Happy Birthday EAGLE!

On this day (before I was born) the comic called Eagle (not 'the Eagle'!) was born from the visionary zeal of Marcus Morris and Frank Hampson - yes! the 'other' Frank!  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EAGLE

My birthday present to all the world is some of Frank Bellamy's artwork which appeared in this superlative comic. Rather like that meme/chain letter on Facebook. 'No comment just pictures' ... and don't look for too many patterns in what I've chosen!

 

 

 

And lastly, thanks to the past, present and future members of the Eagle Society for keeping Eagle's memory alive via their magazine Eagle Times

Frank Bellamy and ... a rhino!

I'm tidying up in anticipation for a completely different way of working - let's hope I can pull it off - so I need you to see an article from Eagle which was published in Vol. 12:34 (26 August 1961). It's a real hotch-potch of an article. Derek Lord, Assistant Editor of Eagle at the time describes his journey to Zululand (now South Africa). Hluhluwe is still a game reserve and covers 96,00 hectares in the KwaZulu Natal Regine Of South Africa. 

Eagle Vol. 12:34 (26 August 1961)

Take a look at this double page and you'll see what I mean. We have a cartoon, of Mr. Lord and a talking gorilla (by 'Blake')! A photo of a white rhino (but unfortunately in black and white so ironically not very effective), photos of Cape Buffalo and impala and then a shot of cars arriving on safari in a village. On the next page we see a Zulu wedding and lastly a bull buffalo

The Bellamy drawing is captioned "Rhino crushing his way through the undergrowth and Wellington creating blue murder behind him" - a B&W illustration showing a rhinoceros. What was interesting to me was that Bellamy had just finished "Fraser of Africa" (12 August 1961) and it wasn't until 18 November 1961 that we see his work again in Eagle with  a third of the front cover - "Men of Action No.5: Sir Edmund Hillary".

Then after that we get - one of my favourites - "Montgomery of Alamein" by Clifford Makins, Bellamy's first double-page spread in the middle of the comic, running from 10 March 1962 - 7 July 1962.

But what was Bellamy doing  during the summer/autumn of 1961? There are two things I can think of.

Firstly, creating the new "King Solomon's Mine" spreads (all unpublished). Secondly I can tell you that the 1961 catalogue of the Society of Graphic Artists shows that the 34th exhibition of the S.G.A took place at the Royal Institute Galleries, Piccadilly from the 10th to 29th of July at which Bellamy showed four pieces:

• Tiger (Carbon pencil & wash)
• Studies for life (Crayon)
• Ngoma (Pastel)
• Masai (Pen & ink)

Dame Laura Knight and (Cecil) Stuart Tresilian exhibited various pieces. Then the “Summer Salon” 18th Annual Exhibition at the Royal Institute Galleries ran a month from 12th to the 30th August and Bellamy showed the same pieces (without the Masai piece).

But other than the above I have no clue what work he did between the bulk of August 1961 through to March 1962 - except for Wide World just once and that Swift cover. That doesn't prove he didn't have work but if he did, it's not yet been clearly identified.

Frank Bellamy and Gerald Swan's Mighty Comic Annual

Gerald Swan publication -cover by Frank Bellamy

***UPDATE Other contents added (February 2023)***

Recently a copy of a very obscure comic annual was sold on eBay for £142 (with 8 bids). I got a shock as I bought one a few months ago for £20! Now how did this one raise so much money? I have absolutely NO idea. It was described as "The Mighty Comic Annual 1952 GG Swan Rebound remaindered comics FR (phil-comics)". I've met Phil and he's a lovely guy who tends to start most auctions at 99p and his honest reputation attracts a lot of interest.But that still doesn't explain this figure! Compal Auctions sold a copy with 4 other annuals in one lot last autumn (2019) and the lot finished at £95!

I first saw this annual as a small image in Scraps- an intermittent publication by Blasé Books and Duckling Press, in number 2. It also shows Tough Ghosts, Old Bones and an Affinity magazine cover. Bellamy did quite a few illustrations for Swan, who was known to pay on receipt of the artwork (unlike a lot of publishers who had accounting departments that like to hang onto funds). At the time he was with Norfolk Studios but we don't know - and I think it unlikely - whether the Studio had Swan as a client.

Did Bellamy do any other covers for this annual? It doesn't look likely from what Peter Hansen shared on Facebook (and thanks to him for permission to show these here):

Finally found my Swan Mighty Comic Annuals! Well three of the four I have. But what is important is the only one of the four signed by Frank Bellamy! All three have completely different material inside though. Anyway here's the proof it's Frank! The third image is one that you can't see the signature though you can see the tops of the two "l's" and the "A",

Bellamy's signature peeping out

Bellamy's signature clearly there

In investigating anything to do with Swan, it's hard to pin stuff down. As you can see the contents of this undated annual changed from buyer to buyer as Swan merely stuffed old unsold comics into a new cover. Below are some of the contents of my copy so others can compare and contrast!

My copy of the Mighty Comic Annual

Notice I also have a 'half-cut' version of FB's signature!I've combed through my copy for a date as a clue to when this was published and you'll see I think have one!

Stampede

Archie Annual by Gerald Swan advert

Earthquake Ike

Archie "Spots to you"

This story looks to be from Pep Comics #69 (Sept 1948) according to the GCD

Star Dirt mentions an award on 27 April 1948

Skit - The Kat

Captain Atlas - read a complete story here

Flash Avenger

Wilbur "Hit for Hat"
Published in Wilbur #32 (Aug 1950)

Close-up of a page that's been cut

Notice in this close-up you can see that a page has been sliced - presumably to get rid of an advert or story not deemed of enough value to be bound in!

Katy Keene Fashions: Sport

Now if you look at the adverts on the right-hand page above, you'll see "The School in Space" (1947) and "Mystery of the Silver Statuette" (which was published in 1948). That gives us a publication date later than those dates, but the back cover is the best clue - especially as the contents of the Annual are bound copies of unsold materials. But the Archie Annual advertised shows a date of 1953. Is this published in 1952 as other UK annuals had the next year's date on them, or during 1953? I assume the former and think the Mighty Comic Annual mentioned above is published 1952 for Christmas 1952 sales and therefore is Mighty Comic Annual 1953.

The 1953 Edition of the Archie Annual

Geoff Harrison showed some contents of his Mighty Comic Annual for what we believe is 1951 for 1952. With his permission here they are.

Mighty Comic Annual (1951/2?)

UPDATE: After posting this Steve Holland (of Bear Alley) sent this: 

"I think - by a Swan regular called David Williams, about whom I know nothing."

Over to you!

The Last of the Mohicans

The Sub-Zero man

Blue Bolt (Jack Kirby's early work?)

Candid Charlie appeared in Blue Bolt comics and also Target Comics

T.N.T. Tom

Blue Bolt

Does anyone have any other Mighty Comic Annuals they'd be willing to share or even the contents of the 'Frank Bellamy' version? Let me know

UPDATE: Here's another offered on eBay February 2023:

Cover with no evidence of FB's signature

Inside cover with "Smuggling" and "Headline Henderson"

 

Inside back cover

The inside back cover has an American reprint from Wilbur and adverts:

• [The Great] Mirror by A. J. Burks (1952)
• Empty Saddles by Archie Joscelyn [1952]
  
• Owlhoot Triggers for the Law by T. W. Ford [1952]
  
• Rainbow Trail by Cliff Campbell [1952]
  

These dates are taken from the British Library accession dates and are therefore a bit flexible but they confirm the 1952 date for the annual in my opinion!