ORIGINAL ART: David and Garth x3

Eagle 21 March 1959 (Vol:10:12)

 This time Compal Auctions have a lovely non-faded piece of Bellamy colour artwork and three Garth strips. here's the usual (edited by me) blurb from Compal:

The Compalcomics November auction is open. The catalogue is open
Click here to visit thesaleroom.com You can also browse auction lots and print a fax or mail bidding form at Compalcomics Click here to visit Compalcomics
Postal and fax bids need to be with us by FRIDAY 18 NOVEMBER and we will enter them on your behalf in thesaleroom.com/Comic Book Auctions website closing on Sunday 20 Nov from 2 pm.

DAVID THE SHEPHERD KING

So first we have a lovely "David the Shepherd King" page from the back cover of Eagle (21 March 1959). It's described like this:

David, The Shepherd King original back cover artwork by Frank Bellamy for The Eagle (1959) Vol. 10, No. 12. The Philistine hordes march on Jerusalem but David hides his warriors in the outlying forest setting a trap to ensnare the invaders. Years later, King David's son, Absalom plots treachery against his father. The 'Shepherd King' title header and top LH panel of Young David with explanatory text are laser colour additions to complete the look of the artwork. Pelikan inks on board. 17 x 22 ins

I ought to mention the comic was called "Eagle", not "The Eagle" - a mistake I have been hauled over the coals about!  I wonder if the second explanatory text on the third row might also be added later as well as the first one on the first row. The crowd scene with David leading the people of Israel in bringing the Ark of the Covenant is the usual brilliant Bellamy crowd panel. It will be interesting to see if the estimate of £1,500-£2,500 is close or not.

GARTH: THE ANGELS OF HELL'S GAP

Garth: The Angels of Hell's Gap J80

Then we have two strips from one of Bellamy's beloved Western strips. The first J80 has a lovely last panel where Bellamy does his trademark swirls and here indicates the outline of the mountain - gorgeous. It's described like this:

Garth: 'The Angels of Hell's Gap' original artwork (1975) drawn and signed by Frank Bellamy for the D. Mirror 8-4-'75. Indian ink on board. 21 x 7 ins

It has an opening bid of £220 and an estimate of £240-£280.

GARTH: THE ANGELS OF HELL'S GAP

Garth: The Angels of Hell's Gap J100

The second one is the penultimate strip from the same story - J100. Garth is a guest of a film director who is making a movie on the American Civil War in the exact location where it happened. Although the story doesn't spend much time on the Civil War it's obvious Bellamy loved the subject of the West. Again this is the stuff that drew me, later than I should have, to appreciate Bellamy's sense of design: the border on panel one; the use of those swirls in panel two to show Garth returning from his time-travelling!

The estimate is the same as the one above as well as the starting bid:

Garth: 'The Angels of Hell's Gap' original artwork (1975) drawn and signed by Frank Bellamy for the D. Mirror 1-5-'75. Indian ink on board. 21 x 7 ins

GARTH: THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE

Garth: The Beautiful People K58

The last Bellamy original artwork in this auction is from "The Beautiful People" - episode K58.

Garth: 'The Beautiful People' original artwork (1976) drawn and signed by Frank Bellamy for the D. Mirror 9-3-'76. Indian ink on board. 21 x 7 ins

This seems to be considered more valuable as the opening bid is £230 with the auctioneer's estimate at £250 - £300

A lovely solid piece with the three separate panels with lots of those Bellamy swirls. The story is about Garth helping a friend who "has a string of international modellling agencies and worldwide pop group interests" but Mr Zamos, a criminal is messing up Garth's friend's idyll on Ikonos!

That's it.  I'll update the spreadsheet as usual after the auction. Happy Bidding!

AUCTION SUMMARY

DAVID THE SHEPHERD KING
WHERE?: Compal/Saleroom
STARTING BID: £1360
ENDING PRICE:£1640
END DATE: Sunday 20 November 2022

GARTH: THE ANGELS OF HELL'S GAP (J80)
WHERE?: Compal/Saleroom
STARTING BID: £220
ENDING PRICE:£270
END DATE: Sunday 20 November 2022

GARTH: THE ANGELS OF HELL'S GAP (J100)
WHERE?: Compal/Saleroom
STARTING BID: £220
ENDING PRICE:£340
END DATE: Sunday 20 November 2022
 

GARTH: THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE (K58)
WHERE?: Compal/Saleroom
STARTING BID: £240
ENDING PRICE:£340
END DATE: Sunday 20 November 2022

More Original Art for auction! Garth, Robin Hood and Heros, oh my!

