Eric Bradbury
Eric Bradbury | |
---|---|
Born | Eric Roy Bradbury 4 January 1921 Sydenham, Kent, England |
Died | 14 May 2001 Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England | (aged 80)
Nationality | United Kingdom |
Area(s) | Artist |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/20/Cursitor_01.jpg/250px-Cursitor_01.jpg)
Eric Bradbury (4 January 1921 – May 2001) was a British comic artist who primarily worked for Amalgamated Press/IPC from the late 1940s to the 1990s.
He studied at Beckenham Art School from 1936,[1] and served in the RAF as a rear gunner on bombers during the Second World War.[2]
After the war he worked for Gaumont-British Animation, alongside future comic creators Mike Western, Ron Smith, Bill Holroyd, Harry Hargreaves and . When the studio folded in 1949, Bradbury and Clarke took samples to Amalgamated Press, and were offered work at Knock-Out, edited by Leonard Matthews — Clarke writing, Bradbury drawing.[3] He started out on humour strips like Blossom and Our Ernie, but soon specialised in adventure strips, particularly westerns like Lucky Logan,[4] on which he alternated with former G-B colleague Mike Western,[5] and Buffalo Bill, both in The Comet. For the same title, he drew an adaptation of the 1955 film The King's Thief.[1]
From the 1960s on he developed a dark style similar to Francisco Solano López, and drew strips like , The House of Dolmann,[1] and for Valiant,[2] , The Leopard from Lime Street (inking Mike Western's pencils)[6] and for Buster,[1] for ,[7] and for Smash!.[8] In 1973 he was the artist on an abortive IPC superhero comic, Captain Britain (no relation to the later Marvel UK character).[9] He joined Battle Picture Weekly in 1976 when Valiant was folded into it, taking The Black Crow with it. Other strips he drew for Battle included , , , , and .[2][10][11] He also drew Hook Jaw for Action.[12]
He was described by 2000 AD as one of their "early, unsung heroes,"[13] drawing for them from the early issues in 1977 until 1993, including Invasion!, and Rogue Trooper, as well as numerous Tharg the Mighty stories and Future Shocks.[14] He also drew Doomlord for the revived Eagle in the 1980s.[1]
Bradbury died in May 2001.[15]
Bibliography[]
Comics work includes:
- Invasion!: Dartmoor (with Gerry Finley-Day, in 2000 AD #10-11, 1977)
- Tharg's Future Shocks (all in 2000 AD):
- Fish in a Barrel (with Steve Moore, in #208, 1981)
- Long Live the Queen (with Kelvin Gosnell, in #212, 1981)
- 'Ang About (with Kelvin Gosnell, in #221, 1981)
- The Beastly Beliefs of Benjamin Blint (with Alan Moore, in #249, 1982)
- But is it Art? (with Peter Milligan, in #409, 1985)
- Eggravation (with Peter Milligan, in #420, 1985)
- Speak No Evil (with Peter Milligan, in #434, 1985)
- Robot (with Frances Lynn, in #718, 1991)
- Pact with the Devil (with Frances Lynn, in #743, 1991)
- Tharg the Mighty (all in 2000 AD), Unless otherwise stated, all stories credited to “T.M.O.” (The Mighty One, AKA Tharg):
- Tharg's Christmas Tale (in #243-244, 1981)
- Tharg's Birthday Party (in #260, 1982)
- The Shedding (with Alan Moore as T.M.O., in 2000 AD #283-285, 1982)
- The Challenge (in #361, 1984)
- Zrag Law (in #386, 1984)
- Supersub! (in #467, 1986)
- 2000BC (written by Grant Morrison as T.M.O, in #473, 1986)
- Night of the Living Thrill Sucker (in Sci-Fi Special, 1991)
- Galactic Greetings (in #719, 1991)
- The Question (in #749, 1991)
- Tharg's Masterclass (in #823, 1993)
- Time Twisters:
- William the Conkerer (with Alan Grant, in 2000 AD #294, 1982)
- The Big Clock! (with Alan Moore, in 2000 AD #315, 1983)
- Tharg's Terror Tales: Waiting for the Night Train (with Alan Hale, in 2000 AD #838, 1993)
Notes[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Eric Bradbury on Lambiek Comiclopedia
- ^ Jump up to: a b c David Bishop, Blazing Battle Action part 2, Judge Dredd Megazine #210, 23 September 2003
- ^ Steve Holland, Ron Nobby Clarke (1923-2009), Bear Alley, 5 April 2009
- ^ Steve Holland, Comic Firsts: Eric Bradbury, Bear Alley, 8 November 2007
- ^ Steve Holland, Mike Western (1925-2008), Bear Alley, 20 May 2008
- ^ The Leopard from Lime Street at bustercomic.co.uk
- ^ Von Hoffman's Invasion at bustercomic.co.uk
- ^ Cursitor Doom at International Hero
- ^ Dez Skinn, The Ones That Got Away
- ^ David Bishop, Blazing Battle Action part 3, Judge Dredd Megazine #211, 21 October 2003
- ^ David Bishop, Blazing Battle Action part 4, Judge Dredd Megazine #212, 18 November 2003
- ^ "Hook Jaw at The Sevenpenny Nightmare". Archived from the original on 2011-10-05. Retrieved 2011-07-12.
- ^ "2000 AD creators: B". Archived from the original on 2008-10-07. Retrieved 2008-11-19.
- ^ Eric Bradbury's 2000 AD profile at Barney
- ^ Where is Eric Bradbury?, Comic Bits, November 14, 2008
References[]
- Eric Bradbury at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
- British comics artists
- 1921 births
- 2001 deaths
- Royal Air Force personnel of World War II