2005 in comics

January

January 31: John R. Norton begins the George comic strip

April

April 13:

DC Comics announces the discontinuation of its Humanoids and 2000 AD titles.

Powerade and DC Comics show the first of four new online comics (at http://www.flava23.com) starring LeBron James as superhero "King James". Written by Ron Perazza with art by Rick Leonardi (Batgirl).

April 20: DC Comics launches the new DC Direct website (at http://www.dcdirectonline.com).

April 26: Artist Ed Benes (Superman) extends his exclusive agreement with DC Comics for an additional three years.

April 28:

Marvel Enterprises and Paramount Pictures announce an agreement under which Paramount will distribute up to ten films over an eight-year period to be produced by Marvel.

Marvel Enterprises announces settlement of all pending litigation with Stan Lee over claims for participation in profits from various sources.

Marvel Comics announces the creation of a custom comic book written by Brian Michael Bendis (Ultimate Spider-Man, The New Avengers) and featuring superheroes such as Spider-Man, Captain America and the Fantastic Four in a military-themed storyline. More than one million copies of the "Salute Our Troops" comic book were to be distributed to the troops and their families in May.

May

May 5: Artist George Pérez (The New Teen Titans, Wonder Woman, Justice League of America) signs a 5-year exclusive agreement with DC Comics.

May 19: Artist J. G. Jones (Villains United, Wonder Woman) signs a 2-year exclusive contract with DC Comics.

May 31: Artist Bart Sears (Captain America and the Falcon) signs a 2-year exclusive agreement with DC Comics.

June

June 6: Artists Adam Kubert (Ultimate Fantastic Four, Ultimate X-Men) and Andy Kubert (Marvel 1602, Origin, Ultimate Iron Man, Ultimate X-Men) sign 3-year exclusive agreements with DC Comics.

June 11: Harvey Awards winners announced.

June 28: Artist Justiniano (Day of Vengeance, The Human Race) signs a 2-year exclusive contract with DC Comics.

July

July 12: Writer Bill Willingham (Fables) renews his exclusive contract with DC Comics for an additional two years.

July 13:

DC Online launches a new website for kids (at http://www.dccomics.com/dckids/) featuring Johnny DC.

DC Comics' DC Direct announces the new Looney Tunes Golden Collection action figure series. The sculptures would be officially unveiled later in the week at San Diego's Comic-Con.

July 15: Eisner Awards ceremony is held at the Comic-Con International convention in San Diego.

July 19:

Joe Quesada extends his contract agreement with Marvel Comics, and in addition to his current role as Editor-in-Chief, he will take on the added role as the Chief Creative Officer, Publishing.

July 26: Writer Mark Waid (Legion of Super-Heroes, Empire) signs a 2-year exclusive agreement with DC Comics.

August

The webcomic Crying Macho Man by Jose Cabrera goes live

August 2: Artist Tony Daniel (Teen Titans, Spawn, X-Force) signs a 2-year exclusive agreement with DC Comics.

September

September 6:

The New York Times is to carry a comic strip by Chris Ware within its pages. Editor and Media magazine

Marvel has changed its corporate name to Marvel Entertainment, Inc and is to produce its own movies based upon comics characters such as Captain America, Nick Fury and the Avengers. Newsarama

September 8: Contributors have been announced for the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund's annual SPX anthology. Scott Morse and Jordan Crane are amongst the forty creators. Newsarama

September 12: Doonesbury is dropped and then promptly reinstated by The Guardian. The Comics reporter

September 13:

The Ignatz Awards nominees are announced, with Gilbert Hernandez receiving three nominations. The Comics Reporter

Dynamic Forces acquire license to print comics based on the Highlander films and television series. Newsarama

September 19: Joe Ferrara is elected to the Board of Directors of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Newsarama

September 20: Marvel Comics announce Neil Gaiman's next project as being related to The Eternals. Newsarama

September 21:

Art Spiegelman's next project, Portrait of the Artist as a Young %@?*!, is to be serialised in the Virginia Quarterly Review, commencing in the Fall 2005 issue. The Comics Reporter

Mort Leav, co-creator of The Heap, passes away at age 88.

