"Just Us" - Stopford Wrathall

"Just Us", a children's picture book from 1944, featured the vibrant illustrations of Stopford G. Wrathall and verse by John Brent. Wrathall uses a combination of painted art, line art, and crayon sketches to illustrate children's adventures as delineated by Brent. "Just Us" was published by The Morning Post Printing House in Rotorua.

 

The 19 December 1944 The Bay of Plenty Beacon reviewed "Just Us",

Outstanding Production

What promises to be one of the most appealing books ever produced for juvenile readers and of interest to adults as well, is a book "Just Us", which has a distinct local flavour. Written by an Opotiki author under the pen name of John Brent and beautifully illustrated in colour by Stop Wrathall, the book, in verse form, shows a very fine understanding of the working of the young mind, and it's humour will be appreciated by young and old. One of the many subjects dealt with in the book is the family's war effort and this will especially interest ex-Home Guardsmen.

Mention of Hukuwai, Ohope and Peter Petersen's and a large illustration depicting children damming up a stream at Hukuwai Beach will especially appeal to local children but it's appeal will also be widespread, and it should sell well throughout the Dominion.

The verse, illustrations and general layout in "just Us", are far superior to most of the children's books which come from overseas. Wrathall's genius in depicting children at play adds largely to the success of the work. The Printers, the Rotorua Morning Post, have spared no effort in this first-class production and are assured of a quick sale of the limited number of copies available before Christmas.

Copies of this book are now available at the local stationers. 

  

Click for larger view

In the 1950's Wrathall illustrated promotional material and cartoon maps of Waiheke Island and Rotorua.

 Click for larger view

Wrathall and Brent collaborated on a follow up in 1954, Meet The Chactadee, published in England by WM. Collins Sons and Co. Ltd.

Sources: http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast, http://waihekenews.weebly.com/old-waiheke.html

Paper Trail

Rejected Pat Alexander 4 pager from Dark Horse Presents here.

 

Andrew Fulton's Smaller Comics have a pay what you want sale on here.

Chromacon is a new Illustration and Comics Art convention in New Zealand launching on 12 May at the old Armageddon stomping grounds, the Aotea Centre. A fine line up of illustrators and cartoonists have already been announced on their site and unlike other conventions down this way entrance to Chromacon is free. More information here.

Jason Franks writes about crowdfunding.

 Art by Jan Scherpenhuizen and story by Jason Franks from Sixsmiths vol. 2

Toby Morris has a tumblr!

What if money was no object - Alan Watts at Zen Pencils.

Hamilton comics alert: www.cakeburger.com

(I once saw Mr Cakeburger walk into a comic shop, swipe an issue of Gaiman/Romita Jr's Eternals off the shelf, pay for it and then roll it up and shove it in his back pocket. Cakeburger ain't precious about his comics, I like that in a comics creator.)

The Duluxe Tiny Kitten Teeth Hardcover is now available from Topatoco.

 The Beardy and the Geek podcast interview T-Rex Jones.

The latest issue of The Lifted Brow #15 is available and continues their run of featuring fine cartoonists from Australasia and around the world. Cartoonists featured int he latest issue are, Ben Sea, Blaise Larmee, Noel Freibert, Tin Can Forest, Ben Juers & Bailey Sharp, Simon Hanselmann.

  

The Melbourne comics scene documentary Graphic Novels! Melbourne! film makers Daniel Hayward and Bernard Caleo have announced a screening at the 2013 Angouleme Comics Festival in France (French article here), with screenings in Berlin, Hamburg and London to follow. Focusing on the work of Pat Grant, Mandy Ord, Nicki Greenberg, Bruce Mutard, Graphic Novels! Melbourne! also features Scott McCloud, Dylan Horrocks, Paul Gravett and Shaun Tan amongst others.

 Pat Grant's poster for Graphic Novels! Melbourne!

Another screening in Melbourne will be at Cinema Nova (380 Lygon Street Carlton) on Wednesday 23 January at 6.30pm, with a Q & A afterwards.

Photos from the Carlton Readings laneway premiere are here.

The Sun-Herald Comic Supplement Jan 30 1977

Selection of comic strips from a Herald Sun Comic Supplement from the seventies. Featuring a selection of syndicated American strips as well as Australian comics strips and the long running adventure strip, Air Hawk,  by John Dixon.

More Kolynos Toothpaste Advertising

  Syd Miller's Red Gregory and The Little People

I wrote about Kolynos Dental Cream advertising here, suggesting their print campaign was likely the work of an Australian cartoonist. Comics Historian Kevin Patrick has suggested it may have been the work of Syd Miller who produced an early fantasy series for Smith's Weekly, Red Gregory and the Little People, which was collected as two comic books in the 1940's. Stylistically the work on Red Gregory is very similar to the Kolynos advertisements. Miller also had a strong record in doing comic strip advertisements, most notably as co- creator of "Chesty Bond", in the mid-late 1930s. Kevin suggested Miller as a the likely artist, "... Based on similarity of linework, depiction of curvaceous women, etc."

 Syd Miller's Fatty Finn's Comic

 

Red Gregory and The Little People Page 5

In response to a suggestion from myself about the disparity between lettering/calligraphy styles in Red Gregory and the Little People and Kolynos work, Kevin commented, "The quality of lettering/calligraphy would have to have been of higher standard for a business advertisement client like Kolynos. Comic books/strips would have been a nice sideliner earner for Nicholls, no doubt, but wouldn't have paid as much as advertising work, I suspect."

 Red Gregory and the Little People comic circa 1940's

Red Gregory and The Little People Page 4

Samples of Kolynos advertisements from the Australian Woman's Weekly

 

Red Gregory images sourced from the Rare Books Collection, Monash University Library (Melbourne, Australia) [http://www.lib.monash.edu.au/rare/). Thanks to Kevin Patrick for additional information.