On This Day: 26 Feb

Doctor Who Comic (Titan Comics) #01 (2015)

First Appearances:

Judge Dredd in 2000 A.D. (IPC Magazines Ltd.) Prog 2 (05 Mar 1977).

Births:

John Cassell (Jack) Morrow (1872); F.H. Townsend (1868); Steve Bell (1951); Enrique Alcatena (1957)

Deaths:

Charles Folkard (1963)

Notable Events:

William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody born in 1846. Tales of his adventures (both real and imagined) would continue long after his death.
The Greens newspaper strip began in The Daily Mirror in 1987.
Cardiff International Comic Expo began, at Mercure Cardiff Holland House Hotel, in 2011.
Alice's Adventures in Comics-Land panel took place at the British Library, London, in 2016, with Paul Gravett, Chie Kutsuwada and Bryan Talbot in attendance.

On This Day: 18 Feb

Emma (D.C. Thomson & Co., Ltd.) #01 (25 Feb 1978).
Speed (IPC Magazines Ltd.) #01 (23 Feb 1980).
Scooby-Doo and His T.V. Friends (Marvel Comics Ltd.) #01 (24 Feb 1982).

First Appearances:

Sergeant Baker (Baker's Half-Dozen) in Speed #01 (23 Feb 1980).
Timothy Barlow, Speedboy in Speed #01 (23 Feb 1980).
Luke Cassidy (Quick on the Draw) in Speed #01 (23 Feb 1980).
Blake Edmonds (Death Wish) in Speed #01 (23 Feb 1980).
Mickey Jordan, The Fastest Footballer on Earth! in Speed #01 (23 Feb 1980).
Journey to the Stars in Speed #01 (23 Feb 1980).
Bullet Slick (£1,000,000 Challenge) in Speed #01 (23 Feb 1980).
Eddie Topps (Topps on Two Wheels) in Speed #01 (23 Feb 1980).

Births:

Douglas Rushkoff (1961)

Deaths:

Jim Holdaway (1970); Walter Henry Booth (1971)

Notable Events:

A set of stamps commemorating Halley's Comet, designed by Ralph Steadman, were released by the Post Office in 1986.
Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean began a signing tour, promoting Violent Cases and Black Orchid, in Peterborough in 1990.
Bryan Talbot discussed his work, with Steve Bell, as part of the LSE Literary Festival, at Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building, London, in 2011.

On This Day: 29 Jan

Beeb (Polystyle) #01 (29 Jan 1985-04 Feb 1985)

First Appearances:

Dumpy Dan, the Sauce Pan Man in The Victor (D.C. Thomson & Co., Ltd.) #50 (03 Feb 1962).
Sub-Lieutenant Ken Kennedy (Convoy Pilot) in Warlord (D.C. Thomson & Co., Ltd.) #19 (01 Feb 1975).

Births:

Ted Holmes (1916)

Deaths:

Joshua Charles Armitage (Ionicus; 1998)

Notable Events:

Bruce Bairnsfather gave a lecture entitled "Old Bill and Me," at the Queen's Hall, London, in 1919.
Wes Slade newspaper strip began in The Sunday Express in 1961.
Steve Bell appeared on The Today Programme on BBC Radio 4 in 2013.
Revolutionary War: Knights of Pendragon (Marvel) #01 (Jan 2014) released in the US in 2014.
Kingsman: The Secret Service feature film released in the UK in 2015.

On This Day: 16 Nov

Births:

G. William Backhouse (1903); William Augustus Sillince (Silenus; 1906); Suzanne Henriette Einzig (1922); Nik Pollard (1945)

Deaths:

Bernard Greenbaum (1993)

Notable Events:

The Astérix strip made its first appearance in Britain, on the back page of Valiant in 1963 – although renamed 'Little Fred And Big Ed' for some reason.
The Pet Shop Boys' single West End Girls entered the charts at #80 in 1985. It would remain on the charts for sixteen weeks, taking the top spot for two weeks at the beginning of 1986.
Axa newspaper strip ceased publication in 1985.
Stan Lee concluded his signing tour in Fantastic Store at the Virgin Megastore, 14 Oxford Street, London, in 1991.
A Steve Bell cartoon depicting a press conference held by Binyamin Netanyahu, with Tony Blair and William Hague as glove puppets, appeared in The Guardian in 2012 to much controversy. After the Press Complaints Commission was brought in, The Guardian issued an editorial statement which sought to diffuse tension surrounding the cartoon.