Eagle 10 Nov 1962, Vol:13:45

The Compalcomics auction just gone live features loads of Frank Bellamy original artwork - all captured here for your delight! It's mirrored on Thesaleroom where you can bid and see live bids too. I've placed the direct links to Bellamy's wonderful artwork below.

That's enough of the technicalities. Let's get to the artwork....

HEROS THE SPARTAN: Eagle 10 November 1962 (Vol. 13:45)

The image at the top of this article shows the 4th episode of the first "Heros" story. the colours are very vibrant and it seems the piece has not been displayed and allowed to fade and the presence of the lettering in such perfect condition is explained in the blurb below. The estimate is £4,500-£5,000. 

It is described as:

Heros the Spartan original double-page artwork (1962) painted and signed by Frank Bellamy for The Eagle Vol. 13 No 45 centrespread, 10 November 1962. Caesar has sent Heros, with a hundred men, to conquer the mysterious Island of Darkness. But Heros's cohort is ambushed by animal-like warriors. Luckily the survivors reach a stockade, built by previous ill-fated legions. That night, from the mountainside, an awesome figure taunts Heros and his men to battle ... Pelikan inks on board, 28 x 20 ins. The Heros the Spartan title lettering and square text boxes are laser colour editions to complete the look of the artwork and may be removed if required.

There are loads of Garth strips in this auction, but the most exciting, for its historical significance is this one:

GARTH: Sundance - E164

Garth: Sundance - E164

This is the third episode of Garth that Bellamy drew. I've used it in previous blogs to illustrate how Allard added pieces to the early Garth strips after Bellamy took over. Technically it should be credited to Bellamy and John Allard as the latter added the trees in the third panel and the Letraset on the soldier's trousers. It's described as:

Garth original artwork by John Allard for the Daily Mirror 14 July 1971. Two light bends to the board, not breaking the ink. Indian ink on board. 21 x 7 ins

The estimate is £100-£150 but i suspect might be greater than that as Sundance does not come up that often.

GARTH: Freak out to fear - H182+H214

Garth: Freak out to Fear - H182 and H214

"Freak Out To Fear" ran in the Daily Mirror originally from 6 June 1974 - 27 September 1974 - H132-H227 and these two strips show strong figure compositions in a small space. The auction is estimated to reach £450-£500 which seems reasonable to me for two original Garths, these days. It's described thus:

Garth: 'Freak Out to Fear' (1974) two original artworks drawn and signed by Frank Bellamy for the D. Mirror, 6.8.'74 and 12.9.'74. Indian ink on board. 21 x 7 ins (2)

GARTH: The Angels of Hell's Gap - J35

Garth: The Angels of Hell's Gap - J35

Bellamy's Western Garth strips are always popular and this one is estimated to reach  £250-£300 which seems reasonable too. 

Garth: 'The Angels of Hell's Gap' (1975) original artwork drawn and signed by Frank Bellamy for the D. Mirror 13.2.'75. Indian ink on board. 21 x 7 ins

GARTH: The Bubble Man- J278

Garth: The Bubble Man - J278

This strip has a bevy of beautiful ladies which tends to bump up prices, but there's no nudity here, so who knows. The estimate is £250-£300 (and at the time of writing this is the first of the Garths in this sale to get a bid) so let's see what happens. I love the devices like the shading in the first panel and the way Bellamy portrays the building in panel 2

Garth: 'The Bubble Man' (1975) original artwork drawn and signed by Frank Bellamy for the D. Mirror 25.11.'75. Indian ink on board. 21 x 7 ins

GARTH: The Spanish Lady - K136+K160

Garth: The Spanish Lady - K136 + K160

"The Spanish Lady" is a story that is fondly remembered by Garth fans, as Garth (as John Carey) travels in Elizabethan times and with Sir Francis Drake tackles a Spanish galleon with - you guessed it - a Spanish lady aboard, with whom he has his dalliance! One of the strips offered is the last strip of the story which ran 17 March 1976 - 7 July 1976 - K65-K160. These are estimated to sell at £450-£500, but I wonder! Bellamy passed away on 5 July 1976 and began the next story's artwork - there being a lead time between completing the artwork and its publication.

