Art
of
British Comic Artists
George
Drysdale
'Tin-Can
Tommy - The Clockwork Boy' - 'Chimney Sweep' -
The Beano
c1946
Does anyone have the comic
which contains this strip?
Please let me know the
date & if possible let
me have a scan of
this episode? ( Paul Mason
at buryanpaul@yahoo.com
)
on
the reverse of this artwork, hand-written
neatly in green ink,
apparently by the artist, are George
Drysdale's contact details:-
950823
L.A.C.
Geo Drysdale RAF 172
South Market Street Aberdeen
Originally entitled Le Avventure di Roberto Robot, 'Tin-Can Tommy' was the work of an art agency in Milan, Italy, run by the Torelli brothers, who supplied at least one other comic title to publishers D C Thomson. Le Avventure di Roberto Robot was re-titled and translated into English for re-publication in Britain, and on 30th July 1938 appeared as 'Tin-Can Tommy The Clockwork Boy', filling the back page of the very first Beano comic.
The 'Tin-Can Tommy' storyline, detailed in issue one of The Beano, suggested that Tommy the clockwork boy was built by his professor 'father' for wife, Mrs. Lee, as a substitute for the son they had lost the year before. In time Tommy was given a pal (Babe), and a mechanical cat (Clanky) and also even a horse made of metal (Ironsides). The Torelli brothers continued supplying fresh strips for many months, but with the advent of World War II hostilities erupted between Britain and Italy, and the Torelli Brothers migrated to France, so Thomson's were forced to source new artwork in Britain. From issue 69 of The Beano (18th November 1939) 'Tin-Can Tommy' was drawn by Sam Fair, who was followed in this work by two other staff artists, Charles 'Chick' Gordon and George Drysdale. 'Tin-Can Tommy' strips continued to appear in The Beano up to issue 303, in 1947.
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