Eric Parker - miscellaneous work, part 6 (of 23)

I've recently begun a lengthy series of blog posts all about renowned illustrator Eric Parker (check out his Wikipedia entry here) who had a 50 year (!) career as a comic illustrator.

I've looked at Roughs (part 1) here
Roughs (part 2) here
Roughs (part 3) here
Roughs (part 4) here
Female heads (part 1) here
Female heads (part 2) here
Female heads (part 3) here
Female heads (part 4) here
Pubs (part 1) here
Pubs (part 2) here

Overseas (part 1) here

Overseas (part 2) here

Overseas (part 3) here

Overseas (part 4) here

Overseas (part 5) here

Overseas (part 6) here

Overseas (part 7) here

Overseas (part 8) here

Overseas (part 9) here

Overseas (part 10) here

UK scenes (part 1) here

UK scenes (part 2) here

UK scenes (part 3) here

UK scenes (part 4) here

Character studies & groups, drafts (part 1) here

Character studies & groups, drafts (part 2) here

Character studies & groups, drafts (part 3) here

Character studies & groups, drafts (part 4) here

Character studies & groups, drafts (part 5) here

Character studies & groups, drafts (part 6) here

Life drawings (part 1) here

Life drawings (part 2) here

Life drawings (part 3) here

Life drawings (part 4) here

Life drawings (part 5) here

Life drawings (part 6) XXXX

Life drawings (part 7) here

Life drawings (part 8) here

Life drawings (part 9) here

Life drawings (part 10) here

Gentlemen is here

Horses (part 1) is here

Horses (part 2) is here

Furniture is here

Old soldiers (part 1) is here

And now we turn our attention to a final (albeit large selection of his work). Next up is his (further) work on "old soldiers". These are a variety of sizes - from the very small to the quite large.

UPDATED: Dumbass comics - Neill Cameron

I'm always happy to feature Neill Cameron the blog (see all previous entries here) and I was intrigued to come across these early works of his recently. A three issue series 'Dumbass comics' came out around the turn of the millennium. There was also a collected edition 'Absolute Dumbass'. 

The comics have rusty staples and are "just" photocopied pages - great for a nostalgia rush!

These are no longer available on Neill's webshop so I'm just recording their existence for posterity.

Dumbass comic #1

image not to hand - can you help?

Dumbass comic #2, £1.25, 2000

28 pages

Dumbass comic #3, £1.25, 2002

32 pages

The lead story in both issues features "Cleansing services: Special Ops" and there's talk in the back of Dumbass #2 of a 2nd issue of their own standalone comic not going ahead - that presumably means there was a successful first issue. One to look out for. 

Neill's brother James also contributed to these.

If anyone has a copy of issue 1 of Dumbass comics...I'd be delighted to see it, cheers!

UPDATE: friend of the blog ColinYNWA (look for him on the 2000AD forums) was good enough to remind me of the existence of the short-lied 'Panel Beaters' section in the back of Comics International back in the day. This stand-alone Special Ops strip is from issue #163 (dated September 2003)...

UPDATE: friend of the bog James Cameron has supplied me with this image and message...I still can't find a copy of #1 [of Dumbass comics] but I did get Mum to scan the original. It's not perfect as she didn't want to take it out of the frame but it's something!

So here we go then, not the cover of issue #1 of Dumbass comics but instead the original art. I'll settle for that. Thanks to James's mum for her efforts. Plus James & Neill & Henry Flint, whose work adorns the cover.

Jim Baikie - Orkney exhibition, part 6

For approximately the umpteenth time I'm indebted to Norman Boyd for his help with this blog. This time he was kind enough to send me some of his holiday photos from a recent trip to the Orkneys. 

Whilst there he was able to visit the exhibition all about the local artist that was on (from 03/05/25 - 21/09/25) at the Orkney museum in Kirkwall. Comics artist Jim Baikie was the focus of the exhibition. Norman took a lot of photos so I'll spread them over a number of posts, enjoy!   

Part 1 was here

Part 2 was here

Part 3 was here

Part 4 was here

Part 5 was here

Dan Dare - operation fireball

It's hard (after all these years) to find new Dan Dare / Eagle publications out there...but I came across this reprint recently... 

A4 sized, colour cover (and colour first 3 pages) with the actual reprint of the (Keith Watson illustrated Dan Dare story) Operation Fireball story in 20 pages (10 episodes) in black & white. 

Operation Fireball ran in Eagle from August-October 1962 (volume 13 issue 33 to issue 42). The story wasn't reprinted in the original Hawk Books series. This slim volume, published anonymously, sought to redress this balance. 

I'd welcome any information on who produced this.

Dan Dare in Northampton?

Well that was the dream back in the early 1980s for the bakers of "Wonderworld - Themepark and Related Industries Development, Corby" who went as far as producing this A4 sized full colour 68 page guide to their plans.

I recently acquired a copy of the guide having:

a). been intrigued by the image of Dan Dare on the cover; and

b). never having seen a copy of this before

The brochure outlines the developers plans for their early 1980s version of what sounds to me very much like a millennium dome style project.

