ORIGINAL ART - Garth x 2 and Thunderbirds

 

Garth:  J135+J136

2 episodes of Garth: The Doomsmen story are up for auction at Anderson & Garland Ltd., Newcastle with an auctioneer's estimate of £250 - £450. The auction takes place over 3 September 2024 to the following day, and we're looking at Lot #333 in their "Comics Auction". The Garths are consecutive numbers which is nice. The auctioneer's description is:

Original artwork by artist Frank Bellamy for the Daily Mirror newspaper comic strip Garth, two episodes from a continuing story published June the 11th, June the 12st [sic] 1975, ink on boards, signed, 18 x 55cms, unframed, (a pair).

The average price paid over the last 12 years for one strip has been £326 so I'd expect these two nice examples of Bellamy's work to reach the upper estimate or more. Let's see how well my Cassandra powers are working. 

I happen to have a better photo of those two:

Garth:  J135+J136

For those interested there are also some Martin Asbury "Garth" too: Lot #334, Lot #335, Lot #336 and #337.  

"Thunderbirds" from TV21 #80

"Thunderbirds" from TV21 #80

"Thunderbirds" from TV21 #80

Secondly an eBayer has placed an episode of Thunderbirds which he has been trying to raise interest in via Facebook. It's a wonderful example of Thunderbirds  and thankfully not very faded, if at all - but that's hard to tell as this is mounted behind glass. It sold at auction in America two years ago - see my blog entry here - at £9000 which I considered a very high price - and if this has been 'posted' to the UK, the cost for that piece alone is high, but I suspect the buyer bought the other piece(s?) too! Is he now trying to recoup some of that outlay? norman

norman I deliberately kept a spreadsheet of sales on this blog after so many people asked me how much their Bellamy was worth. Please remember you can say anything with statistics.

Taking that sales data - excluding non-sales - and ONLY looking at double-page spreads (not 2 single pages of the same story) I think - including 5 faded boards which sold AND including the two sales mentioned on Heritage (which are outliers in my opinion) the average is £3,961. If we include those outliers and say we must exclude the faded boards, we get an average of £5,393.  If we only count all non-faded and exclude the outliers, we get £4,174 over  aperiod of 15 years!

The highest price paid for a double-page Thunderbirds prior to that Heritage sale was £8,300 so make of that data what you will! At the end of the day, if someone is willing to pay, that's how much a piece is worth! And don't forget on Sunday 1 September that Dan Dare page auction ends!

AUCTION SUMMARY

"Garth: The Doomsmen (J135 + J136)
WHERE?: Thesaleroom
STARTING BID: £
ENDING PRICE: £380
END DATE: Tuesday 3 September - Wednesday 4 September 2024

"Thunderbirds" TV21 #80
WHERE?: eBay seller: d.g100
STARTING BID: £8,000
ENDING PRICE: £UNSOLD - re-listed and immediately taken down
END DATE: Sunday 1 September 2024

 

ORIGINAL ART ON EBAY: Dan Dare in Eagle- again!

Eagle  Vol10:33 (3 October 1959)

The latest Compal Auctions  (Lot #27) has another episode of the "Terra Nova" story - the first Bellamy Dan Dare story he drew. It's described as: 

Dan Dare/Eagle original cover artwork (1959) painted and signed by Frank Bellamy for The Eagle Vol. 10 No 33. With original comic. 'Flamer is seized by the claws of a giant Nagreb and Lex gets a shot at the man-eating ant just in time. Flamer's still in one piece but ...' Bright Pelikan inks on board. 15 x 13 ins

The opening bid is £1,260 (someone has already bid!) with an auctioneer's estimate of £1,400- £1,800. In the last year we have seen a few pieces fetch good prices and the average for "Dan Dare" pages since 2019 has been £2,453.33 - the benefit of keeping a spreadsheet! 

Mind you that doesn't include what is special to a collector. I hung a spare Eagle comic cover up at home and I didn't realise my kids wanted to know what happened next until they mentioned how frustrating it was, years later! We each have our reasons for liking something.

So in the spirit of not wanting to frustrate you here is the next page of that week's story - and why wouldn't I share that Bellamy artwork!

Eagle  Vol10:33 (3 October 1959) page 2

For those who collect "Dan Dare" artworks I'm sure you will have seen in the same auction the cover by Harold Johns and Greta Tomlinson

I'll add the final sale price onto the spreadsheet, as usual.

