Description |
volumes : chiefly illustrations ; 28 cm |
Series |
Australian Comics Collection. ANL
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John Ryan Comic Collection (Specific issues) ANL
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Analysis |
Australian |
Notes |
By Gurney; later by Les Dixon |
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Cover title |
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Description based on: [1950?] |
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Included as a feature in a number of newspapers including the Courier Mail, Daily Mirror, News and Sun News |
Numbering |
Some issues lack designation |
Notes |
Born in Newtown, New South Wales, Norm Rice studied art at Jack Watkin's Sydney art school. He sold funny panels to the Bulletin, Smith's Weekly, Rydges and other Sydney publications. For Frank Johnson Publications, he drew adventure strips like 'Powerman', 'Steele Carewe' and 'Nick Carver of the Circus'. During World War II, he joined an army camouflage unit, and later in a survey unit, and served in New Guinea. He also produced a comic book of wartime cartoons called 'Rice and Shine', containing cartoons previously published in the Bulletin. In 1946, he joined the staff of Smith's Weekly and went back to freelancing when the magazine ended in 1950. After a couple of years doing promotional art for Universal Films, he took over 'Bluey and Curley' after the death of Alex Gurney. He drew the strip for only a year, as he was killed in a car accident on New Year's Eve 1956 |
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In the late 1920s, Alex Gurney started selling his first cartoons to the Tasmanian Mail, Melbourne Punch and The Bulletin. In 1926, he published 'Tasmanians Today', a book which brought Gurney to the attention of mainland newspapers. Gurney moved to Sydney, where he freelanced for The Bulletin and developed the first Australian strip based on actual personalities 'Stiffy & Mo'.In October 1936, Alex Gurney created the daily strip 'Ben Bowyang', based on C.J. Dennis' 'Gunn's Gully' letters. The strip that was to make Gurney famous however, came in 1940 with 'Bluey and Curley', a humor strip about army life. Alex Gurney, acknowledged as one of Australia's finest cartoonists, died of a heart attack in 1955 |
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Les Dixon was born in Sydney, Australia in 1910. He was adopted as a baby and moved with his family to the far south coast of New South Wales when he was eight years old. He was educated by correspondence school and went to Sydney when he was nineteen. Working as a blacksmith striker, he studied art by correspondence. At the age of 28, he was working s a truck driver when he was involved in a truck accident. Forced to stay at home and on the dole, he took up life drawing. He became a freelance artist, selling illustrations and comics to magazines such as Smith's Weekly, The Bulletin and Rydges Business Journal. After a brief stint in the war in 1941, Les Dixon joined the staff of Smith's Weekly until it folded in 1949. He then became art editor for the Sydney Production unit of Queensland Newspapers Ltd. Dixon left this job in 1957, to draw the comic 'Bluey and Curley' (created by Alex Gurney), which ran until 1975. In 1976, he created 'Sandy Lakes', which was published in The Central Coast Advocate for thirteen years. Another comic he made is 'Retirement Village'. In 1994, Les Dixon was awarded the prestigious Silver Stanley |
Subject |
World War, 1939-1945 -- Australia -- Comic books, strips, etc.
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World War, 1939-1945 -- Australia -- Periodicals.
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Australian wit and humor, Pictorial -- Periodicals.
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Genre/Form |
Comics (Graphic works)
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Graphic novels.
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Periodicals.
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Author |
Dixon, Les, 1910-2003
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Gurney, Alex, 1902-1955.
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Rice, Norm, 1913-1956
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