Where has Tom Paterson gone?

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Jonny Whizz
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Where has Tom Paterson gone?

Post by Jonny Whizz »

Tom Paterson has long been one of my favourite D.C.T. artists. A few years ago, there were some Beano issues where the great man seemed to be drawing half the comic, and recent Beano Annuals have been full of his work, but since then his output has dwindled. What is he drawing these days?

It has been a few months since I last saw any of Tom Paterson's work in the Beano - he hasn't drawn Fred's Bed since June-July IIRC, but it seems like even longer than that to me. He's not drawn for the Dandy for even longer, as I don't think he's done anything new for them since before the Xtreme revamp, though I may be mistaken.

I'd like to see him return to the Beano, Dandy or another comic soon. He's such a good artist that it I think it's a shame his work isn't appearing at the moment.
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Raven
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Re: Where has Tom Paterson gone?

Post by Raven »

You probably have to bear in mind that Tom Paterson has been drawing for the gruelling weekly grind of comics for almost forty years now. I don't know how old he was when he started, but it's reasonable to assume he's likely to be at least slowing down his output after all those decades - and he's presumably approaching retirement age anyway.

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Peter Gray
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Re: Where has Tom Paterson gone?

Post by Peter Gray »

He is my second favourite comic artist with Leo Baxendale..
I'm sure he'll do something soon..

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Digifiend
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Re: Where has Tom Paterson gone?

Post by Digifiend »

Speaking of Tom, his Wikipedia page needs some work: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Paterson

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Jonny Whizz
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Re: Where has Tom Paterson gone?

Post by Jonny Whizz »

I think you're right to say that Tom probably isn't getting any younger, Raven, and I can certainly understand why he might not be able to draw as much these days. It even happened to David Sutherland - although he's still drawing two strips most weeks for the Beano, his workload is nowhere near what it was in the 1970s or 1980s.

What has made me curious is the manner in which his work seems to have disappeared from the Beano recently. I think it isn't so much that his workload has been reduced, which would not be especially remarkable in itself, but that he seems to have gone from being one of the comic's most prolific artists, to not appearing in it at all, in what seems a relatively short space of time.
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Digifiend
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Re: Where has Tom Paterson gone?

Post by Digifiend »

Makes you wonder if he's sick or something. :(

Anyway, I was searching Google, and found this:
http://www.galleryofillustration.com/ac ... chive.html
Six Buster covers and a Sweeny Toddler strip, all original artwork.

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swirlythingy
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Re: Where has Tom Paterson gone?

Post by swirlythingy »

Does he have any other work apart from the Beano and Dandy? If so, it's entirely possible he's concentrating on that instead.

The vast majority of pages, if not every single page, in the 2011 Dennis annual were drawn by Paterson, and I remember thinking at the time that this certainly accounted for his reduced output over the year just past. We've now seen most of 2011, and he's been almost completely invisible - just the odd Fred's Bed here and there, I think, and Nigel Parkinson has recently more or less supplanted him on the ghost roster. I've seen all the 2012 annuals, and he has a few pages in the Beano one, but nothing apart from that.

So, either he's working on something really big which we haven't even heard about yet, or working on some other regular gig nobody here buys, or he's finally retired.
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Classic Comics
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Re: Where has Tom Paterson gone?

Post by Classic Comics »

Tom isn't as old as some of you seem to think. He's late-ish 50s. He just started drawing when he was young - he was drawing pages for Albert Barnes when he was still at school.

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Digifiend
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Re: Where has Tom Paterson gone?

Post by Digifiend »

I don't suppose you can answer the original question, why he doesn't appear to be contributing much if anything to the Beano recently? Is he busy elsewhere?

I think most of us assumed he'd be in his 60s, so thanks for that info. Jonny, sounds like you're not too young to go pro! :)

Classic Comics
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Re: Where has Tom Paterson gone?

Post by Classic Comics »

I'm afraid I have no idea what Tom's plans are. I haven't spoken to him since I stopped writing Fred's Bed around March. I've heard bits and pieces about what his plans might be but I honestly don't know for sure what he's up to. Sorry I can't be more helpful.

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Dunder Ed
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Re: Where has Tom Paterson gone?

Post by Dunder Ed »

This Whizzer and Chips fan also was upset when Tom took a break from drawing. Issue dated 4th March, 1989.
Sweeny Toddler Moan -Whizzer and Chips.jpeg

Lew Stringer
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Re: Where has Tom Paterson gone?

Post by Lew Stringer »

swirlythingy wrote: So, either he's working on something really big which we haven't even heard about yet, or working on some other regular gig nobody here buys, or he's finally retired.
Comic artists rarely retire because a) we love drawing comics and b) the business doesn't make us wealthy enough to stop working. Remember that Reg Parlett, one of the most prolific comic artists ever, was still working into his eighties.

I hope Tom's well anyway. His work has always been excellent and, most importantly, funny.
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-MikeD-
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Re: Where has Tom Paterson gone?

Post by -MikeD- »

According to this website, detailing Leith's attractions, Tom has an exhibition coming to an end...
http://leithlynx.co.uk/whats-on-in-leit ... month.html

I'd love to get down there, but I doubt I can swing it in time. For my money, he's
up there with the all-time comic masters.
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Lew Stringer
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Re: Where has Tom Paterson gone?

Post by Lew Stringer »

-MikeD- wrote:According to this website, detailing Leith's attractions, Tom has an exhibition coming to an end...
http://leithlynx.co.uk/whats-on-in-leit ... month.html

I'd love to get down there, but I doubt I can swing it in time. For my money, he's
up there with the all-time comic masters.
I think that website's mis-spelling of "Denis the Menis" beats any complaint about Beano typos. :lol:

The first job I ever did for IPC was ghosting Tom Paterson on a Jackpot Annual. I learned a lot from studying his work. As you said he's one of the greats.
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Digifiend
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Re: Where has Tom Paterson gone?

Post by Digifiend »

That's not their only error.
DC Thomson's Beano, Dandy, Buster comics
Buster was from IPC/Fleetway, not DC Thomson.

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