Leo Baxendale (born 27 October 1930 in Preston, Lancashire) is a British cartoonist, who was the creator of the classic Beano strips Little Plum (1953), Minnie the Minx (1953), The Bash Street Kids (created October 1953, began publication February 1954) and The Three Bears (1959).
Leo Baxendale was at the end of his National Service days in the RAF, when he decided he wanted to be an artist. He got his first job as an artist for a local newspaper, drawing adverts and cartoons. In 1952 he began freelance work for the children's comic The Beano. He became one of the most important artists of this comic, drawing series like Little Plum, Minnie the Minx (started in 1953, taken over by Jim Petrie in 1961), The Three Bears and The Bash Street Kids (initially called When the Bell Rings ).
Baxendale also co-operated on the launch of The Beezer in 1956 and Wham! (Odhams Press) in 1964. He left The Beano in 1962. Later in his career Baxendale spent a few years working for Fleetway (IPC Magazines), creating the likes of Clever Dick and Sweeny Toddler. Other artists like Tom Paterson, Martin Baxendale (Leo's son), David Parkins and Colin Whittock carried his technique into the 80s and 90s (and in the case of Paterson and Parkins, the 00s too.)
In the seventies Baxendale created the Willy the Kid series, published by Duckworths.
In the 1980s he fought a seven-year legal battle with D.C. Thomson for the rights to his Beano creations, which was eventually settled out of court.
In 1987 Leo Baxendale founded the publishing house, Reaper Books. In the same year he brought out THRRP!, an adult comic book.[1]
In 1990 he created I Love You Baby Basil! for The Guardian.
[edit] Bibliography
[edit] The Beano
[edit] The Dandy
[edit] The Beezer
[edit] IPC/Fleetway
[edit] Smash!
[edit] Further reading
Baxendale, Leo (1978). A Very Funny Business: 40 Years Of Comics. Gerald Duckworth & Co., London.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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| Persondata |
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Baxendale, Leo |
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27 October 1930 |
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