When I was young lad in the early 1980’s I would avidly read my Nana’s women’s magazines for those three panels of Mandrake the Magician in The Australian Woman’s Weekly and the Star Wars newspaper strip in the New Zealand Women’s Weekly. By the mid nineties I was a fully grown adult and had discarded childish pursuits such as comics and skateboarding and thus missed the Channel Eleven comic that featured in New Idea magazine for several months during 1995. I’m not too familiar with Australian television but I believe it is a soap opera based around fictitious characters who interact with Australian celebrities of the time. I can find no mention of this comic online but Google tells me scripter Adrian S. Tame is a veteran reporter and author whilst artist Vasja Koman is a Slovenian educated Illustrator and Melbourne resident.
Mike Manly - Ivan Southall & Peter James - Woman's Day March 8 1954
Mike Manly - Miracle Man was serialised in Women’s Day during 1954. Written by Ivan Southall (1921 - 2008) and illustrated by Peter James, Mike Manly involved a young Australian scientist who creates a ray that enables him to do anything he wishes, this leads to conflict with evil government powers. Ivan Southall was a prolific and popular writer of young adult fiction and as far as I know this was his only contribution to Australian comics.
The Conways - Betty Roland and John Santry
On the never-ending list of uncompleted projects, a survey of The Conways, an adventure serial featured in the Sydney Morning Herald during the late 1940’s. Written by Betty Roland (1903 – 1996) and illustrated by John Santry (1910 - 1990), The Conways ran for 831 daily strips commencing 9th November 1946 and concluding 7th July 1949. Roland emigrated to England in 1951, where her prolific writing career included lavishly painted serials for Girl and Swift comics. Fellow Australian writer Alan Stranks ( PC49 creator and Dan Dare scribe) helped Roland gain employment with the Marcus Morris stable of comic weeklies. ( A survey of her UK work is also on my to-do-list.) Below: First eight dailies of The Conways.
Gredown Covers
Selection of Gredown covers, Australian publisher of mainly horror and a science fiction reprints for a few years from the mid 1970’s. I’m disappointed Black Terror isn’t an ongoing title still being published today.
