In Pictures

Jonah from The Beano, 11 April 1959

Ken Reid (1919-1987)

Born in Manchester in 1919, Ken Reid discovered his ability to draw while he was confined to bed for six months with a tubercular hip. More than just a way of passing time, Reid's talent took him to Salford Art School and his first major work Fudge the Elf appeared in the Manchester Evening News in 1938 (Reid carried on with this strip until 1961). His success saw him move from Amalgamated Press' Comic Cuts (Super Sam/Foxy/Billy Boffin) to the mighty DC Thomson, working on strips like Roger the Dodger, Grandpa and Little Angel Face. In 1958 Reid drew the immediate fan favourite Jonah for The Beano, showing his flair for visual comedy. Marvellously off kilter, Reid's style was eventually put to great use in Wham! on strips like Frankie Stein along with characters in Whoopee!, Shiver and Shake, Wow and Monster Fun.

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