Page 13 - G.H. Markes and Crew

An original painting completed in 1990 by Graham Coton of a Lancaster Bomber from
150 Squadron nick-named "We Dood It Too" during World War II. This painting was presented to
the crews air bombardier, Pilot Officer Vernon Wilkes, DFC.

Graham Coton is best known as an artist of World War II comics. Born in Woolwich, he attended
the Goldsmith's College of Art in London, but his education was interrupted during World War II.
By 1946/1947 he was working for the R.A.F. as a Physical Instructor. He began freelancing for
Amalgamated Press in the early 1950s. He started out drawing 'Kit Carson' comics for Cowboy
Comics Library and later he drew four short strips for the Thriller Comics Library (an adventure of
'Gulliver' for #5, a 'Dick Turpin' strip for #8 and two Three Musketeer strips in # 12 and 26). For
Knock-Out, he drew several episodes of 'Sexton Blake' in 1951. Also for this magazine, he drew
'Captain Phantom', the World War II Master Spy, starting in 1953. Some of these strips were later
reprinted in Thriller Comics Library with the lead character renamed 'Spy 13'. Coton also created
the strip 'Space Family Rollinson' in the early 1950's which was reprinted in France, Germany,
Italy and Portugal. Coton will be mainly remembered as far as comic art is concerned for his car
racing strips in Tiger, his war strips in Top Spot and, most of all, for his dynamic covers for the War
Libraries. Besides his work for the comics, Coton did artwork for numerous magazines, books,
Royal Doulton commemorative plates, Readers Digest and book jackets, among other things. He
also did commissions that were numerous and varied from portraits, to animals, pets, landscapes,
th
seascapes, trains, planes and automobiles. He died on 14 October 2003 at his home
in East Sussex.

The webmasters would like to thank The Book Palace Limited for allowing us to show this painting.
©The Book Palace