2000 in comics

Events

Year overall

• German website Comicforum goes live
• Rebellion Developments take over the 2000 AD comic from Fleetway.
• The merger of AOL] and Time Warner were announced.

March

• Legion of Super-Heroes vol. 3 is canceled by DC with issue #125.
• the discontinuation of Big Panda results in the formation of Keenspot.

Publications by release date

February

• Strange Adventures vol. 2, #4, final issue cover-dated February (Vertigo)

October

• JSA Annual #1 (DC Comics)

Deaths

January

• January 5: Goseki Kojima, co-creator of Lone Wolf and Cub, dies at age 71.
• January 6: Mad magazine fixture Don Martin dies at age 68.
• January 14: Pat Boyette, co-creator of The Peacemaker, dies at age 76.
• January 31: Gil Kane, Golden Age and Silver Age giant, dies at age 73.

February

• February 12: Charles M. Schulz, creator of Peanuts, passes away at age 77.
• February 18: Steven Hughes, known for his work for Chaos! Comics, passes away at age 46.
• February 19: Inker George Roussos dies at age 84.

April

• April 8: Alfredo Alcala dies at age 74.

May

• May 10: Dick Sprang, legendary Batman artist, dies at age 84.
• May 18: British cartoonist and pop culture historian Denis Gifford dies at age 72.

July

• July 28: Inker Chic Stone dies at age 77.

August

• August 25: Carl Barks, the "Good Duck Artist," dies at age 99.

November

• November 8: Dupa, creator of Cubitus (aka Wowser), dies at age 55.
• November 27: Pioneering female editor Dorothy Woolfolk dies at age 87.

