Ron Embleton's first fully painted strip?
Posted: 16 May 2009, 10:09
From an on line biography (which follows the article by Norman Wright and David Ashford in their Masters of Fun and Thrills almost to the letter), I have taken the following quotes:
-“1957 was a halcyon year for Embleton for it also saw him blazing forth, for the first time in full colour, on the front page of the new Express Weekly comic with Wulf the Briton.â€
and
-“At about the same time Embleton painted an Arthurian strip, entitled The Story of the Boy King Arthur, for the nursery comic, Playhour. This finely painted, three part strip ran across the colour centre pages of the comic in August 1956 and was one of his earliest works to be signed in full: ‘R.S.Embleton’.â€
These details about his early artwork made me wonder which of the above could be considered to be his first full colour strip.
I did some research in the issues of Playhour in my collection, and the results seem to complete the above.
The Story of the Boy King Arthur was indeed published in August, 1956, on the full colour centre pages (4 August - 1 September, 5 episodes). A few months later the readers of this nursery weekly could feast their eyes on The Story of Beauty and the Beast (1 December 1956 - 5 January 1957, 6 episodes). Embleton took over Wulf the Briton in May, 1957, so his earliest full colour strips seem to be, in chronological order:
-1) The Story of the Boy King Arthur, August, 1956;
-2) The Story of Beauty and the Beast, December 1956;
-3) Wulf the Briton, from May, 1957.
There is always a chance that earlier fully painted strips by Embleton were published in obscure comics or annuals. So if anyone can supply additional titles, please do.
John Wigmans
-“1957 was a halcyon year for Embleton for it also saw him blazing forth, for the first time in full colour, on the front page of the new Express Weekly comic with Wulf the Briton.â€
and
-“At about the same time Embleton painted an Arthurian strip, entitled The Story of the Boy King Arthur, for the nursery comic, Playhour. This finely painted, three part strip ran across the colour centre pages of the comic in August 1956 and was one of his earliest works to be signed in full: ‘R.S.Embleton’.â€
These details about his early artwork made me wonder which of the above could be considered to be his first full colour strip.
I did some research in the issues of Playhour in my collection, and the results seem to complete the above.
The Story of the Boy King Arthur was indeed published in August, 1956, on the full colour centre pages (4 August - 1 September, 5 episodes). A few months later the readers of this nursery weekly could feast their eyes on The Story of Beauty and the Beast (1 December 1956 - 5 January 1957, 6 episodes). Embleton took over Wulf the Briton in May, 1957, so his earliest full colour strips seem to be, in chronological order:
-1) The Story of the Boy King Arthur, August, 1956;
-2) The Story of Beauty and the Beast, December 1956;
-3) Wulf the Briton, from May, 1957.
There is always a chance that earlier fully painted strips by Embleton were published in obscure comics or annuals. So if anyone can supply additional titles, please do.
John Wigmans