Dan Dare is a classic British science fiction comic hero, created by illustrator Frank Hampson for the Eagle comic story Dan Dare, Pilot of the Future in 1950 which was also carried in serial format several times a week on Radio Luxembourg. Edward George Hulton (1869-1925) was a British newspaper publisher and Thoroughbred racehorse owner. ... In comic books, first appearance refers to first comic book to feature a character. ... From masthead for Eagle comic, logo by Berthold Wolpe, 1953 The Eagle was a British weekly comic, which ran in two main incarnations over the period of 1950 to 1994 (with accompanying annuals). ... A Frank Hampson & Don Harley panel from the 1959 : Dan Dare in Operation Moss Frank Hampson (1918 - 1985) is best known for being the creator of Dan Dare. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... A comic strip creator at work. ... A Frank Hampson & Don Harley panel from the 1959 : Dan Dare in Operation Moss Frank Hampson (1918 - 1985) is best known for being the creator of Dan Dare. ... From masthead for Eagle comic, logo by Berthold Wolpe, 1953 The Eagle was a British weekly comic, which ran in two main incarnations over the period of 1950 to 1994 (with accompanying annuals). ... Year 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Radio Luxembourg is a commercial radio station that has broadcast in many languages in conjunction with a television service operated from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. ...

Although the stories were set in the late 1990s, the dialogue and manner in which all the characters interact is reminiscent of British war films of the 1950s (it has been described as "Biggles in Space" or the British equivalent of Buck Rogers). Dan Dare was distinguished by its long, complex story lines, snappy dialogue and meticulously illustrated comic-strip artwork by Hampson and other artists, including Harold Johns, Don Harley, Bruce Cornwell, Greta Tomlinson, Frank Bellamy, Gerald Palmer and Keith Watson. A war film is any film dealing with war, usually focusing on naval, air, or land battle, but sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, training, or other related subjects. ... The dust jacket of an early 1970s edition of Johns Biggles, Pioneer Air Fighter James Bigglesworth, better known in flying circles as Biggles, is a fictional pilot and adventurer created by W. E. Johns. ... Buck Rogers is a fictional pulp character who first appeared in 1928 as Anthony Rogers, the hero of two novellas by Philip Francis Nowlan published in the magazine Amazing Stories. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Frank Bellamy (born 21 May 1917, died 5 July 1976) was a British comics artist, best known for his work on the Dan Dare strip, on which he replaced Frank Hampson. ... Gerald Marley Palmer was a British car designer born in 1911 and died in 1999. ... Keith Watson (died 1994) was a British comics artist most famous for his work on Dan Dare and TV Century 21. ...

The 1950s

A Frank Hampson & Don Harley panel from the 1959 Eagle Annual No. 8: Dan Dare in Operation Moss

Dan Dare first appeared on the cover of the first issue of the weekly comic strip magazine Eagle, on 14 April 1950. There were two large colour pages of this story per issue. The artwork was of a very high quality, being the product of a team of artists working in a studio system, based at Frank Hampson's house in Epsom, Surrey. This included scale models of spaceships, and models posing in costume as points of reference for the artists. Occasionally, Eagle incorporated "centrefolds" of the fictional spaceships, such as Dan's ship the Anastasia, quite reminiscent of the cutaway drawings of aircraft in aviation magazines, or even Eagle itself. The storylines were long and complex, sometimes lasting for over a year. Image File history File links Dan_Dare_-_Operation_Moss_comic_panel. ... Image File history File links Dan_Dare_-_Operation_Moss_comic_panel. ... From masthead for Eagle comic, logo by Berthold Wolpe, 1953 The Eagle was a British weekly comic, which ran in two main incarnations over the period of 1950 to 1994 (with accompanying annuals). ... is the 104th day of the year (105th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1950 (MCML) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... , See also Epsom, New Hampshire, and Epsom, New Zealand. ... This article is about the English county. ... Ariane 5 lifts off with the Rosetta probe on 2nd of March, 2004. ... Art modeling involves the posing of a model to as an aid in creating a work of art. ... Standard Lenna image famously used in many image processing experiments, taken from the (non-revealing) top third of a November 1972 Playboy centerfold. ...

