Eric Bradbury

"Cursitor Doom", from Smash, 1969

Eric Bradbury (4 January 1921-May 2001) was a British comic artist who primarily worked for Amalgamated Press/IPC from the late 1940s to the 1990s.

He studied at Beckenham art school from 1936,^[1] and served in the RAF as a rear gunner on bombers during the Second World War.^[2] After the war he worked for Gaumont-British Animation, alongside future comic creators Mike Western, Ron Smith, Bill Holroyd, Harry Hargreaves and Ron "Nobby" Clark. When the studio folded in 1949, Bradbury and Clarke took samples to Amalgamated Press, and were offered work at Knock-Out, edited by Leonard Matthews - Clarke writing, Bradbury drawing.^[3] He started out on humour strips like "Blossom" and "Our Ernie", but soon specialised in adventure strips, particularly westerns like "Lucky Logan",^[4] on which he alternated with former G-B colleague Mike Western,^[5] and "Buffalo Bill", both in The Comet. For the same title, he drew an adaptation of the 1955 film The King's Thief.^[1]

From the 1960s on he developed a dark style similar to Francisco Solano López, and drew strips like "Mytek the Mighty", "The House of Dolmann"^[1] and "The Black Crow" for Valiant,^[2] "Phantom Force 5", "The Leopard from Lime Street" (inking Mike Western's pencils)^[6] and "Maxwell Hawke" for Buster,^[1] "Von Hoffman's Invasion" for Jet,^[7] and "Cursitor Doom" for Smash!.^[8] In 1973 he was the artist on an abortive IPC superhero comic, Captain Britain (no relation to the later Marvel UK character).^[9] He joined Battle Picture Weekly in 1976 when Valiant was folded into it, taking "The Black Crow" with it. Other strips he drew for Battle included "Joe Two Beans", "Coward's Brand on Bradley", "Crazy Keller", "Death Squad", "The Fists of Jimmy Chang" and "Invasion 1984".^[2][10][11] He also drew "Hook Jaw" for Action.^[12]

He was described by 2000 AD as one of their "early, unsung heroes",^[13] drawing for them from the early issues in 1977 until 1993, including "Invasion!", "The Mean Arena" and "Rogue Trooper", as well as numerous "Tharg the Mighty" stories and "Future Shocks".^[14] He also drew Doomlord for the revived Eagle in the 1980s.^[1] Bradbury died in May 2001.^[15]

Bibliography

Comics work includes:

• Invasion!: "Dartmoor" (with Gerry Finley-Day, in 2000 AD #10-11, 1977)

• Tharg's Future Shocks:
  • "Fish in a Barrel" (with Steve Moore, in 2000 AD #208, 1981)
  • "Long Live the Queen" (with Kelvin Gosnell, in 2000 AD #212, 1981)
  • "'Ang About" (with Kelvin Gosnell, in 2000 AD #221, 1981)
  • "The Beastly Beliefs of Benjamin Blint" (with Alan Moore, in 2000 AD #249, 1982)
  • "But is it Art?" (with Peter Milligan, in 2000 AD #409, 1985)
  • "Eggravation" (with Peter Milligan, in 2000 AD #420, 1985)
  • "Speak No Evil" (with Peter Milligan, in 2000 AD #434, 1985)
  • "Robot" (with Frances Lynn, in 2000 AD #718, 1991)
  • "Pact with the Devil" (with Frances Lynn, in 2000 AD #743, 1991)

• Tharg the Mighty:
  • "Tharg's Christmas Tale" (with Tharg the Mighty, in 2000 AD #243-244, 1981)
  • "The Shedding" (with Alan Moore as Tharg, in 2000 AD #283-285, 1982)

• Time Twisters:
  • "William the Conkerer" (with Alan Grant, in 2000 AD #294, 1982)
  • "The Big Clock!" (with Alan Moore, in 2000 AD #315, 1983)

• Tharg's Terror Tales: "Waiting for the Night Train" (with Alan Hale, in 2000 AD #838, 1993)

Notes

References