Heros the Spartan original art by Frank Bellamy up for auction

By John Freeman on January 25, 2016

Episode 12 of the Heros the Spartan story “Eagle of the Fifth”, written by Tom Tully, drawn by Frank Bellamy

The frankbellamy.blogspot.com reports there’s now another chance to own a spread of ‘Heros the Spartan” from Eagle.

Offered on eBay, the page in question is Episode 12 from the “Eagle of the Fifth” story written by Tom Tully, drawn by Frank Bellamy, published in Eagle cover dated 25th May 1963 (Volume 16:11).

“Someone smart has not stored it on a wall in sunlight,” notes Norman Boyd over on the frankbellamy.blogspot of this 50-years-plus old art.

“It was this piece, when I saw it in the original, that convinced me that poor Bellamy must have been very frustrated by the later run of Eagle comics which really muddied his colours. Just compare, say ‘Happy Warrior’ to ‘Montgomery of Alamein’ to ‘Heros the Spartan’.”

As an example of Bellamy’s mastery of layout and use of colour on these Heros double page spreads for Eagle in the 1960’s take some beating.

<br /> • View the art on eBay; biding ends on 22nd February 2016

• The Frank Bellamy Checklist Blog has several more pictures of the artwork offered and more information on the piece

• The Heros the Spartan collection are still available from Book Palace.

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John Freeman

John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.

He’s the writer of comics such as 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.