Events for December 31

Dec 31, 1956: Steve Rude, creator of Nexus, is born in Madison, WI.

Dec 31, 1995: The last Calvin and Hobbes comic strip is printed.

Dec 31, 2005: Maurice Dodd, writer for British comic strip The Perishers, passes away in Ashford, Surrey, at the age of 83.

Events for December 28

Dec 28, 1922: On a soul-shattering, pulse-pounding day, Smilin' Stan Lee, comic creator extraordinare, makes his astonishing debut from Mrs. Lee to an eagerly awaiting world. Excelsior!

Events for December 27

Dec 27, 1996: Marvel Entertainment Group files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Events for December 26

Dec 26, 2004: Steve Roper and Mike Nomad end their syndicated newspaper comic strip run (which began in 1936 as The Great Gusto).

Events for December 25

Dec 25, 1911: Burne Hogarth, comic artist for Tarzan, is born.

Events for December 24

Dec 24, 1986: Gardner Fox, seminal Silver Age DC Comics writer, passes away at the age of 75.

Events for December 22

Dec 22, 1951: Tony Isabella, creator of Black Lightning, is born.

Events for December 21

Dec 21, 1918: Frank Hampson, creator of Dan Dare, is born in Manchester, England.

Dec 21, 1921: John Severin, EC Comics and Marvel Comics artist, is born.

Dec 21, 1991: Sheldon "Shelly" Mayer, comic book writer, artist, and editor, passes away at the age of 73.

Events for December 19

Dec 19, 2001: Dan DeCarlo, creator of Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Josie and the Pussycats, passes away at the age of 82.

Events for December 18

Dec 18, 1947: Riyoko Ikeda, one of the first prominent female mangaka (Japanese manga artists), is born in Osaka, Japan.

Dec 18, 2005: Rafael Fornes Collado, Cuban cartoonist who produced the Don Sabino and Jose Delores newspaper strips, passes away in Havana, Cuba at the age of 88.

Events for December 15

Dec 15, 1920: Kurt Schaffenberger, Silver Age Superman artist, is born in Germany.

Events for December 14

Dec 14, 1914: Jack Cole, creator of Plastic Man, is born in New Castle, PA.

Events for December 13

Dec 13, 1968: Joseph Michael Linsner, comic book artist and creator of Dawn, is born.

Events for December 12

Dec 12, 1919: Dan DeCarlo, creator of Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Josie and the Pussycats, is born in New Rochelle, NY.

Dec 12, 1926: Joe Kubert, comic artist and founder of the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art, is born.

Dec 12, 1992: Peyo (Pierre Culliford), creator of the Smurfs (Schtroumpfs), passes away at the age of 64.

Events for December 11

Dec 11, 1927: John Buscema, Marvel Comics artist, is born.

Dec 11, 1957: Peter Bagge, creator of HATE Comix, is born.

Events for December 8

Dec 8, 1894: Elzie Crisler Segar (E.C. Segar), creator of Popeye and the Thimble Theater newspaper comic strip, is born in Chester, IL.

Dec 8, 1962: Erik Larsen, creator of the Savage Dragon, is born in Minneapolis, MN.

Events for December 6

Dec 6: Leonard Kirk, artist for DC's JSA and Supergirl, is born.

Dec 6, 1929: Frank Springer, artist on Marvel's The Transformers and co-creator of The Adventures of Phoebe Zeit-Geist, is born.

Dec 6, 1961: Robin Riggs, comic book penciller and inker, is born.

Dec 6, 1965: Paul Jenkins, writer for Marvel's Peter Parker: Spider-Man and Civil War: Front Line, and DC/Vertigo's Hellblazer, is born.

Events for December 4

Dec 4, 1973: J. Scott Campbell, creator of Danger Girl, is born.

Events for December 2

Dec 2, 1924: Jack Davis, artist for EC Comics and Mad and Playboy magazines, is born in Atlanta, GA.

Dec 2, 1971: John Hankiewicz, writer/artist for indie comic Tepid, is born.

Events for December 1

Dec 1, 1962: Joe Quesada, penciller and current Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Comics, is born.

Dec 1: Matt Fraction, writer of Five Fists of Science, Casanova, and The Immortal Iron Fist is born.

Events for December

1941: Wonder Woman debuts in All-Star Comics #8.

1956: Bill Willingham, creator of Elementals and Fables, is born in Fort Belvoir, VA.

1967: Emanuel "Mac" Raboy, artist for Fawcett Comics, passes away.

1977: Dave Sim's Cerebus #1 is published. The same month and year, Will Eisner publishes A Contract With God, arguably the first graphic novel.

1986: Marvel Comics publishes The 'Nam #1. It is the first monthly war comic to appear for several decades, and begins in "real time," with 30 days elapsing in the comic world between each issue.