Little Hongi - George F H Taylor

George F H Taylor is another obscure New Zealand comic artist that I have found several examples of but no trace of anything biographical. Taylor produced Little Hongi - Adventures in Maoriland for Auckland publisher John G. Helleur, a Jaygee production, in the fifties.  Another mystery figure in New Zealand comics Helleur was also involved in the New Plymouth printed Bingo Comics although I am unsure if this was on the production side or solely as a distributor.

Though undated the byline of 'This is an approved comic' along the top left spine side of the cover would indicate it was published after 1954. The byline provided assurance for parents that were aware of Frederic Wetham's Seduction of The Innocent, a treatise on the dangers of comics and children. New Zealand had it's own 'Seduction of The Innocent' with a thirty page essay by Margaret Dalziel published in the literary journal Landfall in March 1955.

George F H Taylor also produced Science fiction titles Space (of which I'm aware of two issues) and Dick Astro of Space Patrol as well as tackling funny animals in Wonder Comics (1958).

In the 1950's Jaygee produced children's albums similar to English annuals with thick card covers with pages sometimes of a similar stock. Taylor contributed illustrations to these which were typical of the boy's own prose genre with titles like 'Thrilling Adventures'.

Sources: Landfall Vol. 9 No. 1 March 1955 - Comics in New Zealand - Margaret Dalziel, Space #1 and Dick Astro of Space Patrol from collection of Geoff Harrison, The Australian Comic Collector - The Comics of New Zealand - Geoff Harrison.