ORIGINAL ART: Heros the Spartan x 10!!!

"Heros the Spartan", Eagle 5 Jan 1963 (Vol.14:01) Lot#340

I'm sorry to have to do this to you but 10 lots have come up and all are Frank Bellamy's "Heros the Spartan" As if that's not enough, they are all consecutive numbers!! I won't say much about them except to point out they are a bit faded again! It's such a shame that fans love the works and hang them in sunlight. But you can still see the excellent composition and line work. 

This auction is with Stanley Gibbons Baldwin who I think started selling comics in November 2025. They had had several auctions from "The Northern Collection" which they describe as 

"The Northern Collection is one of the most important collections to reach the European market, representing the life's work of a dedicated collector who sought to own every comic book ever produced."

This particular auction is "Northern Collection: From The Vault | CB26004" and besides Bellamy there are loads of 2000AD artworks too, as well as underground comix and 'overground' comics galore!

So let's capture it all the Bellamy artworks for posterity - especially as I've never seen these before, and all links to individual pieces can be found in my summary below.

"Heros the Spartan", Eagle 12 Jan 1963 (Vol.14:02) Lot#341

"Heros the Spartan", Eagle 19 Jan 1963 (Vol.14:03) Lot#342

"Heros the Spartan", Eagle 26 Jan 1963 (Vol.14:04) Lot#343

 

"Heros the Spartan", Eagle 2 Feb 1963 (Vol.14:05) Lot#344

"Heros the Spartan", Eagle 9 Feb 1963 (Vol.14:06) Lot#345

"Heros the Spartan", Eagle 16 Feb 1963 (Vol.14:07) Lot#346

 

"Heros the Spartan", Eagle 23 Feb 1963 (Vol.14:08) Lot#347

"Heros the Spartan", Eagle 2 Mar 1963 (Vol.14:09) Lot#348

"Heros the Spartan", Eagle 9 Mar 1963 (Vol.14:10) Lot#349

 

They've described the artworks in this manner, I've only listed the first here and would say these are all inks done in the usual Bellamy 'watercolour' style but no watercolour has been used. 

Frank Bellamy Eagle Magazine Vol 14 #1 "Heros The Spartan: Episode 11" Two Page Original Art (Longacre Press, 1963). 

Part of the story arc “Heros The Spartan: The Island of Darkness" with story by Tom Tully and art by Frank Bellamy. This two page centrefold story is episode 11 of this 19 part story. An installment [sic] of the ongoing saga “Heros the Spartan” created by Frank Bellamy in ink and watercolour over graphite on a single sheet of illustration board. Signed by Frank Bellamy in the ninth panel above Paxas' head in the top left corner. 

This artwork is framed with a wooden frame under glass. The back is taped down and we cannot confirm the quality of the edges without damaging the frame. The board itself is slightly toned, small tear to the top left with tape on top, some marks have transferred from the art to the glass, a correction to the script was glued on top and has come loose on one side (2nd panel), some wear to a few of the corrections (two panels), wear to the art in the last panel and overall in good condition.  

Provenance: a friend of the vendor worked at IPC Magazines and gifted these artworks to the vendor.

Measurements: Frame: W: 26" x H: 16.5" x D: 0.5". The artwork itself is usually: W: 25" x H: 15.25".  

I'll update the spreadsheet and this page as usual as soon as I know the hammer prices. 

 AUCTION SUMMARY

"HEROS THE SPARTAN" EAGLE (Vol. 14:1) (Lot #340) 
WHERE?: Stanley Gibbons Baldwin Auctions
Estimate: £2,000 - £2,500
Starting bid: £1,600
ENDING PRICE: £
END DATE: Friday 6 November 2026

"HEROS THE SPARTAN" EAGLE (Vol. 14:2) (Lot #341) 
WHERE?: Stanley Gibbons Baldwin Auctions
Estimate: £2,000 - £2,500
Starting bid: £1,600
ENDING PRICE: £
END DATE: Friday 6 November 2026

"HEROS THE SPARTAN" EAGLE (Vol. 14:3) (Lot #342) 
WHERE?: Stanley Gibbons Baldwin Auctions
Estimate: £2,000 - £2,500
Starting bid: £1,600
ENDING PRICE: £
END DATE: Friday 6 November 2026

