Davy Law's Danny's Granny which inspired Al Change later

Davy Law's Danny's Granny (Topper 1959 long ways annual) which inspired Al Change later in the 80's Topper by Tom Bannister (thanks Kashgar for the information.

Davy Law's Other comic work

UPDATE>>>>>
Calamity Jane was actually Hugh Morren,
Davey Law's major comic output does really devolve down to only three strips Dennis, Beryl and Corporal Clott. His work on Cap'n Hand was very limited by comparison with him only drawing thirty or so episodes before Leo Baxendale and George Drysdale were called in to finish off the first series and Michael Barratt drew all of the second. Kashgar

http://www.comicsuk.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=127&t=2062



In the early Beezer (50's early 60's) he drew Punch and Judy in the annual not sure about the comic?...
and Cap'n Hand and his Merry Mutineers.

In the 1952 annual which came out in 1951 there was no Dennis the Menace But I found a text story illustrated and drawn by Davy Law
Ginger's magic ear which is fun to see..

Davy Law also drew Corporal Clott for The Dandy which I'll show another time.
Any other characters I've missed please let me know!

I love how Davy drew in a stretched out long way. I like Davys work like this best.

Use the label at the bottom of the page to see other Davy Laws work. All together it makes a kind of website devoted to Davy Law

Davy Law's Beryl the Peril

What a great tiger he drew.....



We're talking at comicsuk forum about who drew the best horses...Davy Law sure was great...
http://www.comicsuk.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1851

So Davy Law had 2 top characters who both had there own annuals every year.
Dennis the Menace The Beano 1951-1970
Beryl the Peryl from Topper issue number 1
7 February 1953-1970
It just shows how popular Davy Law's characters and drawings were...and still are..

See her annuals here-
http://www.tonystrading.co.uk/galleries/annuals/beryltheperil.htm
Also at the index of Tony's Trading website you can see the Dennis the Menace annuals.

Davy Law's Dennis the Menace

Heres the original art...it has where Davy had cut out bits he wanted to redraw...also mistakes whitened out. Coloured pencils indicate to the printers what colours are to go where.

http://www.comicsuk.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2098&p=16295#p16295

Thanks to LauraH for photo.

I managed to get a pic of the Dennis pages in question that show the tipp-ex and paste-overs quite well... take a look! Peter, you can copy this on your blog if you like. I have a lot more pics from my trip to Dundee, I'll put them up on the web ASAP.

Davy Law sure was great!
Taken from the 1961 Beano book.


We are so used to things all looking the same (everything looking like what its meant to look like...not too cartooney) to the untrained eye they might say its scribberly, untidy and rushed. His style is unique and that is what make it fun. Also a lot harder to draw like this than you think. Why should everything look the same! Theres a lot of fun in this drawing.

Rolf Harris in his Your Cartoon time book showed two picture drawn by him


Action is more important! I learnt a lot from that lesson. The CGI cartoons are very polished and nice looking have great voices But are as dead as a dodo....look at an advert with a cgi character hardly any movement....your lucky to get a blink.

So is a well drawn character better..or an action character not so well drawn.
I'm on Rolf side!

Super Pooch from Tv Comic by Mike Lacey

Super Pooch from Tv Comic by Mike Lacey. Found in the 1979 Holiday special. See cover of the issue here-
http://www.comicsuk.co.uk/Specials/SpecialWhole.asp?FirstTime=Yes

There are other Mike Lacey comic work I've missed from the website I did.
http://uk.geocities.com/pjgmikelacey/

These I'll upload soon here like-
Rudolf the redcoat mountie from Sparky thanks to ISPYSHHHGUY for the information and Lew Stringer for the other one I missed the Swots and the Blots from Smash incorporating Fantastic.


On a side note check out down the tube website by Jeremy Briggs on Bill Graham a sub-editor for DC Thomson on titles like Buddy, Spike, Champ and many others...
http://www.downthetubes.net/features/interviews/editors/bill_graham310308.html

Les Barton's other work

Tom Kat from Sparky 1972








Harry's Haunted house 1973 6th October
Normally drawn by Reg Parlett.

more info at comicsuk forum on Les Bartons work by ISPYSHHHGUY
http://www.comicsuk.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1642&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

Covers need to be drawn more part 2 The Dandy

Here are some great clear, fun drawn, different Dandy covers from just a few years ago. The image is clear and not cluttered and really make them stand out. I miss this on todays front cover of The Dandy which relys more on photos of celebrities and an overload of writing. When the comic was a pull out I threw away the rest with the boring cover. The cover does not grab me like it used to. These are just my own thoughts......what do you think?

