Rex Morgan, M.D.

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The story centers on Dr. Morgan, who (at the beginning of the strip) has moved to the fictional small town of Glenwood to take over a late friend's practice. Helping him grapple with a dizzying array of medical problems is his old friend's office manager and nurse, June Gale. Morgan and Gale collaborated in resolving the medical and emotional problems of patients and friends over the years. They finally married in 1995, operate a clinic together, and live with their daughter Sarah and dog Abbey.

Dr. Dallis, a psychiatrist, claimed he created the strip to inform the general public about medical issues in an entertaining manner: for instance, one continuity from the early 1970s depicted the plight of an attractive young woman who frequently experienced gaps of "missing time": Rex Morgan swiftly diagnosed her as suffering from "petit mal", an obscure but genuine form of epilepsy. Reportedly, some readers accurately diagnosed themselves with illnesses after reading about those same illnesses in the strip. Dallis went on to create the equally long-running comic strips "Apartment 3-G" and "Judge Parker".

Dallis retired in 1990 and died the following year. His assistant, Woody Wilson, took over the writing. From 1948-78, the strip was drawn by Marvin Bradley, with backgrounds by Frank Edgington — the duo for a time using the combined pen name "Bradley Edgington". Bradley's uncredited assistants included George Evans. They were succeeded from 1979-81 by former "Terry and the Pirates" assistant Frank Springer, followed briefly by Fernando Da Silva; from 1983-2000 by comic book artist Tony DiPreta; and afterward by DC Comics artist Graham Nolan (who is also responsible for "The Phantom" Sunday strip at King Features). Uncredited assistants in the 1970s included Fran Matera, Andre Le Blanc, and Alex Kotzky. With the changes in authors and artists, the characters have become much more physically expressive, and plots have moved away from strictly medical themes as Rex and June tend to alternate in stories in which they confront threats and danger from a variety of malfeasants.

References

* [http://www.kingfeatures.com/features/comics/rmorgan/about.htm "Rex Morgan, M.D." at King Features]
* [http://www.toonopedia.com/morgan.htm Don Markstein's Toonopedia: "Rex Morgan, M.D."]
* [http://hometown.aol.com/comicsproj/creditsR.html The Comic Strip Project Credits: "Rex Morgan, M.D."]