Ken Emerson
Encyclopedia
Ken Emerson was an Australia
n cartoonist
and comic strip
creator. He is best known for writing the comic strips The WarrumbunglersThe Warrumbunglers title is sometimes written with a hyphen (The Warrum-bunglers) but this is most likely a stylistic decision to fit the long title within one panel of the comic strip. and On The Rocks. Emerson was the son-in-law of cartoonist Eric Jolliffe
.
, surveyor
's assistant, barman, stagehand
, boilermaker
's assistant and builder's labourer
.
Emerson subsequently became a fulltime artist. His began as a commercial artist and photograph retoucher, then went on to television animation and advertising
.
and subsequently for The Sun-Herald
. The Warrumbunglers became Australia's second-longest running comic strip; Emerson completed his last strip shortly before his death.
A second long-running comic strip, the pseudo-colonial convict On The Rocks, was published from 1974 to 2001.
In 1986 Emerson was awarded the Stanley Award
for best comic strip by the Australian Cartoonists' Association.
is an iconic Australian comic strip. Following the deaths of its creator Jimmy Bancks
in 1952 and his replacement Ron Vivian
in 1973, Emerson was one of several artists who submitted drawings to take over the strip. The role, however, went to Lloyd Piper
. When Piper died in 1984 Emerson again applied for the job and was appointed. As he already had two strips published in The Sun-Herald
, he was asked to drop either The Warrumbunglers or On The Rocks in favour of Ginger Meggs. He declined, and the role was offered instead to James Kemsley
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
and comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
creator. He is best known for writing the comic strips The WarrumbunglersThe Warrumbunglers title is sometimes written with a hyphen (The Warrum-bunglers) but this is most likely a stylistic decision to fit the long title within one panel of the comic strip. and On The Rocks. Emerson was the son-in-law of cartoonist Eric Jolliffe
Eric Jolliffe
Eric Jolliffe was an Australian cartoonist who contributed to The Bulletin and Smith's Weekly. He was particularly fond of "bush" subjects.-Biography:...
.
Background
After leaving school, Emerson experienced a wide range of jobs including greaserOiler (occupation)
An oiler is a worker whose main job is to oil machinery. In previous eras there were oiler positions in various industries, including maritime work , railroading, steelmaking, and mining...
, surveyor
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
's assistant, barman, stagehand
Stagehand
A stagehand is a person who works backstage or behind the scenes in theatres, film, television, or location performance. Their duties include setting up the scenery, lights, sound, props, rigging, and special effects for a production.-Types of stagehand:...
, boilermaker
Boilermaker
A boilermaker is a trained craftsman who produces steel fabrications from plates and sections. The name originated from craftsmen who would fabricate boilers, but they may work on projects as diverse as bridges to blast furnaces to the construction of mining equipment.-Boilermaking:Many...
's assistant and builder's labourer
Construction worker
A construction worker or builder is a professional, tradesman, or labourer who directly participates in the physical construction of infrastructure.-Construction trades:...
.
Emerson subsequently became a fulltime artist. His began as a commercial artist and photograph retoucher, then went on to television animation and advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
.
Cartoonist
In 1967 Emerson began drawing the outback comic strip The Warrumbunglers, originally for The Sunday TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph (Australia)
The Daily Telegraph is an Australian tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, by Nationwide News, part of News Corporation.The Tele, as it is also known, was founded in 1879. From 1936 to 1972, it was owned by Frank Packer's Australian Consolidated Press. That year it was sold to...
and subsequently for The Sun-Herald
The Sun-Herald
The Sun-Herald is an Australian tabloid newspaper published on Sundays in Sydney by Fairfax Media. It is the Sunday counterpart of The Sydney Morning Herald. In the 6 months to September 2005, The Sun-Herald had a circulation of 515,000...
. The Warrumbunglers became Australia's second-longest running comic strip; Emerson completed his last strip shortly before his death.
A second long-running comic strip, the pseudo-colonial convict On The Rocks, was published from 1974 to 2001.
In 1986 Emerson was awarded the Stanley Award
Stanley Award
Named after Stan Cross, the Stanley Awards, also known as The Stanleys are issued annually by the Australian Cartoonists' Association and recognise the best of Australian cartoonists and cartooning....
for best comic strip by the Australian Cartoonists' Association.
Ginger Meggs
Ginger MeggsGinger Meggs
Ginger Meggs, a popular long-run Australian comic strip, was created in the early 1920s by Jimmy Bancks. The strip follows the escapades of a red-haired prepubescent mischief-maker who lives in an inner suburban working-class household....
is an iconic Australian comic strip. Following the deaths of its creator Jimmy Bancks
Jimmy Bancks
James Charles Bancks or Jimmy Bancks was an Australian cartoonist best known for his comic strip Ginger Meggs....
in 1952 and his replacement Ron Vivian
Ron Vivian
Ron Vivian was an Australian cartoonist who is perhaps best known as having drawn Ginger Meggs after the original creator, Jimmy Bancks in the early-1940s. He also contributed political cartoons to the Australian Daily Telegraph and illustrated many Royal Australian Air Force magazines during the...
in 1973, Emerson was one of several artists who submitted drawings to take over the strip. The role, however, went to Lloyd Piper
Lloyd Piper
Lloyd Piper was an Australian cartoonist and art teacher, who drew Wolf for the Sunday Telegraph and later, Ginger Meggs.-References:* - manuscript collection held by the National Library of Australia...
. When Piper died in 1984 Emerson again applied for the job and was appointed. As he already had two strips published in The Sun-Herald
The Sun-Herald
The Sun-Herald is an Australian tabloid newspaper published on Sundays in Sydney by Fairfax Media. It is the Sunday counterpart of The Sydney Morning Herald. In the 6 months to September 2005, The Sun-Herald had a circulation of 515,000...
, he was asked to drop either The Warrumbunglers or On The Rocks in favour of Ginger Meggs. He declined, and the role was offered instead to James Kemsley
James Kemsley
James Lawrence Kemsley OAM was an Australian cartoonist who drew Jimmy Bancks' original creation, Ginger Meggs.-Childhood:...
.
Anthologies
- The Warrumbunglers
- On The Rocks
- The Warrumbunglers bushed! (1983)
- On The Rocks No. 2 (1983)
- The Warrumbunglers No. 3 (1984)
- On The Rocks No. 3 (1984)