"HEROS THE SPARTAN" EAGLE (Vol. 14:4) (Lot #343) 
WHERE?: Stanley Gibbons Baldwin Auctions
Estimate: £2,000 - £2,500
Starting bid: £1,600
ENDING PRICE: £
END DATE: Friday 6 November 2026

"HEROS THE SPARTAN" EAGLE (Vol. 14:5) (Lot #344) 
WHERE?: Stanley Gibbons Baldwin Auctions
Estimate: £2,000 - £2,500
Starting bid: £1,600
ENDING PRICE: £
END DATE: Friday 6 November 2026

"HEROS THE SPARTAN" EAGLE (Vol. 14:6) (Lot #345) 
WHERE?: Stanley Gibbons Baldwin Auctions
Estimate: £2,000 - £2,500
Starting bid: £1,600
ENDING PRICE: £
END DATE: Friday 6 November 2026

"HEROS THE SPARTAN" EAGLE (Vol. 14:7) (Lot #346) 
WHERE?: Stanley Gibbons Baldwin Auctions
Estimate: £2,000 - £2,500
Starting bid: £1,600
ENDING PRICE: £
END DATE: Friday 6 November 2026

"HEROS THE SPARTAN" EAGLE (Vol. 14:8)  (Lot #347)
WHERE?: Stanley Gibbons Baldwin AuctionsEstimate: £2,000 - £2,500
Starting bid: £1,600
ENDING PRICE: £
END DATE: Friday 6 November 2026

"HEROS THE SPARTAN" EAGLE (Vol. 14:9) (Lot #348) 
WHERE?: Stanley Gibbons Baldwin Auctions
Estimate: £2,000 - £2,500
Starting bid: £1,600
ENDING PRICE: £
END DATE: Friday 6 November 2026

"HEROS THE SPARTAN" EAGLE (Vol. 14:10) (Lot #339) 
WHERE?: Stanley Gibbons Baldwin Auctions
Estimate: £2,000 - £2,500
Starting bid: £1,600
ENDING PRICE: £
END DATE: Friday 6 November 2026

AUCTION: Heros the Spartan and Thunderbirds at Compal

"Heros The Spartan", Eagle Vol 13:44 (2 November 1962) (Original art)

Over the last years "Heros The Spartan" original artwork has popped up - some faded, some not. The prices for just those from Volume 13 of the Eagle are as follows:

• 14 August 2022 "Heros the Spartan" in Eagle 17 November 1962 Vol.13 No45 £3,800.00 Comic Book Auctions Ltd
• 12 May 2022 "Heros the Spartan" in Eagle 10 November 1962 Vol.13 No45 £4,350.00 Comic Book Auctions Ltd
• 7 Nov 2019 "Heros the Spartan", in Eagle 1 December 1962 Vol 13 No48 £5,000.00 Excalibur
• 27 Mar 2017 "Heros the Spartan", in Eagle 1 December 1962 Vol 13 No48 £4,332.01 Heritage

The highest price, so far reached for any "Heros" original was in 2019 (Eagle 17 July 1965 Vol.16 No29) which sold for £7,300.00

The latest offering from Compal Auctions is the above piece from Eagle Volume 13 (number 44) published in 1962. It looks to be in great condition and if you compare it to the published page you'll see that the printing at the time was nowhere near enough to do Frank Bellamy's art justice. I suspect it is this 'darkness' that stopped me bothering to read it back in the day. Having now seen some of the original artworks, I can honestly say besides the art department's choice to colour each caption differently, it's a brilliant series.

"Heros The Spartan", Eagle Vol 13:44 (2 November 1962) (Published version)

The auction is described like this:

Heros the Spartan double page original artwork (1962) drawn and signed by Frank Bellamy for The Eagle Vol. 13. No 44 1962. 'Caesar had promoted the young Spartan to a higher rank, and to test Heros's worthiness, Caesar ordered him to take 100 men and conquer the mysterious Island of Darkness...' Bright Pelikan inks on board. 28 x 19 ins. The 'Heros' title lettering and rectangular text boxes are laser copy additions to complete the look of the artwork

If I ever owned such a piece I would not have added the title lettering or captions, wanting to see as much of the original as I could. But each to their own. Incidentally a copy of the complete reprint of the "Heros" strip is also at auction. 

