| Mike Western | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1925-02-04)4 February 1925 |
| Died | 13 May 2008(2008-05-13) (aged 83) |
| Nationality | British |
| Area | Artist |
Mike Western (b.Southampton, 4 February 1925; d. 13 May 2008)[1] was a British comics artist. He worked as aclean-up artist forGB Animation after military service in the Second World War, and later atHalas and Batchelor on their 1954 film adaptation ofAnimal Farm. In the early 1950s he joined fellow former GB Animation artistsRon ''Nobby'' Clark andEric Bradbury atAmalgamated Press, drawing adventure strips forKnock-Out, including the westernLucky Logan and the aviation seriesJohnnie Wingco.[2]
In 1960 he moved toTV Express, where he drew TV tie-insNo Hiding Place andBiggles, the latter in colour.[2] In 1962 he began drawing forBuster, includingThe Leopard from Lime Street, on which his pencils were inked by Bradbury,[3][4]When Britain Froze,World in Peril, andThe Star of Fortune.[5] The same year he joined the newly launchedValiant, a title he would be associated with for the next thirteen years. One of his most notable strips there wasThe Wild Wonders (which ran 1968–1973), written byTom Tully, about a pair of wild boys, brought up by animals, who turn out to be fantastic athletes, for which he used a semi-cartoony style which was much imitated.[2] Other strips Western worked on includedJack O' Justice andThe Duke of Dry Gulch.[5]Valiant featured covers on historical topics, and Western drew over 500 of these.[6]
In 1975 he moved toBattle Picture Weekly, where he reverted to a grittier style and drewJohn Wagner'sDarkie's Mob[7][8] andHMS Nightshade, as well asThe Sarge and Tully'sThe Team That Went to War.[9] He did some work in romance comics, but was not comfortable there,[4] and drew two covers for2000 AD in 1977 and 1981.[10][failed verification] He drewBaker's Half-Dozen for short-lived sports titleSpeed in 1980, thenTopps on Two Wheels andGolden Boy forTiger, andComputer Warrior,The Hard Men,Shadow andThe Avenger for the relaunchedEagle. He drewBilly's Boots forScorcher andRoy of the Rovers for four years, as well as theRoy of the Rovers daily strip in theDaily Star in 1992–93. He then retired from comics, with the exception of a strip in a theatre magazine in 1997–2000, and concentrated on painting and magazine illustration. He died in 2008, aged 83, having been confined to bed for a few months following a heart attack and a stroke.[1][2][6][11]
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