The latest issue of Eagle Times, the magazine of The Eagle Society, is available now. Volume 36, No. 3, for Autumn 2023, comes packed with a range of fascinating items about the first iteration of the weekly adventure comic, Eagle, and its creators, including Frank Humphris and the cover featured cutaway artist, Leslie Ashwell Wood.
The lead feature, “Handiwork by Humphris” is a delight, an article by Richard Sheaf, that follows the acquisition of a sketchbook by the artist who’s best known for his work for Eagle – the title’s single most prolific contributor – and Look and Learn. He also worked for Ladybird in the 1960s.
Richard happily takes us on a tour of the skecthbook, filled with western and cowboy sketches, preparatory work for Humphris work on Eagle‘s “Riders of the Range” strip and other items for the weekly comic.
Richard isn’t the only occasional contributor to downthetubes to provide material for this issue. Steve Winders offers his thoughts on “Luck of the Legion’s Desert Adventure“, continues his examination of “The Great Charlemagne” comic strip, and also provides a fun short story, “The Case of the Broken Boxes“, featuring Archie Berkeley-Willoughby of Scotland Yard.
Meanwhile, contributor Brett Gooden engages in some fascinating detective work of his own, researching and uncovering, he believes, some of longtime Eagle cutaway artist Leslie Ashwell Wood‘s earliest work, for The Popular Science Educator in the mid-1930s, created before his commissions for titles such as Modern Wonder in 1938. For those who like to chart an artist’s rise, it’s always of interest to discover some new facet of their work, so this is a welcome item.
Feature writer Peter Barr is also in an investigatory mood this issue, providing background on Dutch artist Alfred Mazure, who lived in Britain after the war, probably best known for his private investigator character, Dick Bos, in his homeland, but who contributed an ongoing feature on Jiu-Jitsu to Eagle between 1950 and 1951.
Peter would dearly like to know how Mazure came to be working on Eagle, so if there’s anyone out there who has information, please contact the magazine via the address below, or in a comment to this post!
If you’re a fan of the original Eagle, both Eagle Times and the Society blog are excellent companions to the title, this issue no exception. Given how long ago Eagle was published, it’s always remarkable, to me, at least, how the Society’s writers find some new aspect to cover. Let’s hope they might also turn their attention to “New” Eagle, in the same manner, at some point?
My thanks once again to the team for this latest issue.
• Membership of The Eagle Society is via Annual Subscription to Eagle Times magazine, which is published four times annually. Please make cheques payable to the ‘Eagle Society’. The current subscription rate (unchanged since 2018) is UK £30, Overseas £40 (all payments required in £s Sterling)
Postal applications to: Eagle Society Membership Secretary, Bob Corn, Mayfield Lodge, Llanbadoc, Usk Monmouthshire NP15 1SY | Web: eagle-times.blogspot.com | Enquiries: membership@eagle-society.org.uk
If you wish to pay by Paypal (from your Paypal account to the e-mail address above) – The Society request that you make your payment as a GIFT)
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.
Categories: Books, British Comics, Comics, Creating Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Magazines, Other Worlds, Science Fiction
A British Science Fiction Catch Up with Philip Harbottle: Tales of Wonder, Golden Amazon and much more