AUCTION SUMMARY

"Dan Dare", Eagle Vol10:33 (3 October 1959)
WHERE?: Compal /Thesaleroom)
STARTING BID: £1,260
ENDING PRICE: £1,400
END DATE: Sunday 1 September 2024

ORIGINAL ART ON EBAY: Dan Dare in Eagle

Eagle Vol10:40 (21 November 1959)

Two beautifully preserved examples of Frank Bellamy's artwork on "Dan Dare" have come to auction.

The first (Lot #64) comes from the very last episode of the "Terra Nova" story - the first Bellamy Dan Dare story he drew. It's described as: 

Dan Dare/Eagle original artwork (1959) painted and signed by Frank Bellamy for The Eagle Vol. 10 No 40. Dan and Digby had set off in Anastasia to wipe out the dreaded 'Nagreb' man-eating ant colony with a high explosive missile. Their mission accomplished, they land Anastasia outside Pax...' Bright Pelikan inks on board. 15 x 13 ins

The opening bid is £1,260 with an auctioneer's estimate of £1,400- £1,800. I love the composition and how Bellamy shows the dome on the spaceship Anastasia. Notice that the caption "Later..." is attached below the artwork and the Eagle logo and details have been added to the artwork. As the pencil inscription shows, Bemrose the printer will have added the panel but not to the artwork. So that's an addition to the best of my knowledge. Bellamy signed the pages he drew and left the Harley/Watson/Palmer page for them.  I am drafting an article on who did what in each of the episodes - watch this space. Just for your delight, here is the second page of this story (and therefore the final page) by said Harley, Watson and Palmer, so you can see how jarring the change of styles are from one page to another. No wonder a lot of the original readers still do not like Bellamy's "Dan Dare"! It wasn't his choice to do it in this way, inheriting some of Hamspon's studio team when the shake-ups took place.

Eagle Vol10:40 (21 November 1959), p.2

Back to Bellamy.

Eagle Vol10:41 (28 November 1959)

Lot #62 is the next consecutive episode, the beginning of the "Dan Dare" story "Trip to Trouble" and features some lovely portraits of Dan Dare and Galileo McHoo (who first appeared in Eagle Vol:10:10 in 7 March 1959). The opening bid is £1,260 with an auctioneer's estimate of £1,400- £1,800:

Dan Dare/Eagle original artwork (1959) painted and signed by Frank Bellamy for The Eagle Vol. 10 No 41. 'On Terra Nova - a new world - Dan Dare is trying to find his father who landed many years before and disappeared without trace. Dan has a sudden flash of inspiration... Bright Pelikan inks on board. 15 x 13 ins

Again the strip at the top and the Eagle logo have been added in my opinion. But enlarge the image and you'll see some gorgeous Bellamy techniques.

These two episodes follow on from the recently auctioned page which sold fro £1,700.

I'll add the final sales onto the spreadsheet, as usual.

AUCTION SUMMARY

"Dan Dare", Eagle Vol10:40 (21 November 1959)
WHERE?: Compal /Thesaleroom)
STARTING BID: £1,260
ENDING PRICE: £4,150
END DATE: Sunday 2 June 2024

"Dan Dare", Eagle Vol10:41 (28 November 1959)
WHERE?: Compal /Thesaleroom)
STARTING BID: £1,260
ENDING PRICE: £2,650
END DATE: Sunday 2 June 2024

ORIGINAL ART ON EBAY: Thunderbirds from TV21 #217

The original art for Thunderbirds
for TV21 #217 page 10

Well, we saw just recently, three Thunderbirds pages that were extremely faded, sell for £1400 and £1800 (converted by me from US dollars) and now we have a gorgeous non-faded Thunderbirds page from the story "Zoo Ship" in which Professor Auldyn Beresford searches for the very rare Polynesian Sand Vole - which apparently lives only on Tracy Island. The Zoo Ship has blown up as two tigers escaped! The Professor turns out to be the Hood, International Rescue's old adversary. Exciting stuff.

Looking at the comic you can see that the strip's header would have been placed on the artwork before publication. So here, you have the unadulterated Bellamy work seen at its full size for TV21 #217 (page 10) and it certainly has been kept well as there appears to me to be no sun damage!

