Jim Dexter - Picture News 1940

Picture News was first published on Nov 4th 1939. Les Such, William Heaslip, M. Roberts, R M Younger and Alex Gurney all featured in the pages of Picture News. Gurney's signature wartime cartoon Bluey and Curly debuted in Picture News in 1939. Bluey and Curley outlasted Gurney's death in 1955 with Howard Norman Rice succeeding Gurney on art chores until his untimely death in a car accident on new years Eve 1956. Les Dixon took over Bluey and Curley in 1957, drawing the strip until 1975.

 Alan Marshall and John Elliot

The September 1st 1940 Issue of Picture News previewed a new 'All Australian Comic Strip Jim Dexter', which would be debuting the following week. Below is the first installment of Jim Dexter and a profile of creators, writer Alan Marshall and artist John Elliot.

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Bevyn Baker Olympian Cartoonist

1960 Rome Olympic Games Competitor Bevyn Baker of Victoria -  photographer J Tanner

With the 2012 London Olympics almost concluded I wanted to post some work by Melbourne cartoonist, Bevyn Baker who in the early days of his cartooning career represented Australia in sprinting at the 1960 Rome Olympics. In 1960 Baker was Australia's second best performer over the 100 and 200 metres sprint and regarded as an excellent Long jumper.

Baker worked for the Argus whilst still in his teens producing a regular gag strip, Richard the Line Shooter.

 The Argus - Monday 24th December

The Heidelberger ran the following piece on Baker in their January 27 1960 edition.

From 1963 - 1969 Baker produced Alex Gurney's Ben Bowyang strip for daily newspapers, The fifth artist to do so.

 

 Alex Gurney's Ben Bowyang.

Later this month I will have a feature interview with Baker about his lengthy career as a cartoonist.

Below: A selection of Baker cartoons from Victorian newspaper The Heidelberger January - April 1960.

Sources: The Heidelberger January,April 1960, http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au, http://trove.nla.gov.au/, The State Library of Victoria, Panel By Panel by John Ryan, pub. Cassell 1979.