September 22: Bill Watterson answers fifteen selected questions from fans around the world to publicise the upcoming release of The Complete Calvin and Hobbes. Andrews McMeel press release

September 23:The two-day Small Press Expo opens with Harvey Pekar as special guest.

September 25: The 2005 Ignatz Awards are announced at the Small Press Expo. Amongst the winners were David B, voted the Outstanding Artist and Persepolis 2: The Story of a Return, voted Outstanding Graphic Novel. The Beat The Comics Reporter

October

October 1: Lea Hernandez steps down as editor of Girlamatic.com, to be replaced by Lisa Jonté. comixpedia

October 3: Jay Stephens launches his own blog [1]. The Comics Reporter

October 4: The Complete Calvin and Hobbes is released. The Comics Reporter

October 5: Matt Madden is interviewed by Bookslut. Bookslut

October 8: Art Spiegelman is one of 196 inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Boston.com

October 10:

Dark Horse licenses the rights to reprint a number of manga titles, including Juon. ICv2.com

Peter Schjeldahl of The New Yorker analyses graphic novels. The New Yorker

October 11: Marvel 1602 wins the inaugural graphic novel Quill Award. The Comics Reporter

October 13: The tenth annual International Comic Arts Festival begins in Washington, D.C.. ICAF

October 14:

Lynd Ward is profiled by In These Times. InTheseTimes

The Oberlin Review profiles Marjane Satrapi. Oberlin Review

Maus and Beyond, an exhibition looking at comic book and graphic novel portrayals of the Shoah, opens at the Centennial College, Toronto. It runs until November 30. Newsarama

October 16: Bob Andelman, biographer of Will Eisner, picks 10 graphic novels for a beginner to start with. Detroit News

October 17:

Charles Burns is interviewed by The Book Standard. The Book Standard

The Melvin Gelman Library of George Washington University is to add 300 graphic novels to its collection. GWHatchet

The New York Times profile Little Nemo in Slumberland: So Many Splendid Sundays!, a collection of Little Nemo strips publishing them as originally printed. New York Times

Hunt Emerson has adapted John Ruskin's Unto This Last into comics format, retitling the work How To Be Rich. Two-thirds of the 15,000 print run will be distributed to secondary schools in the United Kingdom. New Statesman

Tom Gill, former Lone Ranger artist, dies. The Comics Reporter

October 18:

Dale Eaglesham signs a two-year exclusive contract with DC Comics. Newsarama

Watchmen is named as one of Time magazine's top 100 English language novels published since 1923. Time

Carla Speed McNeil launches the online serialisation [2] of Finder. McNeil has suspended the publication of the work in comic book format, although serials will still be collected and published as graphic novels. The Comics Reporter

October 20: Dave Sim and Al Nickerson place a DC Comics contract, as annotated by Sim, on the web. [See also: Creator's Bill of Rights]

October 23: Joe Sacco is profiled by The Oregonian. The Oregonian

October 24:

Roger Stern is interviewed by Newsarama. newsarama

October 26: Stephen King is to launch a comic book series with Marvel Comics based upon his Dark Tower series. Newsarama

October 27:

The latest Xeric grants are announced. Newsarama

Image Comics launches a new website. Newsarama

Thomas N. Thornton, CEO of Andrews McMeel Publishing, responds to perceived criticisms of the company's new Calvin and Hobbes collection. Editor & Publisher

Michael Kilian, current writer of the Dick Tracy comic strip, dies. Chicago Tribune

Todd McFarlane is to be guest of honor at February 2006's inaugural New York Comic-con. The Beat

October 31:

Carly Berwick laments the lack of great female comic book artists. Art News Online

The Guardian profiles Chris Ware. The Guardian

November

November 2:

Scott Morse announces he is to launch his own imprint, Red Window. He has established a distribution deal for his imprint with AdHouse Books. ICv2.com

November 3: Mark Millar announces he is to take a six-month sabbatical from comics for health reasons. Newsarama

November 4:

