Thursday 2 August 2012

DICK MILLINGTON'S MIGHTY MOTH...


Cover art possibly by Bill Titcombe.  Cover characters copyright relevant and respective owners

The earliest comics character I can recall is MIGHTY MOTH, from the long-running TV COMIC (which lasted for nearly 34 years from 1950 to '84).  Artist DICK MILLINGTON was responsible for bringing the cloth-chomping mite to life, and it was because his distinctive style made such an impression on me when I first saw it in a 1962 or '63 TV Comic Holiday Special that I recognised it a year or two later on becoming aware of the weekly periodical.  (I hadn't actually remembered the name of the comic or the character - it was the look of the diminutive Lepidopteran and the style he was drawn in that rang a bell in the depths of memory's belfry.)


Anyway, having self-indulgently refreshed my recollections of bygone days, the cover at the top of this post is from the 1977 TV Comic Annual, purchased at the end of '76.  I thought I'd share one of the fondly-recalled comics celebrities of my boyhood with all you fellow fans in Bloggerland, so feast your eyes on the accompanying two-page Mighty Moth strip from that very annual.
   

6 comments:

Mr Straightman said...

Dick Millington's 'Happy Families' and 'Ray Presto' were also works of genius, along with his Daily Mail strip 'I Don't Believe It!'. I wish he was still drawing comics.

Kid said...

You and me both - at least.

Anonymous said...

RIP Dick Millington

Kid said...

Is that him passed on? Sad news indeed. Somewhere, I can hear a moth crying.

Anonymous said...

My father, Richard (Dick) Millington, died aged 81 on 4th February 2015. He was a very talented artist, best known for his comic creations over six decades. His career began at school, where he copied comic books and sold them for a penny. He'll be greatly missed by his family, and his friends, colleagues and admirers over the years.

Kid said...

I'm sure that all of comics fandom would like to pass on its condolences to you and your family. Your father was a legend and his sad passing will not change that. His legend will live on. Thanks for letting me know of this sad news.



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