1938 in comics
Encyclopedia
European publications
- April 21: first issue of Le Journal de SpirouSpirou (magazine)Spirou magazine is a weekly Belgian comics magazine published by the Dupuis company...
, featuring debuts of the series SpirouSpirou et FantasioSpirou et Fantasio is one of the most popular classic Franco-Belgian comic strips. The series, which has been running since 1938, shares many characteristics with other European humorous adventure comics like Tintin and Asterix...
by Rob-Vel and Les Aventures de TifTif et TonduTif et Tondu is a Belgian comic strip originally created, written and drawn by Fernand Dineur. Several artists and writers have worked on the series but the most popular version is that drawn by Will, with writers Maurice Rosy, Maurice Tillieux and Stephen Desberg...
by Fernand Dineur. - July 30: first issue of the British comic The BeanoThe BeanoThe Beano is a British children's comic, published by D.C. Thomson & Co and is arguably their most successful.The comic first appeared on 30 July 1938, and was published weekly. During the Second World War,The Beano and The Dandy were published on alternating weeks because of paper and ink...
, featuring debuts of Lord SnootyLord SnootyLord Snooty was a fictional character in a comic strip in the UK comic The Beano, first appearing in issue 1, dated 30 July 1938, and was the longest running strip in the comic until Dennis the Menace and Gnasher overtook it...
, Wee PeemWee PeemWee Peem was a comic strip in the UK comic The Beano. It first appeared in Beano issue 1, dated 30 July 1938 and ran until issue 89, dated 6 April 1940. The central character "Wee Peem" was a young boy who gets up to various forms of mischief in a similar way to later Beano strips such as Dennis...
, Tin-Can TommyTin-Can TommyTin-Can Tommy was a comic strip in the UK comic The Beano, featuring Tommy, the clockwork 'son' of Professor Lee and his wife. It first appeared on the back page of issue 1, dated 30 July 1938, where we learn that it was built due to the death of their own son a year earlier...
, Hairy DanHairy DanHairy Dan was a comic strip in the UK comic The Beano. It first appeared in Beano issue 1, dated 30 July 1938 and ran until issue 297, dated 16 November 1946....
, Ping the Elastic ManPing the Elastic ManPing the Elastic Man was a fictional character who had his own comic strip in the UK comic The Beano. His first appearance was in issue 1, dated 30 July 1938. Ping was an elastic man who could stretch everywhere, the only one in the world...
, Helpful HenryHelpful HenryHelpful Henry was a comic strip appearing in both the UK and the USA. They were two different comic strips created by two different cartoonists.- UK :...
and Big EggoBig EggoBig Eggo was an ostrich and fictional character in a comic strip in the UK comic The Beano. He first appeared in issue 1, dated 30 July 1938, and was the first ever cover star. His first words in the strip were 'Somebody's taken my egg again!' It was drawn throughout by Reg Carter.Eggo remained on...
. - 17 December: The first appearance of Pansy PotterPansy PotterPansy Potter The Strongman's Daughter was a comic strip in The Beano, featuring Pansy Potter, a really strong girl. First appearing in the issue dated 17 December 1938. Around 1949 Jimmy Clark took up drawing the Strip, and it became known as Pansy Potter in Wonderland...
one of the longest running comic strips in The Beano.
January
- Ace ComicsAce ComicsAce Comics was a comic book series published by David McKay Publications between 1937 and 1949 — starting just before the Golden Age era of comics...
(19371937 in comics-January:* Detective Picture Stories #2 - Centaur Publications* Famous Funnies #30 - Eastern Color* The Funnies #4 - Dell Comics* Funny Picture Stories #3 - Centaur Publications* King Comics #10 - David McKay Publications...
series) #10 - David McKay PublicationsDavid McKay PublicationsDavid McKay Publications was an American book publisher which also published some of the first comic books, including the long-running titles Ace Comics, King Comics, and Magic Comics; as well as collections of such popular comic strips as Blondie, Dick Tracy, and Mandrake the Magician... - Detective ComicsDetective ComicsDetective Comics is an American comic book series published monthly by DC Comics since 1937, best known for introducing the iconic superhero Batman in Detective Comics #27 . It is, along with Action Comics, the book that launched with the debut of Superman, one of the medium's signature series, and...
