Roger Fletcher (cartoonist)

Fletcher has won 'Best Adventure /Illustrated Strip Artist' twice (1998 & 1990) and has been a nominee fourteen times at the Australian Cartoonists' Association's Stanley Awards. In 1999 he was awarded the "Jim Russell Award" for his contribution to Media Art in Australia.

The success of Star Wars may have made it easier to sell Staria, but it was three years before the strip first appeared in Sydney's Daily Telegraph newspaper in 1980.

Encouraged by the success of Torkan, Fletcher began work on his next comic strip idea in 1977—a science-fiction series called Staria.

Torkan first appeared in Sydney's Sunday Telegraph newspaper in June 1976 and immediately struck a chord with readers. Torkan continues to win new generations of readers; something which Flectcher believes is attributable to the character's enduring appeal. Flectcher claims that "the paradigm for heroic adventure was first written in the Bible, as David and Goliath. Whether it's in Arthurian legend or Harry Potter, the paradigm itself doesn't change much – but fashions do change."

Fletcher put Nathan Cole aside and set about creating a sword and sorcery strip, titled Orn the Eagle Warrior, in 1974. Riding a giant eagle, sporting a beard and bristling with weapons, Orn's adventures took place on a strange world with a dying sun and two moons. Not everyone, however, shared Fletcher's enthusiasm for his grim barbarian hero.

During the early 1970s, Fletcher began developing a comic strip about an Australian soldier-of-fortune, titled Nathan Cole, until he was introduced to the world of sword and sorcery by science-fiction writer Fritz Leiber that had a profound impact on his future. In particular, the pair of characters called Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser influenced Fletcher greatly.

Roger Fletcher (born 11 June 1949) is an Australian cartoonist and illustrator. His first comic strip, Torkan appeared in the Australian Sunday Telegraph in 1976 and his second comic strip, Staria, has appeared in the pages of the Australian Daily Telegraph since May 1980. Fletcher has taught children and adults the art of cartooning in the east coast of Australia and Ireland.

Born in Murwillumbah, New South Wales, in 1949, Fletcher was captivated by newspaper comic strips and comic books from an early age. He has cited inspiration from English comics like Battler Britton, Paul Wheelahan's The Panther and Monty Wedd's Captain Justice.