Notable events of 1965 in comics.
February
- February 13: The final episode of Jay Heavilin and Frank B. Johnson's Einstein is published.[5]
- February 15: Morrie Turner's Wee Pals makes its debut.[6]
- February 21 - March 2: The first edition of the Salone Internazionale dei Comics is held in Bordighera, Italy.[7] The next edition will take place in Lucca and thus grow out to become the Lucca Comics festival.
- The first issue of Enemy Ace is published.[8]
- In Del Connell and Paul Murry's Phantom Blot story The Phantom Blot meets Super Goof, Goofy’s super-eroic alter ego Super Goof is introduced. In October a magazine is dedicated to him.
April
- April 1: As an April fool's joke, the covers of the rival comic magazines Tintin and Spirou are redesigned to make the Tintin cover look like Spirou and vice versa, complete with restyled logos and lay-out. The joke was thought up by Spirou editor Yvan Delporte in collaboration with Tintin's editors.[13]
- April 4: The Masked Cucumber (Concombre Masqué) makes his debut in Nikita Mandryka's comic Boff in Vaillant. A week later the strange character receives his own long-running spin-off series.[14]
- April 8: The first story of Jidéhem's Sophie is prepublished in Spirou.[15][16]
- April 12: Since Marc Sleen is contractually unable to publish a new The Adventures of Nero story for three months Willy Vandersteen and Eduard De Rop create a cut-and-paste comic strip named De Geschiedenis van Sleenovia, which features Nero characters but drawn by Studio Vandersteen. It runs in De Standaard for three months, but after only three episodes the comic strip is modified for copyright issues, as Het Volk sues De Standaard for making an unauthorized copy of their former hit comic strip. After a few weeks the legal battle is solved and the story is allowed to continue as planned. It runs until 30 June, after which Sleen finally makes the first Nero story for De Standaard.[17]
- April 19: Il Tesoro del pirata, by Gian Luigi Bonelli and Guglielmo Letteri; Tex Willer meets the New Orleans sheriff Nat Mac Kennet, who will become a recurring character in his adventures.
- April 29: in Spirou, Des barbelés sur la prairie by Goscinny and Morris
- April 29: in Pilote, Le cavalier perdu, by Jean-Michel Charlier and Jean Giraud; debut of the silver digger Jim McClure, Blueberry’s recurring sidekick.
- The first issue of the Italian comics magazine Linus is published.[18][19]
July
- July 12: In Charles M. Schulz' Peanuts Snoopy first tries to write a novel, which becomes a running gag.[10]
- July 13: Bob De Moor's experimental gag comic Balthazar debuts in Tintin. [28]
- July 22: Alfred Bestall concludes his final Rupert Bear story. The comic is continued by Alex Cubie and Jenny Kisler.[29]
- July 20: in Le journal de Tintin, Piège pour Ric Hochet, by André-Paul Duchâteau and Tibet.
- July 24–25: The first Detroit Triple Fan Fair is held in Detroit, Michigan by Shel Dorf, Jerry Bails, Carl Lundgren, Tom Altschuler, Ed April, Noel Cooper, Gary Crowdus, Howard Devore, Marvin Giles, Dennis Kowicki, Larry Larson, Eugene Seeger and Robert Brosch. Although a convention for various multigenre it features comic books as a major component too, making it the oldest regularly held comic book convention in the world. It will run until 1977.[30][31][32]
September
- September 5: The comic strip Eek and Meek, by Howie Schneider, begins syndication.
- September 6: Formiche rosse (Red Ants), by Gian Luigi Bonelli and Guglielmo Letteri ; the Egyptian El Morisco, scholar of occult arts and partner of Tex Willer in many stories of a supernatural nature, makes his debut.[33]
- September 9 : in Pilote, Asterix in Britain, by Goscinny and Uderzo.
