IPC vs DCT

[AndyB]

It was less true of IPC, but there were certain artists who absolutely specialised in flat-chested women - Ron Spencer and Dave Sutherland for DCT, and Mike Lacey for IPC. Only when Bob Nixon jumped ship back again did women really gain womanly shapes.

[Digifiend]

What about Julie from "We are the Sparky People"? No goddess-but not that bad! I felt that Gordon Petrie `Sparky People` who took over the `Minnie the Minx` strip from Leo Baxendale, made her a little more `femenine` Spyguy! Or do i need both my eyes and head tested?

His name is Jim!

[SID]

Both companies printed good comics. However, I have always leaned towards DCT for humour comics and IPC for adventure.

But there are the odd exception.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

Lily Pop totally by-passed me, as I had stopped buying comics by the time KRAZY and CHEEKY came out, but a rummage through her archives seems in order.......


The Dudley Watkins' MAGGIE BROON is the very epitome of wholesome goodness----she became a lot more glamourized by the time Ken Harrison took over the tenure.



Yes, Julie out of We are the Sparky People looked cute, and her stature seems to have been based on that of 60s glam model Twiggy.

[stevezodiac]

We've previously mentioned shapely women in regard to the Nervs strip in Smash! but I can't remember the topic.

[alanultron5]

Ah yes! `Jim` lad! Andy Tew drew females superbly! Check out Luana in the `Jungle Ark`

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

Artists who worked for both IPC and DCT, or who 'defected' from one to the other:

ROBERT T. NIXON: probably the most prominent , accomplished cartoonist who left DCT circa early 1973, when he was on an absolute roll: his Roger the Dodger and Lord Snooty over the last couple of years was very polished indeed: did Bob 'jump ship' out of 'stifled creativity' or greater financial reward?

His stuff for IPC does look more 'freewheeling' and personal than trying to fit in with the Beano style.

Also, I notice that Bob starts signing his work in 1974 [the earliest I have tracked down to date: this is on the highly-accomplished King Arthur and his Frights of the Round Table, in the debut issue of WHOOPEE!: was this the first example of Bobs' new work for his new employers, can anyone confirm?]


Also linked to this: Frank McDiarmid who ironically took over the Roger the Dodger strip from Robert Nixon sometime around 1973. I don't especially rate Frank's version of Roger as the finest, but he was a very accomplished, prolific and multi-talented artist, capable of 'adventure fare' like WILLIE BUNK for WHIZZER and CHIPS, or all-out cartoonery of the GASWORKS GANG [COR!! 1970] variety.

[philcom55]

It sounds as though you're right on both counts regarding the reasons for his defection Rab. According to Bob Nixon himself:

"...I'd been with Thomson's for about 7 years and possibly I felt myself in a bit of a rut. IPC's material looked far more my kind of thing. It was much more exciting. There seemed to be more freedom for the artists and, I must be honest, the pay was better."

Apparently his first IPC work was 'Hire a Horror' in Cor!

- Phil Rushton

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

yes, that does sound faintly familiar, Phil: many thanks!

[stevezodiac]

I was surprised when I saw Jim Petrie's art in an IPC/Fleetway comic. Can't remember when or which title/character but I think I came across it recently. It might even have been TV Comic. Can anyone help?

[Peter Gray]

The Caver's Whoopee!!
also The Incredible Sulk Jackpot comic..
both very good..

[AndyB]

Jimmy Glen, a long-time DCT staffer, was able to draw a few episodes of The Winners for Jackpot. I would therefore guess he wasn't a staff artist at the time (although in all fairness, Jimmy did some external work during his career in his spare time - I found a Christian booklet he illustrated back in the 90s!)

Most artists being freelancers, nearly all do seem to have worked for both companies at one time or another - John Geering and Keith Reynolds are others who had work printed in publications by both companies at the same time (Teeny Toppers for Topper, Beano comic libraries, and Ray Gunn for Whizzer and Chips at the least for Keith), and in the case of John, not just our big two!

What stands out about Bob Nixon is that when he jumped ship in both directions, the new company appears to have been anxious to fill up his time very quickly. Tom Paterson, Trevor Metcalfe and Terry Bave also fell into this category when they left Fleetway for the security of DCT.

[Tin Can Tommy]

On the subject of Robert Nixon. He drew a lot of strips based around the 'a child and a huge anthropomporphic animal' premise. He drew Kid Kong for Monster Fun and later Buster but he also drew Polar Blair (for Hoot and later The Dandy) and The Yeti with Betty for the Beano. These strips all have almost the exact same premise and is the only example I could think of DCT creating a strip which seemed to be a 'copy' of an IPC one.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

If I remember correctly, Robert Nixon was also the first to jump ship back to D C Thomson from IPC, in the mid-80s: so unlike Leo Baxendale, he obviously hadn't burned his bridges when leaving Thomson in '73, he must have been on good terms with them.

Although I do rate Bobs' Roger and Snooty circa 1968-73, it does look a bit like it's trying to shoehorn into the expected DCT style......today, I prefer his IPC stuff of the 70s, it's much more unrestrained and you can just tell he enjoyed putting this stuff out....

Tincan: a good point you made, but I can see Bobs' influences in Roy Wilson [Amalgamated Press] and even in the very early Pansy Potter.

Andy: I had no idea that Jimmy Glen ever worked for IPC, I learn something on here all the time! Tell you what though, just this week I discovered that no less than Gordon Bell [Pup Parade, and endless Beano ghostings] actually worked for IPC in 1974, on the first few weeks of a strip called THE WOLF PACK.

In typical IPC-styled tactics, this WHOOPEE! strip was taken over by another artist within a few short weeks......

[Peter Gray]

a new editor Euan Kerr came in was another reason Robert Nixon and Tom Paterson were asked to join...
new editors can really change things...