"What is it? Imagine a place that has as its reason for existence, entertainment and education. A unique resort set in beautifully landscaped surroundings that blends in in perfectly with the neighbouring countryside. That takes into account the British climate and so includes a vast weather-protected centre in the tradition of the Great Exhibition Hall of 1851. A centre where the widest variety of attractions can be housed, each based on a particular theme such as the technology of the day or social or environmental matters. Themes that not only look at our prospects for the future but also at our national heritage of history, folklore and fairytale. An ambitious project, but one that' well under way. Its name is WonderWorld."

So, it's an indoor theme park. It has a number of zones - including land, safety, rhyme, sport, the world, energy, sea and communication.

It's the communication zone/area that interests me the most. Officially entitled "Communication - sailing messages across the airwaves" this zone has 4 pages (all shown below) in the brochure.

The zone contains the following areas...

Commercial radio station

DIY recording studio

Razzamatazz territory

Film showcase

Special effects studio

Print works

DIY TV studio

Professional TV studio

Monorail

Dan Dare restaurant

Radio fun food

Dan Dare emporium: books, cards, souvenirs, space kits, action toys

Wonderworld Post Office

Service facilities

  

The brochure notes:

"When planning the Communications Centre much thought was given to ensuring it does not become dated. Even Disney's 'Tomorrowland' today looks distinctly yesteryear. So the space city architecture of Frank Hampson, creator of Dan Dare, was chosen. Conceived in the late 1940s, his work still has the same futuristic appeal protected from the aging process by the special wrap of fantasy". 

the image at the bottom of this page featured in 'The man who drew tomorrow' - Alastair Crompton's biography of Frank Hampson - on page 198 (but without any context or mention of WonderWorld)

This looks like the Dan Dare restaurant that I highlighted above

the large image of this page featured in 'The man who drew tomorrow' - Alastair Crompton's biography of Frank Hampson - on page 199 (but without any context or mention of WonderWorld).

If you have more details on the whole WonderWorld project then I'd be delighted to hear them.

Eagle - true world heroes

It's hard (after all these years) to find new Dan Dare / Eagle publications out there...but I came across this volume recently...

A4 sized, 51 pages. You get a mixture of colour images & black & white work. You get a colour image of the hero, some background about them and then a page of their back page story from Eagle in colour. You then get a few more sample pages from their back page story - albeit the pages are now in black & white. Single sided printing. No clues as to who printed this off and I've no idea if this was from a short print run or was just a volume that a collector put together for their own benefit. Any clues welcomed! 

UPDATED: Commando - heritage characters

Updated to include another Lord Peter Flint story in issue 5947

Updated to include another Braddock story in issue 5939

Updated to include the first Harrier Squadron [from Warlord] story in issue 5929

Updated to include another Braddock issue in issue 5919

Updated to include another Kampfgruppe Falken issue (#5861) - which I'd missed previously, whoops!

Updated to include another Union Jack Jackson story - issue 5917

Updated to include another Codename Warlord story - issue 5913

Updated to include another Cadman story in issue 5909

Updated to include another Braddock story in issue 5891

Updated to include a V for Vengeance (from The Wizard) - issue #5887

Updated to include another Codename Warlord story - issue 5841 - which is out now!

Updated to include another Kampfgruppe Falken issue (#5827) which is out now!

Updated to include another Union Jack Jackson issue (#5813) and a Sergeant Rayker issue (#5817)

Updated to include Commando 5803 (which is on sale currently). It's another Lord Peter Flint issue

Updated to include issue Commando 5799 which is on sale currently. It's another Cadman issue - art by Mike Dorey.

To celebrate the release (last week I think) of Commando issue 5759 (below) and the inclusion of Kampfgruppe Falken in it I thought I'd log the other back issues of Commando that feature other DC Thomson 'heritage' characters.

Have I missed any? Just let me know!

Commando 5929

Commando 5759

Commando 5827

Commando 5861

Major Heinz Falken is playing a dangerous game of chance. His life and those of his men hang in the balance as they fight for survival. The battle on the Eastern Front between German and Russian armies has become a war of attrition, with both sides lacking resources. When their supplies are hijacked by the Russians, Falken is forced to recover them by systematically searching Soviet stronghold bunkers. But guessing which one is the right bunker is like playing a game of Russian roulette – and they’re running out of bullets.

Braddock has two issues so far

Commando 5269

Commando 5267

Commando 5875

The daredevil bomber pilot returns! Now that his squadron had converted to Vickers Wellingtons, Sergeant Matt Braddock couldn’t wait to get airborne. But a hairy first mission soon left him without a navigator – luckily, the impressive Sergeant George Bourne was looking for a new crew. Bourne and Braddock were soon thick as thieves, but it wasn’t long before Braddock’s gung-ho attitude landed them in an Italian POW camp. Braddock was going to have to rely on more than his flying skills to get out of this one!

