The Cartoons of Will Donald

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Left to right: Cartoonist Will Donald with his The Gadfly magazine colleagues Percy Martin and Archie. E. Martin (circa 1907-1909)

Delayed from last year The Cartoons of Will Donald will be out in March 2015 from Pikitia Press. Collecting the first six months of Donald's political cartoons form the Worker newspaper published in 1921. The original book has been expanded to include samples of Donald's comic book work and cartoons by his predecessors at the Worker Adam Plass and Claude Marquet.

The Cartoons of Will Donald

A collection of the early work of one of Australia’s pioneers of cartooning, Will Donald.  Donald produced cartoons for socialist newspaper, The Australian Worker socialist, from 1921 -1944.  This collection reproduces in chronological order six months of cartoons from Donald’s first work in March 1921. Donald’s work like his predecessor at The Worker, Adam Plass,  depicted the growing pains of Australia’s unionised workforce and Australian people at odds with the William Morris ”Billy” Hughes led Nationalist Party Government.

Will Donald also contributed to mainstream newspapers of the period with political cartoons and cartoon strips, notably Fashion Plate Fanny. From the 1920’s to late ’40’s Donald created some of Australia’s first original comic books.

Compiled by Matt Emery