“… The public who “discovered” Mercier’s zany and rib-tickling humour in newspapers were a long way behind the comic book readers who had been enjoying his unique talent since the early forties. For FJP, Mercier crated a series of parodies which delighted readers both young and old. … These comics remain as testimony as to what can be done with the comic book medium to make us laugh. … Apart from poking fun at the comics field, Mercier drew many other strips including 'Doc McSwiggle', 'Bowyang Bill' and the 'Snifter Princess', 'The Case of the Haunted Piecrust' and the delightfully titled 'Search for the Gnu-Gnah'. It was clear that Mercier enjoyed his work and his exuberance was imparted to his clever scripts and drawings.”

“Mercier’s humour relied on both a familiarity with the comic art form and its characters, and a remoteness from the culture that created the originals being satirised. By caricaturing “heroes”, instead of depicting them in the usual semi-realistic style used for comic book superheroes and their ilk, Mercier reaffirmed the humorous aspects of comics. He created a distinctive type of comic, which at the time was uniquely Australian. … Mercier’s comics were particularly Australian because of his experiments with artistic form and satire”