Commando 5891

After his daring escape from an Italian POW camp, Braddock found himself craving his next adventure. Luckily, adventure had a way of finding him! German Focke Wulf Condors were causing problems for the Allies in the Atlantic, and the Brits didn’t have any planes with the same range. Braddock’s solution? Steal one of the German kites, of course! But this mission would require a crack team, and some of Brad’s flight crew were more up to the task than others. Could they pull it off?

Commando 5919

Commando 5939

Lord Peter Flint has appeared in 4 issues as well

Commando 5255

Commando 5263

Commando 5803

Lord Peter Flint, AKA Codename: Warlord, relied on being a 'coward' to stop being suspected as a secret agent! So when a journalist tried to write a hit piece on him, that was the least of his worries! He was busy stopping a REAL assassination plot!

Commando 5841

Britain’s finest spy, Lord Peter Flint, is on another top-hole adventure! After Warlord’s most disastrous mission yet, Flint ends up as the number one target of ‘six of the best’ assassins the world has ever seen!
But why does the phrase ‘six of the best’ seem familiar to him? Who is the mysterious sixth assassin who is an ‘old friend’ of Flint’s?
Will these questions be answered – or will this be the end of Codename Warlord?!

Commando 5913

The Libyan desert is experiencing some funny weather! Mysterious, sudden rainstorms are turning the hot sands to boggy quagmires that are beaching British tanks! But not only that, a Nazi officer has disguised himself as an Arab tribesman to sow discontent, and a German scientist has attempted to defect – something very strange is going on.
Enter Lord Peter Flint – Codename: Warlord – Britain’s best secret agent, to investigate the weird happenings. A storm is brewing, and he can sense the hand of his old nemesis, Professor Kranz, is behind it all!

Commando 5947

Lord Peter Flint is on one of his most dangerous — and important — missions yet! ‘Shadow Sands’ is the codename for the biological weapons project collecting anthrax spores on an isolated Maunsell Fort off the coast of England. Flint’s handler, Kingpin, was at the fort when it was raided by a team of German commandos and Professor Kranz’s robot Panzermen. Now he’s been taken hostage along with the leading scientists!

But Intelligence believes someone on board the fort helped the Germans — and they suspect Kingpin! Kingpin, a traitor?! It can’t be true! Warlord has until midnight to rescue the hostages and clear Kingpin’s name!

Cadman has 4 issues so far

Commando 5697

That cowardly cad returns! From the pages of The Victor to Commando, Cadman the Fighting Coward looks skyward to escape the trenches - but he soon finds that life in the Royal Flying Corps isn't any easier or safer than on the ground!

5665 - interior art by Mike Dorey, cover art by Mike Dorey & Neil Roberts

5799 - interior art by Mike Dorey, cover art by Mike Dorey

Commando 5909

Lieutenant Gerald Cadman, the fighting coward, once again finds himself precisely where he does not want to be — on the front lines! The arrival of the heroic and aristocratic Captain Blickley-Phipps, however, gives Cadman an idea for how to improve his station.

But for Private Tom Smith, something doesn’t seem right about Blickley-Phipps. Ruthless in his quest for glory, the captain will gladly sacrifice his own men for victory. Even Scruff the dog can smell an impending disaster, but Cadman may be too distracted to find a way out this time!

Union Jack Jackson

Commando 5287

Commando 5813

Union Jack Jackson's back! With a little help from his pals, Jack must find an airfield which has been launching attacks on Navy convoys. But he get more than he bargained for when he sees aircraft taking off from the back of a submarine!

Commando 5917

Union Jack Jackson and his pals were on a mission to steal an experimental radar receiver from the Japanese when they hit a hurdle. The USS Red Bank, the destroyer they were going to sail away on, was sunk by Japanese suicide pilots… men who would self-sacrifice their lives to sink their enemies.
So then, why was one of the pilots — Kamikaze Ken — floating, alive, in the water beside Union Jack Jackson?

Sergeant Rayker

Commando 5817

Last seen in Warlord in 1984, Sergeant Moses Rayker returns! Trapped behind enemy lines, Rayker encounters an unfriendly face in the form of Buford ‘Bubba’ Ballard. Will Rayker end up smacking the tar outta him before they make it back?

Commando 5857

Legendary Warlord character returns to Commando! Sergeant Rayker was tasked with rounding up four drunken US Marines. But not long after he finds himself under enemy fire with the drunken marines in tow. Perhaps this job isn’t as easy as it sounds!

from the pages of The Wizard - Commando 5887 - V for Vengeance: Prisoner 7234

As air raids wreak havoc over the skies of Berlin, dread pervades the Nazi party. High-ranking officials are being assassinated one by one by the mysterious group named ‘The Deathless Men’. At the scene of each crime, the killers leave a list of future victims alongside a proclamation titled ‘V for Vengeance’.
Desperately, those whose names are listed seek answers, but their only clues link each assassin to deceased prisoners of a concentration camp – are the dead returning to seek revenge?