If I’m talking about British
illustrators whose work has graced the fiction I read as a kid, then I mustn’t
ignore the field of comics.
The Eagle Comic, which was originally
published in the UK from 1950 to 1969, was a little too early for me to catch
it first time round. In fact, it was something my father read in its early
years. However, old Eagle comic annual books were a staple item in dentists’
and doctors’ waiting rooms throughout the 70s , and this is how I came to fall
under the spell of Frank Hampson.
The comic was actually founded by
Marcus Morris, an Anglican priest, who collaborated with graphic artist Frank
Hampson. The idea was to promote the Christian values of the Church of England,
although I’d argue that proselytizing very much took a back seat to telling
stories of action and adventure. The Eagle, which had expensive production
values for that time in post war Britain was an instant success, and a lot of
this was due to chief artist Hampson. I’ve copied a picture from one of his
front covers featuring the Eagle’s most famous strip, Dan Dare, Pilot of the
Future. If you read many of the stories now it might be difficult to grasp the
excitement a boy of my father’s generation might have felt, but it’s not at all
difficult when you look at Hampson’s artwork.
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