The first 2023 edition of the EAGLE Times, published by the Eagle Society, was published last month, but my copy, featuring a cover by Carol Tarrant, got buried, ironically, in a pile of Dan Dare collections during home improvements, and I’ve only just rediscovered it!
The lead article, “In Search of Eagle Books” by Eric Summers, is a fascinating read, inspired by readers’ book reviews featured in Eagle in 1952. Readers had been invited to review their favourite books and eight were chosen for publication. Eric read all these books, including The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan, and The Frogmen by Tom Waldron and James Gleeson, and and reviewed them himself for EAGLE Times. It’s intriguing to discover the books Eagle readers were delving into, along the way, perhaps, as Eric notes, offering a tantalising insight into the audience for Eagle, too.
The Spring 2023 edition continues with a tribute to the late Joan Porter, who was the last surviving member of Frank Hampson’s team, written by Darren Evans. Steve Winders reviews the fourth Luck of the Legion novel, Sergeant Luck’s Secret Mission, and David Britton continues his long-running feature on The Indian Wars, as they were covered in Eagle‘s “Riders of the Range”.
Two of David’s short “Tail Pieces” are also included in this issue, focussing on Captain Future, an American space hero of the 1940s and the “Last Three of Venus”, the mysterious “Mekon-like” beings who appeared in “Dan Dare”.
The issue also features the first part of Steve Winders’ latest Archie Willoughby adventure, “The Case of the Providential Puncture”, and a new front cover illustration by Carol Tarrant, of Archie in his original incarnation as PC 49, alongside his latest role as a Detective Sergeant references the story.
An “In and Out of the EAGLE” by Jim Duckett covers the several “Mekons” in popular music.
Steve Winders then continues his examination of the back page biographical strips with the first of a two part look at Baden Powell, while Peter Barr then looks at the life of Freddie Mills, the boxer, who featured regularly in the early Eagle.
A short piece by David Britton looks at an image from the Dan Dare story, “The Man From Nowhere”, and provides a new version of it by Berislav Krzic, with the EAGLE masthead and the speech bubbles removed. A fine mix!
• 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 is £30, Overseas £40 (in £s Sterling, please) | Postal applications to: Eagle Society Membership Secretary Bob Corn, Wellcroft Cottage, Wellcroft, Ivinghoe, Bucks LU7 9EF | Web: eagle-times.blogspot.com | Enquiries: membership@eagle-society.org.uk
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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.
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