Ted Cowan

Who is Ted Cowan?

Ted Cowan, being the best known familiar name of Edward George Cowan, is a British comic book writer.

His early career included working as a laboratory assistant prior to World War II when he enlisted firstly in the Royal Air Force and subsequently in the British Army where he was a dispatch rider. After the war he initially continued in the Services in a clerical capacity when he began to make the change to writing.

Having long been fascinated by the comics of the day, it was in response to a friendly challenge that he submitted a story for an amateur writing competition in a newspaper. Shortly afterwards he landed work for The Champion, writing the text story series about schoolboy Ginger Nutt. An increasing number of commissions prompted him to resign his regular job in order to turn professional as a freelance scriptwriter.

This was the start of nearly four decades of working in the British comic industry where at his peak he was considered among the most prolific writers of children's scripts in Fleet Street, London. He not only wrote for Comics, but also Annuals, 'Libraries' and short stories for many publishers including: Odhams Books Ltd., Fleetway Publications Ltd., IPC Ltd. and extensively in later years D.C. Thomson & Company Ltd. of Dundee, Scotland.