So, don't tell him about this, okay?

First page of "Project Nimbus", probably my favorite DAN DARE story.

"...Calling controller, Spacefleet H.Q. - 'Spa-One' Calling Controller..."

The first words (word balloon) of Dan Dare I ever read.....Love it!

Congratulations!

I'm sure if you charge double for Nathan's commission your accountant won't mind.

As the story opens, the new superfast prototype spaceship, Nimbus 1 has gone missing somewhere out near the orbit of Jupiter, and Space Fleet (note their crest on Dan's cap) has called in SPA-1 to scan for any trace of it.

The next installment contains one of the most chilling scenes I'd ever read in comic format, as Dan Dare and his "batman" Digby arrive at SPA-1 to check on the progress. The big dish cannot find any trace of Nimbus 1, tho at one point it does pick up a small clump of fuzzy images. At first, the station controller thinks these might be debris, but he decides they are too "soft" for metal. They're just ten rather fuzzy blobs.

"Good grief," says Dare, "did you say ten?"

He and Dig race off, leaving the station controller somewhat flustered. "Whatever made them rush off like that?"

"I think I know," says the guy running the scan. "There are precisely ten of those blips, and by a very nasty coincidence, the number of the crew on Nimbus 1 was... TEN!"

TO BE CONTINUED!!

Totally worth it.  Congrats, that's a beauty.

Perhaps some day I'll add THAT page to my collection, too!

••

It's difficult to adequately express how amazing that feeling is. I was probably a wee bit shy of my 10th birthday when I read that issue of EAGLE (depending on when Auntie Nancy sent the "log" of issues). His work on the previous "Terra Nova" story had made me very much aware of Bellamy's work, but it was THIS EXACT PAGE that turned me into a complete addict.

I mean, that space station is fan-&*^%ing-tastic!!!!!