Watkins in Wizard?

[babington]

I just bought a copy of Wizard no. 295, dated July 28th, 1928. The cover is a single panel showing a group of boys camping beside a river. It looks like Dudley Watkins' style of drawing but of course it isn't signed. Does anyone know if this is one of his covers? As I understand he started at DCT in 1925, but is there any record of what he contributed?

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

Watkins definitely worked for WIZARD [for some of the annual covers at least] and yes this does look like his stuff---can anyone else confirm?

[colcool007]

Looking at the faces just doesn't do it for me. If you look, there is a distinct difference in the way the faces look to DDW's work. While I know that Watkins art appeared in most DCT comics, in this instance, I would accredit this art to Mr A N Other.

Evidence for the prosecution comes from Lew's blog. Look at Desperate Dan and then look at this Wizard art then you can see the difference. Plus, an added fact would have been that DDW would have only been 21 at the time and Oor Wullie and that lot came out 8 years later.

Mind you, I reserve the right to be talking complete tosh!

[George Shiers]

Definatly doesn't look like Watkins to me! The boys in the top right bathing in the river have faces that look too simple for Dudley. the boy fishing even looks like Eric Roberts drew him, although I'm pretty sure he didn't start drawing until later. The boy blowing on the campfire also doesn't look like Dudley's style (too big a nose!), as does the lad cutting the potatoes! I could be wrong though, but I'm confident that isn't him!

[philcom55]

Covers which featured crowds of children were popular at the time and, while I wouldn't like to say for sure, to me that one certainly looks more like Dudley than this example from Charles 'Chick' Gordon:



- Phil R.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

I stand corrected--thanks for pointing me in the right direction, readers.

[babington]

What made me think it might be by Watkins is the feet and posture and expression of the boy being hit by the fish, and the feet on some of the other boys. I don't know anyone else who does feet like that, but I'm no expert. The faces aren't quite right for Watkins (but if he was only in his twenties he might not have fixed on a style) and if anything this looks like Watkins' later style rather than Broons or Dan from the thirties, which is more cartoony... so I'm intrigued to know if anyone else was drawing like this in the late 20s - perhaps inspiration for Watkins if not the man himself? Also, what would the features of Watkins' style be - are there any tell-tale details?

[Phoenix]

I just bought a copy of Wizard no. 295, dated July 28th, 1928. The cover is a single panel showing a group of boys camping beside a river. It looks like Dudley Watkins' style of drawing but of course it isn't signed. Does anyone know if this is one of his covers?

I've just come across this thread for the first time while looking for an appropriate thread in which to post about Leo Baxendale's 83rd birthday tomorrow. There was a similar cover on issue 298 which, thanks to information that Ray Moore gave me several years ago, I know was drawn by Charles 'Chick' Gordon. For comparison purposes, here they are.

[ISPYSHHHGUY]

Leo B :83?!

Wow, when he was my age, arthritis had such a severe effect on his drawing style--not surprizing though, after all that endless detail......