Lady Penelope #1, 1966.
Frank Langford - earlier in his career known as Cyril Eidlestein - was a British advertising illustrator and comic artist. During the 1960s and 1970s, he drew for comic magazines like Roxy, Boy's World, Lady Penelope, Countdown and TV Action. He was also the second artist to draw the newspaper strip 'Jack and Jill' (1964-1972) by the time it appeared in The Sun.
Early life
Frank Cyril Langford was born in 1926 in Stepney, London, as Cyril J. Eidlestein. After his marriage to Hilda M. Langford in 1953, he legally changed his name in the 1960s to Langford.
'The Angry Planet' (Boys' World, 16 November 1963), still signed "Eidlestein".
Comic magazines
During the late 1950s, his first known work in British comics appeared in Fleetway's weekly romance titles Roxy and Mirabelle. In 1963, he joined Boy's World by Odhams Press, where he drew the serial 'The Angry Planet', an adaptation of Harry Harrison's 'Deathworld' novel starring space hero Bret Million. The comic's script was provided by Harrison himself. At the time, Langford still signed some of his pages with Eidlestein.
'Jack and Jill'.
Better Or Worse/Jack and Jill
In the second half of the 1960s, Frank Langford had an excursion to newspaper comics, drawing the gag-a-day comic strip 'Better Or Worse' (1964-1972) starring newlyweds Jack and Jill. Between 1961 and 1964, the feature had been created by writer Peter O'Donnell and artist Leslie Caswell for the Daily Herald. In 1964, Frank Langford drew the final episodes in The Daily Herald, before the comic moved to the new tabloid The Sun, where it appeared under the title 'Jack and Jill'. Les Lilley provided the scripts. Episodes of the comic also appeared in the Italian magazine Eureka.
'I Shouldn't Have Stayed!' (Falling in Love #139, 1973).
TV and romance comics
Between 1966 and 1969, Langford was additionally working for IPC on the title comic of the new Lady Penelope magazine, based on the character from the 'Thunderbirds' TV series. During the 1970s, Langford continued to do television-related comic features, drawing 'Doctor Who' for Countdown (1971) TV Action (1973) and the Doctor Who Holiday Special (1973), as well as 'The Persuaders' (1973) for TV Action.
Between 1969 and 1973, Frank Langford's stylish and elegant artwork was additionally present on the American comic book market, drawing romance stories for the DC Comics titles Secret Hearts, Young Love, Young Romance and Falling in Love.
Advertising strip for Corgi Toys (1979).
Advertising work
Langford was perhaps most notable for his advertising work. Among his many clients were Barclays, McDonald's, Marks & Spencer, Philips Electronics and Yorkie chocolate bars. He also worked on campaigns for Kellogg's Rice Krispies, using the brand's cartoon mascots Snap, Crackle and Pop. Several of Langford's advertisements using the comic strip format appeared in comic magazines by the Amalgamated Press, IPC and D.C. Thomson. Among them were the 1964 advertisements for the Women's Royal Army Corps (W.R.A.C.). During the 1970s and 1980s, he also made advertising strips for Ideal Toys ('Total Control Racing', 1978), Corgi Toys ('Chopper Squad', 'Circus', 'Moonraker-James Bond', 'The X-Plorations', 1978-1979) and KP Outer Spacers crisps ('Outer Spacers', 1982). He also made covers for paperback romance novels, and designed a 'Top Trumps' card game for Waddingtons.
Death
Frank Langford died in Enfield, Middlesex, in the first quarter of 1996.
Advertising strip for the W.A.R.P. , printed in 1965 in Boyfriend magazine.