The second piece on offer this time round by Compal is a "Thunderbirds" page we have seen up for auction before. It sold for £9010 by Heritage Auction in November 2022, and I noticed that the Thunderbirds logo has since been added (see my comment on the original blog post).

The latest photo of "Thunderbirds" in TV21 #88

Anyway it's described thus:

Thunderbirds original double-page artwork (1966) drawn, painted and signed by Frank Bellamy for TV Century 21 No 88, 1966. 'The World President has given the order to hand over the bomb so International Rescue can destroy a piece of the Sun which threatens to destroy the Earth - Project Sunburst precariously moves into action...' Bright, fresh Pelikan inks on board. 26 x 17 ins. 

In this year of the 60th anniversary of "Thunderbirds" who can say what this will go for?

Good luck to anyone bidding. I'll add the final price here (and on the spreadsheet)  when the auction finishes

 

AUCTION SUMMARY

"Heros The Spartan" Eagle Vol. 13:44 (2 November 1962)
WHERE?: Thesaleroom / Compal Lot 82
STARTING BID: £2550 (Estimate: £2,800)
ENDING PRICE: £4250
END DATE: Sunday 31 August 2025

"Thunderbirds" TV21 #88
WHERE?: Thesaleroom / Compal Lot 146
STARTING BID: £2550 (Estimate: £2,800)
ENDING PRICE: £6300
END DATE: Sunday 31 August 2025 

Frank Bellamy and 3 auction pieces

 

Eagle Vol.9 No.50 13 December 1958

I've come out of retirment- so to speak - to highlight this piece of original art that was for auction yesterday on Catawiki. The end price was £1,650 with 50 bids in total- from Germany and Great Britain, the latter being the winner.

 

No-one has added any caption boxes to the original and the photos show that the colour has not faded - always look at the blues - but the board itself has seen better days.  But that said, this is a unique opportunity for someone, as the last "David, The Shepherd King" to sell at auction was quite a substantial amount of money.

Whilst I've been taking a rest two other pieces were for sale on eBay both of them 'life studies' which sold for around £225 each -I don't know the actual sold prices but you're more interested in the artwork than me chatting! For other life stuuies by Frank Bellamy, search the blog

 

ORIGINAL ART ON EBAY: Dan Dare in Eagle- again!

Eagle  Vol10:33 (3 October 1959)

The latest Compal Auctions  (Lot #27) has another episode of the "Terra Nova" story - the first Bellamy Dan Dare story he drew. It's described as: 

Dan Dare/Eagle original cover artwork (1959) painted and signed by Frank Bellamy for The Eagle Vol. 10 No 33. With original comic. 'Flamer is seized by the claws of a giant Nagreb and Lex gets a shot at the man-eating ant just in time. Flamer's still in one piece but ...' Bright Pelikan inks on board. 15 x 13 ins

The opening bid is £1,260 (someone has already bid!) with an auctioneer's estimate of £1,400- £1,800. In the last year we have seen a few pieces fetch good prices and the average for "Dan Dare" pages since 2019 has been £2,453.33 - the benefit of keeping a spreadsheet! 

Mind you that doesn't include what is special to a collector. I hung a spare Eagle comic cover up at home and I didn't realise my kids wanted to know what happened next until they mentioned how frustrating it was, years later! We each have our reasons for liking something.

So in the spirit of not wanting to frustrate you here is the next page of that week's story - and why wouldn't I share that Bellamy artwork!

Eagle  Vol10:33 (3 October 1959) page 2

For those who collect "Dan Dare" artworks I'm sure you will have seen in the same auction the cover by Harold Johns and Greta Tomlinson

I'll add the final sale price onto the spreadsheet, as usual.

AUCTION SUMMARY

"Dan Dare", Eagle Vol10:33 (3 October 1959)
WHERE?: Compal /Thesaleroom)
STARTING BID: £1,260
ENDING PRICE: £1,400
END DATE: Sunday 1 September 2024

ORIGINAL ART ON EBAY: Dan Dare in Eagle

Eagle Vol10:40 (21 November 1959)

Two beautifully preserved examples of Frank Bellamy's artwork on "Dan Dare" have come to auction.

