Nigel Parkinson

Biography

Parkinson is the official artist for Dennis the Menace and Minnie The Minx, until February 2016, in The Beano and monthly companion comic Dennis the Menace and Gnasher's epic mag. His career in comics began in 1980. Over the following twenty years he worked for many British publishers including for example Fleetway drawing Thunderbirds, Stingray, Scouse Mouse and others, BBC Magazines drawing strips based on TV shows like Grange Hill, Baywatch, and as a 'ghost' artist for many titles published by D.C. Thomson. His first work for The Dandy was in 1982; his first work for The Beano was in 1997. He started drawing Bea in October 1998. Parkinson also occasionally draws The Bash Street Kids, and was particularly active on that strip between 1999 and 2001. He also ghosted Mike Pearse's style for the spin-off strip Singled Out in the long goneBeanoMAX.

In 1998, Parkinson started work on The Dandy's then-new football-mad character, Owen Goal, redefining the strip to put more emphasis on Owen's fat, lazy coach.

In 1999 Parkinson commenced drawing Dennis the Menace later alternating his interpretation of the character with other artists David Parkins, Jim Hansen and Tom Paterson. In 2012 he was commissioned by D.C. Thomson to become the sole official Dennis artist.

In 2003, The Dandy asked Parkinson to freshen up the look of the terrible toddlers Cuddles and Dimples, taking over from the original artist, Barrie Appleby and changing the appearance of the characters and the personalities of their parents. His foxy version of Cuddles and Dimples' mum has become a fan favourite.

Since 2005 Nigel Parkinson has also illustrated all of the Beano Jigsaw Puzzles and much of Dennis the Menace merchandise.

In 2008 he began drawing Puss'n'Boots and Marvo the Wonder Chicken for The Dandy and designed a new version of Lord Snooty - Lord Snooty the Third - for The Beano's 70th birthday year.

In 2010 he wrote and drew a comic strip based on comedian Harry Hill's TV Burp for The Dandy (with co-writers including Harry Hill, Sean Baldwin, David Quantick and Duncan Scott) and in 2012 a 12-week run of The Banana Bunch.

In late 2012 he asked fellow Liverpudlian Sir Paul McCartney if he would appear in the final print edition of The Dandy, as he had once said his ambition was to have his picture in the comic. McCartney did, and later claimed some of his friends and family thought it was a highlight of his career!

He has also drawn adverts for Milky Way, Wenlock & Mandeville, Lego, Nesquik, and Real Construction. He drew the record sleeve for Kaiser Chiefs's single "The Angry Mob" and Count Arthur Strong's Christmas CD.

He is one of the few commercial cartoonists in the UK to operate a studio system with assistants.

Comic strips

The main strips that Nigel has drawn are: