

Near Death

Release: September by Image Comics. Writer: Jay Faerber Artist: Simone Guglielmini

Spaceman

Release: October by Vertigo. Writer: Brian Azzarello Artist: Eduardo Risso

Super Dinosaur

Release: April by Image Comics (Skybound imprint). Writer: Robert Kirkman Artist: Jason Howard

Wolverine and the X-Men

Release: October by Marvel Comics. Writer: Jason Aaron Artist: Chris Bachalo

See also

• List of The New York Times Manga Best Sellers of 2011