Even as comics were coming under attack by Wertham in the U.S., they were regarded with suspicion in some other English-speaking parts of the world. It didn't do them any favors in Australia when the truth came out about Len Lawson. A bestselling comic book creator as well as a commercial artist and photographer, Lawson first rose to prominence at 18 with the Western series The Lone Avenger in issue #2 of Action Comics (no relation, though perhaps inspired by, the Lone Ranger or the American comics series of the same name) and created several other characters, the most popular native comics in Australia. But Lawson was arguably the most depraved person ever to work prominently in comics: at 26, he was found guilty of binding five female models at gunpoint, molesting two and raping the other three. His initial death sentence was commuted and he was paroled for good behavior after nine years, but was only free six months before his crimes resumed, this time targeting teenage girls and including murder. Reincarcerated quickly, he was unrepentant, even assaulting a dancer who was performing for him and his fellow inmates. It is understandable that the public would react to such horror, perhaps even that these crimes would taint Lawson's comics work beyond redemption. But unfortunately, the press painted all comics with the same brush, leading Australia to an even more severe anti-comics backlash than the one seen in the U.S.
T Campbell has written quite a few online comics series and selected work for Marvel, Archie and Tokyopop. His longest-running works are Fans, Penny and Aggie-- and his current project with co-writer Phil Kahn, Guilded Age.
