Please identify this girls' comics artist #3 - Andy Tew

[Tonibunny]

Here's another artist for you to ID for me, O wise ones

This is the artist who illustrated "The Taming of the Tearaway", which was the story which pretty much got me hooked on Bunty back in 1987.


The Mystery Of The Dutch Doll - Bunty annual 1975:




Sarah And Jane - Bunty annual 1985:




Strictly Dancing - Bunty annual 2009:

[Kashgar]

Hi Tony,

Can't be of any help this time I'm afraid. In fact you'll find a good number of the artists working on the girl's picture papers, particularly the Thomson ones, are beyond the ken of most of us posting here although Muffy seems to be pretty knowledgable when it comes to the IPC stuff.
This can be put down to the fact that most of us are blokes and our primary interest
was and is in either boys' picture papers, comic papers or both and that any interest in the girl's papers has basically developed as a later, less intensely researched, consequence of that.
When I was writing the Dandy Monster Index, The Beano Diaries etc all those years ago and collecting lots of details for indexes of the Victor, Hotspur etc I could have, had I been a girl, taken an alternate collecting route and asked the right questions of the right people in the girl's paper dept but I didn't and sadly most of the people who were in the know then are now at least retired and, in many key instances, beyond contacting except by Ouija board.
I do have a good collection of Bunty, Judy, Diana and Mandy from the very early years
and knowledge of a lot of artists from that period, particularly those that strayed over from the boy's papers and comic papers into the realm of the girl's picture papers
but if you want a lot of info from later years you may find you'll have to machete your way through an undergrowth strewn collecting path less travelled on your own account.

[Tonibunny]

Hi Kashgar,

It's OK, I can well understand that most chaps will be more into the boys/adventure comics than things like Bunty and Tammy! It was a very nice surprise to find that so many blokes take any sort of interest in them, though. I'm not expecting anyone to do loads of research for me or anything (I enjoy researching things myself!) but was just hoping that someone might be able to help, and I've been very fortunate so far

I'm just starting out with seriously looking at this stuff, but it does fascinate me and I'll enjoy tracking down info regarding the girls' comics.

Toni xx

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

keep posting images from girl's comics, though, Toni.....it is still an education for the rest of us. Some girls comic artists are acknowledged in reference books by folks like Denis Gifford, but even researchers with stuff in print write 'artist unknown' regarding many strips.

We would still be interested in seeing good artwork from your comics/annuals.

[philcom55]

Notwithstanding Kashgar's wise words I trust you won't give up hope Toni, as new artist's names are constantly turning up even today. What's more you seem to have a very impressive eye for spotting individual styles - which is half the battle anyway. As a result I propose that, until more information comes our way, 'Mystery Artist #3' should henceforth be known as 'Tearaway' and that any indexes of his or her work should be provisionally identified along those lines!

- Phil Rushton

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

Here's artwork from a girl's comic of the 70s [SUPERCATS, from SPELLBOUND, D C THOMSON 1976-78, artwork Enrique Romero] that had a following by girls and guys....for very different reasons!






It's science-fiction stuff, obviously, but I thought this was striking stuff at the time though it's probably nearer to BARBARELLA or 80s SUN fantasy strip AXA in tone than standard UK comics material.

[philcom55]

Actually, David Roach reckons that the main artist on 'Super Cats' was Romero's cousin Jorge B. Galvez who worked in a very similar style (though I suspect Romero helped out from time to time when he wasn't busy with the Modesty Blase newspaper strip).

- Phil Rushton

[Phoenix]

I'll enjoy tracking down info regarding the girls' comics.

If I were you, Tonibunny, I would try to interview the living as a matter of some urgency. I am a lot more sceptical than Kashgar about the ouija board method. The only time I ever placed any faith in a Ouija Board was in 2004 when I successfully wagered a tenner on it to win the Oaks.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

Thanks for that correction regarding SUPERCATS, Phil! Still stunning artwork, at any rate.....

[philcom55]

One problem with identifying a single artist from a number of sparse examples spread over several years is that some people's styles can evolve quite a lot over time. Having studied my only two episodes of 'Tearaway' I think I can link it with a number of other strips from the same period - for example I'm pretty sure this Bunty story from 1974 is drawn by the same hand:



...However I just can't make my mind up about later strips such as this one from 1984. Although there still seem to be a number of similarities, other elements look radically different - for example the panel design is far more adventurous (reminding me somewhat of John Burns), and there is a more effective use of blacks:




As you seem to be far more familiar with this artist than I am Tonibunny I'd be very interested to hear your opinion of these two strips. (And even if I've got it completely wrong bumping the thread back up should at least keep the search alive! )

- Phil Rushton

[Tonibunny]

I would say that the second artist is almost certainly the "Tearaway" artist, and the frst one most likely is too though the scan's not as clear so I can't be as confident. I guess there is always a chance that there's more than one artist with very very similar styles, but to my amateur eye they look the same I'll try to get some more examples scanned in!

[Kashgar]

One problem with identifying a single artist from a number of sparse examples spread over several years is that some people's styles can evolve quite a lot over time. Having studied my only two episodes of 'Tearaway' I think I can link it with a number of other strips from the same period - for example I'm pretty sure this Bunty story from 1974 is drawn by the same hand:



...However I just can't make my mind up about later strips such as this one from 1984. Although there still seem to be a number of similarities, other elements look radically different - for example the panel design is far more adventurous (reminding me somewhat of John Burns), and there is a more effective use of blacks:




As you seem to be far more familiar with this artist than I am Tonibunny I'd be very interested to hear your opinion of these two strips. (And even if I've got it completely wrong bumping the thread back up should at least keep the search alive! )

- Phil Rushton

These two strips are the work of Andy Tew who also tried his hand at the odd comic strip early on in his career eg Hockey Hannah in Sparky.

[Shaqui]

These two strips are the work of Andy Tew who also tried his hand at the odd comic strip early on in his career eg Hockey Hannah in Sparky.

Interesting how a number of illustrators did that, as it would have been a regular income if they got in!

Andrew Skilleter, better know for his 'Doctor Who' art, drew strips for DC Thomson in the late 1970s. I also have a couple of his original unpublished spec strips of 'Dr Who' (for 'TV Comic' early in the Tom Baker era, years before his first published 'Who' work), and 'The Six Million Dollar Man' for 'Look-in' (which is where my avatar comes from!), both from about 1975!

Gordon King, who now specialises in very collectable watercolours of female nudes, did covers for 'TV Action' and some work for the Stafford Pemberton annuals in the 1970s too!

[Tonibunny]

Andy Tew? Brilliant, another one identified! Thanks again Kashgar