Maurice Dodd

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Maurice Dodd (October 25, 1922 - December 31, 2005) was a writer and cartoonist most notable for his years spent working on The Perishers comic strip published in The Daily Mirror.

Dodd was born in Hackney, England, and during World War II served in the Royal Air Force as a Servicing Commando, alongside Bill Herbert. After the war, Dodd was demobbed and studied art. Dodd found work in advertising, and after reputedly winning a competition to write a slogan for Time, Bill Herbert, by then the cartoon editor at The Daily Mirror, offered Dodd the chance to write a comic strip he had created but hadn't been particularly well received, The Perishers.

Working with artist Dennis Collins, Dodd's provided rough layouts, which Collins would then draw. Dodd continued to work in advertising and worked upon the Clunk Click Every Trip series of public information adverts, intended to remind drivers of the benefits of wearing a seatbelt. It was whilst working on this campaign that Dodd came into contact with FilmFair, a company also responsible for the creation of television programmes based on The Wombles and Paddington Bear. Dodd collaborated with the company in bringing The Perishers to the television screen, allowing him to leave advertising in 1980, and he also wrote a number of children's books.

In 1983 Collins retired, leaving Dodd to both write and draw The Perishers until in 1992 Bill Mevin took over the art chores. Dodd continued working on the strip until his death from a brain haemorrhage on December 31, 2005.