- September 17: Gli adoratori del sole (The sun’s worshippers) by Guido Nolitta and Gallieno Ferri; the clumsy detective Bat Batterton, recurring character in the Zagor’s adventures, make his debut.[34]
- September 18: The first issue of the British comics magazine Ranger is published. It will run until 18 June 1966. In its first issue Mike Butterworth and Don Lawrence's The Trigan Empire makes its debut.[35]
- September 20: Bob Weber Sr.'s Moose makes its debut, which will be retitled to Moose Miller in 1971 and eventually Moose & Molly in 1998. The series will continue until 2020.[36][37]
- September 30:
- The final episode of Red Ryder is published.[38]
- The final issue of Help! is published.[39]
- Dutch comics artist Marten Toonder moves to Greystones, Ireland.[40]
November
- November 26: The first French satellite A-1 is launched, which is later renamed Astérix, after the eponymous comics character.[42]
January
- January 1: Leo Morey, Peruvian-American illustrator and comics artist, dies at age 65.[51]
- January 21:
- Carl Buettner, American illustrator and comics artist (Disney comics), dies at age 61.[52]
- Reino Helismaa, Finnish lyricist, musician and comics writer (Maan mies Marsissa [53]), dies at age 51.[54]
- Specific date unknown: January: U.S. Abell, American comics artist and illustrator (made Christian comics), dies at age 78.[55]
June
- June 5: Vernon Greene, American comics artist (continued Bringing Up Father), dies at age 64.[59]
- June 11: Fougasse, British cartoonist (Punch), dies at age 77.[60]
- June 11: Frank Tinsley, American illustrator and comic artist (Bill Barnes, Yankee Doodle A.K.A. Captain Yank), dies at age 65.[61]
- Specific date unknown: Roy Wilson, British comics artist (George the Jolly Gee Gee, Chimpo's Circus worked for Funny Wonder, Film Fun and TV Fun), dies at age 64.[62]
July
- July 14: Marianne Frimberger, Austrian children's book illustrator and comics artist (Die fünf Negerlein), dies at age 88.[63]
August
- August 2: Ving Fuller, American comics artist (Doc Syke), dies at age 62.[64]
- August 15: Julio E. Suárez, Uruguayan radio presenter, painter, caricaturist, teacher, journalist and comics artist (Peloduro, Cocona en el país de las Hormigas), dies at age 59.[65]
September
- September 1: René Giffey, French illustrator and comics artist (Ninette et Cloclo, M. Dupont, Détective, Nigaude et Malicette, Les Frôle-la-Mort, Jean Lion le Spahi, Les Assiégés de Médine, Le Capitaine Fracasse, Les Compagnons de Jéhu, Cinq-Mars, Colomba, La Vénus d'Ille and Carmen, continued L'Espiègle Lili), dies at age 81.[66]
- September 11: Valentí Castanys Borràs, Spanish radio presenter and comics artist (Pepito Holmes, Sergapo, el Lusitano, El vado del valor, Andanzas de Loanillo, Don Bartolo, Gotán, el Mono Sabio), dies at age 67.[67]
- September 12: André Galland, French illustrator, journalist, poster designer and comics artist (Achille Costaud, Ninette et Cloclo, continued L'Espiègle Lili and Marco, Gars du Voyage), dies at age 79.[68]
- September 21: Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, American pulp magazine writer and entrepreneur (founder of DC Comics), dies at age 75.
