Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Happy Birthday, Leo Baxendale!

BEANO No.852, Nov.15th 1958.
The great Leo Baxendale is 85 today! The history of British comics would have been completely different (and poorer) without his input and massive influence. Let's all wish Leo good health and happiness as we take a look at just a handful of his marvelous pages... 
BEEZER. © D.C. Thomson & Co. Ltd.

EAGLE EYE from WHAM! (1964)


Leo took over the Swots and Blots in SMASH! in 1969.

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8 comments:

  1. Peter GrayTuesday, 27 October 2015 at 22:41:00 GMT

    Said many time before..
    My favourite comic artist..

    love the surrealness and seeing the teddy boys!!
    there are some real gems ready to be republished one day..

    Happy Birthday Leo!

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  2. NPTuesday, 27 October 2015 at 23:05:00 GMT

    I don't know if I'd have been in comics if it wasn't for Leo. There was something so appealing, funny, surreal and wonderful about his work when I first became aware of it that it drew me in like no other 'funny' cartoonist.

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  3. Matthew BranniganTuesday, 27 October 2015 at 23:11:00 GMT

    Thank you for this post reminding us of the genius of Leo Baxendale. I don't think I can give any adequate superlatives other than for any comic I bought as a child where his work was featured his would absolutely be the first strips I would read, it's as simple as that.

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  4. Lew StringerTuesday, 27 October 2015 at 23:27:00 GMT

    Same here, Nigel. I first saw his work in Wham!, then Smash!, and it was something that kids could instantly relate to, as well as being outrageously funny of course.

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  5. @MLPasteriskWednesday, 28 October 2015 at 08:47:00 GMT

    Still have the (now very tatty !) Willy The Kid annuals.

    Happy Birthday Leo Baxendale

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  6. Double Vision ComicsWednesday, 28 October 2015 at 09:55:00 GMT

    Happy Birthday indeed. Without the Beano, which I read religiously as an 8 year old, I possibly would never have looked at another comic. I still - STILL - have intermittent dreams that I'm in on Bash Street Kids school trip, that I am literally an anonymous Bash Street character. All down to the vivid lines and stories Baxendale was able to elicit from the page. I don't think the Beano ever actually made me laugh, but it did something even more wondrous... it helped mould my childhood. In a way, still does.

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  7. Lew StringerWednesday, 28 October 2015 at 10:37:00 GMT

    Leo had left The Beano by the time I started reading it in 1964 but his influence was embedded in the comic, with his style becoming THE 'house style' of The Beano. Artists were encouraged to draw in a similar style for consistency but they produced marvellous work in doing so (Dave Sutherland, Jim Petrie, etc). I wonder if The Beano would be around today without Leo's influence? Somehow I doubt it.

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  8. AnonymousWednesday, 28 October 2015 at 12:12:00 GMT

    Getting through Lotys of 'Swots v Blots' due to finding 24 copies of 'Smash' at a boot sale last July. Great times.

    Stripester

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