The published page

The starting price is £1,000 but there is also a Best Offer option (which eBay put in sales by default - apparently 65% of items have this on the site)

The seller describes the artwork thus:

Frank Bellamy original single page artwork.
TV21 • No 217 • Part 9 • 1st Page
Very Good condition, has been very well looked after. Absolutely no sunlight deterioration

BUT NOTE: it's "collection in person only" and the seller is based in Surrey

If you want to read the story it has been reprinted many times since its appearance in TV21 & TV TORNADO #209 - #217 (18January 1969 - 15 March 1969)

I'll add the final sales onto the spreadsheet, as usual.

AUCTION SUMMARY

THUNDERBIRDS: TV21 #217
WHERE?: ebay (seller:lenno64)
STARTING BID: £1,000 (or Best Offer)
ENDING PRICE: £1,000 (1 bid)
END DATE: Friday 12 April 2024

ORIGINAL ART ON HERITAGE: Thunderbirds x 3

There are three Frank Bellamy artworks on Heritage and I must thank them again for photographing them at such a nice resolution - it helps us historians of comic art! Unfortunately one can see without zooming in that all three of these pieces have been exposed to sunlight and faded. It's not uncommon. Perhaps sellers should have stipulated not to hang these in sunlight, but who knew! Anyway the last faded piece sold quite reasonably at £2,500. I've included the comic scans to show how vibrant - even printed in photogravure - the artworks were originally.

TV21 #67 (April 30 1966) - Thunderbirds

Original Art from TV21 #67- "Thunderbirds"

TV21 #67- "Thunderbirds"

Here's the Heritage description which states it comes from Greg Jein's collection:

Thunderbirds (TV Century 21, 1965-1969), Original Artwork by Frank Bellamy. Vintage original artwork accomplished in pen and ink on illustration board depicting panels from the Thunderbirds comic, illustrated by Frank Bellamy. The original work is matted with a silver-toned frame. Measures approx. 30" x 21". Displays minimal wear and age. Comes with a COA from Heritage Auctions. From the Collection of Greg Jein.

 Why do I mention that? It's because it's been an interesting thing to watch on Heritage (Read more here). Jein's collection included special effects models, outfits and other things. How interesting he liked Bellamy.

TV21 #77 (July 9 1966) - Thunderbirds

 

 Original art from TV21 #77- "Thunderbirds"

TV21 #77- "Thunderbirds"

The Heritage description:

Thunderbirds (TV Century 21, 1965-1969), Original Artwork by Frank Bellamy. Vintage original artwork accomplished in pen and ink on illustration board depicting panels from the Thunderbirds comic, illustrated by Frank Bellamy. The original work is matted with a black plastic frame. Measures approx. 31.5" x 23". Displays minimal wear and age. Comes with a COA from Heritage Auctions. From the Collection of Greg Jein

TV21 #149 (November 25 1967) - Thunderbirds

Original Art fromTV21 #149, p.19 - "Thunderbirds"

 

TV21 #149 page 19- "Thunderbirds"

The Heritage description:

Thunderbirds (TV Century 21, 1965-1969), Original Artwork by Frank Bellamy. Vintage original artwork accomplished in pen and ink on illustration board depicting panels from the Thunderbirds comic, illustrated by Frank Bellamy. The original work includes a red frame with a woven inner border. Measures approximately 19" x 15". Displays minimal wear and age. Comes with a COA from Heritage Auctions. From the Collection of Greg Jein.

As a special treat here's the scan of the Polaroid that Frank took himself of the artwork before sending it off to the publishers way back in 1967 - that's 57 years ago! Oh boy, I feel old now!.

Frank Bellamy's Polaroid of TV21 #149, p.19

I'll add the final sales onto the spreadsheet, as usual.

AUCTION SUMMARY

THUNDERBIRDS: TV21 #67
WHERE?: Heritage
STARTING BID: $1
ENDING PRICE: $1875 (inc. buyers premium) = £1491.93
END DATE: Friday 29 March 2024

THUNDERBIRDS: TV21 #77
WHERE?: Heritage
STARTING BID: $1
ENDING PRICE: $2375 (inc. buyers premium) = £1889.79
END DATE: Friday 29 March 2024

THUNDERBIRDS: TV21 #149
WHERE?: Heritage
STARTING BID: $1
ENDING PRICE: $1875 (inc. buyers premium) = £1491.93
END DATE: Friday 29 March 2024

Frank Bellamy and OA Dan Dare

 

Eagle Vol.10:36 (24 October 1959)

Having just had the holiday that was planned many years ago I quickly added the latest Comic Book Auctions entry as a placeholder here. Here now are the full details for future reference.

