Stories of Easter ………..

I have always been fascinated by how comics have told stories of events from the past.

And that in part is due to the fact that I grew up in the 1950s with the Eagle, and its companion comics, Girl, Swift and Robin.

Together they presented young people with highly professional comics, which were well drawn, didn’t talk down to their readers and supplied a mix of entertainment and knowledge.

So, whether it was Dan Dare or the Four Mary’s, the stories produced by some of the best artists and story tellers were of the highest quality.

And along with factual cut away diagrams, and the tales of adventures, there would be biographical accounts which portrayed  living people as well as those from the past.

Given that this was the 1950s, they tended to be white, European, and in the case of the Eagle very male.

From what I know of the editorial policy of all four comics, I suspect that if they were still being published today they would reflect multi cultural Britain in their story lines, and in the individuals they featured.

But in 1950 and into the 60s, society and the media were slow to recognise the changes which were already underway.  These included  the Windrush, and those who arrived from different parts of Europe, after the war often from “displaced persons camps”, and a little later those from the sub continent.

Added to which there was that shocking collective amnesia which pretty much “forgot” the vital role that women played in fighting the war, whether it was in the services, in the factories or on the land.

I would be well into my teens before I fully appreciated what mother and other women did in the services, and later in war time factories, none of which appeared in the stories of heroic soldiers, sailors and airmen.

I wish it were otherwise but in 1960 it wasn’t, and that leads me to "The Road of Courge, The Story of Jesus of Nazareth", which appeared in the Eagle on the back page from March 1960 for 56 episodes, ending over Easter Week in 1961. 

It was drawn by Frank Hampson and it fitted well into the ethos of a comic which was the creation of the Rev Marcus Morris.

Not that I was particularly religious back then  and nor am I now.  But what I like about the comic strip is both its clear story line and above all the art work which at times has a feel of the cinema.

There will be those who criticise the portrayal of Jesus as heavily European which I would agree, and  perhaps sixty years on, if he were alive Mr. Hampson would draw him differently.

And that is about it.

Location, Easter

Pictures; from The Road of Courage, 1961, Frank Hampson 

Easter Greetings from Europe ……… a long time ago

Now, we never sent Easter cards, it wasn’t a family tradition.

Come to think about it I don’t recall seeing them in the shops when I was growing up, but they must have been there, and the practice goes back a long time.

This I know from the card David Harrop sent me today.

It can be dated to the early 20th century, but as it was not sent through the post there is no date, added to which given that there are several European languages on the reverse its origins could be anywhere.

But as David shared it with me, I shall pass it on.

And because l can.

Picture Easter Greetings, date unknown, from the collection of David Harrop, and an adpted  Jewish Greeting card, 1907 from Tuck & Son, courtesy of Tuck db, https://www.tuckdbpostcards.org/

Getting ready for Easter …………..

So, getting ready for the big family gatherings there are heaps to do.

Locations; Beech Road and Varese

Pictures; Hurricane, Beech Road, Tuesday April 4th, 2023, from the collection of Andrew Simpson, Esselunga, Varese, Saturday April 8th, 2023, courtesy of Balzano

Breakfast …. an Easter discussion ….. and the promise of sun

Now Varese is warming up .

The Easter display, 2022

Yesterday the sun shone and while there was the threat of rain in the afternoon, the temperature hovered around 19˚ and there is the promise that by Easter it will be in the mid-20s.

But then that is what you can expect of this city, which is north of Milan, surrounded by lakes and close to the Swiss border.

Every Easter holiday we have headed south from Manchester, taken in a few cold days and then basked in the sun which is warm enough to take in a bit of sunbathing and visit the local gelateria for an ice cream.

And that same sun makes you want to get out early and take in breakfast at La Cucina di Altamura at the top of the road. *

 La Cucina di Altamura, 2017

It has a prime location facing the main road and just a minute’s walk from the local church, making it a perfect spot for a treat after the service, or an espresso before catching the bus into the city centre.  

I can’t be sure when it opened but it was well established by 2017 and is a regular haunt for the family.

There was some discussion about whether to buy a little something for Easter, but then Rosa cooks a shedload of traditional festive food and so the discussion drifted onto what we would being eating.**

Rosa's festive food, 2019

But here there will be a departure from normal because this year we will be back in Manchester for Easter with Rosa cooking all the traditional Italian food and serving it in Chorlton.

I am guessing the sun will not be as kind but the food will be as excellent as ever.

Location; Varese

Pictures; La Cucina Di Altamura, 2022, from the collection of Balzano and in 2017 from the collection of Andrew Simpson

* La Cucina di Altamura,  Via Pietro Giannone, 2, 21100 Varese VA, Italy http://www.lacucinadialtamura.it/

** A little bit of Italy this Easter ....... Neopolitan pastries and Colomba, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/2015/04/a-little-bit-of-italy-this-easter.html