On this day, 11 June 1983: Eagle
Cover artwork: Ian Kennedy
On this day, 11 June 1983 … More Ian Kennedy gorgeousness here – this cover just one of the many stunning Dan Dare painted covers that he produced for Eagle from February to October 1983, worth 22p a week in themselves. It’s truly lovely work, for me reminiscent of Herge's Tintin: On a marche sur la lune, and continues on a double-page spread inside. The story itself in this week’s issue is a bit slow – essentially following Dan and his crew on a Lunar training exercise – but the cliffhanger suggests that things are going to hot up a bit in next week’s episode.
If hotting up is what readers were after, then the title of Eagle’s brand new serial House of Correction held some promise. WWII Flight-Lieutenant Hary Beckett was the star, waking in occupied France after the crash of his bomber and infiltrating the mysterious Nazi House of Correction. He probably wasn’t expecting to discover one of the Chuckle Brothers inside. There’s further photo-camp in regulars Doomlord (evil brother Zom arrives on Earth), and Manix (chasing agents of S.M.O.G. – ‘a sinister organisation with insane objectives’), but by the summer of 1983 there was a higher ratio of non-photographic stories in Eagle, with Alan Hebden and Jose Ortiz’s The Fifth Horseman (good), Fred Baker and Rex Archer’s Crowe Street Comp. (fun) and Keith Law and Mike Dorey’s Scorpio (snorepio) making up the numbers.
Doomlord: Alan Grant and John Wagner (writers), Gary Compton (photographer)
Doomlord: Alan Grant and John Wagner (writers), Gary Compton (photographer)
Doomlord: Alan Grant and John Wagner (writers), Gary Compton (photographer)
Manix: Keith Law (writer), Sven Arnstein (photographer)
Manix: Keith Law (writer), Sven Arnstein (photographer)
Dan Dare: Pat Mills (writer), Ian Kennedy (artist)
The Fifth Horseman: Alan Hebden (writer), Jose Ortiz (artist)
The Fifth Horseman: Alan Hebden (writer), Jose Ortiz (artist)
Crowe Street Comp.: Fred Baker (writer), Rex Archer (artist)
Scorpio: Keith Law (writer), Mike Dorey (artist)
House of Correction: Jack Adrian (writer) Mike Prior (photographer)
House of Correction: Jack Adrian (writer) Mike Prior (photographer)