Frank Bellamy's beautiful front page cover for Eagle Volume 10 issue 36 (dated 24 October 1959) is up for auction. It's Lot #38 on Thesaleroom.com and the opening bid will be £1260 with an auctioneer's estimate of £1400-£1800. This is from Bellamy's first story "Terra Nova".

The description goes like this:

Lot # 38:
Dan Dare/Eagle original cover artwork (1959) painted and signed by Frank Bellamy for The Eagle Vol. 10 No 36
'On Terra Nova Professor Jocelyn Peabody and Lex O'Mally are carried off by 'Nagrebs’ giant, man-eating ants. Dan's spacesuit is infused with 'Oro' - a vine-juice which repels Nagrebs and might protect him...'
Bright Pelikan ink on board. 15 x 13 ins
£1,400-1,800

Here's my scan of the printed page to compare but you can see the original is so much brighter.

This is quite an iconic page with Dan himself featured and will be interesting to see what happens with the bidding next week - as it appears many bids are placed at the last moment. I'll update the spreadsheet when the auction is over as well as completing the details below.

AUCTION SUMMARY

DAN DARE: Eagle 24 October 1959 (Vol. 10:36)
WHERE?: Compal/Saleroom
STARTING BID: £1,260 (Estimate: £1,400-£1,800)
ENDING PRICE: £1,700
END DATE: Sunday 25 February 2024

ORIGINAL ART : Compal Auction November 2023 - Heros, Dan Dare and a cartoon

 

Eagle 27 March 1965 Vol 16:13, pp10-11

This time round we have three pieces of original art and lots of comics with Frank Bellamy's art up for auction.

The latest Compalcomics auction is now live. The listings at both on Compalcomics and TheSaleroom

HEROS THE SPARTAN: Eagle 27 March 1965 (Vol. 16:13)

The image at the top of this article shows the 5th episode of the story "The Slave Army". It looks very bright compared to the printed version but that's nothing as the print versions under Longacre were a far cry from the wonderful photogravure of the earlier Eagle comics. The blues are still bright which is normally where we see these artworks fade first.

It is described as:

Lot # 114:
Heros the Spartan original double-page artwork (1965) painted and signed by Frank Bellamy for The Eagle Vol. 16: No 13
'After a revolt in the gold mines of Libya, Heros was captured by the escaped slaves - led by a Briton called Garthac - and forced to lead them across the desert. Suddenly they are attacked by an army of strange horsemen...'
Bright Pelikan inks on board. 28 x 20 ins. The Heros title lettering and rectangular text boxes are laser copy additions to complete the look of the artwork
£3,000-3,500

I remember David Jackson pointing out to me an error in the story. The cry of the attacking group, the men of Raschid, is "By the Prophet!"

As Wikipedia tells us, Muhammad was born c. 570 and died on the 8 June 632 A.D., as we would have said back then. So the founder of Islam was born approximately 100 years after the initial sacking of Rome which led to the fall of the Roman Empire. But I notice that throughout Tom Tully's writings, he loves expletives - "By Mithras!" in this episode; "By the Gods!" and "By Tanarus!" in the previous one, so it's not too surprising he messed up here. I suspect if the Reverend Marcus Morris (Eagle's co-creator and first long-serving Editor) was still in post, he might have spotted this. Anyway, a lovely bright piece with a classic Bellamy battle scene.

DAN DARE: Eagle 12 September 1959 (Vol. 10:30)

Eagle 12 September 1959 (Vol. 10:30)

During the year in which Bellamy drew "Dan Dare" he was 'assisted' mostly by Don Harley, Bruce Cornwell, Keith Watson (and occasionally Gerald Palmer). The above page is undoubtedly Bellamy - the cover page this issue was by Harley. Bellamy hasn't signed this page but he didn't when he felt the whole thing wasn't his work and particularly while he was getting used to this peculiar work arrangement. His first signature on Dan Dare was three issues later in Eagle Vol.10:33 (3 October 1959). Take no notice in the following description where it says 'gouache'. These are all inks!