(19371937 in comics-January:* Detective Picture Stories #2 - Centaur Publications* Famous Funnies #30 - Eastern Color* The Funnies #4 - Dell Comics* Funny Picture Stories #3 - Centaur Publications* King Comics #10 - David McKay Publications...
series) #11 - DC ComicsDC ComicsDC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner... - Feature FunniesFeature FunniesFeature Funnies was a comic book anthology title published by Comic Favorites, Inc. in the United States for 20 issues from 1937 until 1939. Feature Funnies cannily mixed color reprints of popular newspaper comic strips like Joe Palooka, Mickey Finn and Dixie Dugan with a smattering of new...
(19371937 in comics-January:* Detective Picture Stories #2 - Centaur Publications* Famous Funnies #30 - Eastern Color* The Funnies #4 - Dell Comics* Funny Picture Stories #3 - Centaur Publications* King Comics #10 - David McKay Publications...
series) #4 - Comic Favorites, Inc.Quality ComicsQuality Comics was an American comic book publishing company that operated from 1939 to 1956 and was an influential creative force in what historians and fans call the Golden Age of comic books.... - More Fun ComicsMore Fun ComicsMore Fun Comics, originally titled New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine a.k.a. New Fun Comics, was a 1935-1947 American comic book anthology that introduced several major superhero characters and was the first American comic-book series to feature solely original material rather than reprints of...
(19361936 in comics-January:* Famous Funnies #18 - Eastern Color* More Fun the Big Comic Magazine #7 - National Periodical Publications* New Comics #2 - National Periodical Publications-February:...
series) #28 - National Periodical Publications - New Adventure Comics (19371937 in comics-January:* Detective Picture Stories #2 - Centaur Publications* Famous Funnies #30 - Eastern Color* The Funnies #4 - Dell Comics* Funny Picture Stories #3 - Centaur Publications* King Comics #10 - David McKay Publications...
series) #23 - National Periodical Publications
February
- Ace Comics (1937 series) #11 - David McKay Publications
- Detective Comics (1937 series) #12 - DC Comics
- Feature Funnies (1937 series) #5 - Comic Favorites, Inc.Quality ComicsQuality Comics was an American comic book publishing company that operated from 1939 to 1956 and was an influential creative force in what historians and fans call the Golden Age of comic books....
- More Fun Comics (1936 series) #29 - National Periodical Publications
- New Adventure Comics (1937 series) #24 - National Periodical Publications
March
- Ace Comics (1937 series) #12 - David McKay Publications
- Detective Comics (1937 series) #13 - DC Comics
- Feature Funnies (1937 series) #6 - Comic Favorites, Inc.Quality ComicsQuality Comics was an American comic book publishing company that operated from 1939 to 1956 and was an influential creative force in what historians and fans call the Golden Age of comic books....
- More Fun Comics (1936 series) #30 - National Periodical Publications
- New Adventure Comics (1937 series) #25 - National Periodical Publications
April
- Ace Comics (1937 series) #13 - David McKay Publications
- Detective Comics (1937 series) #14 - DC Comics
- Feature Funnies (1937 series) #7 - Comic Favorites, Inc.Quality ComicsQuality Comics was an American comic book publishing company that operated from 1939 to 1956 and was an influential creative force in what historians and fans call the Golden Age of comic books....
May
- Ace Comics (1937 series) #14 - David McKay Publications
- Detective Comics (1937 series) #15 - DC Comics
- Feature Funnies (1937 series) #8 - Comic Favorites, Inc.Quality ComicsQuality Comics was an American comic book publishing company that operated from 1939 to 1956 and was an influential creative force in what historians and fans call the Golden Age of comic books....
