'Space Family Rollinson'.
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'.
'Sexton Blake'.
Coton also created the strip 'Space Family Rollinson' in the early 1950s, basically a science fiction version of 'The Swiss Family Robinson', 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 comic strips in Top Spot and, most of all, for his dynamic covers for the War Libraries.
'The Space Family Rollinson'.
Besides his work for the comics, Coton made artwork for numerous magazines, books, Royal Doulton commemorative plates, Readers Digest and book jackets, among other things. He also created numerous commissions, including portraits, to animals, pets, landscapes, seascapes, trains, planes and automobiles. He died on 14th October 2003 at his home in East Sussex.
Coton working on the 'Air Ace' strip in his studio, with his Siamese cat Chosym (around 1963).