[Downunder Dan]

Jeff Wilkinson was born in the UK, and was studying art until he joined the Royal Navy 1n 1941 (aged 17). His war service lead him to Australia, and he transferred to the Royal Australian Navy and settled in Sydney. After his service was over, he freelanced in both advertising illustrations and in the comics industry (often using a range of pen names - Wilky, Wilko and Wilkie). He pitched the concept of The Phantom Ranger to Frew, who took the idea up. Wilkinson was a character-creating powerhouse, but rarely stayed on a title for too long. Over the subsequent years he created secret agent Michael Chance, the Shadow, Planetman, Kid Champion, and Jetman. In the mid-50s, he settled down to producing stories based on established characters, including Biggles and Gimlet, as well as standalone stories in cowboy, war and romance titles. After the Australian comics boom faded, he continued to work as an illustrator (including a stint back in the UK, working for IPC and DC Thompson), and became involved in art education for adults. He eventually settled back in the UK. He died in 2007.

Link to the comment: Secret Agent Michael Chance 9