October
- October 18: Conrado W. Massaguer, Cuban cartoonist and comics artist, dies at age 76.[69]
November
- November 9: Eduardo Abela, Cuban comics artist, painter and illustrator (El Bobo), dies at age 76.[70]
December
- December 8: Jack Gordon, British comics artist (worked for The Beano), dies at age 74 or 75.[71]
- December 15: Albert Dorne, American ilustrator and comic artist (made advertising comics), dies at age 59. [72]
Specific date unknown
- Robert Louis Raemakers, Jr., Dutch illustrator and comics artist (continued Flippie Flink), dies at age 55 or 56 from injuries he suffered during a car accident.[73]
- Maurice Ketten, Italian comics artist (Can You Beat It, Such Is Life, Poor Little Income), dies at age 89 or 90.[74]
- Quincy Scott, American cartoonist and comics artist (Horseback Honeymoon), dies at age 82 or 83.[75]
DC Comics
- Animal Man, in Strange Adventures #180 (September)
- Beast Boy, in Doom Patrol #99 (November)
- Blockbuster, in Detective Comics #345 (November)
- Donna Troy, in Brave and Bold #60 (July)
- Evil Star, in Green Lantern #37 (June)
- Fisherman, in Aquaman #21 (June)
- Glorith, in Adventure Comics #338 (November)
- Golden Boy, in Adventure Comics #331 (April)
- Immortal Man, in Strange Adventures #177 (June)
- Judomaster, in Special War Series #4 (November)
- Key, in Justice League of America #41 (December)
- Kid Psycho, in Superboy #125 (December)
- Krona, in Green Lantern #40 (October)
- Metamorpho, in Brave and the Bold #57 (January)
- Magnetic Kid, in Adventure Comics #335 (August)
- Prince Ra-Man, in House of Secrets #73 (July)
- Psycho-Pirate, in Showcase #56 (June)
- Simon Stagg, in Brave and the Bold #57 (January)
- Salone Internazionale del Comics ("International Congress of Comics") (Bordighera, Italy) — sponsored by Rinaldo Traini and Romano Calisi of the International Congress of Cartoonists and Animators,[79] this is the antecedent to Lucca Comics & Games
- July 24–25: Detroit Triple Fan Fair (Embassy Hotel, Detroit, Michigan) — first annual staging[80] of the ground-breaking multigenre convention
- July 31–August 1:[81][82] Academy Con I (Broadway Central Hotel,[83] New York City) — sponsored by the Academy of Comic-Book Fans and Collectors and produced by teacher/comics enthusiast Dave Kaler[84] (officially known as "Comi Con: Second Annual Convention of Academy of Comic-Book Fans and Collectors")[85] 200 attendees;[80] official guests include Otto Binder, Bill Finger, Gardner Fox, Mort Weisinger, James Warren, Roy Thomas, and Gil Kane[80]
"Quino". lambiek.net. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
"Jidéhem". lambiek.net. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
"LINUS 1965". www.dimensionedelta.net. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
"Reg Bunn". lambiek.net. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
Detroit Triple Fan Fair program book (Detroit Triple Fan Fair, 1972).
Markstein, Don. "Lobo (1965)". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
Manning, Matthew K.; Cowsill, Alan (2012). "1960s". Spider-Man Chronicle Celebrating 50 Years of Web-Slinging. London, England: Dorling Kindersley. p. 31. ISBN 978-0756692360. This monumental issue saw the first appearances of Peter's upcoming love interest Gwen Stacy, prospective best friend, Harry Osborn, and even the future super villain known as the Jackal.
Gruenwald, Mark (w). "Origin of the Bullpen Bulletin" Marvel Age 119 (Dec. 1992), Marvel Comics
McAvennie, Michael; Dolan, Hannah (2010). "1960s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. Dorling Kindersley. p. 114. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9. Scribe Bob Haney and artist Ramona Fradon were truly in their element...Haney and Fradon's collaborative chemistry resulted in [Rex] Mason becoming Metamorpho.
McAvennie "1960s" in Dolan, p. 115: "Writer Bob Haney and artist Nick Cardy added another member to the ranks of the newly formed Teen Titans: Wonder Girl."
McAvennie "1960s" in Dolan, p. 115: "Although it would be several months before Buddy Baker would take on the moniker of Animal Man, it was in this issue that he developed animal powers...[in a story by] writer Dave Wood and artist Carmine Infantino."
"Lucca 9," Bang! #11 (1974), p. 55.
Schelly, Bill. Founders of Comic Fandom: Profiles of 90 Publishers, Dealers, Collectors, Writers, Artists and Other Luminaries of the 1950s and 1960s (McFarland, 2010), p. 8.
Gabilliet, Jean-Paul. Of Comics and Men: A Cultural History of American Comic Books (University of Mississippi Press, 2010), p. 265.
Nolte, Robert. "Latest Collecting Fad: Funny Thing Happened to Comics --They're Arty," Chicago Tribune (09 May 1965): n1
Thomas, Roy. "Splitting the Atom: More Than You Could Possibly Want to Know About the Creation of the Silver Age Mighty Mite!" The Alter Ego Collection, Volume 1 (TwoMorrows Publishing, 2006), p. 99.
Feiffer, Jules. The New Yorker vol. 41 (21 August 1965): 23-4.