Garth: 'The Spanish Lady' (1976) two original artworks drawn and signed by Frank Bellamy for the D. Mirror No K 136 (undated) and 7.7.'76. Indian ink on board. 21 x 7 ins (2)

Lastly we have an unusual piece in a series that does not come up often.

ROBIN HOOD: Swift Vol3:41 (13 Oct 1956)

Swift 13 Oct 1956 (Vol:3:41 p.2)

If you haven't seen Book Palace's reprints of "Robin Hood" (and "King Arthur" - and I should mention immodestly, my "Art of Frank Bellamy" with loads of artwork and my bio of Bellamy's work and life), then hop along there. 

But back to the above "Robin Hood". Malcolm describes this lovely piece:

Robin Hood original artwork (1956) by Frank Bellamy for Swift Vol. 3, No 41 pg 2 (1956). Black ink and wash on board. 18 x 14 ins

I'd say a bit more. Pause for a moment and gaze at that first panel - the servant is in the shade (a lovely ink wash)  and perspective is shown by the light in which the Normans stand compared to him. The second panel shows intricate brickwork and Bellamy could   have made it much simpler for himself, but gloriously didn't! And in the last panel I'm reminded of dioramas with the foreground cut out and an image placed behind it. Did he really have to add the bird scattering its way through the forest? Beautiful and dedicated work.

For your pleasure and because. like me, I'm sure you want to know what led to this page and what happens next, I give you.....

You might also be interested in this lot of assorted books and fanzines

I'll update the spreadsheet as usual after the auction. Happy Bidding!

AUCTION SUMMARY

HEROS THE SPARTAN
WHERE?: Compal/Saleroom
STARTING BID: £4000
ENDING PRICE:£4350
END DATE: Sunday 29 May 2022

GARTH: Sundance 
WHERE?: Compal/Saleroom
STARTING BID: £90
ENDING PRICE:£290
END DATE: Sunday 29 May 2022
 
GARTH: Freak out to fear (2 epsiodes)
WHERE?: Compal/Saleroom
STARTING BID: £400
ENDING PRICE:£560
END DATE: Sunday 29 May 2022

GARTH: The Angels of Hell's Gap
WHERE?: Compal/Saleroom
STARTING BID: £230
ENDING PRICE:£240
END DATE: Sunday 29 May 2022

GARTH: The Bubble Man
WHERE?: Compal/Saleroom
STARTING BID: £230
ENDING PRICE:£340
END DATE: Sunday 29 May 2022

GARTH: The Spanish Lady (2 episodes)
WHERE?: Compal/Saleroom
STARTING BID: £400
ENDING PRICE:£840
END DATE: Sunday 29 May 2022

ROBIN HOOD
WHERE?: Compal/Saleroom
STARTING BID: £320
ENDING PRICE:£470
END DATE: Sunday 29 May 2022

ORIGINAL ART: Heros the Spartan, Garth and 2 portraits

'Heros the Spartan' Eagle Vol.16:16 (17 Apr 1965)

GET READY! We have a lot of Frank Bellamy in the latest auction from Compalcomics. The listings are at both Compalcomics and TheSaleroom but for your ease, I have highlighted the Frank Bellamy original art sales below (and to store them for the future!)

Let's start with the headliner, but to be honest there are a few jewels to be had here!

HEROS THE SPARTAN (Eagle Vol. 16:16)

One of few double page spreads that come up at all - and the last one fetched over £7,000 in August 2019. This one comes from Eagle (Volume 16 No. 16 dated 17 April 1965) and as you can see Bellamy has written "Episode 8" on the bottom in his lovely formal writing. It's from the story from 27 February 1965 - 24 July 1965, "The Slave Army" written by Tom Tully. 

The auction description states:

Heros the Spartan original double-page artwork (1965) painted and signed by Frank Bellamy. From the Eagle Vol. 16: No 16 centre spread 1965. Zathran, the Commander of the Black Guard and Heros are tied together in a duel of death…. Pelikan inks on board. 28 x 20 ins. [The 'Heros the Spartan' title and the square text boxes are laser colour additions to complete the look of the artwork and may be removed if required.]

