Dutch comics artist Jan Steeman has died on 24 January 2018 at the age of 74 to kidney failure.  He was best known for his football (soccer) comic book Roel Dijkstra and bumbling teenage girl Noortje (published in in Tina).  Noortje ran for more than 41 years, making it the longest-running Dutch comic strip by one and the same artist.

Last month's comic book deaths:

• [29 Dec 2017] Jim Baikie (British comic book artist for Judge Dredd, Skizz), 77
• [20 Dec 2017] Annie Goetzinger (French comics artist), 66
• [19 Dec 2017] Lona Rietschel (German comics artist for Mosaik), 84