Robert Nixon (artist)
Encyclopedia
Robert Nixon was an artist who worked on several British comics.
Bob was born in South Bank, Middlesbrough, in North Yorkshire on July 7, 1939. He was the fifth of six children born to Arthur Nixon and Phylis Thompson. Robert's mother Phylis worked as a housewife while his father worked locally as a steelworker. As a child, Robert spent much of his time drawing and sketching, and his artistic skills were recognised when he was seven years old by teachers at Cromwell Road School which he attended in South Bank. During his early years as an artist, and supported by teachers at the Central Secondary Modern School (Victoria Street, Southbank), Robert won several art competitions and a scholarship to Middlesbrough art college in 1955 when he was sixteen.
Although his time at art college was cut short by the death of his father, Bob gained employment locally as a lithographic artist and left in 1965 to pursue his career as a full-time cartoonist, initially for DC Thomson's of Dundee. During this transition Robert met and married Rita Kelly and after living in Middlesbrough for several years they moved to Guisborough in Cleveland where they raised their four children - Paul, Tony, Wendy and Catherine.
, he started out drawing Little Plum
in the early 1960s after Leo Baxendale
left DC Thomson
. He later took over Roger the Dodger
from Ken Reid and Lord Snooty
from Dudley D. Watkins
, and revived Grandpa, another Ken Reid creation, in the early 1970s in the same comic, as well as Captain Cutler and His Butler and Esky Mo in Sparky
. He left DC Thomson shortly afterwards, and started to work at IPC
Magazines (Fleetway
), drawing such characters as Kid Kong, Frankie Stein
and Gums.
Nixon drew The 12½p Buytonic Boy
for Krazy, although Brian Walker frequently deputised when Nixon was on leave. The strip first appeared in issue 1, dated 16 October 1976.
Nixon returned to DC Thomson in 1984 after being asked to by new Beano editor Euan Kerr, and began drawing Roger the Dodger again, as well as creating Ivy the Terrible
in 1985. Later his friend Trevor Metcalfe
drew this strip. Nixon's strips are still being reprinted in The Beano, appearing regularly as recently as 2011.
He would go on to draw Beryl the Peril
in The Topper and Korky the Cat
in The Dandy
later on in the decade, and continue drawing them throughout the 1990s.
Bob was born in South Bank, Middlesbrough, in North Yorkshire on July 7, 1939. He was the fifth of six children born to Arthur Nixon and Phylis Thompson. Robert's mother Phylis worked as a housewife while his father worked locally as a steelworker. As a child, Robert spent much of his time drawing and sketching, and his artistic skills were recognised when he was seven years old by teachers at Cromwell Road School which he attended in South Bank. During his early years as an artist, and supported by teachers at the Central Secondary Modern School (Victoria Street, Southbank), Robert won several art competitions and a scholarship to Middlesbrough art college in 1955 when he was sixteen.
Although his time at art college was cut short by the death of his father, Bob gained employment locally as a lithographic artist and left in 1965 to pursue his career as a full-time cartoonist, initially for DC Thomson's of Dundee. During this transition Robert met and married Rita Kelly and after living in Middlesbrough for several years they moved to Guisborough in Cleveland where they raised their four children - Paul, Tony, Wendy and Catherine.
Biography
In The BeanoThe Beano
The Beano is a British children's comic, published by D.C. Thomson & Co and is arguably their most successful.The comic first appeared on 30 July 1938, and was published weekly. During the Second World War,The Beano and The Dandy were published on alternating weeks because of paper and ink...
, he started out drawing Little Plum
Little Plum
Little Plum is a fictional character in the UK comic The Beano.The eponymous hero and his friends Chiefy, Pimple and Hole-in-um-Head are members of the "Smellyfeet" American Indian tribe, who spend much of their time clashing with their rivals the "Puttyfeet" tribe. Other characters include Dr...
in the early 1960s after Leo Baxendale
Leo Baxendale
Leo Baxendale is a British cartoonist, who was the creator of the classic Beano strips Little Plum , Minnie the Minx , The Bash Street Kids and The Three Bears .Leo Baxendale was at the end of his National Service days in the RAF, when he decided he...
left DC Thomson
D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd
D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd, is a publishing company based in Dundee, Scotland, best known for producing The Dundee Courier, The Evening Telegraph, The Sunday Post, Oor Wullie, The Broons, The Beano, The Dandy and Commando comics...
