Bill Ritchie

Bill Ritchie is a cartoonist born in Glasgow 1 August 1931. He is known for work in DC Thomson comics.For many years he drew Baby Crockett in "Beezer" (and also "Bimbo (comic)")

He did go to Glasgow School of Art but they didn't teach him anything about cartoons or comics so he is mostly self-taught practising from local artists Jack Lindsay, Bud Neil, Jimmy Malcolm, Harry Smith and Bill Tait. It was Malcolm who suggested he try to draw comics for D. C. Thomson in Dundee. He sent in his first cartoons while in the army doing his National Service in Korea and this was printed in The Weekly News.

His first comic strip was Clumsy Claude in "The Beano".

Other published strips include:

* Barney Bulldog in "Sparky (comic)" similar to Biffo the Bear and the cover strip
* Hungry Hoss in "Beezer" a horse owned by Joe the cowboy robber who couldn't stop eating.
* Supporting Life in Plug.
* Sweet Sue in "The Beano" running from 1978 to 1980 the strip featured Sue, a sweet and inoffensive young girl who always got the better of school bullies Harriet and Mabel. She had a dog called William.
*The Moonsters in "Sparky"
*Toots in "Bunty"

Since his retirement in the 1990s his comics have been "ghosted" by other artists.

References

* [http://uk.geocities.com/pjgbillritchie/ Peter Gray's Bill Ritchie fanpage]
*Interview in "Psychopia"
*Encyclopedia of Comic Characters by Denis Gifford, 1987. ISBN 0582892945
* [http://www.britishcomics.com/Bimbo/index.htm Bimbo page at Britishcomics.com]
* [http://www.britishcomics.com/Sparky/index.htm Sparky page at Britishcomics.com]