This auction is described as:

Lot # 65:
Dan Dare/Eagle original artwork (1959) by Frank Bellamy for The Eagle Vol 10, No 30 pg 2 with original comic
'As the rescue party follows along the Terra Nova Jungle trail, Dan, Sir Hubert and Digby are mysteriously given the freedom of Pax, The Novad central city ...'
Bright gouache colours [sic] on board. 15 x 13 ins
£1,500-2,000

BELLAMY SKETCH: To be or not to be

"To be or not to be"

This sketch originally was in the Bob Monkhouse collection and been moved around a bit since it was first sold. The valuation, in my opinion, is correct for an original Bellamy with such provenance. 

Frank Bellamy original signed sketch (1940s) 'To Be or Not to Be' The Catering Corps Sergeant in a dilemma over the troops tinned rations menu (Probably hung in the Sergeant's Mess!) From the Bob Monkhouse archive. Indian ink and wash on card. 14 x 10 ins

I have never seen this original in person but is it really ink "and wash"? I thought the paper just looked aged - and there was a war on!

Finally check out the complete runs of TV21s and some volumes of Eagle in the auction!

AUCTION SUMMARY

HEROS THE SPARTAN: Eagle 27 March 1965 (Vol. 16:13)
WHERE?: Compal/Saleroom
STARTING BID: £2,700 (Estimate: £3,000-£3,500)
ENDING PRICE: £2,700
END DATE: Sunday 19 November 2023

DAN DARE: Eagle 12 September 1959 (Vol. 10:30)
WHERE?: Compal/Saleroom
STARTING BID: £1,360 (Estimate: £1,500-£2,000)
ENDING PRICE: £1,520
END DATE: Sunday 19 November 2023

BELLAMY SKETCH: To be or not to be
WHERE?: Compal/Saleroom
STARTING BID: £70 (Estimate: £80-£120
ENDING PRICE: £60
END DATE: Sunday 19 November 2023

ORIGINAL ART- Heros the Spartan, Eagle Vol15:23

 Just a quick note to mention that a lovely copy of Heros the Spartan artwork has come up in Compalcomics Auctions latest auction. The whole catalogue is open for realtime bidding at  thesaleroom.com and Malcolm still lists them on his website too at Compalcomics

The piece we're interested in comes from Eagle Volume 15 number 23, dated 6 June 1964. It's a very nicely preserved piece and is the first episode of "Axe of Arguth", Bellamy's third story (of four plus the annual) about Heros.

 The lot is described thus:

Lot # 60:
Heros the Spartan original double page artwork (1964) painted and signed by Frank Bellamy for The Eagle Vol. 15. No 23
'Surviving a terrible storm, Heros and his crew are attacked by strange vessels, their wild, stocky leader screaming the Romans will face a task more terrible than any the spirits of evil and darkness could devise!'
Bright Pelikan inks on board. 28 x 20 ins. The Heros title lettering and rectangular text boxes are laser copy additions to complete the look of the artwork
£4,000-4,500

I'd like to have seen the artwork without the lettering added by a keen collector, but I understand the desire to have a copy of what was published. 

That last panel always reminds me of Graham Ingels gruesome work for the infamous E C Comics and which influenced Bernie Wrightson's work later in the late 60s where he would often use the device. I can see a similar image by Wrightson, but can't lay my hands on it. Anyone point me to the right image?

***UPDATE: 4 September 2023 ****

Malcolm Phillips has written in his Market Report:

A Heros The Spartan artwork painted and signed by Frank Bellamy sold under its estimate after the auction’s close at £2750

I spoke to a collector who was of the opinion there was nothing exceptional about this particular piece, and I agree.

AUCTION SUMMARY

Heros the Spartan Eagle 6 June 1964 (Vol.15:23)
WHERE?: TheSaleroom / Compal Auctions
STARTING BID: £3600
Auctioneer's estimate: £4,000 - £4,500
ENDING PRICE: £Unsold at starting bid - sold after auction at £2750
END DATE: 27 August 2023

Happy Birthday and new original art

Today is the anniversary of Frank Bellamy's birth. In May 1917, the world was at war, Italy was struggling with anarchists, while a new Pope was consecrated.  Fátima in Portugal was making a name for itself, and Atlanta in Georgia experienced a terrible fire leaving 10,000 people homeless.

This is a great day to highlight some new findings!  

