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.
   
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6 comments:

  1. Mr Straightman2 August 2012 at 19:19

    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.

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  2. Kid2 August 2012 at 20:06

    You and me both - at least.

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  3. Anonymous5 February 2015 at 15:44

    RIP Dick Millington

    ReplyDelete
  4. Kid5 February 2015 at 19:58

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

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  5. Anonymous5 February 2015 at 20:05

    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.

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  6. Kid5 February 2015 at 20:24

    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.

    ReplyDelete

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