Attention was paid to scientific plausibility, with the science fiction luminary Arthur C. Clarke acting as a science and plot adviser to the first strip. The stories were set mostly on planets of the solar system, which were presumed to have extraterrestrial life and alien inhabitants, as was common in science fiction of the era before the space probes of the 1960s proved that the most likely worlds were really lifeless. The first story, for example, begins with Dan Dare as pilot of the first successful flight to Venus. Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Arthur C. Clarke Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE (born 16 December 1917) is a British science-fiction author and inventor, most famous for his novel 2001: A Space Odyssey, and for collaborating with director Stanley Kubrick on the film of the same... This article is about the Solar System. ... Green people redirects here. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969. ... For other uses, see Venus (disambiguation). ...

The quality of the strip, along with its popularity, remained high throughout the 1950s. In the late fifties Eagle acquired a new editor who objected to the high cost of the studio system, and the conflict caused Frank Hampson to leave the strip in 1959, in the middle of a long plot arc that saw Dan searching an alien planet for his long-lost father. Production of the strip fell to Frank Bellamy, whose ultra-modern 3-dimensional style contrasted sharply with Hampson's, despite efforts to smooth the transition by alternating the two pages of the weekly strip between Bellamy and the team of Don Harley, Gerald Palmer and Keith Watson, and freelance artist Bruce Cornwell. However, Bellamy's work breathed life into the strip and is generally considered to be a high point in its history, at least artistically. Frank Bellamy (born 21 May 1917, died 5 July 1976) was a British comics artist, best known for his work on the Dan Dare strip, on which he replaced Frank Hampson. ...

Characters

Dan Dare was surrounded by a varying cast of characters, which initially consisted of:

• Dan Dare (full name Colonel Daniel McGregor Dare) was chief pilot of the Interplanet Space Fleet, stated as having been born in Manchester, England in the year 1967 and educated at Rossall School. Although not a super-hero, he would sometimes pull off exceptional feats of piloting, and often proved to be extraordinarily lucky. He excelled at hand-to-hand combat using jiu jitsu, but he would most often find non-violent solutions to his predicaments. He was bound by a strong sense of honour to the extent that he never lied, and would rather die than break his word.

This lean-faced character was immediately recognizeable by the outer tips of his eyebrows, which were always wavy. His uniform looked like a typical British Army type (Frank Hampson used his own World War II army uniform as a model), though of a much lighter green colour. In place of British rank insignia it had coloured stripes and circles on the shoulderboards. His cap badge was a vertical, antique rocketship in a circle with one five-pointed star on either side. Initially, Dare was to be portrayed as a chaplain as opposed to an adventurer. For other uses, see Colonel (disambiguation). ... This article is about the City of Manchester in England. ... Rossall School is a British, co-educational, independent, day and boarding school in between Cleveleys and Fleetwood, Lancashire. ... Jujutsu (also jujitsu, ju jitsu, ju jutsu, or jiu jitsu; from the Japanese 柔術 jūjutsu gentle/yielding/compliant Art) is a Japanese martial art. ... Categories: Anatomy stubs | Human appearance ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... ... A chaplain in the 45th Infantry Division leads a Christmas Day service in Italy, 1943. ...

• Digby (Albert Fitzwilliam Digby) was Dan's Wigan-born batman. Rotund and sometimes bumbling, he provided much of the comic relief. He was a fiercely loyal sidekick, and the only character apart from Dan to appear in every story. His favourite recreation was sleeping and he was very fond of good traditional English food.His nearest relative was his Aunt Anastasia, after whom Dan named his spaceship.
• Sir Hubert Guest, Controller of the Space Fleet, would send Dan on missions, and occasionally accompany him. He was a veteran space pilot, having been on the first mission to the Moon and led the first mission to Mars.
• Professor Peabody (Prof. Jocelyn Mabel Peabody), the only major female character, was the brains behind many of the team's most inventive plans.
• Hank Hogan and Pierre Lafayette, stereotypically American and French respectively, were two of the Fleet's best space pilots and formed an inseparable double-act. Pierre was primarily a pilot; Hank would more often act as a mechanic.
• Sondar was a Treen, a reptilian inhabitant of northern Venus. Originally a servant of the Mekon, he reformed after Dan spared his life during a traumatic episode that also caused his first experience of strong emotion (which the Treens suppressed). He became governor of northern Venus when the planet was placed under UN rule at the end of the first story, but would nevertheless join Dan on some later adventures. He was also a talented spacecraft designer, and designed Dan's personal spaceship, the Anastasia, named after Digby's aunt.
• The Mekon, super-intelligent ruler of the Treens, was Dan Dare's arch-enemy. He would escape at the end of each story to return in a later one with an even more inventive scheme for the conquest of the Earth.
• 'Flamer' Spry, freckle-faced student at 'Astral' space academy, who accompanies Dan Dare on many of his later missions.
• Lex O'Malley, bearded Irish submarine commander, who accompanies Dan Dare on several later missions.

, Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. ... A batman is a soldier assigned to a commissioned officer as a personal servant. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into The Mekon. ... (*min temperature refers to cloud tops only) Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 9. ... The Mekon was the arch-enemy of the British comic book hero Dan Dare, first appearing in 1950 in the Eagle comic. ... UN and U.N. redirect here. ... The Mekon was the arch-enemy of the British comic book hero Dan Dare, first appearing in 1950 in the Eagle comic. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into The Mekon. ... For other uses, see Submarine (disambiguation). ...

Vehicles

Spacecraft of various designs were presented in the series as the product of the inhabitants of the various planets. The vehicle most identified with Dan was the winged Anastasia, named after Digby's aunt who appeared in the first story. It employed technology stated as coming from various planets. The Space Shuttle Discovery as seen from the International Space Station. ...

Later, a completely alien ship was adopted and re-named the Zyl-bat, and there was also an experimental time-travelling ship called Tempus Frangit (Latin: it breaks time or time breaks). For other uses, see Latin (disambiguation). ...

There were land and air vehicles in the series as well – in the first stories, the cars conform to the styling conventions of the time, while some flying machines were based on the design of helicopters of the mid-twentieth century. Also of note was Lex O'Malley's ship, the Poseidon, a versatile craft that could operate as a jetfoil as well as a submarine. For other uses, see Helicopter (disambiguation). ... The Jetfoil Toppi is a ferry which connects Yakushima, Tanegashima Island and Kagoshima port in Japan A hydrofoil is a boat with wing-like foils mounted on struts below the hull. ...

London Transport utilised overhead monorails and helibuses in the early stories.Some interesting ground transport cars were also drawn utilising gyroscopes and single wheels. The London Transport Executive (LTE), commonly known as London Transport, was the organisation responsible for public transport in London, United Kingdom and its environs from 1948-1963. ... The KL Monorail in Kuala Lumpur, a colorful straddle-beam monorail A monorail is a single rail serving as a track for a wheeled vehicle; also, a vehicle traveling on such a track. ... A gyroscope is a device which demonstrates the principle of conservation of angular momentum, in physics. ...

Spaceports

There is evidence that the Spacefleet spaceport in Earth seen in the stories is west of Formby in Lancashire on a semicircle of land built out into the Irish Sea by landfill. , Formby is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. ... Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea. ... Relief map of the Irish Sea. ... Look up landfill in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Spacesuits

Spacefleet spacesuits had a corselet plate rather like on Siebe Gorman standard diving suits. Their suit had no life-support backpack; the life-support gear was packed (impractically) between two layers of the helmet. Siebe Gorman Ltd was a British company which developed diving equipment and breathing equipment and worked on commercial diving and underwater salvage projects. ... A standard diving dress consists of a copper, brass or bronze diving helmet, an umbilical cord leading to a surface supplied diving air pump, a canvas diving suit and lead boots. ... Life support, in the medical field, refers to a set of therapies for preserving a patients life when essential body systems are not functioning sufficiently to sustain life unaided. ...

All or most Dan Dare comic pictures were drawn from models or posed humans. As a result, the Spacefleet spacesuits in space hang in folds like the boilersuit which the people posing for the artists wore to represent spacesuits, and show no sign of gas pressure inside the spacesuit. Apollo 15 space suit A spacesuit is a complex system of garments, equipment, and environmental systems designed to keep a person alive and comfortable in the harsh environment of outer space. ... The word overall is also an adjective meaning above everything. Overalls are usually used as protective clothing when working, but they have sometimes been items of fashion. ...

After the first Venus war, Spacefleet spacesuits had propulsor backpacks copied from a Treen or Theron design. The Therons are fictional aliens, usually golden-brown-skinned, who lived on the south hemisphere of the planet Venus in the Dan Dare stories. ...

Some other spacesuits such as Blasco's spacesuits have life-support backpacks.

