Bill Ritchie and Keith Reynolds cartoons.

[stevezodiac]

In the latest Weekly News there is this quite unique cartoon from Bill Ritchie in which one character mentions the Weekly News. Upwards and to the left of that is a cartoon by Keith Reynolds, the one with the bus, haven't seen his work for years. Can anyone remember what strips he drew? The actual cartoon is similar to an idea I had (but will now have to scrap) but in my version its the woman driver saying to the driving test examiner "I've failed haven't I?" I think my caption works better. Noticed a couple of new cartoonists this week too - the haunted house one and the one at the bottom right.

[AndyB]

I first encountered Keith's work in the Beano - he drew Tom, Dick and Sally for most of its run, taking over from Dave Jenner, possibly with an interregnum by Bob Nixon. He also drew substantial numbers of Beano Comic Libraries, particularly Dennis, the Kids, and the Beano Marathon. He also drew the Teeny Toppers for the Topper.

Later work for IPC and Fleetway included the School Bus (School Fun) and taking over from Tom Paterson on School Belle (Buster).

[Peter Gray]

I'm now cutting out all the Weekly News cartoon pages to keep in a folder...very inspirational..and nice seeing the classic cartoonists...love the whole page of cartoons...
A reprint of Black Bob and classic Dennis the Menace for Weekly News could be an idea..
love to see my cartoons in The Weekly News...my ideas are not domestic enough..


Would Weekly News accept this? in black and white..?

[Digifiend]

I first encountered Keith's work in the Beano - he drew Tom, Dick and Sally for most of its run, taking over from Dave Jenner, possibly with an interregnum by Bob Nixon.

The History of the Beano: The Story So Far only mentions Jenner and Reynolds regarding TD&S. Wasn't RT Nixon working only for Fleetway in that era? He only rejoined Thomsons when Ivy the Terrible started.

[AndyB]

Bob drew at least one published in 1982, which may have been a reprint - Peter Gray featured it on his website a few years ago.

What I also know is that Bob certainly drew one in a 1970s Beano Book, where Tom and Dick push Sally aside with "Me first!" "Me second" several times during the strip, but their crashing into the kitchen dislodges a salt cellar on an upper shelf which spills its content into two desserts their mum had set aside for them - Sally got the third one, which was under the shelf and clear of the salt.

Kashgar's probably best placed to comment definitively.

[Digifiend]

I have that one, unsigned, as is typical of the era (which is annoying, I'm glad they allowed sigs eventually). Must've been just before his defection - he had two stints at Thomsons, drawing Roger the Dodger both times, but in different styles. I understand he left in the mid-1970s, and rejoined in 1985 - the lack of adverts in the comics prior to 1988 means that when an artist is incapacitated they'd have had to either reprint a strip or have someone ghost it. Most likely the former.
Are you sure it was Peter Gray's site - plenty of strips, but no Tom Dick and Sally. http://uk.geocities.com/pjgrobertnixon/

(checking annuals)
The annual story mentioned was the second one from the 1977 book. The other storyline was that the boys won't let Sally play football, and Sally retrieves the ball after it ends up in a neighbours garden, she gets in trouble. She throws the ball back at Tom's head, it bounces into the window of their house, smashing it. Tom and Dick get the blame despite truthfully blaming Sally, because Dad doesn't believe them as they never let her play football with them. The art style of the two strips does look slightly different (meaning they likely aren't by the same artist, which means you may well be right about Nixon), although considering annual production schedules, the trifle strip could easily have been drawn before Nixon's departure (i.e. in 1975).

[AndyB]

Are you sure it was Peter Gray's site - plenty of strips, but no Tom Dick and Sally. http://uk.geocities.com/pjgrobertnixon/

Long story - Peter took it off his site after I pointed out it had been misfiled under Dave Jenner

[Jonny Whizz]

Bob Nixon left DCT in 1973 - Tom Lavery replaced him on Roger, and Jimmy Glen on Lord Snooty and Grandpa. If I'm correct, Tom Dick and Sally were first seen in the Beano Book 1975, which will have been drawn in 1973, which make sense.

Didn't Keith Reynolds also draw Tim Traveller for a short time after Vic Neill died? The Wikipedia article says so, but it's not mentioned in the History of the Beano, which claims that Neill was the sole artist. I have comics myself from 2002-2004 and those strips appear to have been drawn by him. He didn't draw many strips though, as it was said the editor didn't like his style. I personally liked that strip when it was in the comic. As for TD&S, I've never seen one myself, so I can't comment.

[Kashgar]

When it comes to listing the artists responsible for a comic strip, particularly a long-running one, it is often very difficult, if not nigh impossible, to be 100% correct as regards to who drew it week on week for the length of its run. Even if I say so myself I still think 'The Beano Diaries' hold up pretty well with regard to the artist identifications but even so they are not an exhaustive account of who prepared artwork for the comic every week for its first fifty years and similarly 'The Story So Far' is not a definitive catalogue of every artistic nuance for the first seventy. In any case, thanks to sites like this one, any errors and omissions can be rooted out and the sum total of our collective knowledge increased.

[AndyB]

Keith did draw Tim Traveller after Vic's death. He also drew Ray Gunn for Whizzer and Chips from about 1983.

The answer for Kashgar that what he hasn't documented we know he can find the answer to. And for that, Ray, we are very grateful.

[Lew Stringer]

When it comes to listing the artists responsible for a comic strip, particularly a long-running one, it is often very difficult, if not nigh impossible, to be 100% correct as regards to who drew it week on week for the length of its run. Even if I say so myself I still think 'The Beano Diaries' hold up pretty well with regard to the artist identifications but even so they are not an exhaustive account of who prepared artwork for the comic every week for its first fifty years and similarly 'The Story So Far' is not a definitive catalogue of every artistic nuance for the first seventy. In any case, thanks to sites like this one, any errors and omissions can be rooted out and the sum total of our collective knowledge increased.

Your books are invaluable Ray! There's a certain buzz about discovering the name of an artist. The horrible injustice is that those guys were anonymous for so long, and many died without their fans ever knowing their names.

Lew

[Digifiend]

Bob Nixon left DCT in 1973 - Tom Lavery replaced him on Roger, and Jimmy Glen on Lord Snooty and Grandpa. If I'm correct, Tom Dick and Sally were first seen in the Beano Book 1975, which will have been drawn in 1973, which make sense.

Then the trifle strip from the 1977 annual was either stockpiled or not drawn by Robert Nixon. It would've likely been drawn in 1975, if intended for that annual and not an earlier one, and therefore after his departure. Maybe it was Glen who drew it - I can't see much difference between his version of Grandpa and Nixon's (unlike Ken Reid's 50s ones), his style is very similar - probably why he took over two of Nixon's strips.

[AndyB]

I'll check it soon, but it had Bob's distinctive happy closed eyelids. Definitely not Jimmy Glen, their styles are actually quite different.

[Kashgar]

Thanks Andy and Lew. Your comments are much appreciated.

[Peter Gray]

Thanks Kashgar...my blog and websites have really benefited from your help and the online Buster index...very interesting to see who did what...and nice getting to know artists and following there work..
http://www.bustercomic.co.uk