The first (Lot #64) comes from the very last episode of the "Terra Nova" story - the first Bellamy Dan Dare story he drew. It's described as: 

Dan Dare/Eagle original artwork (1959) painted and signed by Frank Bellamy for The Eagle Vol. 10 No 40. Dan and Digby had set off in Anastasia to wipe out the dreaded 'Nagreb' man-eating ant colony with a high explosive missile. Their mission accomplished, they land Anastasia outside Pax...' Bright Pelikan inks on board. 15 x 13 ins

The opening bid is £1,260 with an auctioneer's estimate of £1,400- £1,800. I love the composition and how Bellamy shows the dome on the spaceship Anastasia. Notice that the caption "Later..." is attached below the artwork and the Eagle logo and details have been added to the artwork. As the pencil inscription shows, Bemrose the printer will have added the panel but not to the artwork. So that's an addition to the best of my knowledge. Bellamy signed the pages he drew and left the Harley/Watson/Palmer page for them.  I am drafting an article on who did what in each of the episodes - watch this space. Just for your delight, here is the second page of this story (and therefore the final page) by said Harley, Watson and Palmer, so you can see how jarring the change of styles are from one page to another. No wonder a lot of the original readers still do not like Bellamy's "Dan Dare"! It wasn't his choice to do it in this way, inheriting some of Hamspon's studio team when the shake-ups took place.

Eagle Vol10:40 (21 November 1959), p.2

Back to Bellamy.

Eagle Vol10:41 (28 November 1959)

Lot #62 is the next consecutive episode, the beginning of the "Dan Dare" story "Trip to Trouble" and features some lovely portraits of Dan Dare and Galileo McHoo (who first appeared in Eagle Vol:10:10 in 7 March 1959). The opening bid is £1,260 with an auctioneer's estimate of £1,400- £1,800:

Dan Dare/Eagle original artwork (1959) painted and signed by Frank Bellamy for The Eagle Vol. 10 No 41. 'On Terra Nova - a new world - Dan Dare is trying to find his father who landed many years before and disappeared without trace. Dan has a sudden flash of inspiration... Bright Pelikan inks on board. 15 x 13 ins

Again the strip at the top and the Eagle logo have been added in my opinion. But enlarge the image and you'll see some gorgeous Bellamy techniques.

These two episodes follow on from the recently auctioned page which sold fro £1,700.

I'll add the final sales onto the spreadsheet, as usual.

AUCTION SUMMARY

"Dan Dare", Eagle Vol10:40 (21 November 1959)
WHERE?: Compal /Thesaleroom)
STARTING BID: £1,260
ENDING PRICE: £4,150
END DATE: Sunday 2 June 2024

"Dan Dare", Eagle Vol10:41 (28 November 1959)
WHERE?: Compal /Thesaleroom)
STARTING BID: £1,260
ENDING PRICE: £2,650
END DATE: Sunday 2 June 2024

Frank Bellamy and OA Dan Dare

 

Eagle Vol.10:36 (24 October 1959)

Having just had the holiday that was planned many years ago I quickly added the latest Comic Book Auctions entry as a placeholder here. Here now are the full details for future reference.

Frank Bellamy's beautiful front page cover for Eagle Volume 10 issue 36 (dated 24 October 1959) is up for auction. It's Lot #38 on Thesaleroom.com and the opening bid will be £1260 with an auctioneer's estimate of £1400-£1800. This is from Bellamy's first story "Terra Nova".

The description goes like this:

Lot # 38:
Dan Dare/Eagle original cover artwork (1959) painted and signed by Frank Bellamy for The Eagle Vol. 10 No 36
'On Terra Nova Professor Jocelyn Peabody and Lex O'Mally are carried off by 'Nagrebs’ giant, man-eating ants. Dan's spacesuit is infused with 'Oro' - a vine-juice which repels Nagrebs and might protect him...'
Bright Pelikan ink on board. 15 x 13 ins
£1,400-1,800

Here's my scan of the printed page to compare but you can see the original is so much brighter.

This is quite an iconic page with Dan himself featured and will be interesting to see what happens with the bidding next week - as it appears many bids are placed at the last moment. I'll update the spreadsheet when the auction is over as well as completing the details below.

