Swift comic in the spotlight in new Eagle Times

By John Freeman on October 26, 2017

The latest issue of Eagle Times (Volume 30 No 3) is out now, the latest release from the long-established Eagle Society dedicated to Eagle comic and its many creators and strips.

This issue includes features on Eagle‘s companion paper Swift, science fiction films in the original Eagle‘s time, the changing front page of Eagle, a piece by the late Roger Perry about Eagle‘s chief sub editor Dan Lloyd – and the final part of downthetubes contributor Stephen Winders piece about Clifford Makins and Frank Bellamy‘s marvellous biblical strip “The Shepherd King”.

The full lineup is as follows:

‘Swift’ – an examination of Eagle’s companion paper for younger children (aged 7 – 9 years), which was launched by Hulton Press on 20th March 1954 and would eventually, after nine years, merge with the more successful Eagle
‘In and Out of the Eagle’ – more instalments in the series presenting collections of Eagle-related snippets
‘PC49’s Last Case’, part 2 – concluding this new story based on the characters first created for radio (and then for Eagle) by Alan Stranks
‘Memories of Eagle – by Those in the Know’ – A look back to 1977, when The Best of Eagle was published, and an article in the Sunday Telegraph Magazine for which some of Eagle’s creators were interviewed
‘Is the Prone Position Really Safer?’ – on the efficacy of the flying position adopted by Space Fleet pilots in Eagle’s ‘Dan Dare’
‘Space Fiction Movies in Eagle’s Times’, part 3 – continuing a look at films about space exploration and alien visitations to the earth, the bread-and-butter of the Eagle’s Dan Dare’s adventures between 1950 and 1969. This part covers 1956-1958 including Quatermasss II, Not of This Earth and the Soviet Doroga K Zvezdam (Road to the Stars)
‘A Trio of Dan Dare Artists at Epsom’ – recollections of the Eagle Society’s Annual Gathering held at Epsom in 1992, attended by three former Dan Dare artists: Keith Watson, Greta Edwards (née Tomlinson) and Don Harley
‘The Gordon and Gotch Story’ – an examination of the remarkable story of Eagle’s principal international distributor
‘Dan Goes Dutch’ – How ‘Dan Dare’ (or ‘Daan Durf’) appeared in the first edition of Arend (the “Dutch Eagle”) which was published for ten years (1955-66) in The Netherlands
‘Why We Won’t Travel Like Dan For at Least Fifty Years’ – and ‘Why, in 100 years our spaceships will be better than Dan’s’.
‘The Shepherd King’, part 3 – concluding an examination of Clifford Makins’ and Frank Bellamy’s strip about the biblical King David, comparing Eagle’s strip with biblical accounts of David’s life
‘The Boys and Girls Exhibition, 1960’ – the third part of a series looking at programmes published for the (formerly Hultons’) Boys and Girls Exhibition that was held annually at the National Hall, Olympia in London
‘They Helped to Bring You Eagle, No 4 – Dan Lloyd, Chief, Sub Editor’ – continuing a series of recollections of a former Eagle employee
‘Wes Cardy and the Eagle Jumper’ – how a knitting pattern for an Eagle cardigan became a commemorative jumper
‘The Front Page’ – a look at the changing look and contents of Eagle’s front page through the 1960s
‘Eagle Times – Results of the Readers’ Survey’ – analysis and commentary on results from a Survey of Eagle Society members that was included with the previous issue of Eagle Times

• Ordering and subscription details can be found at eagle-times.blogspot.co.uk

With thanks to Steve Winders

About the Author
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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.