- New Adventure Comics (1937 series) #26 - National Periodical Publications
June
- Ace Comics (1937 series) #15 - David McKay Publications
- Action ComicsAction ComicsAction Comics is an American comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined...
(1938 series) #1 - DC ComicsDC ComicsDC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner... - Detective Comics (1937 series) #16 - DC Comics
- Feature Funnies (1937 series) #9 - Comic Favorites, Inc.Quality ComicsQuality Comics was an American comic book publishing company that operated from 1939 to 1956 and was an influential creative force in what historians and fans call the Golden Age of comic books....
- Jumbo Comics #1 — Fiction HouseFiction HouseFiction House is an American publisher of pulp magazines and comic books that existed from the 1920s to the 1950s. Its comics division was best known for its pinup-style good girl art, as epitomized by the company's most popular character, Sheena, Queen of the Jungle.-History:-Jumbo and Jack...
- New Adventure Comics (1937 series) #27 - National Periodical Publications
July
- Ace Comics (1937 series) #16 - David McKay Publications
- Action Comics (1938 series) #2 - DC Comics
- Detective Comics (1937 series) #17 - DC Comics
- Feature Funnies (1937 series) #10 - Comic Favorites, Inc.Quality ComicsQuality Comics was an American comic book publishing company that operated from 1939 to 1956 and was an influential creative force in what historians and fans call the Golden Age of comic books....
- New Adventure Comics (1937 series) #28 - National Periodical Publications
August
- Ace Comics (1937 series) #17 - David McKay Publications
- Action Comics (1938 series) #3 - DC Comics
- Amazing Mystery Funnies (1938 series) #1 - Centaur PublicationsCentaur PublicationsCentaur Publications was one of the earliest American comic book publishers. During their short existence, they created several colorful characters, including Bill Everett's Amazing Man....
- Detective Comics (1937 series) #18 - DC Comics
- Feature Funnies (1937 series) #11 - Comic Favorites, Inc.Quality ComicsQuality Comics was an American comic book publishing company that operated from 1939 to 1956 and was an influential creative force in what historians and fans call the Golden Age of comic books....
- New Adventure Comics (1937 series) #29 - National Periodical Publications
September
- Ace Comics (1937 series) #18 - David McKay Publications
- Action Comics (1938 series) #4 - DC Comics
- Amazing Mystery Funnies (1938) #2 - Centaur Publications
- Detective Comics (1937 series) #19 - DC Comics
- Feature Funnies (1937 series) #12 - Comic Favorites, Inc.Quality ComicsQuality Comics was an American comic book publishing company that operated from 1939 to 1956 and was an influential creative force in what historians and fans call the Golden Age of comic books....
- New Adventure Comics (1937 series) #30 - National Periodical Publications
October
- Ace Comics (1937 series) #19 - David McKay Publications
- Action Comics (1938 series) #5 - DC Comics
- Detective Comics (1937 series) #20 - DC Comics
- Feature Funnies (1937 series) #13 - Comic Favorites, Inc.Quality ComicsQuality Comics was an American comic book publishing company that operated from 1939 to 1956 and was an influential creative force in what historians and fans call the Golden Age of comic books....
- New Adventure Comics (1937 series) #31 - National Periodical Publications
November
- Ace Comics (1937 series) #20 - David McKay Publications
- Action Comics (1938 series) #6 - DC Comics
- Adventure ComicsAdventure ComicsAdventure Comics was a comic book series published by DC Comics from 1935 to 1983 and then revamped from 2009 to 2011. In its first era, the series ran for 503 issues , making it the fifth-longest-running DC series, behind Detective Comics, Action Comics, Superman, and Batman...
