John L. Jukes was one of the early British comic artists. he was born in Birmingham, and lived in Australia for a few years before rerurning to Britain. After a series of single-panel cartoons for several comic papers, his first original comics were published in 1931, such as 'Merry Mike's Ice Cream Bike', 'Heap Big Beef', 'Jim Jam' and 'Jollity Farm'. Soon he produced comics like 'Ben & Bert the Kid Cops', 'Dutchy & Dolly', 'The Wonder Zoo', 'Sam Scatterem', 'P.C. Easy', 'George the Jolly Gee Gee' and 'Mike Spike & Greta' for magazines such as Comic Cuts, Funny Wonder, Joker and Radio Fun.
He took over the comic 'Alfie the Air Tramp and Wagger the Sky Terrier', created by Charlie Pease, which graced the front page of comic magazine The Joker. After World War II, John Jukes drew a number of other comics, such as 'Tommy Trinder', 'Archie Andrews', 'Norman Wisdom' and 'Dinah Mite'. He also created a special Coronation strip with 'Alfie the Air Tramp' for The Joker on 15 May 1937, in the style of Roy Wilson.
John Jukes died in Cornwall on October 31, 1972.
