Mike Western
Encyclopedia
Mike Western was a British comics artist. He worked as a clean-up
artist for GB Animation after military service in the Second World War, and later at Halas and Batchelor
on their 1954 film adaptation of Animal Farm
. In the early 1950s he joined fellow former GB Animation artists Ron "Nobby" Clark and Eric Bradbury
at Amalgamated Press, drawing adventure strips for Knock-Out
, including the western "Lucky Logan" and the aviation series "Johnnie Wingco".
In 1960 he moved to TV Express, where he drew TV tie-ins "No Hiding Place" and "Biggles", the latter in colour. In 1962 he began drawing for Buster, including "The Leopard from Lime Street
", on which his pencils were inked by Bradbury, "When Britain Froze", "World in Peril", and "The Star of Fortune". The same year he joined the newly launched Valiant, a title he would be associated with for the next thirteen years. One of his most notable strips there was "The Wild Wonders", written by Tom Tully
, about a pair of wild boys, brought up by animals, who turn out to be fantastic athletes, for which he used a semi-cartoony style which was much imitated. Other strips he worked on included "Jack O' Justice" and "The Duke of Dry Gulch". Valiant featured covers on historical topics, and Western drew over 500 of these.
After Valiant folded in 1975, he moved to Battle Picture Weekly
, where he reverted to a grittier style and drew John Wagner
's "Darkie's Mob" and "HMS Nightshade", as well as "The Sarge" and Tully's "The Team That Went to War". He did some work in romance comics, but was not comfortable there, and drew two covers for 2000 AD in 1977 and 1981. He drew "Baker's Half Dozen" for short-lived sports title Speed in 1980, then "Topps on Two Wheels" and "Golden Boy" for Tiger and "Computer Warrior
", "The Hard Men", "Shadow" and "The Avenger" for the relaunched Eagle
. He drew "Billy's Boots
" for Scorcher and Roy of the Rovers
for four years, as well as the Roy of the Rovers daily strip in the Daily Star in 1992-93. He then retired from comics, with the exception of a strip in a theatre magazine in 1997-2000, and concentrated on painting and magazine illustration. He died in 2008, aged 83, having been confined to bed for a few months following a heart attack and a stroke.
Clean-up
Clean-up is a part of the workflow in the production of hand-drawn animation, in which "clean" versions of the "rough" animation drawings are produced....
artist for GB Animation after military service in the Second World War, and later at Halas and Batchelor
Halas and Batchelor
Halas and Batchelor was an animation company founded by John Halas and his wife, Joy Batchelor. The company started as a small animation unit that created commercials for theatrical distribution...
on their 1954 film adaptation of Animal Farm
Animal Farm (1954 film)
Animal Farm is a 1954 British animated film by Halas and Batchelor, based on the book of the same name by George Orwell. It was the first British animated feature released worldwide, though Handling Ships was the first British animated feature ever made...
. In the early 1950s he joined fellow former GB Animation artists Ron "Nobby" Clark and Eric Bradbury
Eric Bradbury
Eric Bradbury was a British comic artist who primarily worked for Amalgamated Press/IPC from the late 1940s to the 1990s....
at Amalgamated Press, drawing adventure strips for Knock-Out
Knockout (comic)
-1939 series:The first ran from 4 March 1939 to 16 February 1963, 1251 issues, when it merged with Valiant. Magnet was discontinued in 1940; but its lead character, Billy Bunter, was thereafter granted his own cartoon strip in Knockout. Comic Cuts merged with it in 1953...
, including the western "Lucky Logan" and the aviation series "Johnnie Wingco".
In 1960 he moved to TV Express, where he drew TV tie-ins "No Hiding Place" and "Biggles", the latter in colour. In 1962 he began drawing for Buster, including "The Leopard from Lime Street
The Leopard from Lime Street
The Leopard from Lime Street was a story appearing regularly in Buster comic from 27 March 1976 to 18 May 1985...
", on which his pencils were inked by Bradbury, "When Britain Froze", "World in Peril", and "The Star of Fortune". The same year he joined the newly launched Valiant, a title he would be associated with for the next thirteen years. One of his most notable strips there was "The Wild Wonders", written by Tom Tully
Tom Tully
Tom Tully was an American actor.-Biography:Born in Durango, Colorado, Thomas Kane Tulley served in the United States Navy, was a private pilot and worked as junior reporter for the Denver Post before going into acting because he felt the pay was better. Tully started out on stage before eventually...
, about a pair of wild boys, brought up by animals, who turn out to be fantastic athletes, for which he used a semi-cartoony style which was much imitated. Other strips he worked on included "Jack O' Justice" and "The Duke of Dry Gulch". Valiant featured covers on historical topics, and Western drew over 500 of these.
After Valiant folded in 1975, he moved to Battle Picture Weekly
Battle Picture Weekly
Battle Picture Weekly, at various time also known as Battle Action Force, Battle and Battle with Storm Force, was a British war comic published by IPC Magazines from 8 March 1975 to 23 January 1988, when it merged with Eagle...
, where he reverted to a grittier style and drew John Wagner
John Wagner
John Wagner is a comics writer who was born in Pennsylvania in 1949 and moved to Scotland as a boy. Alongside Pat Mills, Wagner was responsible for revitalising British boys' comics in the 1970s, and has continued to be a leading light in British comics ever since.He is best known for his work on...
's "Darkie's Mob" and "HMS Nightshade", as well as "The Sarge" and Tully's "The Team That Went to War". He did some work in romance comics, but was not comfortable there, and drew two covers for 2000 AD in 1977 and 1981. He drew "Baker's Half Dozen" for short-lived sports title Speed in 1980, then "Topps on Two Wheels" and "Golden Boy" for Tiger and "Computer Warrior
Computer Warrior
Computer Warrior was a comic strip series that debuted in Eagle on 13 April 1985 and ran for another nine years...
", "The Hard Men", "Shadow" and "The Avenger" for the relaunched Eagle
Eagle (comic)
Eagle was a seminal British children's comic, first published from 1950 to 1969, and then in a relaunched format from 1982 to 1994. It was founded by Marcus Morris, an Anglican vicar from Lancashire. Morris edited a parish magazine called The Anvil, but felt that the church was not communicating...
. He drew "Billy's Boots
Billy's Boots
Billy's Boots was a popular British comic strip by writer Fred Baker and artist John Gillatt, later continued by Mike Western. There was an earlier, humour series called Billy's Boots, written and drawn by Frank Purcell, which appeared in Tiger between 1961 and 1963, with a similar premise to this...
" for Scorcher and Roy of the Rovers
Roy of the Rovers
Roy of the Rovers is a British comic strip about the life and times of a fictional footballer named Roy Race, who played for Melchester Rovers...
for four years, as well as the Roy of the Rovers daily strip in the Daily Star in 1992-93. He then retired from comics, with the exception of a strip in a theatre magazine in 1997-2000, and concentrated on painting and magazine illustration. He died in 2008, aged 83, having been confined to bed for a few months following a heart attack and a stroke.
External links
- Pieter A. Bell, Mike Western 1925-2008, Four Colour Craic, 5 June 2008
- Mike Western on Lambiek Comiclopedia