Australia.

World
Comics

Australia

1898

In short

Australian comics include long-running newspaper strips such as Jimmy Bancks's Ginger Meggs (1921), still syndicated, and Alex Gurney's Bluey and Curley (1941 to 1975).

Frew Publications' The Phantom, published since 1948 and now past 1,500 issues, is Australia's longest-running comic book, and Shaun Tan's wordless The Arrival (2006) won Best Comic Book at Angoulême.

Comics from Australia

From the shelf

Australia in numbers

01 • 04

Australia in numbers · 01 • 04

190

1898

2000s

Artists

Artists from Australia in the archive.

Comics from Australia in the archive.

illustration of current, the earliest comic from Australia in the archive.

The decade when the most new comics from Australia began.

Artists from Australia in the archive.

Comics from Australia in the archive.

illustration of current, the earliest comic from Australia in the archive.

The decade when the most new comics from Australia began.

comics

comics · Comics from Australia

History

Australia in 3 chapters

A short history you can leaf through. Click a page, use the arrow keys, or press Turn the page to read on.

World Comics Heritage

Australia.

3 chapters

Turn the page

Chapter 1

1921

to 1947

Newspaper strips

Cover

1921
to 1947
Chapter 01
Newspaper strips
Jimmy Bancks's Ginger Meggs first appeared in 'Us Fellas' on 13 November 1921 and is still syndicated, and Alex Gurney's Bluey and Curley ran in the Sun News-Pictorial from 1941 to 1975.
1948
to 2002
Chapter 02
Comic books
Frew Publications began in Sydney in 1948 with The Phantom, now Australia's longest-running comic book at more than 1,500 issues. Monty Wedd created Captain Justice, The Scorpion (1954), Ned Kelly and Ben Hall.
2003
to today
Chapter 03
Graphic novels and databases
AusReprints has documented Australian comics in a database since November 2003 and now covers 30,000 issues. Shaun Tan's wordless The Arrival (2006) won Best Comic Book at Angoulême.