It was better when each artist had a go at the cover....
Jak covers are fine But I liked it more when each artist had a go

chatting about this here at comicsuk forum
http://www.comicsuk.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1802&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

Cartoon time

My latest cartoon work I'm trying to learn from John K on his super blog.
http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/2008_03_01_johnkstuff_archive.html

He has great comments for animators and cartoonists. He suggests we don't always go for primary bright... out of the tube colours. To try muted colours more...there can be lots of variety in the colour grey for example. Also I've had a go at linking the two characters more and to make some interesting negative shapes. The shapes within shapes e.g the brown wall has some nice shapes around the two characters.
The white floor border also mimics the clock border two shapes balancing out.
Also the joke is silly and funny.:)

The pictures are shown here at a low res as this will be used on cards I'm selling. To buy this as a high res quality card contact me by my email.
thejeep2000@yahoo.co.uk
1 pound for each card...postage will depend how many you buy.

Covers need to be drawn more

I've mentioned before that magazines in the past had some super original drawn...painting covers..many styles...humour...serious..graphic..moving..
now today it is all the same with the photo of a person (celebrity etc..)which is fine But it makes magazines look all the same. Its not something you will collect...put on the wall...admire the craftmanship...

Comics you would think would have a drawn cover and the two above just shows how good they can be. Full of life! Visually powerful.
Dennis playing bowling is great with the strong colours and the bowl coming right at us. Blue in the distance the cool colour and red nearer us the warmer colour. Drawn by Jim Hansen who has done some great Beano covers...Classics drawn by Ken H. Harrison is good fun and the logo striking and reminds us of the past with the choice of colours.




The Dandy Estreem has a new idea for a cover the photo of a celebrity which is not very dramatic or fun. Also with lots of wording and small pictures scattered around it makes it very cluttered and unclear.
Next time I will show some good covers of The Dandy just before the change.

Anyone else agree?

Shiver and Shake the artists

Cover Mike Lacey
Frankie Stein Robert Nixon
The Duke's Spook, Reg Parlett
Webster, Terry Bave
Scream Inn Brian Walker
Biddy's Beastly Bloomers Sid Burgon
Who'd Kill Cockney Robin Adventure Story Tom Kerr
Shake Mike Lacey
Lolly Pop, Robert Nixon
The Desert Fox, Terry Bave
Gal Capone, MURRAY BALL
The Fixer,
Shake's Match Of The Week Cowboys Verses Injuns Mike Lacey
Damsel In Distress Trevor Metcalfe
Tough Nutt And Softy Centre Norman Mansbridge
Jail Birds,
Sample Simon,
Moana Lisa,
The Hand, Reg Parlett
Soggy - The Sea Monster Robert Nixon
Sweeny Toddler Leo Baxendale
Horrornation St. Tom Williams
Adrian's Wall,
Ye Haunted Lake
Blunder puss -Jack Crocker
Creepy Creations - Picture- Ken Reid

Wizard Anongmous- Brian Walker
Comic College Cliff Brown Thanks Andy B for the artists name


http://www.comicsuk.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1841
From Kashgar-

You are quite correct in your assumption that there were only 79 issues of Shiver and Shake published and that none were published for the four weeks in July 1974. This was due to strike action by certain printers that IPC were using at the time and also affected other titles they published like Buster while others, like Tiger, which were printed web-offset by another firm remained unaffected.
As well as the numbering of Ken Reid's Creepy Creations feature somewhat giving the game away another big clue is to be found in the final issue published before the strike, dated 29th June, in which it states that the adventure strip 'The Menace of the Alpha Man' drawn by Eric Bradbury will reach it's final instalment in the next issue and, lo and behold, that final instalment appears in the issue dated Aug 3rd.

So there was only 79 issues and none in July 1974....thanks Kashgar...the blog will be updated...