John Hanna b. 1919

Also known as Jack Hanna, J. Hanna, Wiz, J. C. Hanna, John Charles Hanna
  • Artist (Cartoonist / Illustrator)
Mid 20th century soldier and magazine cartoonist and illustrator. Most of John Hanna's cartoons are signed 'Wiz'. His work featured in 'Australia: Week-end Book' annually from 1943 to 1946.
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cartoonist, appears to be the Colonel J. “Jack” Hanna who drew cartoons for Salt signed 'Hanna’ during WWII (Josef Lebovic had an example for sale in 1998), although most of John Hanna’s cartoons are signed 'Wiz’. Examples include Attack on Good Music [man smashing a cello], Current Affairs Bulletin 1943 (ill. Vane Lindesay 1979, 263). Examples in Australia : Week-end Book begin with numerous examples in vol.2 (1943), e.g. “My dear, it’s simply terrible! I just didn’t have a thing to wear!” (nude at party), 21. He wrote and prolifically illustrated 'Artist with Right Idea, Making it Known’ (about literal titles such as 'Female nude scratching left armpit, with small child’), 52-55, and 'The Ozard of Wiz’ (about proverbs, eg. 'Fearful angels to tread where fools rush in’).

Vol.3 (1944) has about 17 cartoons by Wiz, including two old ladies bouncing on a mattress in a shop saying “No, thank you, we’re just looking around”, and a hippo smoking in a bus (“Don’t you realize this is a non-smoking compartment?”). He also wrote and illustrated 'Just Let Me Drown’, pp.160-63, about raft jokes; the image on p.160 may be a self-portrait.

Vol.4 (1945) has 11 cartoons, including a strip-style story (pp.30-31). Cartoons include a woman with specs and luggage saying to a female angel, “My dear, I simply died laughing!” (p.75); a man in heaven with a pipe finding a 'No Smoking’ sign there (p.86); and 'Turk having an Australian bath’ (p.133).

Vol.5 (1946) includes an 'Album of Wiz Humour’ (pp.49-64), including sheep jumping over a bed, Heaven (with a professional harpist causing jealousy among the angels), a man sucked into the bag of his wife’s vacuum cleaner, and a drunk in a bank (“O.K.! So you’re a teller! Well, tell me something!”), plus various small illustrations.

Cartoons in Australia : National Journal include 1946 [couple in bed] “Where did these darn sheep come from? I can’t go to sleep with them jumping over the bed all night” (p.272). He was a general cartoonist for Associated Newspapers in Sydney in 1946-47 then a commercial artist in London 1948-61. He returned to Australia in 1962 to work as a freelance commercial artist.

Writers:
Kerr, Joan
Date written:
1996
Last updated:
2007

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