Radio Luxembourg serial

This ad for the Dan Dare pilot of the future serial appeared in the 208 magazine in March 1952

In addition to appearing in a comic strip, Dan Dare Pilot of the future also aired five times a week on Radio Luxembourg for five years from July 2 1951. Dan Dare voice was that of Noel Johnson who also played the part of Dick Barton on BBC radio. The fifteen minute show was sponsored by Horlicks and on March 3, 1952, the 106th episode of Dan Dare was heard that Monday night with different episodes on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 7:15 PM. Image File history File links Dandare. ... Image File history File links Dandare. ... Radio Luxembourg is a commercial radio station that has broadcast in many languages in conjunction with a television service operated from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. ... Radio Luxembourg is a commercial radio station that has broadcast in many languages in conjunction with a television service operated from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. ... ÊŽNoel Johnson was born on 27 December 1916 in Birmingham, England and died on 1 October 1999 and was the radio voice of Dick Barton special agent on BBC radio and Dan Dare pilot of the future over Radio Luxembourg. ... Dick Barton - Special Agent was a popular radio program on the BBC Light Programme from 1946 to 1951. ... Horlicks malt powder in jars from India (left) and Jamaica. ... Year 1952 (MCMLII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The 1960s

In 1960 the artwork was taken over by Frank Bellamy, Don Harley, Keith Watson, Gerald Palmer, with Bruce Cornwell, and the look of the strip was changed significantly, with the colourful, rounded rocket ships replaced by angular silver craft, and changes to the space suits and insignia. The changes were never wholeheartedly taken up, however, and the look was erratic from then on. In 1962 the strip was removed from the front page to the inside of the comic, in black and white, and was drawn by Keith Watson. Over the remaining years the strip varied in format and quality, eventually returning to the front page in colour, until it was brought to a conclusion in 1967 with Dan retiring as a pilot and becoming Space Fleet controller. Strips from the 1950s were reprinted until 1969, when Eagle merged with the magazine Lion. For a while afterwards the reprints continued in black and white in Lion. Frank Bellamy (born 21 May 1917, died 5 July 1976) was a British comics artist, best known for his work on the Dan Dare strip, on which he replaced Frank Hampson. ... Public launch of the Dominion League at His Majestys Theatre, Perth on July 30, 1930 Sir H.K. Keith Watson (Henry Keith) (1900 - January 13, 1973) was a Western Australian politician who was the driving force behind the 1930s secession movement in the State. ... Gerald Marley Palmer was a British car designer born in 1911 and died in 1999. ... Keith Watson (died 1994) was a British comics artist most famous for his work on Dan Dare and TV Century 21. ... Robot Archie featured on the cover of Lion. ...

The Pink Floyd song "Astronomy Domine", from the 1967 album "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" references Dan Dare. Pink Floyd are an English rock band that initially earned recognition for their psychedelic rock music, and, as they evolved, for their progressive rock music. ... Astronomy Domine is a song by British Psychedelic rock band Pink Floyd. ... Year 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the 1967 Gregorian calendar. ... The Piper at the Gates of Dawn is Pink Floyds debut album and the only one made under Syd Barretts leadership, although he made some contributions to the follow-up, A Saucerful of Secrets. ...

The 1970s

In 1977, Dan Dare appeared once again in the first issue of 2000 AD The first story had the character revived from suspended animation after two hundred years to find himself in a totally different world. The Mekon had also survived to return as Dan's arch-enemy in the second story, but otherwise the supporting cast was entirely different, as was the tone of the strip (heavily influenced by the punk movement, as was much of 2000 AD) and the personality of the title character. The strip was initially illustrated by Massimo Belardinelli, whose version of Dare owed nothing to the original apart from the trademark wavy eyebrows. After a brief run, the series was dropped, but returned later, this time drawn in a more realistic style by Dave Gibbons. In the latter series Dare was launched on a deep space mission in the style of Star Trek. In a series of adventures, Dare encountered a series of planets in need of aid, and eventually united them in opposition to the evil race who controlled that part of space. The strip was again dropped, with the final episode showing the demise of Dare's ship, with a space-suited Dare drifting in space. Also: 1977 (album) by Ash. ... Cover of the first issue of 2000 AD, 26 February 1977. ... Punks at a music festival The punk subculture is a subculture that is based around punk rock music. ... A panel from the strip Ace Trucking (Wagner/Grant/Belardinelli). ... Dave Gibbons (born April 14, 1949) is a British writer and artist of comics. ... The starship Enterprise as it appeared on Star Trek Star Trek is a culturally significant science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry in the 1960s. ...