AUCTION SUMMARY

DAN DARE: Eagle 24 October 1959 (Vol. 10:36)
WHERE?: Compal/Saleroom
STARTING BID: £1,260 (Estimate: £1,400-£1,800)
ENDING PRICE: £1,700
END DATE: Sunday 25 February 2024

ORIGINAL ART : Compal Auction November 2023 - Heros, Dan Dare and a cartoon

 

Eagle 27 March 1965 Vol 16:13, pp10-11

This time round we have three pieces of original art and lots of comics with Frank Bellamy's art up for auction.

The latest Compalcomics auction is now live. The listings at both on Compalcomics and TheSaleroom

HEROS THE SPARTAN: Eagle 27 March 1965 (Vol. 16:13)

The image at the top of this article shows the 5th episode of the story "The Slave Army". It looks very bright compared to the printed version but that's nothing as the print versions under Longacre were a far cry from the wonderful photogravure of the earlier Eagle comics. The blues are still bright which is normally where we see these artworks fade first.

It is described as:

Lot # 114:
Heros the Spartan original double-page artwork (1965) painted and signed by Frank Bellamy for The Eagle Vol. 16: No 13
'After a revolt in the gold mines of Libya, Heros was captured by the escaped slaves - led by a Briton called Garthac - and forced to lead them across the desert. Suddenly they are attacked by an army of strange horsemen...'
Bright Pelikan inks on board. 28 x 20 ins. The Heros title lettering and rectangular text boxes are laser copy additions to complete the look of the artwork
£3,000-3,500

I remember David Jackson pointing out to me an error in the story. The cry of the attacking group, the men of Raschid, is "By the Prophet!"

As Wikipedia tells us, Muhammad was born c. 570 and died on the 8 June 632 A.D., as we would have said back then. So the founder of Islam was born approximately 100 years after the initial sacking of Rome which led to the fall of the Roman Empire. But I notice that throughout Tom Tully's writings, he loves expletives - "By Mithras!" in this episode; "By the Gods!" and "By Tanarus!" in the previous one, so it's not too surprising he messed up here. I suspect if the Reverend Marcus Morris (Eagle's co-creator and first long-serving Editor) was still in post, he might have spotted this. Anyway, a lovely bright piece with a classic Bellamy battle scene.

DAN DARE: Eagle 12 September 1959 (Vol. 10:30)

Eagle 12 September 1959 (Vol. 10:30)

During the year in which Bellamy drew "Dan Dare" he was 'assisted' mostly by Don Harley, Bruce Cornwell, Keith Watson (and occasionally Gerald Palmer). The above page is undoubtedly Bellamy - the cover page this issue was by Harley. Bellamy hasn't signed this page but he didn't when he felt the whole thing wasn't his work and particularly while he was getting used to this peculiar work arrangement. His first signature on Dan Dare was three issues later in Eagle Vol.10:33 (3 October 1959). Take no notice in the following description where it says 'gouache'. These are all inks!

This auction is described as:

Lot # 65:
Dan Dare/Eagle original artwork (1959) by Frank Bellamy for The Eagle Vol 10, No 30 pg 2 with original comic
'As the rescue party follows along the Terra Nova Jungle trail, Dan, Sir Hubert and Digby are mysteriously given the freedom of Pax, The Novad central city ...'
Bright gouache colours [sic] on board. 15 x 13 ins
£1,500-2,000

BELLAMY SKETCH: To be or not to be

"To be or not to be"

This sketch originally was in the Bob Monkhouse collection and been moved around a bit since it was first sold. The valuation, in my opinion, is correct for an original Bellamy with such provenance. 

Frank Bellamy original signed sketch (1940s) 'To Be or Not to Be' The Catering Corps Sergeant in a dilemma over the troops tinned rations menu (Probably hung in the Sergeant's Mess!) From the Bob Monkhouse archive. Indian ink and wash on card. 14 x 10 ins

I have never seen this original in person but is it really ink "and wash"? I thought the paper just looked aged - and there was a war on!

Finally check out the complete runs of TV21s and some volumes of Eagle in the auction!