The Harvey Awards have ended their ties with New York's Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art and are now to be presented at the Baltimore Comic-Con, with the 19th awards to be presented on Saturday, September 9, 2006. Newsarama

Don Bluth donates over a million pieces of artwork to the Savannah College of Art and Design. The donation consists of animation cels, preliminary sketches and associated drawings. Newsarama

Alan Moore is interviewed in The Independent. The Independent

November 6: It is reported that Thomas Hayden Church is to play Sandman in the Spider-Man 3 movie. Newsarama

November 7:

Slate present a slide show essay on Calvin and Hobbes. Slate

Newspapers in the United States are reported to be considering carrying manga strips from January 2006. The two strips reportedly up for inclusion are Van Von Hunter and Peach Fuzz. Seattle Post Intelligencer

November 8: Alan Moore is profiled by Publishers Weekly. Publishers Weekly

November 9:

Marvel releases its third quarter financial statement. Newsarama

IDT Entertainment announce an animated Hellboy project. Newsarama

November 10: Paramount has optioned the movie rights to Charles Burns' recently completed graphic novel, Black Hole. Fantagraphics

November 11:

Arnold Drake is interviewed by newsarama. newsarama

Pulitzer prize winner Michael Ramirez discusses the L.A. Times decision to let him go. Editor and Publisher

David Simpson is fired by Tulsa World amid allegations of plagiarism. Associated Press

November 12: The Los Angeles Times profiles selected artists featured in the "Masters of American Comics" exhibition, which opens at Los Angeles' Hammer Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art on November 20. Los Angeles Times

November 14: Chris Morgan, (The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift) is hired to draft a script for Universal's adaptation of DC Comics The Psycho, by James Hudnall and Dan Brereton. Newsarama

November 15: Daniel Acuña signs an exclusive contract with DC Comics. Newsarama

November 16:

Kevin "KAL" Kallaugher, editorial cartoonist of The Baltimore Sun, has been offered a buyout along with other members of the paper's staff. Editor & Publisher

Harvey Pekar takes his American Splendor series to Vertigo, with a mini-series slated for 2006 with Dean Haspiel handling some of the art chores. Newsarama

November 17:

Steve Lafler moves to self publishing his next works. Lafler's blog

Doug Harvey writes of 10 Comics That Shook The World in LA Weekly LA Weekly

November 18: The trailer for Superman Returns is released. Newsarama

November 19: Nominees for the second Grand Prix RTL de la BD are announced. ActuaBD

November 20:

The New York Times reviews Absolute Watchmen, an expanded collection of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' comic book series of the 1980s. The New York Times

It is reported that Posy Simmonds and Raymond Briggs are to be featured on the cover of the 2006 edition of the Royal Society of Literature's annual magazine, having been made fellows of the society earlier this year. The Observer

November 21:

Time magazine has archived its articles related to comics - Time archive. The Comics Reporter

November 22: The United Kingdom's Press Gazette names its 40 most influential journalists, and includes three cartoonists, Gerald Scarfe, Carl Giles, and Matt Pritchett. Media Bulletin

November 23:

Duncan Fegredo is to provide art for the 2006 Hellboy miniseries, Darkness Calls. Newsarama

Marvel Comics allows fans to vote on writer Chris Claremont's next project via its website. Newsarama

Marvel also launch the podcasting of company press conferences via its website. newsarama

November 27: Claypool Comics asks for consumer help to ensure Diamond Comics Distributors continue to carry their products. Newsarama

November 28:

The Association des Critiques de Bande Dessinee announces the fifteen works it is considering for its Prix de la Critique . Joe Kubert's Yossel: 19 Avril 1943 is amongst those in the running for the award, won in 2004 by the French edition of Blankets by Craig Thompson. The Comics Reporter

Malaysian cartoonist Lat is awarded a Special Jury Award at the 2004 Malaysian Press Institute (MPI)-Petronas Journalism Awards. New Straits Times

Archie Comics and The Veronicas settle their dispute over the rights to the name The Veronicas. Business Wire

The New York Times explores the use the two biggest American comic book publishers have made of the epic storyline in their releases this year. The New York Times

