Comics art and writing of Denis Gifford


was a prolific comic artist and writer, most active in the 1940s, 50s and 60s. Gifford's work was largely for humour strips in British comics, often for L. Miller & Son. He was a highly influential comics historian, particularly of British comics from the 19th century to the 1940s.
Gifford was also a committed comic collector of British and US comics, and owned what has been called the "world's largest collection of British comics."

Comics art and scriptwriting: Marvelman titles

Gifford wrote, drew and often created a wide selection of back-up strips that featured in a number of the Marvelman titles, usually one-page humour strips, as well as the Marvelman Family strip in its own title. Gifford used a variety of pen-names for the work, including Belteshazzar Oakworm, Clubtwee Gleeb and 'Fred Granule Bepp'., Joe King, Jack Upp and Belle Tupp. These humour strips may have been reprinted across a number of titles in the L. Miller & Son stable.
Gifford produced a variety of Western strips, including Western adventure strips for Ace High Western Comics and The Sheriff, and several one-page Western humour strips for L. Miller & Son's numerous Western titles, with a regular inside back cover slot in Gunhawks Western.
Gifford created, or co-created, several titles, as well as publishing or editing and drawing together the work of other creators in a number of titles. Most notable was probably his co-creation with Bob Monkhouse of the superhero Streamline and the Streamline Comics title, but his short-lived Ally Sloper title was a significant if unsuccessful attempt to blend nostalgia for British comics with the more adult approach of the Modern Age to reach new audiences. Gifford and Monkhouse also combined to form Streamline Publications, specialising mostly in reprints of US comics and pulp novels.
The majority of Gifford's output is of humour strips, for a wide range of titles. He also co-created, wrote and drew the superhero strip Streamline and drew and wrote several adventure strips.
Gifford's writing on comics included general books for a popular audience and more thoroughly researched histories of the medium. He sought to both further the scholarship of comics and to increase general public understanding and appreciation: "I have a determination to establish the British comic paper as a valuable artform and a source of history."