Trevor Metcalfe
Encyclopedia
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
.
Influences include Leo Baxendale
, Reg Parlett
and Walt Disney
.
. He first submitted work to his local newspaper alongside art school mate Robert Nixon
. After his National Service he obtained work for DC Thomson drawing his own strip Babes and Bullies for The Dandy
Annual.
In Whizzer and Chips he drew for many years his most famous characters Junior Rotter
The strip was about a boy called Junior Rotter (or J.R.) who is always scheming up plans which generally fail. The character is loosely based on the character of the same name from the television soap opera Dallas
. His sister in the comic strip was called Sue Helen who, in contrast to her brother, was a decent, charming and helpful person. Being chalk-and-cheese characters meant that JR and Sue Helen's sibling rivalry extended into all-out conflict.
Sweet Tooth
first appearing in January 1973. A "Whizz-Kid" in the comic, and about a boy who has a fixation for sweets, continually hounded by Greedy Greg (originally Bully Bloggs), A main feature of the comic was the prominent front tooth that the character always displayed. Though other artists drew strips from time to time, Metcalfe was the main artist throughout.
For The Beano
, he understudied Billy Whizz
for David Parkins
in the early 1990s in his traditional style, and replaced Wayne Thompson on the same character between 2005 and 2007 using a graphics tablet, drawing in a style somewhere between his own and Thompson's. He has also briefly took over drawing Bob Nixon's strips such as Roger the Dodger
and Ivy the Terrible
, and drew several Les Pretend
strips in 2004-2005.
He left DC Thomson in 2007, leaving billy whizz without an artist for two years, until Nick Brennan
took over in October 2009.
In more recent years he has done more serious illustrations, Work is now in TV licensed tie-in comics and magazines, he has gone entirely digital working with a Wacom
tablet at his Apple Mac working on Thomas The Tank Engine
art in Adobe Illustrator
and coloured in Photoshop. He drew warring brothers strip Growing Paynes for the dandy in the 1990s.
He draws comics in Ronald McDonald
& Friends Magazine.
In 2010 he began work on a charity-oriented iPhone game called Cent Hope, marking his first foray into creating graphics for smartphone games.
Brotton
Brotton is a village in the parish of Skelton and Brotton, in the unitary authority of Redcar and Cleveland and ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. It is approximately 2.5 miles southeast of Saltburn-by-the-Sea, 16.7 miles east of Middlesbrough and 16.6 miles northwest of Whitby...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
is a British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
and comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
. Known for his comic strips in IPC Magazines
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 :...
comics such as Sweet Tooth
Sweet tooth
Sweet Tooth may refer to:* Sweet Tooth , a character in the Twisted Metal video game series* Sweet Tooth , a strip in the British comic Whizzer and Chips, and later Buster...
and Junior Rotter
Junior Rotter
Junior Rotter was a fictional character who had his own strip in the British comic Whizzer and Chips, and later in Buster when the two comics merged in 1990. The strip was about a boy called Junior Rotter who is always scheming up plans which generally fail. The character is loosely based on the...
in Whizzer and Chips
Whizzer and Chips
Whizzer and Chips was a British comic magazine that ran from 18 October 1969 to 27 October 1990, when it merged with the comic Buster. As with most comics of the time, Whizzer and Chips was dated one week ahead....
.
Influences include 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...
, Reg Parlett
Reg Parlett
Reg Parlett was an artist from England. Born in London, his father Harry was also an artist, as would Reg's older brother George later be....
and Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
.
Biography
Metcalfe became interested in drawing at age eight during a stay in hospital His main influence being his idol sports cartoonist Tom WebsterTom Webster (cartoonist)
Gilbert Thomas Webster was a British cartoonist and caricaturist.Born in Bilston, West Midlands, Webster specialised in sporting cartoons. He originally worked in a railway booking office and taught himself to draw. In 1904 he won a newspaper cartoon contest, and this started off his career in...
. He first submitted work to his local newspaper alongside art school mate Robert Nixon
Robert Nixon (artist)
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...
. After his National Service he obtained work for DC Thomson drawing his own strip Babes and Bullies for 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...
Annual.
In Whizzer and Chips he drew for many years his most famous characters Junior Rotter
Junior Rotter
Junior Rotter was a fictional character who had his own strip in the British comic Whizzer and Chips, and later in Buster when the two comics merged in 1990. The strip was about a boy called Junior Rotter who is always scheming up plans which generally fail. The character is loosely based on the...