RK Laxman's Brushing Up the Years: A Cartoonist's History of India 1947-2004 is published. NDTV.Com

November 29:

Christian Lax wins the second Grand Prix RTL de la BD. ToutenBD

According to reports, the Cartoon Network will not be commissioning a sixth series of the animated Teen Titans series. Newsarama

November 30, 2005:

Slate magazine re-evaluate Watchmen in the wake of the release of the Absolute Watchmen edition. Slate

December

December 1, 2005:

Lorenzo Mattotti is awarded the Grand Prix by the jury at the Blois comics festival. The Comics Reporter

Selected DC Comics superheroes are to appear on United States postage stamps in 2006. The Comics Reporter

Four of the seven charges against comics retailer Gordon Lee have been dropped. Lee still faces three misdemeanor counts of Distribution of Harmful to Minors Material charges. The Comics Reporter

December 3, 2005:

The That's Life panel, by Mike Twohy, ends. The Comics Reporter

Marvel Comics: The line of comics based upon Stephen King's Dark Tower series is to be pushed back until February 2007. Newsarama

December 4, 2005: Pakisatini based group Jamaat-e-Islami, have placed a price of around €7,000 upon the head of what it believes to be one cartoonist of 12 cartoons. The cartoons were actually drawn by separate illustrators, and were solicited by Denmark newspaper Jyllands-Posten as part of an editorial point regarding commentary on public figures. The Comics Reporter

December 5, 2005:

It is reported that Fox are to make a sequel to this year's Fantastic Four movie, with a proposed release date of July 4, 2007. Newsarama

The Webcomics Examiner announces its Web comics of 2005. Web Comics Examiner

Les Mauvaises Gens, by Etienne Davodeau, wins Grand Prix de la Critique for 2005. The prize is awarded by L'Association des Critique et Journalistes de Bandes Dessinees. BdZoom

The trailer for X3 is launched online. Newsarama

December 6, 2005:

ICv2 announces it is to host a Graphic Novel Conference at the New York Comic-Con. ICv2

Chris Batista signs an exclusive agreement with DC Comics. Newsarama

It is reported Stephen King's role in the line of comics based on his Dark Tower series will be "Executive Editor and Creative Director". Newsarama

Bill Jemas announces plans to launch a comic book line. ICv2

December 7, 2005:

The Angoulême Festival announces the nominees under consideration for awards at the 2006 festival. Charles Schulz, Jeff Smith, Chris Ware and Jaime Hernandez are amongst the many contenders. The Comics Reporter

Italian cartoonist Gipi wins the Prix Goscinny, an annual prize awarded by jury and named in honour of Rene Goscinny. The Comics Reporter

December 8, 2005:

Pierre Wazem wins the Swiss Prix International de la Ville de Geneve. Papiers-gras.com

Warren Ellis is to revamp Marvel's New Universe line, originally launched in 1986 by Jim Shooter. newsarama

Jonathan Shapiro, cartoonist for the Cape Times under the pen name Zapiro, wins the Principal Prince Claus Award. IOL

Canada's Doug Wright Awards are to become an annual affair. The Comics Reporter

December 9, 2005: Bill Griffith and James Sturm are interviewed by Washington Post comics page editor Suzanne Tobin online. The Washington Post

December 11, 2005: Roger Sabin reviews recent graphic novels in The Observer. The Observer

December 12, 2005:

American cartoonists participate in "Black Ink Monday", producing cartoons for publication based upon the decline in the number of newspapers which keep an editorial cartoonist on staff. The Comics Reporter

Tom Spurgeon interviews Comic Book Legal Defence Fund Executive Director Charles Brownstein. The Comics Reporter

December 13, 2005: The Village Voice nominates three graphic novels within its favorite 25 books of the year. The Village Voice

December 14, 2005: Archie Goodwin and Al Williamson's run on the Flash Gordon strip is to be collected by Image Comics and Eva Ink Publishing. Newsarama

December 15, 2005:

Marvel Comics settles its lawsuit with City of Heroes over trademark and copyright issues. Out-Law.com

The judges for the 2006 Eisner Awards are announced. The Comics Reporter

December 17, 2005:

