the comic strips  

__


    1953 -

    1956

 monty carstairs swiss family robinson paul english king arthur

 

monty

carstairs

a

  

swiss

family

robinson

  

paul

english

a

  

king

arthur

a

  The first comic
  strip appearing in
  the high quality
  comic "Mickey
  Mouse Weekly".
  Single page black
  linework. First
  appearance in
  issue dated 25
  July 1953 in the
  serial adventure
  "Secrets of the
  Sands."

   Moving to "Swift"
  a comic for
  younger readers
  and companion
  to "The Eagle"
  his first strip was
  ‘The Fleet Family’
  which was
  followed by the
  single page
  picture strip
  adaptation of
  ‘The Swiss
  Family Robinson’
  in black and
  white line and
  tone. 		  Running
  alongside
  ‘Swiss Family
  Robinson’ in
  "Swift". A six
  panel single
  page with text
  underneath each
  panel and no
  speech balloons.
  Paul and his
  friend Guy are in
  South America
  searching for
  Paul’s lost father. 		  Telling the
  classic story
  of King Arthur
  and the knights
  of the round
  table over
  two pages of
  "Swift" from 30
  July 1955 until 5
  May 1956.
  Packed with
  exciting battle
  scenes with
  superbly drawn
  and designed
  frames in black
  and white line
  and tone.
__


    1956 -

    1959

 robin hood the happy warrior david the shepherd king marco polo

 

robin

hood

a

  

the happy

warrior

  

david the

shepherd

king

a

  

marco

polo

a

  Two serials
  ‘Robin Hood and
  his Merry Men’
  (beginning 12
  may 1956) and
  ‘Robin Hood and
  Maid Marian’ were
  his last strips for
  "Swift". Showing
  increasing
  confidence with
  dramatic use of
  light, shadow and
  perspective which
  would be brought
  to new heights
  with his next strip.

The first of
  Frank’s colour
  strips. Telling the
  life story of Sir
  Winston Churchill
  on the back page
  of "Eagle" from
  4 October 1957
  until 6 September
  1958. After
  gaining Sir
  Winston’s
  approval for his
  early episodes
  Frank experi-
  mented with
  layout, frames
  and graphic
  techniques
  producing some
  superb work.		  A sumptuous
  feast of colour
  again on the back
  page of "Eagle",
  expounding over
  31 weeks the
  story of King
  David, the biblical
  slayer of Goliath.
  Running between
  13 September
  1958 and 11 April
  1959 the strip
  further empha-
  sised Frank
  Bellamy’s
  mastery of the
  medium.		  Once again a
  single back page
  of the "Eagle" this
  time the story of
  the famous
  explorer. Bellamy
  again produced
  fine atmospheric
  and dramatic
  work, but
  completed only 8
  episodes before
  being moved
  onto ‘Dan Dare’
  the premier strip
  of the "Eagle"
  created by Frank
  Hampson.

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