Joan Porter (nee Humphries), the last surviving member of Frank Hampson's original team who worked on the creation of Dan Dare and several other strips for the
EAGLE has died aged 96. Joan was employed as a colourist, photographer, researcher, secretary and costume maker. She was there at the beginning, from late 1949, when Frank and his team worked in the old Bakehouse in Churchtown, Southport and there at the end of his time on
EAGLE, remaining with him in 1959 when he gave up the
Dan Dare strip to assist him on his final strip for the paper,
The Road of Courage, which ran in
EAGLE until Easter 1961. An unassuming versatile lady with a fine sense of humour, I met her only once and then briefly, at the opening of the 1990
Dan Dare Exhibition in the Atkinson Arts Centre in Southport. However I did converse with her by e-mail when I was researching an article for
EAGLE Times on Frank's back page strip
The Great Adventurer and she was most helpful and enthusiastic, kindly providing me with many details of its production. In his quest for perfection, Frank used members of his team to pose in costume for photographs of scenes that could then be drawn more accurately and on
The Great Adventurer, Joan made costumes, coloured pages, assisted with research and filed information garnered by the research. Her role in the production of the
Dan Dare strip was the same. In the interests of accuracy and consistency
, significant research was carried out and references for all aspects of the strip were kept and Joan organised and catalogued this. She also became the principal photographer. Her organisation was a key factor in the high quality and success of the strip.
She will be greatly missed. Her passing marks the end of an era in the
Dan Dare story.
3 comments:
I was much saddened to learn of the passing of Joan Porter. Joan had been very supportive of my own project and acted as script consultant for THE ANDROIDS OF THANATOS & DATE WITH DESTINY. I would send Joan finished scripts in threes. Joan would kindly make her comments and offer advice on dialogue etc., before posting the scripts back to me. I am extremely grateful to her for doing this. I followed her advice in about 95% of the time. Rest in Peace Joan.
It saddened me greatly to learn of the passing of Joan Porter. Joan had been very supportive of me in the pursuit of my own Dan Dare project, and acted as script consultant to THE ANDROIDS OF THANATOS & its sequel, DATE WITH DESTINY.
I used to send her scripts in threes and Joan would comment and advise on such aspects as dialogue before returning said scripts to me. I followed Joan’s advice in about 95% of the time. She is sorely missed. Rest in Peace Joan.
It saddened me greatly to learn of the passing of Joan Porter. Joan had been very supportive of me in the pursuit of my own Dan Dare project, and acted as script consultant to THE ANDROIDS OF THANATOS & its sequel, DATE WITH DESTINY.
I used to send her scripts in threes and Joan would comment and advise on such aspects as dialogue before returning said scripts to me. I followed Joan’s advice in about 95% of the time. She is sorely missed. Rest in Peace Joan.
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