The strip was about a boy called Junior Rotter (or J.R.) who is always scheming up plans which generally fail. The character is loosely based on the character of the same name from the television soap opera Dallas
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
. His sister in the comic strip was called Sue Helen who, in contrast to her brother, was a decent, charming and helpful person. Being chalk-and-cheese characters meant that JR and Sue Helen's sibling rivalry extended into all-out conflict.
Sweet Tooth
Sweet Tooth (comics)
Sweet Tooth was a fictional character in a comic strip in the British comic Whizzer and Chips, first appearing in January 1973. A "Whizz-Kid" in the comic, and about a boy who has a fixation for sweets, continually hounded by Greedy Greg , it joined Buster after Whizzer and Chips merged with it in...
first appearing in January 1973. A "Whizz-Kid" in the comic, and about a boy who has a fixation for sweets, continually hounded by Greedy Greg (originally Bully Bloggs), A main feature of the comic was the prominent front tooth that the character always displayed. Though other artists drew strips from time to time, Metcalfe was the main artist throughout.
For The Beano
The 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 understudied Billy Whizz
Billy Whizz
Billy Whizz is a fictional character featured in the British comic The Beano, first appearing in issue 1139, dated 16 May 1964, when it replaced The Country Cuzzins. Billy, the title character, is a boy who can run extraordinarily fast. His speed often causes chaos yet at the same time his ability...
for David Parkins
David Parkins
David Parkins is a British cartoonist and illustrator who has worked for D.C. Thomson, publisher of The Beano and The Dandy. Now based in Canada, he illustrates children's picture books....
in the early 1990s in his traditional style, and replaced Wayne Thompson on the same character between 2005 and 2007 using a graphics tablet, drawing in a style somewhere between his own and Thompson's. He has also briefly took over drawing Bob Nixon's strips such as 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...
and 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:...
, and drew several Les Pretend
Les Pretend
Lesley Presley Pretend is a fictional character in a comic strip in the UK comic The Beano. Originally drawn by John Sherwood, he first appeared in issue 2493, dated 28 April 1990. In each issue, Les pretends to be something and dresses up like it, beginning with a martian in his debut...
strips in 2004-2005.
He left DC Thomson in 2007, leaving billy whizz without an artist for two years, until Nick Brennan
Nick Brennan
Nick Brennan is a British cartoonist who works mainly for D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd. He started drawing for the company in 1993, drawing a revival of Peter Piper From The Dandy, revived from The Magic Comic, but looking nothing like Watkins' creation, instead sporting an elvis-like hairdo and purple...
took over in October 2009.
In more recent years he has done more serious illustrations, Work is now in TV licensed tie-in comics and magazines, he has gone entirely digital working with a Wacom
Wacom
in Krefeld, Germany. Wacom is a Japanese portmanteau: Wa for "harmony" or "circle", and Komu for "computer". Wacom tablets are notable for their use of a patented cordless, battery-free, and pressure-sensitive stylus or digital pen...
tablet at his Apple Mac working on Thomas The Tank Engine
Thomas the Tank Engine
Thomas the Tank Engine is a fictional steam locomotive in The Railway Series books by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher. He became the most popular character in the series, and the accompanying television spin-off series, Thomas and Friends.Thomas is a tank engine, painted blue...
art in Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator is a vector graphics editor developed and marketed by Adobe Systems. Illustrator is similar in scope, intended market, and functionality to its competitors, CorelDraw, Xara Designer Pro and Macromedia FreeHand....
and coloured in Photoshop. He drew warring brothers strip Growing Paynes for the dandy in the 1990s.
He draws comics in Ronald McDonald
Ronald McDonald
Ronald McDonald is a clown character used as the primary mascot of the McDonald's fast-food restaurant chain. In television commercials, the clown inhabits a fantasy world called McDonaldland, and has adventures with his friends Mayor McCheese, the Hamburglar, Grimace, Birdie the Early Bird, and...
& Friends Magazine.
In 2010 he began work on a charity-oriented iPhone game called Cent Hope, marking his first foray into creating graphics for smartphone games.
See also
- British comics
- Jack Edward OliverJack Edward OliverJack Edward Oliver was a British cartoonist. He is more usually known as J Edward Oliver or JEO and to his friends he was Jack....
- Lew StringerLew Stringer-Biography:Stringer began his career from the late 1970s with a series of fanzines, many featuring his popular Brickman character; these were read by several pro creators who encouraged Stringer to try comics as a profession and Stringer recalls that "Alan Moore actually introduced me to one of...
- Topper