AUCTION SUMMARY

HEROS THE SPARTAN: Eagle 27 March 1965 (Vol. 16:13)
WHERE?: Compal/Saleroom
STARTING BID: £2,700 (Estimate: £3,000-£3,500)
ENDING PRICE: £2,700
END DATE: Sunday 19 November 2023

DAN DARE: Eagle 12 September 1959 (Vol. 10:30)
WHERE?: Compal/Saleroom
STARTING BID: £1,360 (Estimate: £1,500-£2,000)
ENDING PRICE: £1,520
END DATE: Sunday 19 November 2023

BELLAMY SKETCH: To be or not to be
WHERE?: Compal/Saleroom
STARTING BID: £70 (Estimate: £80-£120
ENDING PRICE: £60
END DATE: Sunday 19 November 2023

ORIGINAL ART- Heros the Spartan, Eagle Vol15:23

 Just a quick note to mention that a lovely copy of Heros the Spartan artwork has come up in Compalcomics Auctions latest auction. The whole catalogue is open for realtime bidding at  thesaleroom.com and Malcolm still lists them on his website too at Compalcomics

The piece we're interested in comes from Eagle Volume 15 number 23, dated 6 June 1964. It's a very nicely preserved piece and is the first episode of "Axe of Arguth", Bellamy's third story (of four plus the annual) about Heros.

 The lot is described thus:

Lot # 60:
Heros the Spartan original double page artwork (1964) painted and signed by Frank Bellamy for The Eagle Vol. 15. No 23
'Surviving a terrible storm, Heros and his crew are attacked by strange vessels, their wild, stocky leader screaming the Romans will face a task more terrible than any the spirits of evil and darkness could devise!'
Bright Pelikan inks on board. 28 x 20 ins. The Heros title lettering and rectangular text boxes are laser copy additions to complete the look of the artwork
£4,000-4,500

I'd like to have seen the artwork without the lettering added by a keen collector, but I understand the desire to have a copy of what was published. 

That last panel always reminds me of Graham Ingels gruesome work for the infamous E C Comics and which influenced Bernie Wrightson's work later in the late 60s where he would often use the device. I can see a similar image by Wrightson, but can't lay my hands on it. Anyone point me to the right image?

***UPDATE: 4 September 2023 ****

Malcolm Phillips has written in his Market Report:

A Heros The Spartan artwork painted and signed by Frank Bellamy sold under its estimate after the auction’s close at £2750

I spoke to a collector who was of the opinion there was nothing exceptional about this particular piece, and I agree.

AUCTION SUMMARY

Heros the Spartan Eagle 6 June 1964 (Vol.15:23)
WHERE?: TheSaleroom / Compal Auctions
STARTING BID: £3600
Auctioneer's estimate: £4,000 - £4,500
ENDING PRICE: £Unsold at starting bid - sold after auction at £2750
END DATE: 27 August 2023

ORIGINAL ART: Montgomery and Garth

Copies of Montgomery plus original artwork

Well, this has been a busy month for me. Omega Auctions (of Newton-Le-Willows, Merseyside) c/o TheSaleroom are auctioning some original art and a collector's bound copy of Heros the Spartan and also Thunderbirds in their "TV, Film and Entertainment Memorabilia with Comics" auction.

MONTGOMERY OF ALAMEIN

"Montgomery of Alamein" Eagle Vol.13:21

Boards from the "Montgomery of Alamein" series in Eagle are very rare and this one is in pretty good condition considering its age. The last one sold that I recorded in nearly 15 years of keeping figures, was in November 2009 (from Eagle Vol 13:17) and that raised an impressive £2,849 for Comic Book Auctions Ltd. Here we are 13 years later with the episode from Eagle 26 May 1962 (Vol.13:21). The biography of Monty ran for 18 weeks from 10 March 1962 - 7 July 1962 and is one of my personal favourites, written by Clifford Makins. 

The auctioneers descibe it thus:

An original artboard (60 x 44cm) with original art across various panels for 'Montgomery Of Alamein' by Frank Bellamy, published 26th May 1962 in 'The Eagle'. Marked to lower right hand 'Vol 13/21'. Also a set of 18 sheets of the strip from March to 17th [sic] July 1962.