In 1975, Elton John released the album Rock of the Westies, which included a song called "Dan Dare (Pilot of the Future)". In it, Elton - or rather his lyricist laments that he won't be joining Dan on his rocket, but also reveals that he secretly prefers The Mekon to Dan. Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sir Elton Hercules[1] John CBE[2] (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947) is a five-time Grammy and one-time Academy Award-winning English pop/rock singer, composer and pianist. ... Rock of the Westies is the tenth album by British singer/songwriter Elton John, released in 1975 (see 1975 in music). ...

In 1979, David Bowie referenced Dan Dare in his song DJ (song). Also: 1979 by Smashing Pumpkins. ... David Bowie (IPA: []) (born David Robert Jones on 1947 January 8) is an English singer, songwriter, actor, multi-instrumentalist, producer, arranger and audio engineer. ... ”DJ” was a single by David Bowie. ...

The 1980s

After a hiatus, Dare returned to the pages of 2000AD in a story also featuring the return of an aging Mekon, who framed Dare for murder. This re-imagining of Dare casts him almost in the role of a superhero. Dare escapes to a planet that is home to an amphibian-like race, where they claim that he is their "Chosen One". He receives a semi-mystical glove that can shoot energy beams. It proved popular for a couple of years, until it faded from view and was dropped by 2000 AD in 1981 with Dare still seeking a reprieve. This storyline has never been resolved.

In 1982 Eagle was re-launched, with Dan Dare once again its flagship strip. The new character was the great-great-great-grandson of the original, and again the only surviving original character was the Mekon. The initial artist was Gerry Embleton, who drew the new Dan to resemble the original exactly, however he was quickly replaced by Ian Kennedy, who re-designed the hero to have a younger look and blond hair. Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ...

As with the original Eagle, the opening Dan Dare story was an epic, lasting for approximately 18 months, written by Pat Mills and John Wagner. It opened with a flashback to the previously unseen final defeat of the Mekon by the original Dan, after which he was sealed inside an artificial asteroid and exiled into space. Centuries later he was accidentally freed and returned to conquer Earth. A few years later the new Dan returned from a deep space mission to find Earth under Treen rule and set out to free the planet. His new supporting cast included Lt Helen Scott, a leader of the Earth Resistance, and Valdon, a renegade Treen somewhat similar to the earlier Sondar. One controversial part of this storyline was a lengthy flashback which retconned the original Dan to be a veteran of World War II and to have travelled through time to the era in which his adventures in the original Eagle took place - this was presumably an attempt to explain why a hero in the age of space travel had a 1950s outlook on life. Pat Mills, nicknamed the godfather of British comics, is a comics writer and editor who, along with John Wagner, revitalised British boys comics in the 1970s, and has remained a leading light in British comics ever since. ... John Wagner is a comics writer who has also written under the pseudonyms John Howard, T.B. Grover, Mike Stott, Keef Ripley, Rick Clark and Brian Skuter, among others. ... In literature, film, television and other media, a flashback (also called analepsis) is an interjected scene that takes the narrative back in time from the current point the story has reached. ... For other uses, see Asteroid (disambiguation). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

After this initial storyline other writers were used and different supporting characters came and went, including Professor Pinkerton, a female scientist somewhat similar to the earlier Professor Peabody, and a new Digby (again, a descendant of the original). The Mekon was generally the foe in alternate stories.

In 1987 the strip received a makeover and became more like a space opera, with increasing levels of violence. Now drawn by John Gillatt, Dan took on more of a "tough guy" look. He led a team of "space commandos" and packed a hi-tech gun reminiscent of that carried by Judge Dredd. Classic pulp space opera cover, with the usual cliché elements. ... For other uses, see Violence (disambiguation). ... For the 1995 film, see Judge Dredd (film). ...

Screenshot from the Spectrum version of Dan Dare: Pilot Of The Future.

During the 1980s Dan Dare also starred in a series of three computer games for the Commodore 64/128, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and Atari computers. The first of these was a different game on each system; the second and third were shoot-'em-ups. All three games were based on the look of the 1950s strip rather than the contemporary comics. Image File history File links Dan_Dare_game. ... Image File history File links Dan_Dare_game. ... C-64 redirects here. ... The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd. ... The Amstrad CPC was a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad during the 1980s and early 1990s. ... This article is about the corporate game company. ...

• Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future (1986, Electronic Arts, re-released by Ricochet)
• Dan Dare II: The Mekon's Revenge (1988, Virgin Games, re-released by Ricochet)
• Dan Dare III: The Escape (1990, Virgin Games)

The 1990s

In 1989, Dan Dare was re-launched in a deliberate return to the original character, with the first story drawn by Keith Watson and later ones by a variety of other artists. The strip initially kept to the look of the original, but was once again updated in 1990. It ran until the last issue of Eagle'[now a monthly publication]' in January 1994. Keith Watson (died 1994) was a British comics artist most famous for his work on Dan Dare and TV Century 21. ...

In 1990, a strip titled Dare, written by Grant Morrison and drawn by Rian Hughes was serialized in the comic magazine Revolver. It presented a very bleak and cynical re-imagining of the characters, and was a not-too-subtle satire of 1980s British politics. Spacefleet had been privatised, the Treens were subjected to racist abuse in urban ghettos, Digby was unemployed as a consequence, Professor Peabody had been murdered and was pregnant, and Dare's mentor Sir Hubert Guest betrayed Dare to the Mekon and his quisling British Prime Minister, Gloria Munday (whose appearance and demeanour appear modelled on Margaret Thatcher.) Ultimately, Dare destroys London, the Mekon and himself through use of a smuggled nuclear weapon. Grant Morrison (born January 31, 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer and artist. ... Example of Rian Hughes art. ... Revolver, Cover: Issue 2, August 1990, Illustrating Rogan Gosh, 2000 AD Production, Revolver © Fleetway Publications 1990 - Scan. ... The United Kingdom is a unitary state and a democratic constitutional monarchy. ... The Mekon was the arch-enemy of the British comic book hero Dan Dare, first appearing in 1950 in the Eagle comic. ... Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, PC, FRS (née Roberts; born 13 October 1925) served as British Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990 and leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 until 1990, being the first and only woman to hold either post. ...

From 19 April - 10 May 1990, BBC Radio 4 aired a four-part adaptation of Voyage to Venus, dramatised by Nick McCarty and directed by Glyn Dearman. The cast included: Mick Ford (Col. Dan Dare), Donald Gee (Digby), Richard Pearce (the Mekon), Terence Alexander (Sir Hubert Guest), Zelah Clarke (Prof. Peabody), William Roberts (Hank Hogan), Sean Barrett (Pierre Lafayette), John Moffatt (Kalon), Shirley Dixon (Mrs. Digby), Ben Onwukwe (Volstar), David Goudge (Sondar), Margaret Courtenay (Aunt Anastasia), Brian Miller (Urtag), David King (Dapon)

In 1996, a prospective new newspaper entitled The Planet published its first and only issue. Inside was the first part of a new (and unfinished) Dan Dare story, entitled "Remembrance", drawn by Sydney Jordan featuring a slightly older Dan Dare, and apparently set some years after the original Eagle strips. Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ...

In 1997, to celebrate their 20th anniversary, the comic 2000 AD published two issues with additional free comics, the first one being a reprint of the very first issue of 2000 AD, which starred Dan Dare. The second free comic was a speculative issue called 3000 AD which contained strips partially based on the very first issue of 2000 AD. One of the strips was entitled "The Return of Dan Dare", which also featured the return of the Mekon (unlike the first issue of 2000 AD from 20 years earlier). Cover of the first issue of 2000 AD, 26 February 1977. ...

The 2000s

In 2002, Dan Dare became a computer-generated TV series produced first by Netter Digital then by Foundation Imaging, running to 26 22-minute episodes. The series drew on several of the different comic book incarnations. It premeried on Nicktoons UK on 5 November 2005 at 6.30pm. (Two abortive attempts had been made to make a live-action series, in 1981 and 1991.) Also see: 2002 (number). ... This article is about process of creating 3D computer graphics. ... Netter Digital was a CGI Special Effects company created by Douglas Netter in 1997. ... Foundation Imaging was a pioneering CGI Special Effects Studio in the early 1990s. ... For Nick Toons in United States, see NickToons Network. ... is the 309th day of the year (310th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 2003, Dan Dare reappeared in a brand new adventure called The Phoenix Mission, in a new magazine called Spaceship Away. Initial work on the strip was done by Keith Watson, but after his death it was taken over by Don Harley. The strip is a deliberate imitation of the 1950s strips, even to the point of drawing each page is if it was the front page of the 1950s Eagle. Keith Watson (died 1994) was a British comics artist most famous for his work on Dan Dare and TV Century 21. ...

