Monty Wedd
Encyclopedia
Montague Thomas Archibald 'Monty' Wedd (1921) is an Australian comic artist, animator and author.
Wedd was born in Randwick, New South Wales
in 1921. As a school boy he was intructed in art by Oswald Brock. He left high school during the depression
working as a junior poster artist at Hackett Offset Printing Company before becoming an designer and illustrator for a furniture manufacturer, Corkhill & Lang (later Frazer’s Furniture). During this time he continued studying commerical art at night at East Sydney Technical College. He then worked as a furniture artist and salesman at Grace Bros.
before joining the armed forces in 1941, where he served in the Australian Army
, First Artillery Survey Regiment, and then the RAAF. After the war he spent three years studying art under the Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scheme. He created his first strip, Sword and Sabre, a story based on the French Foreign Legion
, during the 1946 Christmas break. It was sold to Syd Nicholls
’s publishing company and appeared as three monthly episodes in the Middy Malone magazine. During this period he produced eight more comic strips for Nicholls, including Bert and Ned and Captain Justice (a bushranger
who righted wrongs). After Nicholls closed his comic line, Wedd began supplying comics to Elmsdale Publications, including Tod Trail and Kirk Raven. In December 1950 New Century Press contracted Wedd to produce twenty three Captain Justice stories, with the hero now located in the American Wild West, for £102 per issue.
In 1954 he returned to Emsadle where he created The Scorpion, for which he was paid £160 per issue. for Elmsdale. It became a bestseller with sales of up to 100,000 per issue, despite being banned in Queensland, apparently on the grounds that the bad-guy protagonist kept escaping his just deserts in order to fight another day. He then produced a series of Captain Justice stories for Calvert Publications, but they had to be largely re-drawn to satisfy 1950s censorship rules and regulations, e.g. the hero’s face could not be entirely hidden, no flashes could issue from guns, no character could carry an offensive weapon in the hand, and no-one was allowed to be killed. He also wrote and illustrated eight books for Calvert about a war-time American, Kent Blake of the Secret Service. Wedd then created strips for Stamp News (on the history of the stamp) and for Dr T.S. Hepworth’s Australian Children’s Newspaper, drawing many full page adventure comics, an association which lasted for sixteen years. From 1958 he was a regular contributor to Chuckler's Weekly, for Telegraph Newspapers, with Captain Justice and King Comet.
After producing another five Captain Justice stories for Horwitz Publications, Wedd turned to animation in 1963, working for Artransa and Eric Porter on series such as Marco Polo Junior Versus the Red Dragon
, Charlie Chan
, The Lone Ranger
, Rocket Robin Hood
and Super Friends
.
Captain Justice appeared in the Women's Day
magazine in September 1964, where it ran until April 1965.
From 1965 through to 1966 Wedd produced the 'Dollar Bill' cartoons for the Decimal Currency Board.
On leaving the animation field Wedd concentrated on freelance work and Ned Kelly
. Wedd was in great demand during Captain Cook's Bicentenary
celebrations, creating historic strips, illustrations and cards for everything from TV series to Minties
and washing powder between 1969-70. The original plans for Ned Kelly were to run it for 25–30 weeks however Wedd approached the Sunday Mirror with a proposal to produce a detailed examination of Kelly
's life on an open-ended basis. Wedd retired from comics in July 1977, after working on the Ned Kelly comic strip for 146 weeks. Replacing Ned Kelly was another Wedd strip about bushrangers, Bold Ben Hall, which followed the same approach and format, and ran for 400 episodes.
Wedd's work has appeared in a range of Australian newspapers, including Sydney Daily Mirror, Sunday Telegraph
, The Sunday Territorian and Sunday Mail
.
Wedd is a longtime member and former vice-president of the Black and White Artists’ Club, and lives at Williamtown, New South Wales
. In 1993 he was awarded an Order of Australia
for his services as author, illustrator and historian. He won Stanley Awards in 1987 and 1989.
Wedd was born in Randwick, New South Wales
Randwick, New South Wales
Randwick is a suburb in south-eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Randwick is located 6 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the City of Randwick...
in 1921. As a school boy he was intructed in art by Oswald Brock. He left high school during the depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
working as a junior poster artist at Hackett Offset Printing Company before becoming an designer and illustrator for a furniture manufacturer, Corkhill & Lang (later Frazer’s Furniture). During this time he continued studying commerical art at night at East Sydney Technical College. He then worked as a furniture artist and salesman at Grace Bros.
Grace Bros.
Grace Bros was an Australian department store chain, founded in 1885. It was bought by Myer in 1983. There were 25 stores across New South Wales and the ACT, until they were re-branded under the Myer name in 2004.-History:...
before joining the armed forces in 1941, where he served in the Australian Army
Australian Army
The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
, First Artillery Survey Regiment, and then the RAAF. After the war he spent three years studying art under the Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scheme. He created his first strip, Sword and Sabre, a story based on the French Foreign Legion
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
, during the 1946 Christmas break. It was sold to Syd Nicholls
Syd Nicholls
Sydney 'Syd' Wentworth Nicholls was an Australian cartoonist and commercial artist, best known for the long-running comic strip Fatty Finn.-Biography:...
’s publishing company and appeared as three monthly episodes in the Middy Malone magazine. During this period he produced eight more comic strips for Nicholls, including Bert and Ned and Captain Justice (a bushranger
Bushranger
Bushrangers, or bush rangers, originally referred to runaway convicts in the early years of the British settlement of Australia who had the survival skills necessary to use the Australian bush as a refuge to hide from the authorities...
who righted wrongs). After Nicholls closed his comic line, Wedd began supplying comics to Elmsdale Publications, including Tod Trail and Kirk Raven. In December 1950 New Century Press contracted Wedd to produce twenty three Captain Justice stories, with the hero now located in the American Wild West, for £102 per issue.
