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Paul Wheelahan was born in 1930 in the town of Bombala, in the Australian state of New South Wales. He was the son of a mounted policeman. Educated in Goulburn and Muswellbrook be moved to Sydney in 1947 looking for work. He was also looking to meet Stanley Pitt, the creator of Silver Starr and later Yarmak.
Ryan noted that "Wheelahan had been entranced by Pitt's Silver Starr and wanted to meet the creator. The pair became friends and during 1949-50 Pitt gave Wheelahan work inking sections of Yarmak and Captain Power. Around the same period he began doping various art jobs for H John Edwards including covers for the Fiction House line of reprints and filler comics."
With limited success in the industry, Wheelahan had to move to Armidale to work as a "powder monkey". It was during this period that Edwards published one of his earlier works - a 10 page Steve Ashley story. This publication re-ignited Wheelahan's interest in the industry and he returned to Sydney in 1954 to undertake freelance work for Edwards on two issues of Steve Ashley and more covers. He had to supplement his income working as a process worker and foundry labourer.
Wheelahan's work at Edwards brought him to the notice of Young's Merchandising and his move there in 1955 enabled him to become a full time comic artist for the first time. Ryan recorded "As well as Davy Crockett and The Panther, he drew 10 issues of The Raven commencing in July 1962. Wheelahan was developing an interest interesting 'Cain v Abel' theme in The Raven when, after the death of Charles Young, the company was closed."
Ryan described Wheelahan as, "A self taught artist who's style was sparse, devoid of un-needed detail and similar to the US comic artist Steve Ditko. The strength of Wheelahan's comics lay in his storylines." Ryan argued that "Wheelahan produced his best comic art for two issues of Rex Strong, a space patrol commander who looked very much like film actor John Derek, published by Magazine Management in 1960."
In 1961 Wheelahan created a newspaper strip based upon Arthur Upfield's Napoleon Bonaparte - Weekday and Sunday strips - however the strips did not gain syndication.
With the folding of Young's Merchandising, Wheelahan moved to Cleveland Press and became a writer of western novels. He wrote over 500 under names such as "Brett McKinley" and "Emerson Dodge".
sources :
Ryan,
John.
Panel by Panel : an
illustrated history of Australian comics (Cassell Australia, 1979)
pp208-212.
ISBN 0 7269 7376 9
Shiell, Annette.
Bonzer : Australian
Comics 1900s - 1990s (Elgua Media, 1998)
pp. 16, 22, 111, 127 &
144.
ISBN 1 876677 06 6