Original Dan Dare
17th October 2023
Five original artworks by the creator of Dan Dare are being sold on the open market for the first time in over 70 years.
Frank Hampson’s designs for Eagle magazine were originally published between 1950 and 1969, but were reprinted between 1982 and 1994, inspiring countless generations of children.
The gouache on board comic strips have been consigned by Hampson’s family and are expected to fetch in the region of £1,500-2,000 each when they come under the hammer at Woolley and Wallis in Salisbury.
“Hampson devised the Eagle magazine alongside the Reverend Marcus Morris, but his Dan Dare comic strip was the standout highlight from the start,” said Design specialist, Michael Jeffery. “Its reprint in the 1980s went on to inspire a whole host of now iconic computer games for the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad and Commodore 64, and it was referenced in hugely popular TV shows of the time, including Only Fools and Horses.”
The colourful artworks feature Dan Dare’s famous nemesis The Mekon, ruler of the Treens, and a design sheet for the Venusian race is also included in the auction, which allowed the artist to remain consistent when drawing from one week to the next.
“Two of the comic strips offered here were exhibited in the artist’s centenary exhibition in Southport between September 2018 and March 2019,” said Michael Jeffery. “There’s an active collector’s market for works of this type and the fact that these have come straight from the family and never been available is sure to add interest.”
The artworks are included in the Design sale at Woolley and Wallis in Salisbury and are due to be sold on 19th October.
