Wally and The Major. An Advertiser Feature [cover title]

[Wally and the Major]. CROSS, Stan

Edité par Printed and Published by Edgar H. Baillie for The Herald and Weekly Times Limited, Caulfield, 1947

A propos de cet article

Caulfield, Printed and Published by Edgar H. Baillie for The Herald and Weekly Times Limited, [circa 1947]. Large oblong octavo, 52 pages with an illustrated foreword, 47 pages of comic strips, and advertisements on three sides of the covers. Saddle-stapled colour-pictorial title-wrappers slightly creased and rubbed, with a short sealed tear to the rear cover, and a few tiny chips; minimal signs of age and use; a very good copy. Not identified as such, but apparently the sixth annual volume. The editor muses in his foreword that 'We used to wonder what the Major, Wally and Pudden would do when the war was over, and rather dreaded seeing them subjected to the rules and conventions of eventless civil life. We need not have worried, however, for the same antipathy to tedium or hard work or something that took them into the ranks of the brave has again led them to the frontiers - the frontiers of civilisation' (read, northern Australia). Stanley Cross (1888-1977) 'created perhaps Australia's best-known cartoon, known by its caption "For Gorsake, stop laughing - this is serious". His art portrayed typical Australians, from farmers to jackaroos, doctors and diggers. For The Herald in Melbourne, he created the adventures of Wally and the Major in a comic strip syndicated for decades in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji and celebrated in 18 annual books from 1943 to 1960. His name is perpetuated in the annual Black and White Artists' Club Stanley Awards' (the 'Australian Media Hall of Fame' website). In 1939, 'Cross was asked to create a newly daily strip, and he started his most popular strip, "The Winks" on 20 April 1940. For the first three months, the strip employed a domestic comedy theme and was basically a toned down version of "You & Me". The characters "Mr Wink" reflected the role of Mr Potts, while the tall, thin, long-faced character was similar to "Whalesteeth". In the initial stages, the characters were given their own weekly strip, "Tidley Winks & Wally". "The Winks" was only moderately popular until Cross decided to change the strip's direction and take the main characters into the Army. Mr Winks became Major Winks on 15 July 1940 and the strip was renamed Wally and the Major. Over the next thirty years . readers were able to enjoy the extraordinary, knock-about adventures and lifestyle of Private Wally Higgins, Major Winks, Pudden Bensen, and a company of comedy players - in the army in World War II and, afterwards, on their North Queensland sugarcane plantation' (Wikipedia).

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Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: Wally and The Major. An Advertiser Feature [cover title]
• Éditeur: Printed and Published by Edgar H. Baillie for The Herald and Weekly Times Limited, Caulfield
• Date de parution: 1947
• Reliure: Paperback
• Édition: First Edition.
• État de l'article: Very Good
• Catalogues du vendeur:
  • Australia