John McLusky (20 January 1923 – 5 September 2006) was a
comics artist
A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comics illustrators/artists in that they produce both the literar ...
best known as the original artist of the
comic strip
A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics terminology#Captio ...
featuring
Ian Fleming
Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer, best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., and his ...
's ''
James Bond
The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...
''.
Biography
Hector John Dewhirst McLusky was born in Glasgow, Scotland. He eventually moved with his two brothers, sister and parents, to Leeds, Yorkshire. They moved from Leeds to Leamington Spa in 1936. John (also known as Hector) attended
Warwick School from 1936 to 1940, and, after a period back in Leeds, proceeded to the
Slade School of Art where he held the position of Art Teacher.
John McLusky began illustrating the comic strip adaptation of ''James Bond'' for the ''
Daily Express
The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first ...
''. From 1958 to 1966, McLusky adapted 13 of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels or short stories.
After
Yaroslav Horak had taken over the ''James Bond'' strip, McLusky drew ''Secret Agent 13'' for
Fleetway
Fleetway Publications was a magazine publishing company based in London.
History
It was founded in 1959 when the Mirror Group acquired the Amalgamated Press, then based at Fleetway House, Farringdon Street, London. It was one of the companies t ...
.
For the magazine ''
TV Comic'' McLusky illustrated several strips over 15 years, notably ''
Look and Learn'' and strip adaptations for ''
Laurel & Hardy'', and the ''
Pink Panther''.
[ In 1982 McLusky returned to illustrate the ''James Bond'' strip, collaborating with writer Jim Lawrence to illustrate four new original ''James Bond'' stories.
John McLusky continued other work throughout his career – including several years as Art History Lecturer and substitute teaching in Art & Art History. A passion of his was working as a Punch & Judy puppeteer on Bournemouth Pier & Filey in Yorkshire. He became a Professor of Punch & Judy which was in recognition of his knowledge & services to this time honoured tradition.
]
''James Bond'' strips
Other work
* ''The Paradise Plot'' (1981-1982)
* ''Deathmask'' (1982–1983)
* ''Flittermouse'' (1983)
* ''Polestar'' (1983)
* ''The Scent Of Danger'' (1984)
Sources
External links
John McLusky biography
on Lambiek Comiclopedia
1923 births
2006 deaths
British comics artists
British comic strip cartoonists
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