Jacques Faizant, cartoonist on Le Figaro, retires. The Times

Andrew Arnold of Time opinion on the ten best comics works released in 2005. Time

December 19, 2005: It is reported that cartoonist Joe Martin is to launch his own syndicate to better promote his own work. He was previously syndicated by Tribune Media Services. Editor & Publisher

December 20, 2005:

Ben Katchor's new strip is to be debuted in The Forward. Open Public Relations

Comixpedia names its 25 People in Webcomics for 2005. Comixpedia

December 26, 2005:

Marvel Comics is to produce custom sized comic book inserts featuring Spider-Man for distribution via newspapers. The Comics Reporter

December 28, 2005:

Cartoonists Mike Luckovich and Mike Peters nominate some of their favorite editorial cartoons of the year. npr

Audrey Puente reports on A New Golden Age of Comics for CBS. CBS

Kurt Busiek signs an exclusive two-year agreement with DC Comics. Newsarama

It is reported that Robert Crumb has filed suit against Amazon regarding usage of his Keep on Truckin' image. The Comics Reporter

December 29, 2005: A sale of cartoon art opens in London, with artwork of Dan Dare strips by Frank Hampson amongst the work offered for sale. BBC

December 30, 2005:

Scott McCloud is planning to tour the United States in support of his forthcoming book, Making Comics. The Comics Reporter, China Daily

A Turkish court of appeal has overturned a decision which saw the newspaper Evrensel fined $8000 because of a cartoon by Sefer Selvi which caused Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to sue for defamation. The Comics Reporter

December 31, 2005:

Modern Tales announces it is to expand its operations and launch free webcomic strips, supported by advertising. Talk About Comics blog

January

January 3: Will Eisner, creator of The Spirit, dies at age 87.

April

April 5: Dale Messick, creator of Brenda Starr, dies at age 98.

May

May 23: John Albano, co-creator of Jonah Hex, dies at age 82.

June

June 17: Charlie Schlingo, French cartoonist, dies at age 49 from the result of an accidental fall.

June 23: Sam Kweskin, who worked for Marvel Comics, passes away at age 81.

July

July 19: Jim Aparo, who worked for DC Comics, dies at age 72.

July 27: Marten Toonder, creator of Tom Puss and Panda, dies at age 93.

August

August 10: Filipino komik artist Mar Amongo dies at age 68.

September

September 13: Raymond Chiavarino a/k/a Maric dies. The Comics Reporter

October

October 24: Bill Fraccio, long-time Charlton Comics artist, dies at age 85.

November

November 20: Cartoonist Lou Myers dies. The New York Times

November 21: The Guardian cartoonist David Austin dies. BBC

November 26: Berenstain Bears author Stan Berenstain dies. The Comics Reporter

November 30: Jim Sasseville dies, aged 78. Sasseville was a former collaborator with and colleague of Charles Schulz. The Comics Reporter

December

December 7: The death of Bill Fraccio is announced as having occurred "about three weeks ago". Fraccio, who got his start in the Golden Age, worked for EC, Hillman Publications, Dell Comics, and others, and at Charlton Comics from 1956-79. News From Me

December 18: Cuban cartoonist Rafael Fornes Collado dies. The Comics Reporter

December 26,: Bud Blake, creator of Tiger, dies aged 87 years old. The Comics Reporter

December 31: Maurice Dodd, writer of The Perishers since the late 1950s, dies. BBC

December 31: Jean Ollivier, French comic book creator and the writer behind Vaillant, dies. The Comics Reporter

Exhibitions and shows

Nov. 20, 2005 – March 12, 2006: Hammer Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (MOCA) (Los Angeles) — "Masters of American Comics," featuring the work of Winsor McCay, Lyonel Feininger, George Herriman, E. C. Segar, Frank King, Chester Gould, Milton Caniff, and Charles M. Schulz at the Hammer Museum; and Will Eisner, Jack Kirby, Harvey Kurtzman, Robert Crumb, Art Spiegelman, Gary Panter, and Chris Ware at MOCA; curated by John Carlin and Brian Walker

First issues by title

These comic books were the first issued in each series.

