Say G'Day To These Australia Comics on Australia Day

by Caleb Goellner

January 26, 2017

Australia Day is the kind of nation-founding commemoration that's evolved significantly over time. Originally it denoted the British sailing into the continent and planting their flag in 1788, but it wasn't until 1994 that it became a consistent national holiday (with a consistent name, even) recognized in a similar way throughout the entire nation. A lot can change in 200+ years!

A lot can change in 100 years, too. Take perhaps the most famous Australian comic strip, Ginger Meggs. The adventures of its titular redheaded Aussie scamp kicked off in 1921 in creator Jimmy Bancks' Us Fellers, spinning off into its own self-titled series not long after. Bancks continued to work on his creation until passing away in 1952, leaving behind nearly a year's worth of unpublished content, which ran until his successor was found. In 1953, artist Ron Vivian picked up where Bancks had left off, followed by Lloyd Piper from 1973-1982 and James Kemsley from 1983-2007. Current series artist Jason Chatfield took command of the GM ship in 2007 and continues to update the strip daily in full-color. The more things change, however, the more they stay the same. Even though the series has had five artists over the course of nearly a century, its good-natured humor endures globally through the digital ✨magic✨ of GoComics.

One thing about Ginger Meggs, however, is it rarely references Aussie stereotypes. Imagine -- Aussies not joking about what's in their backyard! We had to dig to find one. Alas, principally Northern Hemisphere creators are left with the important task of cracking jokes about kangaroos, koalas, Vegemite and the physics of living below the equator.

Scroll downunder for enough Australia-themed comics to coat a case of Foster's.

Ginger Meggs by Jason Chatfield Nov 25, 2015