Norman Howard Rice (15 January 1911 – 31 December 1956) was an Australian cartoonist, comic book artist and illustrator.

Biography

Norman Howard Rice was born in 1911 in

Newtown, New South Wales Newtown, a suburb of Inner West, Sydney's inner west, is located approximately four kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, straddling the Local government areas of New South Wales, local government areas of the City of Sy ...

. Upon leaving school he became an apprentice with a Sydney sign writing firm. Rice also studied art at Jack Watkin's Sydney Art School. Rice worked freelance, selling cartoons to ''

The Bulletin Bulletin or The Bulletin may refer to: Periodicals (newspapers, magazines, journals) * Bulletin (online newspaper), a Swedish online newspaper * ''The Bulletin'' (Australian periodical), an Australian magazine (1880–2008) ** Bulletin Debate, ...

'', ''

Smith's Weekly ''Smith's Weekly'' was an Australian tabloid newspaper published from 1919 to 1950. It was an independent weekly published in Sydney, but read all over Australia. History The publication took its name from its founder and chief financer Sir ...

'', ''Rydges Business Journal'' and other Sydney publications. Rice also drew comic strips, including ''Powerman'', ''Steele Carewe'', ''Dr Darbill'' and ''Nick Carver of the Circus'' for

Frank Johnson Publications ''Frank Johnson Publications'' was an Australian comic book and pulp magazine publisher in the 1940s and 1950s. History Early publishing ventures Frank Charles Johnson was born on 27 August 1898 at Glebe, the youngest of seven children of Willia ...

. At the beginning of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Rice joined an army camouflage unit; he later transferred to a survey unit and served in

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

. During this time he produced a comic book of wartime cartoons called ''Rice and Shine''. Following the war, in 1946, Rice joined the staff of ''Smith's Weekly'' as a cartoonist. When the paper ceased publication in October 1950 Rice returned to freelancing and also prepared promotional material for

Universal Films Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

. In 1956 following the death of

Alexander George Gurney Alexander George Gurney (15 March 1902 – 4 December 1955) was an Australian artist, caricaturist, and cartoonist born at Pasley House, Stoke, Devonport (now Stoke, Plymouth), England. Family The son of William George Gurney (1866-1903), and ...

he took over the comic strip, ''

Bluey and Curley ''Bluey and Curley'' is an Australian newspaper comic strip written by the Australian artist, caricaturist, and cartoonist Alex Gurney. Few original ''Bluey and Curley'' strips are held in public collections, because Gurney often gave the origina ...

'', but drew the strip for less than a year, as he died in a car accident on New Year's Eve 1956.

References

1911 births 1956 deaths Australian comic strip cartoonists Australian comics artists Australian cartoonists Road incident deaths in New South Wales Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian Army soldiers {{cartoonist-stub