comic strip artist and writer of westerns (under various pseudonyms), was born in Bombala, NSW and educated in Goulburn and Muswellbrook. In 1947 he moved to Sydney to find work and contact Stan Pitt , whose work he admired. They became friends and Pitt gave him work inking sections of Yarmak and Captain Power in 1949-50. He also did artwork for H. John Edwards but was unable to make a living so went to work as a powder monkey in Armidale. Following publication of his Steve Ashley comic by Edwards, he returned to Sydney in 1954 seeking to work in the comic industry but was forced to be a foundry labourer and process worker while continuing to freelance. In 1955, after two more Steve Ashley comics, he joined Young’s Merchandising as a full-time comic artist. He drew Davy Crockett , The Panther and 10 issues of The Raven (beginning in July 1962) until Charles Young died and the company folded. Wheelahan moved to Cleveland Press to write western novels. Under various pseudonyms such as 'Brett McKinley’ and 'Emerson Dodge’ he has written more than 500 novels. In 1957 he produced Rex Strong for Magazine Mangement; later he developed both daily and Sunday versions of a newspaper strip based on Arthur Upfield’s Napoleon Bonaparte , but it failed to syndicate.
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- Writers:
- Kerr, Joan
- Date written:
- 1996
- Last updated:
- 2007
