Desert Dragon Comic by Hub - Rare 1946 Aussie Comic Book
You just don’t see these
kinds of comic books anymore, so here we go.
This issue of Desert Dragon Comic first appeared in April 1946 and has
been sought after ever since, being, as it is, one of the earliest self-published
Australian comics known. Written and
drawn by George T.C. Hubble, better known as Tom Hubble, aka Hub, the story is
a simple one, as the bulk of comic books were at the time. Keeping in with Hubble’s tendency to use
comic books as an education tool, the strip is full of facts and figures, with
one pertinent fact written down the side of the strip, as Dr Mensana finds
himself in a world loaded with living dinosaurs and even though Dr Mensana
gains his powers from a drug, he reminds the readers that, “Stimulants are
harmful,”. This is truly a comic book
loaded with messages.
Dr Mensana was one of
Hubble’s original creations, and John Ryan, in Panel By Panel, described both
Hubble and his work as such, “While NSW
Bookstall published many comics, one title bears reference. Dr Mensana was the
work of Tom Hubble and was inspired by the name of a popular biscuit of the
period. Mensana was a mysterious character who when he swallowed a 'S + ' pill,
became a `Sampson of Science'. His skinny body would swell to Mr Universe
proportions and his physical powers were 'increased to an almost unbelievable
degree' for a period of one hour. By taking the 'M + ' pill his head would
swell as all the body's energy was concentrated in his brain, giving him
telepathic powers. The basic idea was innovative but the execution was
lamentable. While at home with humorous strips; Hubble did not have the
technique of understanding of the comic page to handle an adventure theme. The
comic is noteworthy as one of the earliest attempts at a super-hero and for its
excessive wordiness.” The only real
error in Ryan’s normally accurate and excellent research is that N.S.W
Bookstall Co didn’t publish Dr Mensana, they merely distributed the title on
behalf of Hubble.
Not a great deal is known
about Hubble, which might be due to his passing away before people such as Ryan
began to actively track artists and writers down. Although some sites list him as being born in
Adelaide, according to data maintained by the Black & White Artists
Association he was born in Sydney in either 1903 or 1904 and passed away in
1960 (also in Sydney). In addition to
his comic book work he dabbled in commercial and advertising art, as well
working as a poet, salesman, writer and portrait painter. His father was an advertising executive and
his love for science and fossils was more than likely passed down to him from
his mother, who was both a surgeon and geologist. During World War II he applied his artistic
skills and worked as a camouflage artist, painting aerodromes, after which he
then began to self-publish his own comic books, signing each one with his pen
name, ‘Hub’. As well as Desert Dragon,
Hubble also produced titles such as Black Vulture and Raybot – but all of his
work is in demand, if you can find them.
As amazing as the comic book
is to find, fully scanned, is the supporting copyright documents. These reveal both Hubbles full, legal name –
George Temperley Charlton Hubble, along with his working address in 1946 – Sydney, New South Wales,
thus putting to bed the erroneous credit on other sites that Hubble lived and
worked out of Adelaide
during this time period. Hubble also
listed his official occupation as a ‘commercial artist’ and, to the great
delight for all historians, the publication date of the comic is listed – April
26, 1946, and the publisher – George Hubble himself. The book might not be the best comic book
you’ll ever read, but it is certainly one of the rarest, mainly due to the fact
that very few of these early Australian produced comic books have ever been
reprinted in any form, outside of a few panels here and there.
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