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| A memorable crossover drawn by David Sutherland. |
Another comics great has left us. I'm very saddened to hear that Beano artist David Sutherland OBE passed away last night at the age of 89. (He'd have been 90 in March.)
The versatility of David Sutherland’s talent was remarkable. He smoothly adopted the Bash Street style when he took over the strip from Leo Baxendale and made it his own, producing genuinely funny pages filled with hilarious endearing characters and little sight gags. He was able to master any style and bring it to life in his own way, as he did when he replaced Dudley Watkins on Biffo the Bear, and when he followed Davey Law on Dennis the Menace, defining the characters for a new generation of readers.
Not many comic artists can switch between cartoony and straight adventure styles convincingly but Mr. Sutherland made it look effortless, drawing gripping adventure strips such as The Great Flood of London, Danny on a Dolphin, and of course the very popular Billy the Cat.
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| Advert for the new Billy the Cat strip in 1967, drawn by David. |
It’s hard to believe that an artist who has been a significant part of the industry all our lives has passed away but David leaves us with such a legacy of joyful, entertaining strips that have brought happiness to millions over the past 60 plus years. David’s style defined the Beano. His recent OBE was well deserved and his work will always be remembered and respected. My condolences to David’s family and to all those who knew him.
More tributes:
https://www.beano.com/posts/thanks-for-all-the-lols-david
https://downthetubes.net/in-memoriam-beano-bash-street-kids-artist-david-sutherland-obe/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-64339747
https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/breaking-beano-illustrator-david-sutherland-29002351
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bit of a shock.. I though he was quite healthy and still working... fair enought age and good with the OBE but.. bit of a shock..
ReplyDeleteNot a lot I can add to your your excellent tribute Lew. An amazing artist that provided so many kids
ReplyDeleteyoung and old , with so much joy.
Until relatively recently I wasn't aware that he was the artist on those early Billy the Kid strips that i loved as a kid.
Yes, David was the first artist on Billy the Cat, defining the character.
ReplyDeleteThe Beano will feel very strange without him, when he'd been part of the comic all our lives.
Apologies , I of course meant "Billy the Cat" not "Kid".
ReplyDeleteWhat a shock! I didn't expect to see this when I visited your website today.
ReplyDeleteAnd only a few weeks ago I was thinking how great it was that he was still drawing The Bash Street Kids.
How sad. I was a great fan of his strips in Beano when I was a kid with my all time favourite being Billy the Cat (later including Katie). I loved reading that strip week after week.
Very sad news.
This blog is about my own work but sometimes news breaks about others that needs to be shared. I see the BBC have covered the sad news too, which is only right for such a longstanding contributor to modern culture.
ReplyDeleteApparently David turned in his final pages at the end of last year and they'll appear in next week's Beano.
It is nice that David was able to do what he loved right up to the end.
ReplyDeleteSo sad to hear of David Sutherland's passing. Incredible to think that he was the same artist that drew the Bash Street Kids back when WE were kids!
ReplyDeleteAs you say Lew, he was equally adept at both comic and adventure strips - I can remember when Billy The Cat made his first appearance back in 1967, a great adventure strip which I (and millions of others) enjoyed.
Thankfully with the 'net and other outlets, his work lives on to be appreciated. RIP David.
just noticed.. the Ice Cream Seller.. that's one of the self insertions of David Sutherland. Like how Herge would insert himself into crowd scenes ^_^
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