1991 in comics

Year overall

• Publishers Cartoon Books, Comic Zone Productions, Personality Comics, and Boneyard Press all enter the arena; First Comics stops publishing.
• Egmont UK bought Fleetway Publications and forced to merge with London Editions to form Fleetway Editions.

January

• Checkmate is canceled by DC Comics with issue #33.
• El Diablo vol. 2 is canceled by DC with issue #16.
• Count Duckula is canceled by the Marvel Comics imprint Star Comics with issue #15.
• Alien Legion: On The Edge is canceled with issue #3.
• Avengers Spotlight is cancelled with #40.

February

• The Amazing Spider-Man #344 - First appearance of Cletus Kasady, who later becomes the super-villain Carnage.
• New Mutants #98 - Introduction of Deadpool, Domino, and Gideon. (Marvel Comics)
• Power Pack is canceled by Marvel with issue #62.
• Heathcliff is cancelled with issue #56.

March

• Weapon X begins in Marvel Comics Presents.
• With #12, Stalkers is cancelled by Epic Comics.
• With #4, The Last American is cancelled by Epic Comics.

April

• New Mutants #100, the title's final issue, featuring the debut of X-Force (Marvel Comics).
• With #6 Cadillacs & Dinosaurs is cancelled.
• With #5, Hollywood Superstars is cancelled.
• First issue of Seth's Palookaville

May

• May 11: The British girls' comics magazine Mandy merges with Judy. ^[1]
• W. B. Park receives the National Cartoonist Society Advertising and Illustration Award.

June

• Armageddon 2001 crossover event.

July

• Superman: The Man of Steel #1 - debut issue of fourth ongoing Superman title. Written by Louise Simonson and drawn by Jon Bogdanove, Tom Grummett, Bob McLeod, Dan Jurgens, Dennis Janke, Jerry Ordway, and Brett Breeding.
• Wizard publishes its premiere issue.
• Muir Island Saga begins.
• With #10, Mighty Mouse is cancelled.
• With #80, The Transformers is cancelled by Marvel Comics.
• With #25, Yummy Fur moves to Drawn and Quarterly

August

• New Gods vol. 3 is canceled by DC with issue #28.
• With #19, Cloak & Dagger is cancelled.

September

• Alpha Flight #100: "The Final Option, Part Four: Decisions of Trust," written by Fabian Nicieza.
• With #2, Impossible Man Summer Vacation Spectacular is cancelled.
• With #4, Car Warriors is cancelled.
• With #3, Samurai Cat is cancelled.
• With #4, Damage Control v3 is cancelled.
• Everything's Archie is canceled by Archie Comics with issue #157.

October

• Crisis is canceled by Fleetway with issue #63.
• With #2, Legion of Night is cancelled.
• With #3, Terminator 2: Judgment Day is cancelled.
• With #4, Alpha Flight Special is cancelled.
• With #6, Sweet XVI is cancelled.
• With #10, Foolkiller v1 is cancelled.

November

• November 21 – the Marathi comic strip Chintoo is first published.
• Alpha Flight #102: Introduction of Wild Child as Weapon Omega.
• Maze Agency is canceled by Innovation Comics with issue #23.
• With #12, Marvel Comics' Zorro is cancelled.
• Daniel Clowes' Art School Confidential is prepublished in Eightball.

December

• December 31: The final episode of Marten Toonder's Panda is published. Running for 45 years it was his longest-running series in syndication.^[2]
• The Incredible Hulk #388: Jim Wilson revealed to be HIV-positive.

April

• April 4: Graham Ingels, American comics artist (EC Comics), dies at age 75 from stomach cancer.^[3]

May

• May 1: Adolfo Samper, Colombian comics artist (Mojicón, La Hermana de Mojicón, Los Filipicines, Godofredo Cascarrabias, Don Amancise), dies at age 91. ^[4]
• May 6: Guido Martina, Italian comics writer (L'Inferno di Topolino), dies at age 85.
• May 14: Joy Batchelor, British animator and film director (Halas & Batchelor), dies at age 77.
• May 20: Milko Bambič, Slovene illustrator, painter, novelist and comics artist (Zamorček Bu-ci-bu, in English best known as Little Negro Bu-ci-bu), passes away at age 86.
• May 27: Ed Dodd, American comics artist (Mark Trail), dies at age 88.^[5]

