During my stay with Bill and Scoop last weekend we spoke a lot about Dan Dare because the town was the home of his creator, Frank Hampson. Frank, Dan and the Eagle comic are celebrated with a bust and a plaque of the "Pilot of the Future" in the library at Southport Art College. It was restored in 2011 and above is Scoop's own picture he took of it's unveiling, which he has kindly let me use.
The bronze and plaque began life
in the open air near the Princess Diana Gardens on Lord Street in the town. Sadly, due to vandalism, they had to be removed. They were originally donated by the Eagle Society in 2000.
I never read the Eagle comic as a kid but hope to make amends some day. Did you read the Eagle readers?
The original Eagle was before my time. The Dan Dare stories were reprinted in black and white in Lion in the late 60s after Eagle was shut down. I did buy one of the Hawk Dan Dare hardback reprints in the late 80s but they were very expensive. A few years ago I got a few of the Virgin book reprints too as they were reasonably priced. These seem to have stopped now.
ReplyDeleteA guilty pleasure is that I love the 1980s new Eagle comic(at least the early ones with the great Ian Kennedy artwork).
Grew up with second hand Eagle Annuals, and used to read the 1960 era Eagle in the barber's shop. Am consequently a Dan Dare enthusiast!
ReplyDeleteAndy - you should enjoy the Dare themed Swordcast this sunday!
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