A Wizard Artist Hunt

Sorry about the gap in posts, but one just became an article that was a much better fit for Down The Tubes. So, I have been enjoying having a read of some of the comics that I have bought and just not got around to reading.

So I have been having a lovely jump around 1975 Wizard (c) D C Thomson and I found myself delighted with some absolute diamonds of stories and art. And this is where I enjoyed spotting the artist. However, in other cases, I recognised the style, but just can’t name the artist for love nor money.

So what we have here is going to be a post that is long on art, but short on words. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed putting it together. Some of the art is by artists that I recognise and I am putting these up for no other reason than to share the love.

First up we have Blackbeard, a rough diamond of sailor commanding a small trawler pressed into helping the British war effort during WWII. This looks to be Barrie Mitchell’s work and this is certainly a style that I enjoy.

Next up is The Grey Ghosts. These are a group of British soldiers that stayed behind after the fall of Norway to continue to harrass the invading Germans. The art is by the incomparable Harry Farrugia who we sadly lost in 1970.

 

Now, we have one of the itinerant hero stories, which D C Thomson always seemed to excel at, with Wayland Smith. Wayland Smith and his apprentice would travel from village to village in what appeared to be Medieval England helping to right wrongs. The artist is Jim Watson.

The good thing about many of D C Thomson’s comics is that they were anthologies so you could have war stories interspered with sports stories interspersed with adventure stories and here this is illustrated by Frail Johnny Frail appearing amongst all these war stories. Johnny Frail is a star footballer who is only hampered by his lack of stature and looking like a strong wind would blow him away! This is one where the style is familar but I am stuffed if I can name the artist. However, veteran artist Lew Stringer (he’s going to kill me for the veteran bit!) has pointed out that it is the work of Tony Harding.

Danger Divers is an adventure story set in South America where Max Kelly and Pete Landers go diving in order to rescue items from dangerous situations such as rivers full of piranhas! Information is welcomed on who the artist is.

The Flying Tripehound is one of the aerial stories that benefitted from the talents of Keith Shone. The Flying Tripehound was a story about an aerial artillery spotter than flew during WWII. This is just an excuse to show off Keith’s work as I have loved it for decades.

Here we have a blast from the past with Huck McFee. This appears to be set during the peaceful period after the French and Indian War of 1754 – 1763 and before the American Revolutionary War of 1775 – 1783. Again, I recognise the style, but I cannot name the artist.

The Red Reiver is set in the Borders between England and Scotland during the mid-sixteenth century where the principal character is to bring law and order to the lawless region. I love the art and I am tempted to say that this is by Jordi Macabich, but I can’t say for certain. However, one of my comic gurus has managed to find the correct artist for me, so I say a big thank you to Shaquille S Le Vesconte (who is an absolute wizard on anything TV21 related). It is Felix Carrion. And the amount of work that he has done for D C Thomson has now fallen into place.

Next up we have a comedy wrestling story in Jaguar Jones. Jones is a bumbling third rate wrestler until he is given a jaguar skin that infuses him with the strength and agility of a jaguar when he wears the skin. I have no clue about the artist, but I am sure that someone will be able to educate me on who they are. And Ray Moore has come through again in confirming that Jaguar Jones was drawn by Doug Maxted.

This is a scene from The Sign Of the Shark which was illustrated by Denis McLoughlin. Here we see Jake Jeffords, an X-agent captured by the Shark Society who turn out to be a secret society that has been formed by a group of fanatical Japanese that could never surrender. Denis’ art has been enjoyed by millions and one of the best sites is Leylander for a pretty accurate listing of all Denis’ work.

Hunter’s War is a WWII spy story where Hunter is out to delay or damage the German war effort by any means at his disposal. Again, another style that I recognise, but cannot put a name to.  The intervening years since I wrote this article has now allowed me to update this article and name the artist as the great Frederico Maidagan.

Table Tennis Tearaway is an unusual story as the script reads as a modern story, but the artistic style makes it look quite dated. Again, another artist that I do not have a name to put to a style. However, Ray Moore has advised me that this is the veteran George Ramsbottom. Considering George has been illustrating comics since the early 1930s (his work appeared in Dandy No 1), I can forgive him for having a slightly dated style when compared against some of the artists of the 1970s.

To finish off, I am giving you a Simon Gaunt story. Simon Gaunt stories were to D C Thomson what Future-Shocks were to 2000AD. This allowed D C Thomson to take a chance on a new artist and if they were any good, they would get given a serial to work on. In this case, the artist seems to be quite good and I am sure that he has a bright future ahead of him.

In case you are struggling to recognise the artist, you can satisfy your curiosity by clicking on this link.