Turner, Ron
Entry updated 10 July 2023. Tagged: Artist.
(1922-1998) UK illustrator and Comics artist who took early inspiration from the gaudy sf covers of Amazing Stories and Astounding Science-Fiction. He was illustrating for the Boys' Paper Modern Wonder as early as 1940, and went on to produce many covers for 1950-1954 sf titles by John Russell Fearn writing as Vargo Statten, Volsted Gridban and other pseudonyms. These show Turner's fondness for bright colours, boldly unsubtle designs and massive hardware. His covers in this vigorous Pulp mode appeared on every volume of the 1953-1955 Tit-Bits Science-Fiction Library. He also provided most of the scripts and artwork for Tit-Bits Science Fiction Comics (1953) and contributed artwork to the comic Super Detective Library (1953-1961). In the 1960s his comics work included children's-annual contributions based on various sf Television series from Gerry Anderson, including Stingray and Thunderbirds, and in the late 1970s he drew some Judge Dredd episodes for 2000 AD.
Many Turner covers appeared from 1999 on Gryphon Books reissues and resortings of John Russell Fearn, whose editor Philip Harbottle both re-used old paintings and had previously commissioned the artist to paint new ones, sometimes recreating 1950s work whose originals were no longer available. Late Turner work also appeared on the anthology series beginning with Fantasy Adventures #1 (anth 2002) edited by Harbottle, and on other titles from Cosmos Books (see Wildside Press). [DRL]
Ronald Turner
born Norwich, Norfolk: 22 August 1922
died Berkshire: 19 December 1998
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