I love the devices Frank Bellamy used in this series which appeared as shorthand for troop movements and the large lettering for "Operation Market Garden" (one of the airborne forces most famous operations). Then we have the cameo of Monty himself. When comparing the original as being sold I feel I must say that at this point in Eagle's 12 years of publication, the printing quality was nowhere near as good as it had been and looking at the original we can see that this well-preserved piece shines compared to the printed version. All of the text boxes which will have been glued in place by Eagle staff seem to have gone, but what a beauty! I'd love to see a hi-res scan of this, if the winner feels like sharing!

"Montgomery of Alamein" Eagle Vol.13:21 (my photo)

GARTH - THE DOOMSMEN (J180)

Garth- The Doomsmen (J180)

I suspect they do not have a comic strip expert at Omega Auctions, but nevertheless:

An original storyboard [sic] by artist Frank Bellamy, depicting a panel from a 'Garth' comic, published c 1975. Measures 54.5 x 17.5cm.

This is from a later story "The Doomsmen" and the auctioneer's estimate is £150 to £250 which suggests they haven't been reading my blog! But these are strange times so let's see!

The other three lots, of Bellamy interest, are "a large collection of Thunderbirds comic pages" described as 

"A large quantity of bound colour pages from TV Century 21 magazines with art by Frank Bellamy. One volume with pages from Jan 15th '2066' to Oct 22 '2066', one from Dec 10th '2066' to July 8 '2067', More from '2067' to '2069'."

From the images, I'm guessing you are also getting some other Bellamy cuttings such as Doctor Who and I can't see how the different sizes are bound. 

Then we have another group: "A bound collection of colour cover [sic] pages from 'Heros Of the Spartan' by Frank Bellamy, from 27th October 1962 to 26th Oct 1963. Good condition. "

It sounds like the first two Heros stories are here. I'll leave you to explore my comic listing to see what's missing from these volumes after you check with the auctioneers if required!

Then there is Dan Dare collected together and described:

A bound run of Dan Dare comics from The Eagle from 29th August [1959] to 9th July 1960. Excellent condition.

which sounds like all three Bellamy stories - but do check!

I'll update sales figures when they become known.

AUCTION SUMMARY

MONTGOMERY OF ALAMEIN

WHERE?: TheSaleroom / Omega Auctions
STARTING BID: £
ENDING PRICE: £2800
END DATE: 6 December 2022

GARTH - THE DOOMSMEN (J180)

WHERE?: TheSaleroom / Omega Auctions
STARTING BID: £90
ENDING PRICE: £220
END DATE: 6 December 2022

Bound copies of Heros

Bound copies of Thunderbirds

Bound copies of Dan Dare

Happy Birthday Frank Bellamy

Crosse & Blackwell advert 1971

It's the 21st May and in 1917 one of Britain's greatest artists was born in Kettering 105 years ago - not "600 years ago"! I'm happy to remember this date every year, but what to show you?

I've decided, for no other reason than these are images with a subject of "many years ago" to show you three pieces you will enjoy

The first (at the head of this article) comes from an advert drawn by Bellamy for the agency Lonsdale Crowther Ltd whose client was Crosse & Blackwell. Bellamy was paid £115.50 for the full colour battle scene titled "Life as it was 600 years ago". Notably there is no signature. This advert appeared in various comics (where they were printed in colour) including, but not exclusively Countdown No.12 (Week ending 8th May 1971) and Look & Learn No. 485 (1 May 1971). If anyone knows where the original artwork is, I'd love to know and if you spot the advert anywhere else, I'd add that to the listing. 

Eagle 28 August 1965 (Vol.16:35

The second piece appeared in Eagle in the summer of 1965 and shows one of the "Arms through the ages" series. You can see the others here. What's interesting is the missing panel which appeared bottom left on the printed cover. As it contains a somewhat violent image(!) it may have been cut out and omitted in a further reprint, but I've not found one yet! Bellamy was paid £44 for this.

Eagle 28 August 1965 (Vol.16:35

 And lastly, again through the kindness of collectors, I have another original art to show you. This comes from Swift Vol2:37

Swift Vol.2:37 (10 September 1955)

The seventh episode of "King Arthur and his knights" - copies of the whole story can still be found on Book Palace's website.