A recent article in The Times referred to Orion Books' Eagle Annual:The Best of the 1950s Comic and quoted Ian Preece, a commissioning editor at Orion, saying “Nostalgia is a real trend in publishing at the moment. I think for a lot of people in their 30s, 40s and older there’s a yearning to revisit the simple world of their childhoods.”Nostalgia is one thing. And no doubt Orion will be selling any number of copies on the back of it. But is there is more to the appreciation of things past, including the Eagle, than what might be called "homesickness for one's childhood"?
We think so. What do you think?
I think that there are two reasons why people born in the immediate post-war years are attracted nowadays to the EAGLE. Certainly, it was a most impressive magazine: colourful, exciting and well-produced, and the large range of characters had immense appeal. And the "simple world" of childhood was reflected in the clear delineation of good and evil, for Dan Dare would never shoot anyone in the back and his nemesis, the evil Mekon of Mekonta, was himself evil personified.
ReplyDeleteYet the second appeal of EAGLE is that it reminds us that in those days of the '50s and '60s there was a kind of decency in society itself which sadly no longer seems to apply. Sheer materialism, cynicism, the "blame culture" and an apparent total lack of respect for others seem to be the hallmarks of life in the 21st century.
So, the appeal seems to be both to the uncomplicated stories of good versus evil which EAGLE carried, as well as to a much gentler, more caring time in the world at large.
Finally, may I say how impressed I am with this blog site. Keep up the good work, Will; I'm sure the site will be visited a lot in the weeks, months and years ahead.