Eagle (1950)
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Publisher: Hulton
Publication Date: April 1950 - April 1969
Country: United States
Language: English
Notes:
In the 1950s and 1960s, Eagle's circulation was over 2 million copies a week, making it by far the most popular comic in British history. Started by a vicar in Southport, Lancashire, the publication was initially a Christian, wholesome response to the perceived negative influence of American comic books. In this regard, it may be seen as being influenced by the Frederick Wertham's Seduction of the Innocent, and the consequent end of the Golden Age of American superhero comics. Whereas the general American response to the allegations of the Wertham report had been an influx of new western and military titles, most of the content of Eagle had a more "science fiction realism" angle. This was exemplified by the publication's breakout character, the square-jawed "pilot of the future", Dan Dare.
In addition to being "wholesome", Eagle strove for graphical accuracy, sometimes having its artists create models of spaceships to use as artistic referents. For a large chunk of its life, artistic chores were tackled by the likes of Frank Hampson and Frank Bellamy.
While Dan Dare is indelibly associated with the publication, there were many other strips that appeared in the Eagle, like Luck of the Legion, The Adventures of Tintin, Waldorf & Cecil and Captain Pugwash.
Publication History
Eagle was initially published by Hulton Press. When they were taken over by Odhams in 1960, a new, merged company called Longacre Press was formed. In 1961, the Daily Mirror Group bought Odhams, who continued publishing Eagle until 1969.
Number of issues cataloged: 4
Number of users with this title in their pull list: 1

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