In 1954 he returned to Emsadle where he created The Scorpion, for which he was paid £160 per issue. for Elmsdale. It became a bestseller with sales of up to 100,000 per issue, despite being banned in Queensland, apparently on the grounds that the bad-guy protagonist kept escaping his just deserts in order to fight another day. He then produced a series of Captain Justice stories for Calvert Publications, but they had to be largely re-drawn to satisfy 1950s censorship rules and regulations, e.g. the hero’s face could not be entirely hidden, no flashes could issue from guns, no character could carry an offensive weapon in the hand, and no-one was allowed to be killed. He also wrote and illustrated eight books for Calvert about a war-time American, Kent Blake of the Secret Service. Wedd then created strips for Stamp News (on the history of the stamp) and for Dr T.S. Hepworth’s Australian Children’s Newspaper, drawing many full page adventure comics, an association which lasted for sixteen years. From 1958 he was a regular contributor to Chuckler's Weekly, for Telegraph Newspapers, with Captain Justice and King Comet.
After producing another five Captain Justice stories for Horwitz Publications, Wedd turned to animation in 1963, working for Artransa and Eric Porter on series such as Marco Polo Junior Versus the Red Dragon
Marco Polo Junior Versus the Red Dragon
Marco Polo Junior Versus the Red Dragon was Australia's first animated feature film, released in 1972 and directed by Eric Porter.The plot follows Young Marco, a descendant of Marco Polo, and his companion Sandy the Seagull, on a journey to the mythical kingdom of Xanadu, to help Princess Shining...
, Charlie Chan
The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan
The Amazing Chan and the Chan Clan The voice of Mr...
, The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger (animated TV series)
The Lone Ranger is the central character of an American animated television series that ran 26 episodes on CBS from September 10, 1966, to September 6, 1969...
, Rocket Robin Hood
Rocket Robin Hood
Rocket Robin Hood is a Canadian animated television series, placing the characters and conflicts of the classic Robin Hood legend in a futuristic, outer space setting, produced by Krantz Films, Inc...
and Super Friends
Super Friends (1973 TV series)
Super Friends is a 1973 animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera and National Periodical Publications. It is based on the Justice League comic books, and is the first incarnation of the Super Friends series to the remake of Super Friends: The Motion Picture, written, produced and directed by M...
.
Captain Justice appeared in the Women's Day
Women's Day
Women's Day may refer to:* International Women's Day on March 8* Women's Day in Mozambique on April 7* Women's Day in Gabon on April 17* Women's Day in Iraq on Jumada al-Thani 20* Women's Day in Myanmar on July 3...
magazine in September 1964, where it ran until April 1965.
From 1965 through to 1966 Wedd produced the 'Dollar Bill' cartoons for the Decimal Currency Board.
On leaving the animation field Wedd concentrated on freelance work and Ned Kelly
Ned Kelly
Edward "Ned" Kelly was an Irish Australian bushranger. He is considered by some to be merely a cold-blooded cop killer — others, however, consider him to be a folk hero and symbol of Irish Australian resistance against the Anglo-Australian ruling class.Kelly was born in Victoria to an Irish...
. Wedd was in great demand during Captain Cook's Bicentenary
James Cook
Captain James Cook, FRS, RN was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy...
celebrations, creating historic strips, illustrations and cards for everything from TV series to Minties
Minties
Minties™ is a brand of confectionery originating in Australia. They are a hard, white and chewy, square mint-flavoured lolly. They were originally packaged in 5lb bulk tins or 3oz cardboard boxes, but now come in packs ranging from 150g - 1 kg...
and washing powder between 1969-70. The original plans for Ned Kelly were to run it for 25–30 weeks however Wedd approached the Sunday Mirror with a proposal to produce a detailed examination of Kelly
Ned Kelly
Edward "Ned" Kelly was an Irish Australian bushranger. He is considered by some to be merely a cold-blooded cop killer — others, however, consider him to be a folk hero and symbol of Irish Australian resistance against the Anglo-Australian ruling class.Kelly was born in Victoria to an Irish...
's life on an open-ended basis. Wedd retired from comics in July 1977, after working on the Ned Kelly comic strip for 146 weeks. Replacing Ned Kelly was another Wedd strip about bushrangers, Bold Ben Hall, which followed the same approach and format, and ran for 400 episodes.
Wedd's work has appeared in a range of Australian newspapers, including Sydney Daily Mirror, Sunday Telegraph
Sunday Telegraph
The Sunday Telegraph is a British broadsheet newspaper, founded in February 1961. It is the sister paper of The Daily Telegraph, but is run separately with a different editorial staff, although there is some cross-usage of stories...
, The Sunday Territorian and Sunday Mail
The Sunday Mail (Brisbane)
The Sunday Mail is Brisbane's only Sunday newspaper. The Sunday Mail is published in tabloid format, comprising several sections that can be extracted and read separately.-Publishing:...
.
Wedd is a longtime member and former vice-president of the Black and White Artists’ Club, and lives at Williamtown, New South Wales
Williamtown, New South Wales
Williamtown is a rural suburb of the Port Stephens Local Government Area in the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the main road between Newcastle and Nelson Bay.-Geography:...
. In 1993 he was awarded an Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
for his services as author, illustrator and historian. He won Stanley Awards in 1987 and 1989.
External links
- Lambiek.net - Monty Wedd
- Monty Wedd
- Australian cartoonist creator of Captain Justice and The Scorpion / Greg Ray
- Scorpion / Australian Superheroes