Apocalypse Nerd

Released: January by Dark Horse Comics. Writer & Artist: Peter Bagge

Archaic

Released: May by Fenickx Productions LLC. Writer: James S. Abrams. Artist: Brett Marting

Batman: Dark Detective

Released: May 4 by DC Comics. Writer: Steve Englehart. Artists: Marshall Rogers and Terry Austin.

Blade for Barter

Release: February by Seven Seas Entertainment. Writer: Jason DeAngelis Artist: Honoel A. Ibardolaza

Daredevil vs. Punisher

Release: July 6 by Marvel Comics (Marvel Knights imprint). Writer & Artist: David Lapham.

Fantastic Four: House of M

Release: July 6 by Marvel Comics. Writer: John Layman. Artist: Scot Eaton.

Great Lakes Avengers

Release: April 6 by Marvel Comics. Writer: Dan Slott. Artist: Paul Pelletier.

House of M

Release: June 1 by Marvel Comics. Writer: Brian Michael Bendis. Artist: Olivier Coipel.

Hunter-Killer

Release: March 17 by Top Cow Productions. Writer: Mark Waid. Artist: Marc Silvestri.

Young Avengers

Release: February 9 by Marvel Comics. Writer: Allan Heinberg. Artist: Jim Cheung.

Young Avengers #1 "Director's Cut"

Release: March 16 by Marvel Comics.

Conventions

January 22–23: Big Apple Comic Con I (Penn Plaza Pavilion, New York City)

February 5–6: Emerald City ComiCon (Qwest Field Event Center, Seattle, Washington) — guests include Adam Kubert, Jhonen Vasquez, Tony Harris, Josh Middleton, Travis Charest, Cary Nord, Steve McNiven, Mike Choi, Russ Heath, Michael Lark, David Finch, Eric Powell, Dustin Nguyen, Roy Thomas, Andy Owens, Drew Johnson, Pete Woods, Jason Pearson, Tim Sale, Brian Michael Bendis, Kurt Busiek, Robert Kirkman, Jim Cheung, Ed Brubaker, Sean Chen, Peter Bagge, Jim Woodring, Greg Rucka, Alex Maleev, Scott Kurtz, Crab Scrambly, Dexter Vines, Gail Simone, Jay Faerber, John Layman, Ford Gilmore, David Hahn, Matthew Clark, Tom Peyer, Karl Kesel, Rebecca Woods, Jeff Parker, Steve Lieber, Ron Randall, Paul Guinan, Steve Rolston, Takeshi Miyazawa, Dave Stewart, Matt Haley, Bill Schelly, and Steve Sadowski

February 12–13: Dallas Comic Con ("DCC5") (Richardson Civic Center, Richardson, Texas) — guests include Bernie Wrightson, Tim Bradstreet, Steve Niles, Mark Brooks, Jaime Mendoza, Scott Kurtz, Todd Nauck, Raven Gregory, Cal Slayton, and Brian Denham

February 18–20: WonderCon (Moscone Center, San Francisco, California)

February 25–27: MegaCon (Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Florida) — guests include Mark Waid, Mike Deodato, George Pérez, Michael Avon Oeming, Chuck Dixon, Wilson Tortosa, Aaron Lopresti, Marv Wolfman, Ethan Van Sciver, Monte Moore, Phil Jimenez, Tone Rodriguez, Michael T. Gilbert, Roy Thomas, Dan Brereton, Allen Bellman, Gene Colan, George Tuska, Tommy Castillo, Andy Runton, Jinky Coronado, David Campiti, Lou Ferrigno, George Lowe, Richard Hatch, and Gil Gerard

March 5: STAPLE! (BPOE #201, Austin, Texas) — first edition of this convention; guests: Shannon Wheeler, Scott Kurtz, Terry Moore, and Michael Lark

March 18–20: Wizard World Los Angeles (Los Angeles, California) — 24,000 attendees

April: Phoenix Comicon (Glendale, Arizona) — official guests: Todd Nauck and Marv Wolfman

April 1–3: Big Apple Comic Con II (Penn Plaza Pavilion, New York City)

