Legend of 'Smokey' Gray
I have been intending to write this piece for a long, long time: basically it is a long-overdue overview of the first Industry Professional who encouraged my cartoon potential, and 'got me published' out there in the big, bad World:
This is a tribute to long-term D C Thomson Editor and comics writer
IAN GRAY [1938-2008] :
who fully deserves appropriate recognition for his many British Comics Contributions.
Introduction:
It is no secret that I regard the Cartoon Industry to be populated by the usual mix of decent and dodgy people, who make up the remainder of Society: there is no doubt ---going by my personal experiences---------that the Toon 'Business' is exactly that: a cut-throat , selfish business bestalked by some very dodgy folks in a few cases, ranging from untrustworthy, blinkered Producers at Dreamworks Animation, or dubious-in-their-actions, self-centered people running Cartoon Forums, who I summize are retarding the entire Industry through their insistance in highlighting their questionable 'status' at the cost of any other advancement from other cartoon-makers [see my blog posts Heil Hickner: a Cautionary Tale for Toonists, or the pieces entitled CCBC Public Forum Ban / CCBC Public Forum cartoon for further details on these farcical situs]
Looking back through some of my more acidic blog writings on here , I am fully aware that the worst aspects of the Cartoon Biz can easily come accross as negative and very off-putting when pointed out in stark black-and-white as recounted on these pixilated pages : I am not especially setting out to be cynical---I am simply attempting to be honest, and point out a few of of the impurities that pollute and disgrace this Industry. So it is high time for me to readress the balance, and celebrate the achievements of one of the more praiseworthy Comics Contributers from the 60s-80s period ....clearly, there are some decent people working in the professional comics/cartoon business, and Ian Gray was surely one of them.
IAN GRAY joined D C Thomson following in the footsteps of his dad, and IG cut a flamboyant figure within the DCT corridors, , with his handlebar moustache: a holdover from his earlier RAF days. He got into the business, capitalizing upon his keen imagination which thrived during the 1960s, becoming a prolific BEANO writer: a fortunate time to be employed in the business: the standard of the comic was pretty much at it's peak during that decade. Ian was mostly recognized as one of the main BASH STREET KIDS writers: during the David Sutherland era, and famously he came up with DENNIS the MENACES' pooch-hound GNASHER in August 1968: an introduction to a truly famous new character I remember extremely well. Original Dennis artist David Law drew the first couple of years of the new Gnasher-bedecked strips, and this creation as envisioned by IG : a sort of hyper-primal Dennis moptop on four scrawny legs, exhibiting a set of lethal mongrel teeth--------is for my money the best incarnation of Gnasher: later renditions by succeeding artists were more streamlined but essentially less vital. The description of the Mutt as an ABYNISSIAN WIRE-HAIRED TRIPE-HOUND ' is a Gray-ism undistilled: his penchant for colorful names was a hallmark and giveaway regarding his flamboyant writing-style, which continued well into the 70s.
IG's tastes and input is clearly evident all over much early-70s period: I am pretty sure that material likeTHE McTICKLES and WEE BEN NEVIS and the NIBBLERS had at least some guidance from him: come the late 70s, there is little doubt that the BEANO hit a very routine, staid period compared to past glories: however, by this time, Ian had certainly proved his mettle far enough to merit the trust from those running DCT to let him helm his own personally-stamped comic: the Superlative PLUG [1977-79] which ran for 76 issues. I have looked through the files on this comic, and this was no formulae-driven vehicle for the toothsome Bash Street character---which more likely would have been the case in a later, more cautious era-------this project was more akin to a juvenile version of MAD MAGAZINE, with much experimantal input, complete with accomplished caricatures of famous folks on some of the covers.
PLUG was printed on glossy photogauvre, usually reserved for the SUMMER SPECIALS or the Nursery fare such as BIMBO, and naturally this hiked up the weekly price to nine decimal pence: possibly one of the reasons the publication lasted fairly briefly: nevertheless, I get the impression that Smokey Gray could well have been responsible for coming up with all of the original creations contained therein:
EEBAGOOM! DOCTOR ROTCOD, ANTCHESTER UNITED, and---especially----------D'YE KEN JOHN SQUEAL all sure sound like they sprang from the mind of the Smokey One: he did confirm he devised that last concept: and if anyone reading this knows different, do amend my findings and views.
Following PLUG, Ian helmed his successful THE BEANO COMIC LIBRARY, which sold enough to warrant the follow-up DANDY counterpart , a year after the former debuted in 1982: these were, of course, COMMANDO BOOK-formatted BEANO character adventures, pocket-sized affairs running to 64 internal pages: --and this was the point I first encountered the Legend that was Smokey Gray.
TO BEAK CONTINUED........
About this drawing: it was originally inked by me in around 1991, but I was very busy working in an animation studio in London when I drew this, so I never got around to completing it: I intended mailing this into Smokey himself. Regretabbly, he never got to see it---his earthy brand of humor is well-represented here, I reckon.. This work has appeared in black-and-white form on the excellent COMICS UK site: but this first-ever 'colorized' version is a Polarized Opinions exclusive.
I have also added the original, raw rough as I loved the vitality in this......the original x-rated version ran for 24 hours on here, before I made it more accessible.
