Please ID this girls' comics artist #1 - R MacGillivray

[Tonibunny]

Hi everyone,

Sorry to spam the forum but I'd love your help in identifying some more artists please

I can remember that the following artist was responsible for "Down With St Desmonds" and also a strip about a "mermaid/mystery girl of the sea", both in Bunty. I have more annuals with this chap's work in but I'm away from home at the moment so I'll have to add them at a later date.

If you can identify any more strips that were illustrated by this artist please let me know and I'll add them to my list! Title of strip, title of comic and year would be great

"The Shadow of Success", a spooky story from Tammy annual 1980:


"The Day It Rained Fish", from Bunty annual 1985:


"Belle of the Ball", a longrunning strip from Bunty annual 1985 (this was also illustrated by a different artist at some point, with Belle portrayed as a short-haired brunette):


Thanks!!

[Muffy]

Think that Phil Gascoigne was the artist of "Belle of the Ball" / "Shadow of success", though he also did "Nanny Young" a popular story from the 1980s Tammy comics. Sometimes Tammy did list the artists, beside the story title.

example of Gascoigne's work attached

The style looks like an English artist, though think IPC did use quite a number of Spanish artists as well.

Sorry I'm not much help.

Other main artists were: Juliana Buch, John Armstrong (Bella), George Anthony, Berrera Gesali and Guy Peters, Bob Harvey (who did Pam of pond Hill - similar to Grange hill), & Philip Townsend.

Example of Bob Harvey attached

[Tonibunny]

Thanks Muffy! It's great to be able to put names to artists I've never actually seen "Pam of Pond Hill" so I'll track a strip down and see if I can match it to any of the other artists I'm trying to identify.

[Kashgar]

Hi Toni,

Fairly certain the artist is Robert MacGillivray who did a great deal of work for both Thomson's and Fleetway. He was working for Thomson's as early as the 1930's eg 'The Tickler Twins in Wonderland' (Magic). One of his longest running strips was
'Lucky's Living Doll' in School Friend / June & School Friend.

[Tonibunny]

Hi Kashgar, you're certainly right! Thank you for that I found the following blog in Spanish which gives more info about him:

http://candela123.blogspot.com/2010_02_01_archive.html

Fab. Robert MacGillivray is probably my second favourite artist after Douglas Perry

[Tonibunny]

Have just found out (via the general register of births, marriages and deaths) that Robert Robertson MacGillivray (b1913) died in July 1986 in Bromley, Kent. Aw. Nice to think his art is still being appreciated though

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

Mind you, if Rob started doing strips in the 1930s, Toni, he had a brilliant run!


His style does look a bit familiar, and I reckon I've seen Rob's stuff after reading my cousin's girl comics in the early 70s.

[philcom55]

I'm glad to hear you confirm that Kashgar. MacGillivray strips such as 'The Flights of Flopear' and 'The Balloon of Doom' were the first things that came to my mind when I saw Toni's examples, but I couldn't be quite sure without looking at some full pages of the stories in question. He really was a master of the quirkily humourous adventure strip!

- Phil Rushton

[philcom55]

Having just taken a entertaining stroll through some old copies of Bunty it occurred to me that it would be a shame to let these threads die now that the artists in question have been named. In the case of Robert MacGillivray this would be particularly sad as he drew some absolutely amazing series that just demand to be recalled for all to see.

Here to begin with, then, is the very first episode of the aforementioned 'Belle of the Ball' from 15th September 1979, showing how Belle Brown's ball first gained its amazing properties:





- Phil Rushton

[Tonibunny]

Oh that is ACE Thanks ever so much Phil!

[philcom55]

Yet more MacGillivray weirdness - this time from the issue of Bunty dated September 19th, 1981: a kind of 'Honey I Shrunk the Kids!' in reverse'. No doubt it would have appealed to plenty of little girls who suffered from overly bossy mothers - especially if they also had an especial fondness for playing with dolls!





- Phil R.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

I apprciated the bizarre concept of this last piece, Phil! A brilliant style that MacGillivray had: I actually do remember it now: great character and spirit in the key character expression/poses, [he said, pretentiously]. 'BALLOON of DOOM in particular sticks in the memory: I found the balloon's expressions sinister and chilling.


A mini-feature on BALLOON of DOOM can be located here, [simply scroll down a wee bit, chuckies.] courtsesy of COMICS UK member Fustar's quirkily ace site:

http://www.fustar.info/2007/10/31/ballo ... s-of-hate/


[you're also namechecked here, Phil!]

[RuthB]

Wow! I love all those! Anybody knows if the story of the balloon can be found in any of those pocket sized picture libraries from Bunty? I love this artist, Masie's magic Eye was very famous in Spain in the seventies, although there it was called Ana and her magic Brooch.

Well lads (and lassie), I'm going in holydays tomorrow and won't be back for a week, have fan with your comics!!!

[Tonibunny]

There's a MacGillivray "Balloon Girl" story in one of the mid-80s annuals, I'll get it scanned in tomorrow - it's not the Balloon of Doom though, it's about an alien girl who floats around Earth in a giant bubble and isn't allowed back to her home planet until she's brought harmony to a group of humans. I must say I'm loving this sci-fi stuff now I'm reading it as an adult, although I wasn't that fussed when I was a kid

Oh! Have a wonderful holiday Ruth!

[Digifiend]

Yet more MacGillivray weirdness - this time from the issue of Bunty dated September 19th, 1981: a kind of 'Honey I Shrunk the Kids!' in reverse'. No doubt it would have appealed to plenty of little girls who suffered from overly bossy mothers - especially if they also had an especial fondness for playing with dolls!





- Phil R.

That is of course just a reuse of the formula Peter's Pocket Grandpa had in The Dandy at the time.