(previously New Adventure Comics) (19371937 in comics-January:* Detective Picture Stories #2 - Centaur Publications* Famous Funnies #30 - Eastern Color* The Funnies #4 - Dell Comics* Funny Picture Stories #3 - Centaur Publications* King Comics #10 - David McKay Publications...
series) #32 - DC ComicsDC ComicsDC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner... - Amazing Mystery Funnies (1938 series) #3 - Centaur Publications
- Detective Comics (1937 series) #21 - DC Comics
- Feature Funnies (1937 series) #14 - Comic Favorites, Inc.Quality ComicsQuality Comics was an American comic book publishing company that operated from 1939 to 1956 and was an influential creative force in what historians and fans call the Golden Age of comic books....
December
- Ace Comics (1937 series) #21 - David McKay Publications
- Action Comics (1938 series) #7 - DC Comics
- Adventure ComicsAdventure ComicsAdventure Comics was a comic book series published by DC Comics from 1935 to 1983 and then revamped from 2009 to 2011. In its first era, the series ran for 503 issues , making it the fifth-longest-running DC series, behind Detective Comics, Action Comics, Superman, and Batman...
(previously New Adventure Comics) (19361936 in comics-January:* Famous Funnies #18 - Eastern Color* More Fun the Big Comic Magazine #7 - National Periodical Publications* New Comics #2 - National Periodical Publications-February:...
series) #33 - DC ComicsDC ComicsDC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner... - Amazing Mystery Funnies (1938 series) #"4" - Centaur Publications
- Detective Comics (1937 series) #22 - DC Comics
- Feature Funnies (1937 series) #15 - Comic Favorites, Inc.Quality ComicsQuality Comics was an American comic book publishing company that operated from 1939 to 1956 and was an influential creative force in what historians and fans call the Golden Age of comic books....
Specials
- New Book of Comics (19371937 in comics-January:* Detective Picture Stories #2 - Centaur Publications* Famous Funnies #30 - Eastern Color* The Funnies #4 - Dell Comics* Funny Picture Stories #3 - Centaur Publications* King Comics #10 - David McKay Publications...
series) #2 - National Periodical Publications
First issues by title
- Action ComicsAction ComicsAction Comics is an American comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined...
cover dated June, published by DC ComicsDC ComicsDC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
. - Amazing Mystery Funnies cover dated August, published by Centaur PublicationsCentaur PublicationsCentaur Publications was one of the earliest American comic book publishers. During their short existence, they created several colorful characters, including Bill Everett's Amazing Man....
. - The BeanoThe BeanoThe Beano is a British children's comic, published by D.C. Thomson & Co and is arguably their most successful.The comic first appeared on 30 July 1938, and was published weekly. During the Second World War,The Beano and The Dandy were published on alternating weeks because of paper and ink...
cover dated July, published by DC Thomson.
Renamed titles
- New Adventure Comics renamed Adventure ComicsAdventure ComicsAdventure Comics was a comic book series published by DC Comics from 1935 to 1983 and then revamped from 2009 to 2011. In its first era, the series ran for 503 issues , making it the fifth-longest-running DC series, behind Detective Comics, Action Comics, Superman, and Batman...
as of the November cover date.
Initial appearances by character name
- Lois LaneLois LaneLois Lane is a fictional character, the primary love interest of Superman in the comic books of DC Comics. Created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, she first appeared in Action Comics #1 ....
in Action ComicsAction ComicsAction Comics is an American comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined...
#1 (June), created by Jerry SiegelJerry SiegelJerome "Jerry" Siegel , who also used pseudonyms including Joe Carter, Jerry Ess, and Herbert S...
and Joe ShusterJoe ShusterJoseph "Joe" Shuster was a Canadian-born American comic book artist. He was best known for co-creating the DC Comics character Superman, with writer Jerry Siegel, first published in Action Comics #1...
, published by DC ComicsDC ComicsDC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
. - SupermanSupermanSuperman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
in Action Comics #1 (June), created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, published by DC Comics.