Although the Spacefleet uniform is the old one, its cap badge was changed for this presentation. The old rocket was replaced by the sideways-flying eagle logo of the defunct magazine. It is not of a design used in the US armed services or any other country.

In 2007 it was announced that Virgin Comics will be publishing a new Dan Dare comic written by Garth Ennis, with art by Gary Erskine.^[1] In addition to publishing rights Virgin also acquired the film, television and video game rights. Virgin's Richard Branson is a long-time fan of the character.^[2] Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Devi Snakewoman The Sadhu Ramayana Reborn Seven Brothers End of Story Five upcoming titles Promotional poster Virgin Comics LLC is a comic book company, which produces Indian-related comics for an international audience. ... Garth Ennis (born January 16, 1970 in Holywood, Northern Ireland) is a Northern Irish comics writer, best known for the DC/Vertigo series Preacher, co-created with artist Steve Dillon. ... Gary Erskine is a British comic book artist based in Glasgow, Scotland. ... Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson (born 18 July 1950) is an English entrepreneur, best known for his Virgin brand of over 360 companies. ...

Characters inspired by Dan Dare

Characters inspired by or based on Dan Dare have appeared throughout British popular culture. One example is the character of Wing Commander Leyton in the novel British Summertime by Paul Cornell, which juxtaposes the utopian future portrayed in the original Dan Dare comics with the mundane Britain of today. The Doctor Who New Adventures novel The Dying Days by Lance Parkin features a British astronaut named Alexander Christian, named after an earlier, unpublished version of the character. This article is about the British writer. ... This article is about the television series. ... The Virgin New Adventures (often referred to simply as NAs within fandom) were a series of novels from Virgin Publishing based on the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who, which had been cancelled in 1989, continuing the story of the series from where the television programme had left off. ... The Dying Days is an original novel written by Lance Parkin and based on the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. ... Lance Parkin is a British author, best known for writing fiction and reference books for television series, in particular Doctor Who (and spin-offs including the Virgin New Adventures and Faction Paradox) and Emmerdale. ...

In 1971, British comedian Kenny Everett satired Dan Dare with his own space hero, Captain Kremmen. Everett himself was a fan of Dan Dare in his childhood and made several references to this in his own science-fiction stories. Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar, known as the year of cyclohexanol. ... Kenny Everett (born Maurice Cole in Crosby, Merseyside, 25 December 1944, died 4 April 1995), was a popular English radio DJ and television entertainer. ... The cartoon-version of Captain Kremmen showing Captain Kremmen and Carla Captain Kremmen was a science fiction radio serial written and performed for Capital Radio by the DJ Kenny Everett. ...

In the 1980s, the satirical magazine Private Eye published a strip called Dan Dire, Pilot of Future?. Dire was based on politician Neil Kinnock, the question being whether he'd ever become Prime Minister. Dire's enemy was the Maggon, a combination of the Mekon and Margaret Thatcher. Private eye may mean: Look up Private eye on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Private Eye a fortnightly British satirical magazine-newspaper, edited by Ian Hislop (as of 2005) A private investigator, a private detective for hire (see also crime fiction and detective fiction) Private Eye, a song by Alkaline Trio... Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock, PC (born 28 March 1942) is a British politician. ... The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is, in practice, the political leader of the United Kingdom. ... The Mekon was the arch-enemy of the British comic book hero Dan Dare, first appearing in 1950 in the Eagle comic. ... Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, PC, FRS (née Roberts; born 13 October 1925) served as British Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990 and leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 until 1990, being the first and only woman to hold either post. ...

In the early 1990s, the British satirical TV show Spitting Image ran a series of sketches called "Dan Quayle, Pillock of the Future?", poking fun at the then-US Vice-President. 1867 edition of Punch, a ground-breaking British magazine of popular humour, including a good deal of satire of the contemporary social and political scene. ... Spitting Image was a satirical puppet show that ran on the United Kingdoms ITV television network from 1984 to 1996. ... James Danforth Dan Quayle (born February 4, 1947) was the forty-fourth Vice President of the United States under George H. W. Bush (1989–1993). ...