Conventions

• February 5: Alternative Press Expo (Herbst Pavilion, Fort Mason, San Francisco, California)
• March: Big Apple Comic Book Art, and Toy Show (Church of St. Paul the Apostle Auditorium, New York City)
• March 31–April 1: MegaCon (Orlando Expo Center, Orlando, Florida) — guests include Stan Lee and Joe Quesada
• April 7–9: WonderCon (Oakland Convention Center, Oakland, California)
• April 9–16: Making Waves (Los Angeles) — Comic Book Legal Defense Fund benefit luxury cruise to Mexico; creators include Neal Adams, Kurt Busiek, Zander Cannon, Evan Dorkin, Sarah Dyer, Will Eisner, Neil Gaiman, Gilbert Hernandez, Jaime Hernandez, Linda Medley, Frank Miller, Martin Nodell, Brian Pulido, P. Craig Russell, Jeff Smith, Jill Thompson, Adrian Tomine, Matt Wagner, Mark Waid, Chris Ware, and Judd Winick
• April 15: Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo (Ohio Expo Center, Rhodes Center, Columbus, Ohio) — 49 small press comics artist, writers, and publishers (including Matt Feazell, Carla Speed McNeil, Alex Robinson, and William Messner-Loebs) converge for the first annual S.P.A.C.E. show, organized by Bob Corby and Back Porch Comics
• April 23–24: Comics 2000 (Jurys Bristol Hotel, Bristol, Avon, England, U.K.) — presentation of the Eagle Awards, MC'd by Simon Pegg; guests include Steve Pugh, Jim Valentino, Dave Gibbons, Mike Carlin, Gary Spencer Millidge, Alan Grant, Laura DePuy, Karen Berger, Chris Staros, Dave McKinnon, James Hodgkins, Dez Skinn, Gary Marshall, Al Davison, and Grant Morrison
• April 28–30: Pittsburgh Comicon (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) — 10,000 attendees
• May 19–21: Motor City Comic Con I (Novi Expo Center, Novi, Michigan) — guests include James Doohan
• June 9–11: All Time Classic New York Comic Book Convention (Westchester County Center, White Plains, New York) — one-time event focused on Silver Age comics. Guest of honor: Barry Windsor-Smith; other guests include Carmine Infantino, Joe Kubert, Marie Severin, Roy Thomas, Julius Schwartz, and Henry Boltinoff
• June 16–18: Heroes Convention (Charlotte Convention Center, Charlotte, North Carolina) — guests include Jim Amash, Terry Austin, John Beatty, Cliff Biggers, Frank Brunner, Kurt Busiek, Nick Cardy, K.C. Carlson, Richard Case, Todd Dezago, Johanna Draper Carlson, Steve Epting, Lou Ferrigno, Franchesco, Ron Garney, Drew Geraci, Dick Giordano, Sam Glanzman, Gene Gonzales, Tom Grummett, Jackson Guice, Cully Hamner, Scott Hampton, Tony Harris, Irwin Hasen, Dave Hoover, Adam Hughes, Greg Hyland, Jamal Igle, Stuart Immonen, Carmine Infantino, Georges Jeanty, Nat Jones, Karl Kesel, Barry Kitson, Jim Krueger, Bob Layton, Steve Lieber, Mark Lipka, Nathan Massengill, Angel Medina, Pop Mhan, Philip Moy, Mart Nodell, Phil Noto, George Pérez, Joe Pruett, Joe Quesada, Budd Root, Craig Rousseau, Julius Schwartz, Mike Shoemaker, Steve Skeates, Chris Sprouse, J. David Spurlock, Brian Stelfreeze, Karl Story, Roy Thomas, Tim Townsend, Coy Turnbull, Michael Turner, George Tuska, Dexter Vines, Mark Waid, and Mike Wieringo
• June 23–25: New York Comic and Fantasy Creators Convention (Madison Square Garden, New York City) — 2nd annual show; guests include Jim Starlin, Walt Simonson, Keith Giffen, and John Romita, Jr.
• June 29–July 2: Dragon Con (Hyatt Regency Atlanta/Atlanta Merchandise Mart/Atlanta Apparel Mart, Atlanta, Georgia) — 20,000 attendees
• July 20–23: Comic-Con International (San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, California) — 48,500 attendees; special guests: Kyle Baker, Will Elder, Ric Estrada, Al Feldstein, Phoebe Gloeckner, Jack Kamen, Ben Katchor, Harry Knowles, Harry Lampert, Jeff Loeb, Scott McCloud, Tim Sale, Marie Severin, Kevin Smith, Bryan Talbot, Angelo Torres, Lewis Trondheim, Al Williamson, Gahan Wilson, and Janny Wurts
• August 4–6: Wizard World Chicago (Rosemont Convention Center, Rosemont, Illinois)
• August 12–13: CAPTION: "You Cannot Kill That Which is Already Dead" (Oxford Union Society, Oxford, England)
• August 25–27: Fan Expo Canada (Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada) — 12,763 attendees; guests include Jonathan Frakes, Anthony Head, Roxann Dawson, Hudson Leick, Jeremy Bulloch, Richard Biggs, Peter David, Chris Claremont, Barry Windsor-Smith, Adam Kubert, David Finch (comics), Jae Lee, and Brian Michael Bendis
• August 25–27: Sports Card, Comic Book and Toy Expo (Wildwood Convention Center, Wildwood, Pennsylvania) — guests include William Tucci and Rudy Nebres
• September 16: Small Press Expo (Bethesda, Maryland)
• October 21–22: Motor City Comic Con II (Novi Expo Center, Novi, Michiagan) — guests include Dick Ayers, Terri Boyle, Frank Brunner, Sal Buscema, Guy Davis, Dan DeCarlo, Franchesco, Cully Hamner, Adam Hughes, Georges Jeanty, Joseph Michael Linsner, Vince Locke, William Messner-Loebs, Jason Moore, James O'Barr, Mike Okamoto, David Quinn, Greg Rucka, Marie Severin, Brian Stelfreeze, Karl Story, Randy Zimmerman, and Bob May
• November 10–12: National Comic Book, Art, Toy, and Sci-Fi Expo (New York City) — guests include James Doohan, Jerome Blake, Ron Palillo, Apollo Smile, Richard Herd, Pamelyn Ferdin, Carmine Infantino, Jeff Jones, Erik Larsen, Russ Heath, Dick Giordano, Joe Simon, Julie Schwartz, Joe Giella, Frank McLaughlin, Michael Kaluta, Dave Cockrum, Paty Cockrum, Irwin Hasen, Glenn Fabry, John Romita Sr., Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner, Arnold Drake, Murphy Anderson, Gray Morrow, Mike Esposito, Tom Gill, Andrew Pepoy, Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, Mark Texeira, David Wohl, Joseph Michael Linsner, William Tucci, Janet Lupo, Kevin Eastman, Sarah Dyer, Evan Dorkin, Don McGregor, Jim Shooter, Dan DeCarlo, George Tuska, Gill Fox, George Tuska, Graig Weich, Mercy Van Vlack, Ken Gale, Tim Vigil, and David Quinn
• November 24–26: UnCommonCon (Hyatt Regency Hotel-DFW Airport, located by Terminal C at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Dallas, Texas) — 1,200 attendees; guests include author Aaron Allston, author Tracy Hickman, author P.N. Elrod, actor Ted Raimi, Melissa Benson, Babylon 5 actor Jason Carter, The Incredible Hulk actor Lou Ferrigno, actor Victor Lundin, artist Bryan Talbot
• November 25–26: Mid-Ohio Con (Hilton Columbus Hotel at Easton Town Center, Columbus, Ohio)

First issues by title

DC Comics

Adventures in the Rifle Brigade

Release: October by Vertigo. Writer: Garth Ennis Artist: Carlos Ezquerra.

Marvel Comics

Midnight Nation

Release: October by Marvel Comics. Writer: J. Michael Straczynski Artist: Gary Frank.

Independent titles

Requiem Chevalier Vampire

Release: November by Nickel Editions. Writer: Pat Mills Artist: Olivier Ledroit.

Initial appearances by character name

• Nemesis (Soseh Mykros) in JSA annual #1 (October), created by David S. Goyer and Uriel Caton, published by DC Comics.