R is for Ranma Saotome, created by Rumiko Takahashi and first appearing in Shūkan Shōnen Sandé (Weekly Shonen Sunday) in 1987. Ranma fell into a cursed spring while on a martial arts training expedition with his father in China, resulting in him taking on the form of whoever last drowned in that pool - in this case a young girl 1500 years previously (his father fell into the spring of a drowned panda). Ranma transforms into his female form whenever he comes into contact with cold water, while hot water reverts him to male.

Each day I will be choosing a character from those suggested by the members of the Garen's A-Z of comic strip characters Facebook group - if you want to suggest any, please feel free to join in.

Ranma is the first A-Z manga character to make an appearance, and his girl form was chosen to increase the female presence within the project. Rupert Bear came a close second with 8 votes, but was beaten by Ranma with 10 from Neill Cameron, Laura Howell, Jenni Scott, Linda Wada, David Chua, Tim Overton, Uriel A. Duran, Jay Eales, Kelvin Green and Jonathon Dalton. Thanks all!

Q is for Quinch... Ernest Errol Quinch, teenage rebel companion to Waldo "D.R." Dobbs, whose antics include evolving life on earth and shaping its continents in order to take revenge on a fellow college student who snitched. Their first appearance was in a 2000AD Future Shock, in prog 317 in 1983, written by Alan Moore and drawn by Alan Davies.

Each day I will be choosing a character from those suggested by the members of the Garen's A-Z of comic strip characters Facebook group - if you want to suggest any, please feel free to join in.

The A-Z voting panel had to get creative with Q and came up with some great suggestions. Quinch was suggested by Kelvin Green, Davey Candlish, Dave Shelton, Neill Cameron, Stephen Prestwood and Paul Harrison-Davies.

P is for Phoney Bone (Phoncible P. Bone), a manipulative miser who gets chased out of Boneville, helped to escape by his two cousins, Fone and Smiley Bone. He was created by Jeff Smith and first appeared in the Ohio State University student newspaper, The Lantern, in the proto-Bone strip, Thorn, in 1983, though the Bone saga proper started with Cartoon Books in July 1991.

Each day I will be choosing a character from those suggested by the members of the Garen's A-Z of comic strip characters Facebook group - if you want to suggest any, please feel free to join in.

Though Peter Parker came a close second with three votes, Phoney Bone won with four and was suggested by Mitz, Frazer Diamond, Gústav Sigurbjörnsson and Uriel A. Duran.

O is for Obelix, boar-eating, Roman-bashing, menhir-delivering friend to Asterix the Gaul, who fell into the magic potion when he was a baby, thus giving him a lifetime's supply of super-strength. Obelix was created by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo, and made his first appearance in the first issue of Pilote in October 1959.

Each day I will be choosing a character from those suggested by the members of the Garen's A-Z of comic strip characters Facebook group - if you want to suggest any, please feel free to join in.

Obelix garnered a lot of support for 'O', with twelve votes. They came from Elyssa Campbell-Barr, Linda Wada, Murray Ewing, Dave Chua, Frazer Diamond, Lucy Crookes, Thalia Proctor, Uriel A. Duran, Jay Eales, Richard Wainman, Chris Cox and Davey Candlish - thanks all! (Apologies for the lack of links today... not enough time...)

N is for Nemesis the Warlock, the alien freedom fighter battling the intolerance of Torquemada's Termight Empire. He was created by Pat Mills and Kevin O'Neill and made his first appearance in 2000AD in 1980.

Each day I will be choosing a character from those suggested by the members of the Garen's A-Z of comic strip characters Facebook group - if you want to suggest any, please feel free to join in.

Nemesis was suggested by Murray Ewing, Neill Cameron, Linda Wada, Jenni Scott, Patrick Brown, George Xydas, Kelvin Green, Simon Perrins and Stephen Prestwood. Thanks everyone.

M is for Minnie the Minx, who made her first appearance in The Beano in December 1953 (just a few months after another female counterpart to Dennis the Menace, Beryl the Peril, made her debut in The Topper), and was created by Leo Baxendale.

As 2008 marks the 70th anniversary of The Beano, Minnie is bringing a cake to the party, though the candles appear to have got out of hand somewhat!

Each day I will be choosing a character from those suggested by the members of the Garen's A-Z of comic strip characters Facebook group - if you want to suggest any, please feel free to join in.

Three characters each had two votes for the letter M (with quite a diversity having one each) - Mysterio, Minnie and Morpheus. Minnie was suggested by Alex Hughes and Laura Howell, and I picked her due to a distinct lack of female characters so far!

L is for Linus Van Pelt, the Peanuts character and friend of Charlie Brown, and brother to Lucy and Rerun. He made his first appearance in newspapers, syndicated by United Features Syndicate, in September 1952, and is responsible for the term 'security blanket'.

Each day I will be choosing a character from those suggested by the members of the Garen's A-Z of comic strip characters Facebook group - if you want to suggest any, please feel free to join in.

Linus was suggested by Frazer Diamond, Karen Leach, Uriel A. Duran, Elyssa Campbell-Barr, Richard Wainman, Kevin Lam, Jonathon Dalton and Thalia Proctor - thanks all.

K is for Kid Marvelman, aka Johnny Bates, who first appeared in his role as a sidekick to Marvelman in Marvelman no. 102, July 1955. He was created by Mick Anglo, but was made famous more recently by Alan Moore who re-wrote him as one of the most chilling villains in comics as part of his Marvelman revival that appeared in Warrior (from 1982).

Each day I will be choosing a character from those suggested by the members of the Garen's A-Z of comic strip characters Facebook group - if you want to suggest any, please feel free to join in.

Kid Marvelman was suggested by Pádraig Ó Méalóid, Davey Candlish, Jay Eales and Allan Harvey.

J is for Judge Death... he came from another dimension where the crime was life and the only sentence was death. He made his first appearance in 2000AD prog 149 in January 1980 in a Judge Dredd story written by John Wagner (as 'John Howard') and drawn by Brian Bolland.

Each day I will be choosing a character from those suggested by the members of the Garen's A-Z of comic strip characters Facebook group - if you want to suggest any, please feel free to join in.

The jury who chose Death consisted of Murray Ewing, Linda Wada, Kelvin Green, Uriel A. Duran, Mitz, Andrew Cheverton and Jay Eales.

I is for Iron Man who saw his first appearance in Marvel Comics' Tales of Suspense in March 1963 in a story by Stan Lee and drawn by Don Heck (though visually created by Jack Kirby who did the cover). Underneath the armour is millionaire inventor, Tony Stark, who gets wounded and captured in Vietnam. While a prisoner, he creates a robotic armour suit which helps keep him alive, and aids his escape.

Each day I will be choosing a character from those suggested by the members of the Garen's A-Z of comic strip characters Facebook group - if you want to suggest any, please feel free to join in.

Iron Man was suggested by Stephen Prestwood, Kelvin Green, Uriel A. Duran and Rol Hirst (who both specified the early armour).