June

• June 6: Gianni De Luca, Italian comics artist (Commissario Spada), passes away at age 64.^[6]
• June 10: Jean Bruller, aka Vercors, French novelist, illustrator and comics artist (Le Mariage de Monsieur Lakonik), dies at age 89.^[7]
• June 10: Milorad Dobrić, Yugoslavian (Serbian) comics artist (Pera Pesak, Ljuba Truba, Kurir Fica, Slavuj Gilsa, Inspektor Zuca), dies at age 66. ^[8]

July

• July 4: Fernand Cheneval, Belgian comics artist and publisher (founder of the magazine Heroïc Albums), passes away at age 73.^[9]
• July 4: Art Sansom, American comics artist (The Born Loser), dies at age 70.^[10]
• July 6: Nicholas P. Dallis, American comics writer (Rex Morgan, M.D., Judge Parker, Apartment 3-G), passes away at age 89.
• July 9: Petr Sadecký, Czech comics artist (Octobriana), passes away.

August

• August 18: Rick Griffin, American underground comix artist (Flying Eyeball, Murphy, Man From Utopia) dies at age 47 in a motorcycle accident.^[11]
• August 24: Reynold Brown, American poster designer and comics artist (continued Tailspin Tommy), dies at age 73.

September

• September 4: Bing Coughlin, Canadian advertising illustrator and comics artist (Herbie), dies at age 86. ^[12]
• September 5: Carol Kalish, American comics publisher and vice President of New Product Development at Marvel Comics, dies at age 36 from a brain aneurysm.
• September 13: Edmond Good, Canadian illustrator and comics artist (Rex Baxter, Johnny Law, Sky Ranger, assisted on Scorchy Smith, Bruce Gentry - Daredevil of the Skies, Casey Ruggles and Dixie Dugan), passes away at age 81. ^[13]
• September 24: Dr. Seuss, American children's novelist, illustrator, animator and comics artist (Hejji), dies at age 87.^[14]

October

• October 16: Henricus Kannegieter, Dutch illustrator and comics artist (made various one-shot comics in the 1930s), dies at age 93.^[15]
• October 23: Antonio Canale, Italian comics artist (Amok), passes away at age 76.^[16]

November

• November 7: Tom of Finland, Finnish comics artist and illustrator, passes away at age 71.^[17]
• November 11: Franziska Bilek, German comics artist and illustrator (worked for Simplicissimus), passes away at age 85.^[18]
• November 18: Reg Parlett, British comics artist (Ivor Lott and Tony Broke, Mustapha Million), passes away at age 87.^[19]
• Specific date unknown: Neville Colvin, British comics artist (Ginger & Co., comic strip based on James Bond, continued Modesty Blaise), dies at age 72. ^[20]

December

• December 3: Alex Graham, Scottish comics artist (Fred Basset), dies at age 78.^[21]
• December 21: Sheldon Mayer, American comics artist (Sugar and Spike), dies at age 74.^[22]
• December 29: Tony Strobl, American animator and comics artist (Disney Comics, Looney Tunes comics, Hanna-Barbera comics), dies at age 76.^[23]

Specific date unknown

• Jaap Lamberton, Dutch illustrator and comics artist (worked on Panda), passes away at age 45.^[24]
• Charles Popineau, French illustrator and comics artist (worked on the Le Crime ne Paie Pas and Les Amours Célèbres series), dies at age 65 or 66. ^[25]
• Eugen Taru, Romanian illustrator, caricaturist and comics artist ('Barbăcot), dies at age 78.^[26]

DC Comics

• Deathstroke the Terminator
• Superman: The Man of Steel

Dark Horse Comics

• Star Wars: Dark Empire

Marvel Comics

• Barbie

Release: January

• Barbie Fashion

Release: January.

• Bill & Ted's Excellent Comic Book

Release: December.

• Captain Planet and the Planeteers

Release: October.

• Darkhawk

Release: March.

• Deathlok v2

Release: July.

• The Destroyer v3

Release: December.

• Double Dragon

Release: July.

• Original Ghost Rider Rides Again

Release: July.

• NFL SuperPro

Release: October.

• Sleepwalker

Release: June.

• Sweet XVI

Release: May.

• The Toxic Avenger

Release: April.

• Wonder Man

Release: September.

• X-Force v1

Release: August.

• X-Men v2

Release: October.

