Australian Cartoonists Art Dump #3

Above: Maurice Bramley cover for In Battle Action No. 72

Below: Peter Chapman's Sir Falcon.

Below: John Dixon's Crimson Comic. When I was about eight years I bought a Crimson Comet comic from a carboot in a muddy paddock at a flea market in provincial New Zealand. Unbelievably one hundred and fifteen years later I still have that comic.

Every day I wake up and wonder is this the day Nat Karmichael announces he'll be publishing the complete Tim Valour by John Dixon? A phone book collection of these tight adventure stories would be a gift to mankind...

These King Size Comic anthologies have stunning covers by an unknown artist. They chiefly contain American reprints but invariably would have an Australian comic like Stan and Reg Pitt's Silver Starr. A smarter person than me like Kevin Patrick or Daniel Best could have written about these in a smarter way.

The Adventures of Flash Cain No. 3 collects comics from Cavalcade magazine by Phil Belbin, cover by Devil Doone mainstay artist Hart Amos.

Even when guesting in other heroes comics the Phantom Ranger could oddly be relied upon to find a Mexican to punch in the face.

Kent Blake of the Secret Service #18? There seventeen issues before this one? Nat, while you're assembling that Tim Valour phone book can I please also get an inch thick collection of Monty Wedd's Kent Blake comics?

Australian Cartoonists Art Dump #1

New Zealand born artist Unk White cover for The Australian Woman's Mirror, July 17, 1957. Unk White produced some of Australia's first full page colour comics and illustration in 1930's newspapers.

From interior credit:

Our Cover - Artist Unk White has captured what is perhaps half the delight of a holiday - the planning of it. Most of us of course can only dream of that voyage overseas; though we may still look at travel folders. All can really plan a holiday.

Serial adventure strip The Spanish Sword from Australian Woman's Mirror featured above. Artist unknown.

Edith Alsop (1871 - 1958) original painting mounted on board. Alsop was initially active as a cartoonist/illustrator in the early twentieth century before moving into printmaking and fine arts. I'm not sure what this illustration was from, possibly unpublished. Found a couple weeks ago in a basket of old English annuals at a local market.

Two stunning pages in sequence from Will Donald comic Perilous Journey. Scans courtesy of Geoff Harrison.

Original illustration accompanying one off book of Persian poetry by Will Donald. Photo courtesy family of Will Donald.

Original painted art board by English Illustrator Walt Howarth (1928 - 2008). Howarth produced numerous annual covers and illustrations over a sixty year career. Example above from a UK reprint comic of Australian character The Phantom Ranger originally published in Australia by Frew.

Two covers for western digest size story magazines by prolific golden age comics maker Peter Chapman (1925 - 2016).

Australian reprint of US newspaper strip Scorchy Smith. Cover artist unknown.

Three painted Wally and the Major covers by Stan Cross.

Minus Five and the Mountain of Gold - Peter Chapman

One of Australia's most prolific cartoonists Peter Chapman produced hundreds of comics over a two decade career including long runs on The Phantom Ranger and The Shadow for Frew Comics. Illustrations below are from a Chapman illustrated children's book, Minus Five and the Mountain of Gold, published in 1974, by Golden Press in Sydney. Minus Five refers to a deep sea analyser used to analyse the ocean floor. Author Victor Barnes also wrote another little golden book Barrier Reef Adventures of Minus Five, illustrated by Walter Stackpool.