Please ID this girls' comics artist #5 - A.E. Allen

[philcom55]

I hope Tonibunny doesn't mind me adding to her list of mystery girls' artists but this one has intrigued me for years and I'd love to know if Kashgar - or anybody else - is able to put a name to the style. 'The Land of Nowhere' was a wonderfully imaginative story which appeared in Bunty during the early 1980s, brilliantly combining themes taken from fairy stories like Jack and the Beanstalk with a modern-day 'Alice' in the person of Nancy Wilson:






...Also, I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure this is the same artist who drew the adventures of Barbie (based on the famous doll) for many years during the 1960s and 1970s in Tina and then Princess Tina:



As ever any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

- Phil Rushton

[Digifiend]

The second page has been taken down.

[philcom55]

The second page has been taken down.

That's weird! Surely they don't think there's something unacceptable about DC Thomson's depiction of a young girl in a nightdress???

I've inserted a Photobucket scan of the same page - it'll be fascinating to see if this gets censored as well!

- Phil Rushton

[Shaqui]

I don't think they are one and the same artist. The first looks like one of the artists who drew 'Belle of the Ballet' in 'Girl'. A flit through one of the 'Girl' compilations may find a comparison but I can eliminate Stanley Houghton from that list though, as his latter work was far sketchier.

I did know the name of the 'Barbie' artist but it eludes me at this point...

[philcom55]

I agree it's not Stanley Houghton, though I think he did draw a number of Bunty series such as 'No Tears for Theresa'.

José "Pepe" Gonzalez is usually identified as 'the' Barbie artist but I really don't think he was responsible for the Tina version.

- Phil Rushton

[helsbels]

I thought they were the same artist - this artist has also illustrated stories in Debbie and June as well. I also thought I knew the name of the Barbie artist but it escapes me now. I don't know why, but I thought the christian name may be Graham - does that ring any bells? (I feel a bit like Derek Acorah saying that!).

[Shaqui]

I agree it's not Stanley Houghton, though I think he did draw a number of Bunty series such as 'No Tears for Theresa'.

- Phil Rushton

Quite possibly. A shame my sister got rid of her comics (except the annuals, which my niece now has!). I'd love to trawl through them and identify the artists if I could!

[philcom55]

Here's 'No Tears for Theresa':



(If we ask him nicely maybe Kashgar will also say whether he thinks this is Stanley Houghton's work! )

- Phil Rushton

[Shaqui]

I'd say that was Stanley Houghton's latterday style, yes.

[Peter Gray]

Love the beanstalk one and the weird rock faces..also the pointing hands..very strange stuff...

[Shaqui]

With regard to the first artist again, I thought it might be Chris Garvey, who was one of several artists to draw 'Belle of the Ballet' but I can find nothing on him to suggest he was still drawing into the 1970s/1980s.

Having said that, it seems 'Belle' had a 'house style', and almost all the artists drew her with that wide-eyed, emphasised cheeks look. You wouldn't recognise Stanley Houghton's work, if comparing it with the strip above!

[philcom55]

Apparently 'Chris Garvey' was just a comic-strip pseudonym used by the painter June Mendoza.

- Phil Rushton

[Shaqui]

Apparently 'Chris Garvey' was just a comic-strip pseudonym used by the painter June Mendoza.

- Phil Rushton

So she would be credited as both in some annuals?:

http://dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/CBandM/message/3839

[Shaqui]

Looking through the 'Tina' Annual 1968, one of the 'Barbie' strips is signed 'O. R. Novelle' on a couple pages, although I am not 100% sure this is the same artist.

[RuthB]

The artist of Barbie was A.E. Allen, of that I am pretty sure as I did an article about it in my blog:

http://candela123.blogspot.com/2010/02/ ... -girl.html

I think the Land of Nowhere is from the same artist too, but it could be from another one called Jean Marie or Marie Jane...

Do that helps?