. He later took over Roger the Dodger
Roger the Dodger
This is the article for The Beano comic strip, for other uses please see Roger the Dodger Roger the Dodger is a fictional character featured regularly in the UK comic The Beano...
from Ken Reid and Lord Snooty
Lord Snooty
Lord Snooty was a fictional character in a comic strip in the UK comic The Beano, first appearing in issue 1, dated 30 July 1938, and was the longest running strip in the comic until Dennis the Menace and Gnasher overtook it...
from Dudley D. Watkins
Dudley D. Watkins
Dudley Dexter Watkins was a British cartoonist and illustrator. He is best known for his characters Oor Wullie and The Broons; comic strips featuring them have appeared in Scottish newspaper The Sunday Post since 1936, along with annual compilations...
, and revived Grandpa, another Ken Reid creation, in the early 1970s in the same comic, as well as Captain Cutler and His Butler and Esky Mo in Sparky
Sparky (comic)
Sparky was a British comic published weekly by DC Thomson, that ran from 23 January 1965 to 9 July 1977 when it merged with The Topper after 652 issues. From 1965-1980 the comic published an annual entitled The Sparky Book...
. He left DC Thomson shortly afterwards, and started to work at IPC
IPC Media
IPC Media , a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Inc., is a consumer magazine and digital publisher in the United Kingdom, with a large portfolio selling over 350 million copies each year.- Origins :...
Magazines (Fleetway
Fleetway
Fleetway, also known as Fleetway Publications and Fleetway Editions, was a UK publishing company which mainly produced comic magazines. For a time owned by IPC Media, they are now a division of Egmont Publishing....
), drawing such characters as Kid Kong, Frankie Stein
Frankie Stein
Frankie Stein is one of the fictional characters in Monster High. She is also one of the Monster High fashion dolls. Frankie is related to the monster Frankenstein and is the daughter of Vicktor and Viveka Stein.-Personality:...
and Gums.
Nixon drew The 12½p Buytonic Boy
The 12½p Buytonic Boy
The 12½p Buytonic Boy was a fictional character who had his own strip in the UK comic Krazy.For much of its life the strip was drawn by Robert Nixon, although Brian Walker frequently deputised when Bob was on leave....
for Krazy, although Brian Walker frequently deputised when Nixon was on leave. The strip first appeared in issue 1, dated 16 October 1976.
Nixon returned to DC Thomson in 1984 after being asked to by new Beano editor Euan Kerr, and began drawing Roger the Dodger again, as well as creating Ivy the Terrible
Ivy the Terrible
Ivy the Terrible is a fictional character featured in The Beano. The strip involves a four-year-old girl whose mischievous antics are a constant annoyance to her parents.-Introduction:...
in 1985. Later his friend Trevor Metcalfe
Trevor Metcalfe
Trevor Metcalfe born May 1939 in Brotton, Yorkshire is a British illustrator and comic book artist. Known for his comic strips in IPC Magazines comics such as Sweet Tooth and Junior Rotter in Whizzer and Chips....
drew this strip. Nixon's strips are still being reprinted in The Beano, appearing regularly as recently as 2011.
He would go on to draw Beryl the Peril
Beryl the Peril
Beryl the Peril is a fictional character created by David Law, the creator of Dennis the Menace, for Issue 1 of The Topper comic published by DC Thomson & Co. Limited. Like Dennis, she had black and red apparel, and devilishly tormented her parents and other members of her community...
in The Topper and Korky the Cat
Korky the Cat
Korky the Cat is a fictional character in a comic strip in the UK comic The Dandy. It first appeared in issue 1, dated 4 December 1937, and was The Dandy's original cover star. He was on the front cover of Dandy for several decades only missing out one issue, No. 294 when Keyhole Kate was on the...
in The Dandy
The Dandy
The Dandy is a long running children's comic published in the United Kingdom by D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd. The first issue was printed in 1937 and it is the world's third longest running comic, after Detective Comics and Il Giornalino...
later on in the decade, and continue drawing them throughout the 1990s.
External links
- Robert Nixon at Toonhound
- Peter Gray's Robert Nixon's comic fansite