This is a tribute to long-term D C Thomson Editor and comics writer
IAN GRAY [1938-2008] :
who fully deserves appropriate recognition for his many British Comics Contributions.
Introduction:
It is no secret that I regard the Cartoon Industry to be populated by the usual mix of decent and dodgy people, who make up the remainder of Society: there is no doubt ---going by my personal experiences---------that the Toon 'Business' is exactly that: a cut-throat , selfish business bestalked by some very dodgy folks in a few cases, ranging from untrustworthy, blinkered Producers at Dreamworks Animation, or dubious-in-their-actions, self-centered people running Cartoon Forums, who I summize are retarding the entire Industry through their insistance in highlighting their questionable 'status' at the cost of any other advancement from other cartoon-makers [see my blog posts Heil Hickner: a Cautionary Tale for Toonists, or the pieces entitled CCBC Public Forum Ban / CCBC Public Forum cartoon for further details on these farcical situs]
Looking back through some of my more acidic blog writings on here , I am fully aware that the worst aspects of the Cartoon Biz can easily come accross as negative and very off-putting when pointed out in stark black-and-white as recounted on these pixilated pages : I am not especially setting out to be cynical---I am simply attempting to be honest, and point out a few of of the impurities that pollute and disgrace this Industry. So it is high time for me to readress the balance, and celebrate the achievements of one of the more praiseworthy Comics Contributers from the 60s-80s period ....clearly, there are some decent people working in the professional comics/cartoon business, and Ian Gray was surely one of them.
IAN GRAY joined D C Thomson following in the footsteps of his dad, and IG cut a flamboyant figure within the DCT corridors, , with his handlebar moustache: a holdover from his earlier RAF days. He got into the business, capitalizing upon his keen imagination which thrived during the 1960s, becoming a prolific BEANO writer: a fortunate time to be employed in the business: the standard of the comic was pretty much at it's peak during that decade. Ian was mostly recognized as one of the main BASH STREET KIDS writers: during the David Sutherland era, and famously he came up with DENNIS the MENACES' pooch-hound GNASHER in August 1968: an introduction to a truly famous new character I remember extremely well. Original Dennis artist David Law drew the first couple of years of the new Gnasher-bedecked strips, and this creation as envisioned by IG : a sort of hyper-primal Dennis moptop on four scrawny legs, exhibiting a set of lethal mongrel teeth--------is for my money the best incarnation of Gnasher: later renditions by succeeding artists were more streamlined but essentially less vital. The description of the Mutt as an ABYNISSIAN WIRE-HAIRED TRIPE-HOUND ' is a Gray-ism undistilled: his penchant for colorful names was a hallmark and giveaway regarding his flamboyant writing-style, which continued well into the 70s.
IG's tastes and input is clearly evident all over much early-70s period: I am pretty sure that material likeTHE McTICKLES and WEE BEN NEVIS and the NIBBLERS had at least some guidance from him: come the late 70s, there is little doubt that the BEANO hit a very routine, staid period compared to past glories: however, by this time, Ian had certainly proved his mettle far enough to merit the trust from those running DCT to let him helm his own personally-stamped comic: the Superlative PLUG [1977-79] which ran for 76 issues. I have looked through the files on this comic, and this was no formulae-driven vehicle for the toothsome Bash Street character---which more likely would have been the case in a later, more cautious era-------this project was more akin to a juvenile version of MAD MAGAZINE, with much experimantal input, complete with accomplished caricatures of famous folks on some of the covers.
PLUG was printed on glossy photogauvre, usually reserved for the SUMMER SPECIALS or the Nursery fare such as BIMBO, and naturally this hiked up the weekly price to nine decimal pence: possibly one of the reasons the publication lasted fairly briefly: nevertheless, I get the impression that Smokey Gray could well have been responsible for coming up with all of the original creations contained therein:
EEBAGOOM! DOCTOR ROTCOD, ANTCHESTER UNITED, and---especially----------D'YE KEN JOHN SQUEAL all sure sound like they sprang from the mind of the Smokey One: he did confirm he devised that last concept: and if anyone reading this knows different, do amend my findings and views.
Following PLUG, Ian helmed his successful THE BEANO COMIC LIBRARY, which sold enough to warrant the follow-up DANDY counterpart , a year after the former debuted in 1982: these were, of course, COMMANDO BOOK-formatted BEANO character adventures, pocket-sized affairs running to 64 internal pages: --and this was the point I first encountered the Legend that was Smokey Gray.
TO BEAK CONTINUED........
About this drawing: it was originally inked by me in around 1991, but I was very busy working in an animation studio in London when I drew this, so I never got around to completing it: I intended mailing this into Smokey himself. Regretabbly, he never got to see it---his earthy brand of humor is well-represented here, I reckon.. This work has appeared in black-and-white form on the excellent COMICS UK site: but this first-ever 'colorized' version is a Polarized Opinions exclusive.
I have also added the original, raw rough as I loved the vitality in this......the original x-rated version ran for 24 hours on here, before I made it more accessible.
nice to read...
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mr Gray! I'm sure cyou would have got on with I.G.----he was a real character! More on the other Mr Gray before long......
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