Chris Hall got in contact and mentioned he had some Frank Bellamy original art he's selling. I'm always interested in recording these things to show how prolific and wide-ranging Frank Bellamy's talent was, and someone recently asked me about the artist's hobbies when not at work. Here's an example of a busman's holiday - his interest in portraying Africana and especially the Masai people. It's so sad he only ever got to Morocco on the African continent despite an interest in going on safari in Kenya.

MASAI WITH EARRING, NECKLACE, SPEAR and SEME

Masai with earring, necklace, spear and seme

Because of the differences between Masai drawings I have given them an arbitrary number and short description, so this one - totally new to me - becomes Masai Warrior #7. It looks to be more of an outline than others (but Bellamy also drew some abstract African pieces) and the warrior has two weapons: the spear and the leaf-shaped 'seme' - a 24 inch long sword (see here). 

Here are two similar drawings for comparison:

Masai (#5) with earring (and 'lightning' lines)

Masai (#3) circular earring, spear and partial shield

Here's the list of all of them so far:

• MASAI WARRIOR #1 - Brown tonal small face-on portrait of Masai warrior with elaborate animal headdress
• MASAI WARRIOR #2 - Brown tonal portrait of Masai warrior with large spear at left, thin band head-dress and animal hair covering neck
• MASAI WARRIOR #3 - Portrait with large circular earring, spear and partial shield
• MASAI WARRIOR #4 - Masai warrior with spear (triangular shaft)  and shield with necklace of animal hair
• MASAI WARRIOR #5 - Side portrait with earring and necklace - bottom right signed
• MASAI WARRIOR #6 - Indistinct portrait with spear and shield looking almost metallic
• MASAI WARRIOR #7 - Outline portrait, with necklace spear, and seme.
  

The next artwork Chris shared was this one and bear in mind the titles are mine, until I can match any to Bellamy's exhibited artwork by name.

MASAI DESIGN with WARRIOR

Masai design + warrior

 It's hard to tell precisely what material was used here and descriptions by others doesn't clarify the position - but then I've seen big name auction houses mention Bellamy's watercolour paints on Thunderbirds - where he only ever used inks! 

We are seeing a side view of a warrior with his spear, seme and shield and to his left is, what looks like, connected bones with some fur attached. The Masai are well known for their elaborate clothing and decorations which include coloured bone beads,fur and ivory.

SCAM BUDDY, I SAW HER FIRST!

"Scram buddy" cartoon

The cartoon showing two 'squaddies' following a well-dressed lady,  and one says to the other "Scram buddy! I saw her first!". The style is definitely from the period around 1939-1946 and the squaddies and Bellamy's signature that can just be seen verify this thought. Was it published? Was it a doodle? A portfolio piece to show when he got out of the Army? We don't know.  

SPACEFLEET REDESIGNED BADGES

Dan Dare Spacefleet insignia

This piece is interesting as it forms one of several boards on which Bellamy drew preparatory materials for his requested re-design of Dan Dare - which eventually didn't 'take'. I've already shared two of them (which Alan Burrows shared with me) showing operational and Spacefleet uniforms - so now we have the insignia re-design too

ORIGINAL ART: David The Shepherd King

Eagle 14 March 1959 (Vol: 10 No.11)
"The Shepherd King"

I've always loved Frank Bellamy's early Eagle colour strips and "David The Shepherd King" is one of them - or to be more accurate with its title "The Shepherd King: The Story of David". 

Heritage Auctions have episode #27 of the 31 published in Eagle (Vol. 9:37 - 9:52 and 10:1 - 10:15, (13 September 1958 - 27 December 1958, and 3 January 1959 - 11 April 1959). This particular one comes from Eagle 14 March 1959 (Vol.10:11) and was, of course, on the back page in glorious photogravure print! 

The subject matter is not so glorious as Abner (formerly Saul's army commander) had agreed to give David all of Israel but Joab, the commander of David’s army, accused Abner of trying to trick David. Without David’s permission, Joab murdered Abner under the pretence of being loyal to David when in fact he wanted to avenge his brother’s death at the hands of Abner. So in the strip above, David makes it clear he had nothing to do with it and commenced a day of mourning.

The auction description:

Frank Bellamy Eagle Vol.10 #11 King David Episode 27 Story Page 1 Original Art (Longacre Press, 1959). Fans of this long-running weekly UK series know it often had gorgeous Frank Bellamy artwork! This one features rich color work and beautiful detailed linework. Ink and watercolor [sic] over graphite on illustration board with an image area of 14.25" x 17.5". The board has corner sear and a stain on the upper left, as well as foxing down the right side. In Very Good condition.

