Gary Northfield is an artist and writer who is best known for creating "Derek the Sheep", the first creator-owned strip to run in The Beano.
Northfield entered the comics scene in 1999; his first titles were small-press publications such as "Great!", "Little Box of Comics" and "Stupidmonsters".[1]
After creating Derek in 2004, Northfield went on to create "Pinky's Crackpot Circus" for The Dandy; "Little Cutie" for The DFC; and "World's Greatest Heroes" for National Geographic Kids, all beginning in 2008. In 2012 he began contributing "Gary's Garden" to The Phoenix.