April 9–10: Alternative Press Expo (Concourse Exhibition Center, San Francisco, California)

April 16: Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo (S.P.A.C.E.) (Ohio Expo Center, Rhodes Center, Columbus, Ohio) — special guests: Dave Sim and Gerhard

April 22: Toronto ComiCON Fan Appreciation Event (Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada)

April 22–24: Pittsburgh Comicon (Pittsburgh Expomart, Monroeville, Pennsylvania) — official guests: George Pérez, Tom DeFalco, Ron Frenz, Michael Kaluta, Joe Linsner, Scott McDaniel, Jimmy Palmiotti, Howard Porter, Mark Texeira, Tom Smith, Michael Turner, and Sal Buscema

April 29–May 1: Toronto Comic Con (National Trade Centre, Hall F, Toronto, Ontario, Canada) — guests of honor: Brian Michael Bendis, Warren Ellis, and Jerry Robinson

May 13–15: Motor City Comic Con (Novi, Michigan)

May 13–14: East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention (African American Museum in Philadelphia and Ritter Hall [Temple University], Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) — convention expands to two days

May14–15: Comic Expo (British Empire & Commonwealth Exhibition Hall/Ramada Plaza Hotel, Bristol, United Kingdom) — guests include J. Michael Straczynski, Michael Avon Oeming, Gary Frank, Dave Gibbons, Alan Davis, Brian Bolland, Mike Ploog and Simon Bisley; 2,000 attendees

May 27–29: Toronto Comic Arts Festival (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)

June 3–5: Wizard World Philadelphia (Philadelphia Convention Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) — 27,000 attendees; guest of honor: J. Michael Straczynski

June 11–12: MoCCA Festival (Puck Building, New York City)

June 17–18: Big Apple Comic Con III (Penn Plaza Pavilion, New York City)

June 18–19: Adventure Con 4 (Knoxville Convention Center, Knoxville, Tennessee)

June 24–26: Heroes Convention (Charlotte Convention Center, Charlotte, North Carolina) — guests include Jim Amash, Robert Atkins, Michael Bair, Christian Beranek, Jackson Bostwick, June Brigman, Mark Brooks, Bob Burden, Nick Cardy, Richard Case, John Cassaday, Howard Chaykin, Cliff Chiang, Dave Cockrum, Paty Cockrum, Gene Colan, Steve Conley, Shane Davis, Kim DeMulder, Todd Dezago, Tommy Lee Edwards, Tom Feister, Ken Gale, Dick Giordano, Brandon Graham, Cully Hamner, Tony Harris, Irwin Hasen, Greg Horn, Paul Hornschemeier, Adam Hughes, Jamal Igle, James Jean, Georges Jeanty, Paul Jenkins, Nat Jones, Richard Kiel, James Kochalka, Scott Kurtz, Jason Latour, John Paul Leon, Rick Leonardi, John Lucas, Jonathan Luna, Joshua Luna, David W. Mack, Jim Mahfood, Nathan Massengill, Jeff Mason, Ed McGuinness, Mercedes McNab, Pop Mhan, Joshua Middleton, Chris Moreno, Phil Noto, James O'Barr, Tom Palmer, Jason Pearson, Brandon Peterson, Chris Pitzer, Mike Ploog, Paul Pope, Joe Pruett, Joe Quesada, Budd Root, Don Rosa, Craig Rousseau, Josef Rubinstein, Andy Runton, Alex Saviuk, Scott L. Schwartz, Marie Severin, Dash Shaw, Joe Staton, Brian Stelfreeze, Arthur Suydam, Mark Texeira, Roy Thomas, Tim Townsend, Herb Trimpe, Rob Ullman, Ethan Van Sciver, Mercy Van Vlack, Dexter Vines, Mike Wieringo, Renée Witterstaetter, and Marv Wolfman

June 25–26: London Film and Comic Con (Earls Court Exhibition Centre, London, England, UK)

