John Morin Bradbury, born December 27, 1914, was an American animator and comic book artist whose career spanned decades of beloved licensed comics work. He died on May 15, 2004.
Four Color #368 (1952)
Bradbury entered the industry young, joining Disney at age 20 and contributing animation to celebrated features including *Pinocchio*, *Fantasia*, and *Bambi*. A brief stint with Friz Freleng at Warner Bros. followed before he transitioned to Western Publishing in 1947, where he would spend the bulk of his career illustrating Little Golden Books, children's titles, and comic books for the Dell and Gold Key imprints. His reputation at Western was exceptional enough that Walt Disney reportedly told the publisher his personal approval wasn't needed for any of Bradbury's submissions — a remarkable vote of confidence.
Four Color #394 (1952)
Animator Bob Clampett specifically sought Bradbury out to illustrate the comic adaptation of his puppet show *Time for Beany*, a measure of the esteem colleagues held for his draftsmanship. His most frequently credited comic titles included *Donald Duck*, *Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse*, *Four Color*, *Walt Disney's Comics and Stories*, and *Walt Disney Chip 'n' Dale*, contributing across roles as artist, inker, letterer, and writer on more than 400 issues. His clean, character-faithful linework kept him closely aligned with Disney properties throughout his career, making him one of the more prolific and trusted hands in mid-century licensed comics.