In the late 1990s, following the Labour Party's ascent to power, the Saturday edition of The Times printed a strip by political cartoonist Peter Brookes called "Dan Blair; Pilot for the Foreseeable Future", with the major characters represented by noted political figures. This weekly strip ran from September 1997 until January 1999. The Labour Party is a political party in the United Kingdom. ... The Times is a national newspaper published daily in the United Kingdom (and the Kingdom of Great Britain before the United Kingdom existed) since 1788 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register. ...

In the Hugo award winning series of books by Lois McMaster Bujold about a young noble Miles Vorkosigan his home district mountains are named Dendarii, so are his mercenary troops with whom he spent some years.^{[citation needed]} Lois McMaster Bujold (November 2, 1949, Columbus, Ohio) is an American author of science fiction and fantasy works. ...

In his Afterword to Ministry of Space, Warren Ellis lists Dan Dare as one of the inspirations for the story, in which Britain forges an ambitious space program in the decades following World War Two. Sir John Dashwood, the central character of Ministry of Space, may be seen as a cynical version of Dan Dare himself. Ministry of Space cover Ministry of Space is a three-part alternate history graphic novel written by Warren Ellis, originally published in three issues by Image Comics. ... This article is about the comic book author. ...

Captain Jack Harkness, the Doctor Who and Torchwood character, has several similarities to Dan Dare. The script for the episode The Empty Child in which Captain Jack makes his first appearance describes him as having "the jawline of Dan Dare, the smile of a bastard".^[3] Captain Jack may refer to : Captain Jack (Native American) (c. ... This article is about the television series. ... For plants known as torchwood, see Burseraceae. ... The Empty Child is an episode in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast on May 21, 2005. ...

New Dan Dare British series from Virgin Comics

Cool new Dan Dare British series from Virgin Comics with issue #1 released in late 2007, written by Garth Ennis and art by Gary Erskine

Reprints

Most of the 50s and 60s strips were reprinted by Hawk Books between 1987 and 1995.

• 1) Pilot of the Future
• 2) The Red Moon Mystery and Marooned on Mercury
• 3) Operation Saturn
• 4) Prisoners of Space
• 5) The Man from Nowhere
• 6) Rogue Planet
• 7) Reign of the Robots
• 8) The Phantom Fleet
• 9) Terra Nova trilogy
• 10) Project Nimbus
• 11) Solid Space Mystery
• 12) The Final Volume

Stories left out were :

• Operation Earthsavers (v13, 10-23)
• The Evil One (v13, 24-32)
• Operation Fireball (v13, 33-42)
• The Web of Fear (v13, 43-52)
• Operation Dark Star (v14, 1-9)
• Operation Time Trap (v14, 10-38)
• The Wandering World (v14, 39 - v15, 13)
• The Big City Caper (v15, 14-22)
• The Singing Scourge (v16, 30 - v17, 6)
• Give me the Moon (v17, 7-26)

In 2004, Titan Books began collecting the series from the beginning of the Hampson run in dust-jacketed hardback editions. Collected thus far: Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Titan Books is a UK publisher of graphic novels. ...

• Voyage to Venus (Parts 1 & 2)
• The Red Moon Mystery
• Marooned on Mercury
• Operation Saturn (Parts 1 & 2)
• Prisoners of Space
• The Man From Nowhere

The Man From Nowhere begins a three-part story arc, which is continued in Rogue Planet (scheduled to be released in November 2007) and the as-yet-unreleased Reign of the Robots.

See also

• List of Dan Dare stories
• Radio Luxembourg- Dan Dare was a feature heard several times a week on 208 during the 1950s.

The list of Dan Dare stories details appearances of the character Dan Dare, created by Frank Hampson. ... Radio Luxembourg is a commercial radio station that has broadcast in many languages in conjunction with a television service operated from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. ...

References

Variety is a daily newspaper for the entertainment industry. ...

External links

• An Introduction to Dan Dare
• The Interactive Home of Dan Dare
• Meet Dan Dare and The Mekon
• The Eagle and Dan Dare
• Dan Dare Around the World
• Category at ODP
• Titan Books Dan Dare category
• Dan Dare From Virgin Comics by Garth Ennis