Dan Dare Pilot of the Future: Voyage to Venus Part 1

Dan Dare #1

by Frank Hampson, Dave Gibbons (Introduction), Nick Jones (Contributor)

t’s chocks away and tally-ho, chaps — Dan Dare, Pilot of the Future, is back! First published in classic British comic The Eagle, these are the original adventures of one of the best known and loved of British comic characters, presented in a new series of gorgeous library editions from Titan. In the first part of this story, Dan and his crew travel to Venus, hoping to find new resources to feed a starving Earth. But the planet is already the lair of the pint-sized megalomaniac, The Mekon, who has his own plans to conquer Earth! Includes background material exclusive to this book, with rarely seen art pages, an in-depth introduction to Dan Dare, and a foreword by Dave Gibbons (Watchmen)

Genres: Comics, Science Fiction, Graphic Novels, Adventure, Fiction

96 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2004

Reviews

[Paul Magnussen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dan Dare, Dan Dare. Can he and his faithful sidekick Digby save the Earth from invasion? Can they defeat the evil Mekon and his Treens, armed with nothing but a stiff upper lip and a good ol’ British uppercut to the jaw?

Of course they can, who are you kidding?

Seriously though and all kidding aside, I was marginally too young to read the Eagle from the very beginning, coming in somewhere just before Operation Saturn. For years, having missed the start of the series was like a toothache; and in the 1980s I even went to the British Library and tried to find the original comics. I was told they’d been stolen! The young librarian (who couldn’t even have been born when they appeared) was as indignant as I was: “They’re part of our heritage!” he said.

And so they are indeed. When I found that Titan Books were reissuing the whole series and got my hands on the first (this) one, I almost sobbed with joy.

Time dulls the appeal of many things: I listen now to songs I raved about as a teenager and think “Did I really like that?”

But Dan Dare remains as fresh as ever. Only now as an adult can I appreciate the extent of the intelligence and creativity, both literary and artistic, that went into the stories. Indeed, the Mekon is one of those wonderful characters, like Gollum, whom no one ever forgets.

So unless (like St Paul) you have put away all childish things, I cannot recommend this series to you too heartily: may it give you as much pleasure as it has me.

The first (and best) few are:

Voyage to Venus (Part 1)
Voyage to Venus (Part 2)
The Red Moon Mystery
Marooned on Mercury
Operation Saturn (Part 1)
Operation Saturn (Part 2)
Prisoners of Space
The Man From Nowhere
The Rogue Planet
The Reign of the Robots
The Phantom Fleet
Safari in Space
Trip to Trouble

[Les Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some people may criticises this book, but clearly never experience the joy that Dan Dare gave us youngsters after the war. An enjoyable read and escape from the things we had gone through. Remember when you read this book that people did not possess mobile phones and laptops, and many of us did not possess a tv. Which would also be criticised as they never sat in front of 12 inches of black and white and keep moving an a piece of aerial wire around to get a signal.

[Allison Tebo · Rating 5 out of 5]

My brother finally talked me into reading this series (actually its more like watching a movie, the illustrations are so lavish and sweep you along so quickly).

He's still telling me that I should listen to him from now on.

I admit it - I was missing out for years. These books are awesome.

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007...

Description: Dashing test pilot, Dan Dare, is selected to fly the Anastasia - a new experimental spacecraft using alien technology - on its maiden voyage to Venus. The mission is to make first contact with the mysterious civilisation that sent the technological secrets to Earth...

Adventures based on the Eagle comic strip 'Dan Dare' created in 1950 by the Reverend Marcus Morris and Frank Hampson.

Starring Ed Stoppard as Dan Dare, Geoff McGivern as Digby, Heida Reed as Professor Peabody, Raad Rawi as the Mekon, Bijan Daneshmand as Sondar, Amber Aga as Treen General, David O'Mahony as the Flight Engineer, Kelly Burke as Flight Control, and Dianne Weller as the On-board Computer.

[Charles Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A throwback to radio Sci-fi of yesteryear, Dan Dare: Voyage to Venus is a genuinely fun romp, nostalgic to the core.

[Bernard Convert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pas encore au top, ni au dessin, ni au scénario. De belles images de l'an 2000 vu depuis 1950. L'intoduction de Dave Gibbons est excellente : Eagle, oasis de couleurs dans le désert gris de l'Angleterre des années d'après-guerre.

[Peter Monck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading these again, it this time in the right order. I love to see how writers and artists of the 1950's envisaged the future and space travel. The role of women is pretty much as you might imagine to be given the age of these stories. Fascinating, though, and a good read/view. Don't forget that '2001: A Space Odyssey' might also be accused of missing no the mark, as it were, but is still regarded as a classic.

[Erik · Rating 2 out of 5]

The colors are great but I wasn’t a fan of the costume and ship designs. Cheesy dialogue and standard plotting make this just an average sci-fi strip.