My emboldening. The estimate is £4,500-£5,500 and the starting bid £4,100.

2 PORTRAITS

2 charcoal portraits

The next is an unusual one - a pair of portraits. These were up for auction previously in November 2019 and 'passed' at £230 but this time are offered at the lower starting price of £80 with a reserve. The estimate is £90-£120 which I think is much more realistic. Unfortunately since I first posted the details in 2019 no further information has come forward. This is the auction description:

Frank Bellamy (1940s). Two original charcoal sketches, both signed in capitals 'Frank A Bellamy' probably of his parents. 9 x 12 and 10 x 14 ins (2 sketches)

David Jackson has suggested these might be Bellamy's sister (Eva) and her husband (Stanley Viccars), (who is depicted in the last frame of the the Churchill life story "The Happy Warrior" in Eagle Vol.9 No.24).

Stanley Viccars in "The Happy Warrior"

GARTH: The Women of Galba - G52

Garth: The Women of Galba G52

The first Garth strip offered this time is from "The Women of Galba" story which ran in the Daily Mirror  (27 December 1972 - 10 April 1973 #F304-G86), showing Garth and Narissa about to cross the rope bridge. 

Garth: 'The Women of Galba' original artwork by Frank Bellamy for the D. Mirror 1 March 1973. Indian ink on board. 21 x 17 ins

GARTH: The Mask of Atacama - G201 and G206

Garth: The Mask of Atacama G201 + G206

Some solid drawing and shading in that inimitable Bellamy fashion. Just look at the last panel bottom right!

Garth: 'The Mask of Atacama' two original artworks drawn and signed by Frank Bellamy for the D. Mirror 24/30 August 1973. Indian ink on board. 21 x 17 ins (2)

 

GARTH:  The Mask of Atacama - Garth-G237

Garth: The Mask of Atacama G237

This single strip from the same story "The Mask of Atacama", which originally ran in the Daily Mirror (13 July 1973 - 25 October 1973 - #G165-G254), sees a strength in Bellamy's artwork. That portrait and shadowing with Bellamy 'swirls' is lovely.

Garth: 'The Mask of Atacama' original artwork drawn and signed by Frank Bellamy for the D. Mirror 5 October 1973. Indian ink on board. 21 x 17 ins

GARTH: The Angels of Hell's Gap - J47 - J48

Garth: The Angels of Hell's Gap - J47 + J48

Here we have two consecutive strips from one of the three Westerns that Bellamy drew in his run on the Garth strip. I love his Western work, there's such a freedom in it, perhaps because he was so confident in that genre and loved Western films, quoting Sergio Leon's movies as inspiration. His favourite film was the 1972 "The Culpepper Cattle Company" which has such a sepia look throughout the film and the dirt shows everywhere. Anyway back to this auction:

Garth: 'Angels of Hell's Gap' two consecutive original artworks by Frank Bellamy for the D. Mirror 27/28 February 1975. 21 x 17 ins (2)

I'll update winning bids below when the auctions are done and add the data to the sales spreadsheet

AUCTION SUMMARY
HEROS THE SPARTAN
WHERE?: Compal/Saleroom
STARTING BID: £4,100
ENDING PRICE: £4,100
END DATE: Sunday 21 November 2021

2 PORTRAITS
WHERE?: Compal/Saleroom
STARTING BID: £80
ENDING PRICE: PASSED
END DATE: Sunday 21 November 2021

GARTH: The Women of Galba - G52
WHERE?: Compal/Saleroom
STARTING BID: £230
ENDING PRICE: PASSED
END DATE: Sunday 21 November 2021

GARTH: The Mask of Atacama - Garth-G201 and G206
WHERE?: Compal/Saleroom
STARTING BID: £450
ENDING PRICE: £450
END DATE: Sunday 21 November 2021

GARTH:  The Mask of Atacama - Garth-G237
WHERE?: Compal/Saleroom
STARTING BID: £230
ENDING PRICE: £230
END DATE: Sunday 21 November 2021

GARTH: The Angels of Hell's Gap - J47 - J48
WHERE?: Compal/Saleroom
STARTING BID: £450
ENDING PRICE: PASSED
END DATE: Sunday 21 November 2021