Murray and Mason Ball Photo: supplied by Harper Collins NZ
The late Murray Ball, created Footrot Flats and other iconic New Zealand characters in his comic strip which first appeared in the Evening Post.
Murray passed away in 2017, and his son Mason has written the first biography about him - Murray Ball - A Cartoonist's Life. In the preface to the book - Mason Ball writes:
Knowing him as a son, I hoped to do him a service, albeit posthumously, by gathering up the memories before time washed them away. Seared into New Zealand cartoon history are the Football Flats comic strip characters - essentially a black-singleted farmer, Wal, and his dog - Dog!
But over almost 20 years other characters were developed, a stage play was based on the cartoon, and an animated feature film.