Independent

• Bone

Release: July by Cartoon Books

• Dirty Plotte

Release: January by Drawn and Quarterly

• Palookaville

Release: April by Drawn and Quarterly

• Rubber Blanket

Release: by Rubber Blanket Press

DC Comics

• Abattoir in Detective Comics #625
• Alexandre LeRoi in Batman: Master of the Future
• Atomic Skull II in Adventures of Superman #483
• Bloody Mary in Hawk and Dove vol. 2 #21 (February )
• Donna Cavanaugh in The Sandman #32 (November )
• Chantinelle in Hellblazer #43 (July )
• Destruction of the Endless in The Sandman Special #1 (November )
• Electrocutioner II in Detective Comics #626 (February )
• General Glory I in Justice League America # 46 (January )
• King Snake in Robin #2 (February )
• Linear Men in Adventures of Superman #476 (March )
• Lynx II in Robin v1 #1 (January )
• Mirage II in The New Titans #79
• Monarch I in Armageddon 2001 #2 (October )
• Nightrider in New Titans Annual #7
• Pantha in New Titans #73 (February )
• Speed Queen in Hawk and Dove vol. 2 #21 (February )
• Terra II in New Titans #79 (September )
• Ron Troupe in Adventures of Superman #480 (July )
• Malice Vundabar in Hawk and Dove vol. 2 #21 (February )
• Waverider in Armageddon 2001 #1 (May)
• Paul Westfield in Superman Vol. 2, #58 (August )

Marvel Comics

• 8-Ball in Sleepwalker #1 (June )
• Helmut in The Incredible Hulk #379 (March )
• Lucas Bishop in Uncanny X-Men #282 (November )
• G.W. Bridge in X-Force v1 #1 (August )
• Copycat in New Mutants #98 (February )
• Abraham Cornelius in Marvel Comics Presents #73 (March )
• Fabian Cortez in X-Men vol. 2, #1 (October )
• Cyber in Marvel Comics Presents #85 (September )
• Darkhawk in Darkhawk #1 (March )
• Deadpool in The New Mutants #98 (February )
• Devos the Devastator in Fantastic Four #359 (December )
• Marco Delgado in X-Men v. 2, #1 (October )
• Wyndell Dichinson in Web of Spider-Man #81 (October )
• Feral in New Mutants vol. 1, #99 (March )
• Firebrand II in Web of Spider-Man vol. 1, #77 (June )
• Trevor Fitzroy in Uncanny X-Men #281 (October )
• Muriel Frost in Doctor Who Magazine #169
• Gauntlet I in X-Factor v. 1, #65 (April )
• Gideon in New Mutants (vol. 1) #98 (February )
• Impala in Captain America #388 (July )
• Krugarr in Guardians of the Galaxy Annual #1
• Lodestone in Darkhawk #7 (September )
• Fabian Marechal-Julbin in New Warriors #9 (March )
• Nox in Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #31 (July )
• Paibok in Fantastic Four Vol. 1, #358 (November )
• Phobos I in Dr. Strange, Sorcerer Supreme #32 (August )
• Phoenix (Giraud) in Guardians of the Galaxy #11 (April )
• Protégé in Guardians of the Galaxy #15 (August )
• Psynapse in X-Factor #65 (April )
• Rancor in Guardians of the Galaxy #8 (January )
• Replica in Guardians of the Galaxy #9 (February )
• Shatterstar in New Mutants vol. 1, #99 (March )
• Shinobi Shaw in X-Factor #67 (June )
• Sleepwalker in Sleepwalker #1
• Speedfreek in The Incredible Hulk #388 (December )
• Squirrel Girl in Marvel Super-Heroes Special vol. 2, #8 (Winter)
• Jeremy Stevens in Uncanny X-Men #283 (December )
• Carl Stricklan in Daredevil Annual #9
• Talon in Guardians of the Galaxy #18 (November )
• Tusk in X-Factor #65 (April )
• Nathan Taylor in The Incredible Hulk #379 (December )
• Weapon X II in X-Force v. 1, #2 (September )
• Buford Wilson in New Warriors vol. 1, #9 (March )
• John Wraith in Wolverine (vol. 2) #48 (November )
• Zodiak in Ghost Rider Vol. 3, #10 (February )

Other publishers

• Detective-Judge Armitage in Judge Dredd Megazine v.1, #9 (Fleetway, June)
• Lady Death in Evil Ernie #1 (Chaos! Comics, December )
• Erica Pierce in Solar, Man of the Atom v. 2, #1 (Valiant Comics, September )