Reg Parlett - 110 Years

Today is Reg Parlett's would-be 110th birthday. Reg is one of the all time greats and has illustrated thousands of pages in a career that lasted for over 60 years. I suspect he has drawn more pages than any other British comic artist ever. His first artwork appeared in Merry and Bright when he was 19 and he would go on to draw many well-loved and long running characters such as Billy Bunter, Buster and Ivor Lott and Tony Broke.

Sadly, Reg passed away on 18th November 1991 but I'm sure the love and appreciation for his artistic talent will live on for a long time yet. 

The Five Greats - No. 5 - Reg Parlett

Well, here it is at long last - the final part of The Five Greats (sorry about the wait folks)! And for number five, I have chosen Reg Parlett, not only becuase he produced so many thousands of pages of work, but has a very individual style - just like the other 4 greats!

Reg was born in 1904 in London and came from a family of artists.  His brother George and father Harry both scribbled profesionally at some point in their lives.

Reprinted in Big Comic Monthly

His first work appeared in 1926 inside a comic caled Merry and Bright, which was launched on 22nd October 1910 and lasted quite a number of years ending on 19th January 1935.

Later on he moved to more popular comics produced by  both Amalagamted Press and of course, Fleetway! Perhaps his most famous work is for Buster comic, where he drew Buster himself every week for over 10 years! In 1984, to celebrate Reg's 80th birthday, Buster delivered a huge cake in person to this fantastic artist! Five years later, Big Comic Fortnightly also had a celebration issue, celebrating his 85th!

Sadly, Red passed away on 18th November 1991, leaving behind a treasure trove of excellent comics!