Eagle - 14th March 1964

Recently (here) I looked at a 'pay copy' of an Eagle annual, well here's something very similar - a pay copy of a 1964 issue of Eagle

art by Keith Watson; script by David Motton

art by Gerald Palmer

script by J. Edgar; art by Paul Trevillion

pistol artwork by John Batchelor; fishing script by WD Keal; other script by Dinah Lawrence

Script by George Beardmore; art by Ron Embleton

Script & artwork by Grestock & Marsh (might be an art agency rather than a pair of contributors)

artwork by Frank Humphris; script b EG Cowan

Ron Embleton - Captain Scarlet art

Up for sale TOMORROW (2nd July 2025) is the most expensive piece of original art I think I've ever featured on the blog.

You can bid on it here. The opening bid is £11,000 and the auctioneer's estimate is £22,000 - £44,000 - at the time of typing there haven't been any bids but there are plenty of people watching this item.

I'll hopefully be able to report back with the hammer price later on

The lot is described thus...

Artwork by Ron Embleton -

A piece of original production artwork created by acclaimed artist Ron Embleton used in the final end title sequence for each episode of Gerry Anderson's Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons.

Ron Embleton (1930-1988) was one of Britain's foremost comic artists. Having illustrated Stingray and Captain Scarlet for TV Century 21, Embleton was chosen to create the definitive credit sequence art for Captain Scarlet, executed at the peak of his commercial work. Each end credit image was hand-painted and shot under a rostrum camera, with pinholes still visible at the corners.

Examples of Embleton's Captain Scarlet credit artwork are rarely offered for public sale. This piece is both a standalone artwork of striking visual drama and a documented artefact of Anderson's legacy, linking live-action puppetry, design, and high-end illustration at a unique cultural moment.

Only ten original paintings were created for the end credits sequence. Each board served as the background for two sets of scrolling credits. This painting is marked as number "10" in the bottom right corner and shows Captain Scarlet mid-stumble, evading a flaming joist as he dodges between barrels marked "HIGHLY INFLAMMABLE".

It is rendered in gouache and watercolour on a Daler board and comes with a separate acetate overlay sheet marked in chinagraph pencil. The overlay shows the camera crop and layout as the now-famous "Filmed in Supermarionation" title appears over this exact image. A paper guard marked "J19" and "J20" in red-coloured pencil is attached to the back of the board. The board's edge exhibits some light wear, and several small pin holes are present in the acetate. Provenance: Ex-Lot 161, TV Generation, Christie's, London, 11 July 2002. Dimensions: 39.5 cm x 54.5 cm x 0.25 cm (15.5" x 21.5" x 0.25")

UPDATED: Dolphin comic

I've looked plenty of times before at advertising comics (check out this link) to see them all, but today's example is a new one on me.

I've updated text in red...

Courtesy of ebay seller 1bluecharger are a few more images from another issue of Dolphin

An interesting lot (and a lot that's attracting a lot of interest) in the latest phil-comics auction here is this very smart looking comic magazine produced by a department store in Letchworth in the late 1950s.

The lot  is a dozen issues...

volume 4, #6 (1958)

volume 6, #10 & 12 (1958)

volume 7, #4, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12 (1959)

volume 8, #1, 2, 4 (1960)

"Specially produced for the young friends of Foster and Scott, Letchworth". Foster and Scott were a menswear and boys school uniform shop in Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire.

This strip looks, to me, like it was drawn by a young Ron Embleton - what do you think?

At the time of typing bids had reached £99 but I reckon it'll go higher than that. Collecting a full set of these seems impossible now but the level of interest in these indicates to me that there's some good stuff in these. Good luck if you bid!

UPDATE: I've now found some more images and these clearly show a different retailer on the front cover. I assume therefore it was a magazine that retailers could purchase and then amend 'personalise' with their own stamp / branding in some way. These 2 comics are for sale for £40 here

John Freeman has told me that the publisher was Nine-Star Press Ltd, 359 Edgware Road, London, W2. Printed by A.M. Archer & Co. Ltd, Slough. There was also a club you could join.

Lew Stringer looked, a little, at Nine-Star Press here

Mike O'Doherty has let me know that Dolphin also contained art by Don Lawrence...

and here's the original art...

More pages...

More original art of those pages...

Mike tells me that renowned Don Lawrence expert Rob Van Bavel has identified these pages as by Don Lawrence himself! I can't see it myself but if Rob says it...

Here's a page by page look at volume 9, issue 5 - no sign of any work by Don Lawrence or Ron Embleton!

Lawless 2024 - the photos, part 4

Hard to believe it's another 8 months to Lawless, boo! While we're waiting for the time to pass here's part 4 of my photos from Lawless 2024. 

Part 1 (the artists) was here

Part 2 - 2000AD art was here

Part 3 - more 2000AD art was here

and now some vintage British comic art...

Quite a few war picture library covers...

John M Burns & Mike Noble (left hand side, middle panel)

Ron Embleton art

Ian Kennedy art for new Eagle (top); John Bolton for Warrior (bottom)

top - Ron Embleton

bottom - Brian Lewis art for Captain Condor (in Lion)