July 14–17: Comic-Con International (San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, California) — 103,000 attendees; official guests: Lalo Alcaraz, Lee Ames, Sy Barry, Bob Bolling, Bruce Campbell, Nick Cardy, Greg Evans, Bob Fujitani, Pia Guerra, Ray Harryhausen, Phil Jimenez, Robert Jordan, David Lapham, Richard Morgan, Gary Panter, Eric Powell, Lou Scheimer, J. J. Sedelmaier, Dexter Taylor, Brian K. Vaughan, and James Warren

July 30–31: "Bargain Basement CAPTION" (Wolfson College, Oxford, England)

August 5–7: Wizard World Chicago (Rosemont Convention Center, Rosemont, Illinois)

August 26–28: Fan Expo Canada (Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada) — 39,753 attendees; guests include Elijah Wood, Clive Barker, Gary Gygax, James Marsters, Kevin Sorbo, Crispin Glover, Marina Sirtis, Adam Baldwin, Erica Durance, Margot Kidder, Kenny Baker, Elvira, J. Michael Straczynski, Frank Quitely, Mark Bagley, Greg Land, Neal Adams, Jhonen Vasquez, and Peter Laird

September 2–5: Dragon Con (Hyatt Regency Atlanta/Marriott Marquis/Atlanta Hilton, Atlanta, Georgia) — 20,000+ attendees; guests include Robert Jordan, Anne McCaffrey, Basil Gogos, and Jonathan Harris

September 6–11: Jornadas de Cómic (Aviles, Spain)

September 17–18: Big Apple Comic Con IV (Penn Plaza Pavilion, New York City)

September 24–25: Small Press Expo (Bethesda, Maryland)

September 30–October 2: Wizard World Boston (Bayside Expo Center, Dorchester, MA) — guests include John Cassaday, Lou Ferrigno, and Marc Silvestri

September 30: Komikazen (Ravenna, Italy) — first iteration of the nonfiction comics festival; guests include Phoebe Gloeckner, Joe Sacco, and Marjane Satrapi

October 1: Stumptown Comics Fest (Smith Memorial Ballroom, Portland, Oregon) — 80 exhibitor tables; 450 attendees

October 14–15: Comics Salon (Bratislava, Slovakia)

October 15–16: Dallas Comic Con ("DCC6") (Plano Centre, Plano, Texas) — guests include Mark Brooks, Ale Garza, Cliff Chiang, Rich Buckler, Terry Moore, Michael Lark, James O'Barr, Kerry Gammill, Jaime Mendoza, Cat Staggs, Cynthia Cummiens, David Hopkins, Ben Dunn, and Baldo writer Hector Cantú

November 4–6: Wizard World Texas (Arlington Convention Center, Arlington, Texas) — guests include Dan Didio, Ethan Van Sciver, Rob Liefeld, Peter David, Buddy Saunders, Margot Kidder, Sean Astin, and Ron Perlman

November 18–20: Big Apple National Comic Book Art, and Toy Show (Penn Plaza Pavilion, New York City) — guests include Neal Adams, Dick Giordano, Adam Hughes, Paul Chadwick, Sam Kieth, Dave Sim, Jim Starlin, Dean Haspiel, Harvey Pekar, Spain Rodriguez, S. Clay Wilson, Dan Fogel, Jim Woodring, Kim Deitch, Michael Kaluta, Charles Vess, Walt Simonson, Arthur Suydam, Jim Krueger, Michael Avon Oeming, Joseph Michael Linsner, Mitchell Breitweiser, William Tucci, Ken Kelly, Lee Weeks, Mark Schultz, Tania del Rio, Arthur Adams, Michael Lark, Dick Ayers, Danny Fingeroth, Jim Salicrup, Rich Buckler, Mark Texeira, William H. Foster, III, Jim Muniz, Tim Vigil, Joe Vigil, David Quinn, Mirage Studios, Joe Staton, Josh Neufeld, John Lucas, and Ed Piskor

November 19–20: Comic Expo (Metropole Hilton, Brighton, United Kingdom) — guests include Mark Millar, Gilbert Shelton, Dave Gibbons, Sydney Jordan, and Harry Harrison

November 25–26: Mid-Ohio Con (Columbus Hilton Easton, Columbus, Ohio) — 25th anniversary show