Dan Russell (cartoonist)

Last updated

Dan Russell
BornDaniel Russell
26 March 1906
Millers Point, New South Wales, Australia
Died1999
Orange, New South Wales
OccupationCartoonist, illustrator
NationalityAustralian
Period1928–1991

Dan Russell (1906–1999) was an Australian cartoonist. Dan's younger brother Jim Russell was also a cartoonist.

Contents

Biography

Russell was born in Millers Point, New South Wales, [1] the son of William John "Billy" Russell, a foreman plumber with the Sydney City Council, the president of the New South Wales Plumbers' Union, the national secretary of the Australian Plumbers and Gasfitters Employees Union, and unsuccessful labour candidate for the seats of Parkes and Canterbury, who was killed in a workplace accident in 1915. [2] His mother Catherine Elizabeth (née Diggs), remarried in 1926 [2] and was one of the first two-woman members of an Australian Upper House of Parliament. [3]

Russell began his working life as a clerk but was soon studying art at night at the Julian Ashton Art School and at the art school of Wattie Watkins. [1] [4] From 1928 to 1929 he was the secretary of the Australian Black and White Artists' Guild and in 1937 became the treasurer of the reformed Australian Black and White Artists' Club. [1] [4] He worked in advertising and commercial art for a few years prior to World War II, until Frank Johnson Publications started producing comics, providing him with the opportunity to break into cartooning. [1] At Frank Johnston he produced a number of comics, such as Terry Lawson (rover scout), Val Blake, Ventriloquist (roving adventurer and detective), Wanda Dare (lady reporter) and Jimmy Dale (a world boxing champion). After the war Russell travelled to the United States, Mexico and Canada to study cartoon techniques. [5] Upon his return to Australia he joined the Allied Authors and Artists publishing group. [1]

At the beginning of 1947, Dan and his younger brother, Jim, began their own publishing company, All-Australian Comics. The lead title of the company was Tex Morton's Wild West Comics, starring the popular country music singer. Like many Australian comics of the time, it was a copy of American material, in this case, featuring cowboy actors such as Roy Rogers and Gene Autry. Tex Morton was always featured in a lead-off story along with his mates Jacky, Shorty and Slim, drawn by Dan Russell. For the first two years companion features were Keith Chatto's Bunny Allen, Les Dixon's Alfie the Jackaroo and a series of bush yarns by Jack Hemming. Early in 1949 they added another title, Kanga's K.O. Comics. In the middle of 1950 All-Australian Comics ran into financial difficulties due to rising production costs and the company folded by the end of the year.

In 1952 Russell became a staff artist on The Truth and The Daily Mirror before becoming involved with AM Magazine. [1] [5] In 1953 Russell went to Adelaide joining The Advertiser as a political cartoonist. [4] He switched to The News and Sunday Mail in 1955, [6] where he served as an illustrator, sporting cartoonist and general humour cartoonist, until his retirement in 1970. [1] During this time he created a number of comic strips, including Darky, the Kid from the Snowy River. Russell then returned to Sydney and worked freelance. [5]

Russell was a lifelong member of the Australian Black and White Artists' Club and the president in 1977. [5] He won a Silver Stanley for his contribution to black and white art in 1991 [4] and was made a life member of the ABWAC the same year. [5]

Dan Russell died in Orange, New South Wales in 1999 at the age of 93.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mort Walker</span> American comic strip cartoonist (1923–2018)

Addison Morton Walker was an American comic strip writer, best known for creating the newspaper comic strips Beetle Bailey in 1950 and Hi and Lois in 1954. He signed Addison to some of his strips.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Bancks</span> Australian cartoonist

James Charles Bancks was an Australian cartoonist best known for his comic strip Ginger Meggs.

Ron Vivian was an Australian cartoonist who is perhaps best known as having drawn Ginger Meggs after the original creator, Jimmy Bancks died in 1952.

Lloyd Piper was an Australian cartoonist and art teacher, best known as the third artist to take on the iconic Australian comic strip, Ginger Meggs, which he drew from 1973 until his death in 1983.

The Australian Cartoonists' Association is the Australian professional cartoonists' organisation and was established on 17 July 1924 as the Society of Australian Black and White Artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stan Cross</span>

Stanley George Cross was born in the United States but was known as an Australian strip and political cartoonist who drew for Smith's Weekly and the Herald & Weekly Times. Cross is famous for his iconic 1933 "For gorsake, stop laughing: this is serious!” cartoon as well as the Wally and the Major and The Potts cartoon strips.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Russell (cartoonist)</span> Australian cartoonist (Born 26 March 1909)

James Newton Russell AM MBE was an Australian cartoonist who drew The Potts for 62 years. Jim's brother Dan Russell was also a cartoonist.

Eric Ernest Jolliffe was an Australian cartoonist and illustrator.

Montague Thomas Archibald Wedd (1921–2012) was an Australian comic artist, animator and author.

William Edwin Pidgeon, aka Bill Pidgeon and Wep, (1909–1981) was an Australian painter who won the Archibald Prize three times. After his death, cartoonist and journalist Les Tanner described him: "He was everything from serious draftsman, brilliant cartoonist, social observer, splittingly funny illustrator to multiple Archibald prizewinner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comics in Australia</span>

Australian comics have been published since 1908 and Australian comics creators have gone to produce influential work in the global comics industry,

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Chaloner</span> Australian comic book artist and writer

Gary Chaloner is an Australian comic book artist, writer and publisher. He is known for his creations The Jackaroo, Flash Damingo, Red Kelso and The Undertaker Morton Stone, as well as his work on Will Eisner's John Law.

Lee Sheppard is an Australian cartoonist and animator. He currently resides in Sydney, Australia and is developing and writing projects for animated film & television.

Roger Fletcher is an Australian cartoonist and illustrator. His first comic strip, Torkan appeared in the Australian Sunday Telegraph in 1976 and his second comic strip, Staria, has appeared in the pages of the Australian Daily Telegraph since May 1980. Fletcher has taught children and adults the art of cartooning in the east coast of Australia and Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catherine Green</span> Australian politician

Catherine Elizabeth Green was an Australian politician.

Sydney 'Syd' Wentworth Nicholls was an Australian cartoonist and commercial artist, best known for the long-running comic strip Fatty Finn.

Leslie Dixon (1910–2002), was an Australian cartoonist and commercial artist.

Gerald Carr is an Australian comic book writer, artist and illustrator, best known for his creations, Vampire! and Vixen.

Norman Howard Rice was an Australian cartoonist, comic book artist and illustrator.

Leslie Lumsdon was a popular Australian cartoonist for the Newcastle Morning Herald.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Ryan, John (1979). Panel by Panel – An Illustrated history of Australian Comics. Cassell Australia. pp. 170–172. ISBN   978-0-7269-7376-5.
  2. 1 2 "Catherine Green and Ellen Webster – The First Women in the NSW Legislative Council". Australian Society for the Study of Labour History. 1998–1999. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
  3. ↑ "Mrs Catherine Elizabeth Green (1881–1965)". Former members of the Parliament of New South Wales . Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Shiell, Annette, ed. (1998). Bonzer – Australian comics 1900s–1990s. Redhill, South Australia: Elgua Media. p. 125. ISBN   1-876308-12-5.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "History of Australian Cartoonists". Australian Cartoonists' Association . Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  6. ↑ Haynes, J; Archibald, J.F (1987). The Bulletin Volume 109. Australian Consolidated Press. p. 96.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.