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Eagle 1950 – 2020 exhibition opens at Southport’s The Atkinson gallery on Monday, after lockdown deferral

By John Freeman on July 25, 2020

A celebratory exhibition dedicated to Eagle comic opens at The Atkinson, Southport on Monday, continuing until September.

The Eagle Exhibition (Eagle 1950 – 2020), that was originally planned to open in April, organised in partnership with the Eagle Society and run concurrently with their planned (but sadly, cancelled) 70th Anniversary Dinner, was postponed during the lockdown.

The Gallery has now reopened and the exhibition will now run for a shortened period, from 27th July until 5th September 2020.

Eagle was created here in Southport 70 years ago, featuring Dan Dare, Captain Pugwash, PC49, Riders of the Range and much more, telling the story of the comic in all its incarnations – from 1950 to the present day.

With the help of David Britton of the Eagle Society, the Atkinson has created an exhibition to celebrate the anniversary, featuring original artwork by numerous contributing artists as well as original memorabilia.

If you were lucky enough to see previous Eagle, Dan Dare and Frank Hampson-related exhibitions at The Atkinson, you’ll know this will most certainly be a treat, so I’d urge you to try to see it if you can!

Dan Dare and Eagle Memorabilia Sought

As we previously reported in our recent coverage of the latest issue of Eagle Times, The Atkinson is now seeking to expand its archive of Eagle and Dan Dare-related items, in response to discussion with members of the Eagle Society, led by longtime exhibition organiser David Britton and Frank Hampson’s son, Peter.

If the idea of supporting such a project appeals, which will enable a regular refresh of the permanent Dan Dare exhibit there, among other thing, and you have “stuff”
which you would like to donate, David suggests contacting Stephen Whittle or
Emma Harrison, Principal Managers, at the Atkinson via the gallery’s web site.

There are so few places where British comics are regularly offered such space, outside of the excellent Cartoon Museum in London and Seven Stories in the North East, so it’s great to hear of the Atkinson’s enthusiasm for this.

• Eagle: 1950 – 2020 runs from Monday 27th July until 5th September 2020. More information here on The Atkinson web site | Plus, don’t forget you can also see a ‘Dan Dare’ display in The Atkinson’s museum, Between Land & Sea

• Check out our review of the previous Frank Hampson exhibition at The Atkinson

• Read Dan Whitehead’s 2016 feature on the permanent Dan Dare exhibition at The Atkinson

With much thanks to David Britton of the Eagle Society

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.