It's actually all inks - which many people cannot understand, but Bellamy was a stickler for getting it right so it would print correctly.  

Here's the printed version for reference and the front cover of the relevant Eagle - with a nice piece by Frank Hampson.

 

Eagle 14 March 1959 (Vol: 10 No.11)
"Dan Dare" - Frank Hampson

Eagle 14 March 1959 (Vol: 10 No.11)
"The Shepherd King"

 

And because David Slinn reminded me the 73rd anniversary of Eagle falls next Friday 14 April, here's the cover of the first issue! Yes, I know there's a lot of Hampson today, but hey, it's my blog!

Eagle 14 April 1950 (Vol: 1 No.1)

AUCTION SUMMARY

The Shepherd King Eagle 14 March 1959 (Vol.10:11)
WHERE?: Heritage (2023 April 26 Wednesday Comic Art & Animation Select Auction #322317 )
ENDING PRICE: $4000 (£3,207.92)
END DATE: Wednesday 26 April 2023

ORIGINAL ART - Thunderbirds from TV21 #72

"Thunderbirds" from TV21 #72

I was speaking to my friend and fellow Frank Bellamy fan Paul Holder about the latest artwork to appear on eBay - a Thunderbirds episode from TV21 #72. We both mused what a shame it was that it's so faded. For those who don't know, Paul was the one who inspired me to get this blog and listing together when we first met in 2000. He has been scanning original artwork by Bellamy for many years and has assisted in many projects to display Bellamy's work at its best - (for example in my "Art of Frank Bellamy", still available, as they say, in good bookshops everywhere - or direct from The Book Palace.)

The shocking thing is Paul has a much better version of this piece, from the time before it faded. He photographed it on 10 x 8 inch large format film (which he subsequently had scanned), so was able to capture the artwork before it faded If any of you have Bellamy artwork you'd like scanned, he does a great job and we'd have artwork in its best condition to share with future generations when they mention the mythic Frank Bellamy and you'd have a true scan for your use. 

Here's the version Paul photographed before it faded, you'll see clamps holding the artwork as there wasn't much room to hold it as it had been cut down for some reason, perhaps framing.

 

Transparency of TV21 #72 before fading

I suspect the last line of the seller's description gives us a clue why he's decided to sell now:

Stunning 1966 TV Century 21 comic Double page
THUNDERBIRDS. FRANK BELLAMY ORIGINAL ARTWORK.
Rare chance to own a piece of ORIGINAL artwork from this very poplar [sic] comic .
Frank Bellamy art is highly collectible

The image is amazing Thunderbird 1 Thunderbird 2 and Thunderbird 4 included in the action
Sadly this double page has gone the way of most pages with fading to the overall image. The artist used cheap inks which do fade over time

Fantastic artwork by the late GREAT Frank Bellamy
faded pages are rare and fetch premium prices
Two individual unfaded pages sold at Heritage auctions in US for over £10000 each last month 

I have to mention that "The artist used cheap inks which do fade over time" isn't the case with Frank Bellamy at any time in his career. He was meticulous in using prescribed Pelikan inks for his work and even visited printers to ensure his work with those inks would remain true when printed. 

David Jackson, helpfully sent me this:

John Grant & Ron Tiner's The Encyclopedia of Fantasy & Science Fiction Techniques says:
 
TIP The great advantage of coloured inks is their transparency; you can get clear, delicate effects by overlaying successive glazes of colour.  But remember that artwork done in coloured inks is not lightfast.  There is no way a picture in this medium can be preserved. 

This piece is indeed faded and I'd warn everyone reading this - KEEP YOUR ART OUT OF SUNLIGHT. Art galleries cover display cases for a reason with cloths and museum glass (when added to a piece BEFORE fading occurs) works very well, but I still would treat any artwork carefully!

Here's the scan of the published comic to make a rough comparison.

"Thunderbirds" TV21 #72

AUCTION SUMMARY

THUNDERBIRDS TV21 #72
WHERE?: ebay - d.g100
STARTING BID: £1,950
ENDING PRICE: £2,500
No of Bids: 5
END DATE: Saturday 18 February 2023