Wally and the Major (Carl Raymond Lyon 1903 – 1982)

Carl Lyon was born in Forest Lodge, Sydney. He contributed cartoons and illustrations to Smith’s Weekly, the Bulletin, Sydney Mail, the Australian Women’s Weekly, and Humour. In the early 1940s he produced Avian Tempest for Frank Douglas James. In 1945 he drew 'New Chum’ for the Syd Miller publication Monster Comic and in 1946 produced 'Tim O’Hara’ for the Daily Mirror. He created the detective comic 'The Astounding Mr Storm’ in 1954. In November 1948 he began the adventure strip 'Black McDermitt’ in the Sydney Sun. In 1957 Lyon agreed to assist Stan Cross drawing daily and weekly Wally and the Major strips. Lyon solely drew the weekly strip in 1966-70 and when Cross retired in 1970 took over from him, devoting himself entirely to Wally and the Major for the next 10 years.