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Dan Dare
Groundbreaking comics writer Garth Ennis brings the classic Dan Dare back to life in a bold, new series Dan Dare was once a hero. He brokered peace with alien races, pushed the frontiers of space, and saved the planet from total annihilation... repeatedly. But now, his Space Fleet has disbanded, the United Nations has crumbled, his friends scattered to the solar winds. Britain is once again the world power, but Dare, disillusioned and disappointed in his once-precious home country, has quietly retired. But there's troubling mustering in Deep Space. The H.M.S Achilles is picking up strange signals when, suddenly, an enormous fleet of hostile ships ambushes the destroyer. As the crew struggles to stay alive, they realize with horror that the hostiles have brought a weapon of unimaginable power. Dan Dare, pilot of the future, has been called out of retirement Virgin Comics is compiling the first three issues of the landmark Dan Dare, written by Garth Ennis, into a Special Hardcover Edition.
80 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
35 people want to read
About the author
Garth Ennis
2,632 books3,190 followersEnnis began his comic-writing career in 1989 with the series Troubled Souls. Appearing in the short-lived but critically-acclaimed British anthology Crisis and illustrated by McCrea, it told the story of a young, apolitical Protestant man caught up by fate in the violence of the Irish 'Troubles'. It spawned a sequel, For a Few Troubles More, a broad Belfast-based comedy featuring two supporting characters from Troubled Souls, Dougie and Ivor, who would later get their own American comics series, Dicks, from Caliber in 1997, and several follow-ups from Avatar.
Another series for Crisis was True Faith, a religious satire inspired by his schooldays, this time drawn by Warren Pleece. Ennis shortly after began to write for Crisis' parent publication, 2000 AD. He quickly graduated on to the title's flagship character, Judge Dredd, taking over from original creator John Wagner for a period of several years.
Ennis' first work on an American comic came in 1991 when he took over DC Comics's horror title Hellblazer, which he wrote until 1994, and for which he currently holds the title for most issues written. Steve Dillon became the regular artist during the second half of Ennis's run.
Ennis' landmark work to date is the 66-issue epic Preacher, which he co-created with artist Steve Dillon. Running from 1995 to 2000, it was a tale of a preacher with supernatural powers, searching (literally) for God who has abandoned his creation.
While Preacher was running, Ennis began a series set in the DC universe called Hitman. Despite being lower profile than Preacher, Hitman ran for 60 issues (plus specials) from 1996 to 2001, veering wildly from violent action to humour to an examination of male friendship under fire.
Other comic projects Ennis wrote during this time period include Goddess, Bloody Mary, Unknown Soldier, and Pride & Joy, all for DC/Vertigo, as well as origin stories for The Darkness for Image Comics and Shadowman for Valiant Comics.
After the end of Hitman, Ennis was lured to Marvel Comics with the promise from Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada that he could write The Punisher as long as he cared to. Instead of largely comical tone of these issues, he decided to make a much more serious series, re-launched under Marvel's MAX imprint.
In 2001 he briefly returned to UK comics to write the epic Helter Skelter for Judge Dredd.
Other comics Ennis has written include War Story (with various artists) for DC; The Pro for Image Comics; The Authority for Wildstorm; Just a Pilgrim for Black Bull Press, and 303, Chronicles of Wormwood (a six issue mini-series about the Antichrist), and a western comic book, Streets of Glory for Avatar Press.
In 2008 Ennis ended his five-year run on Punisher MAX to debut a new Marvel title, War Is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle.
In June 2008, at Wizard World, Philadelphia, Ennis announced several new projects, including a metaseries of war comics called Battlefields from Dynamite made up of mini-series including Night Witches, Dear Billy and Tankies, another Chronicles of Wormwood mini-series and Crossed both at Avatar, a six-issue miniseries about Butcher (from The Boys) and a Punisher project reuniting him with artist Steve Dillon (subsequently specified to be a weekly mini-series entitled Punisher: War Zone, to be released concurrently with the film of the same name).
Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garth_Ennis
Another series for Crisis was True Faith, a religious satire inspired by his schooldays, this time drawn by Warren Pleece. Ennis shortly after began to write for Crisis' parent publication, 2000 AD. He quickly graduated on to the title's flagship character, Judge Dredd, taking over from original creator John Wagner for a period of several years.
Ennis' first work on an American comic came in 1991 when he took over DC Comics's horror title Hellblazer, which he wrote until 1994, and for which he currently holds the title for most issues written. Steve Dillon became the regular artist during the second half of Ennis's run.
Ennis' landmark work to date is the 66-issue epic Preacher, which he co-created with artist Steve Dillon. Running from 1995 to 2000, it was a tale of a preacher with supernatural powers, searching (literally) for God who has abandoned his creation.
While Preacher was running, Ennis began a series set in the DC universe called Hitman. Despite being lower profile than Preacher, Hitman ran for 60 issues (plus specials) from 1996 to 2001, veering wildly from violent action to humour to an examination of male friendship under fire.
Other comic projects Ennis wrote during this time period include Goddess, Bloody Mary, Unknown Soldier, and Pride & Joy, all for DC/Vertigo, as well as origin stories for The Darkness for Image Comics and Shadowman for Valiant Comics.
After the end of Hitman, Ennis was lured to Marvel Comics with the promise from Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada that he could write The Punisher as long as he cared to. Instead of largely comical tone of these issues, he decided to make a much more serious series, re-launched under Marvel's MAX imprint.
In 2001 he briefly returned to UK comics to write the epic Helter Skelter for Judge Dredd.
Other comics Ennis has written include War Story (with various artists) for DC; The Pro for Image Comics; The Authority for Wildstorm; Just a Pilgrim for Black Bull Press, and 303, Chronicles of Wormwood (a six issue mini-series about the Antichrist), and a western comic book, Streets of Glory for Avatar Press.
In 2008 Ennis ended his five-year run on Punisher MAX to debut a new Marvel title, War Is Hell: The First Flight of the Phantom Eagle.
In June 2008, at Wizard World, Philadelphia, Ennis announced several new projects, including a metaseries of war comics called Battlefields from Dynamite made up of mini-series including Night Witches, Dear Billy and Tankies, another Chronicles of Wormwood mini-series and Crossed both at Avatar, a six-issue miniseries about Butcher (from The Boys) and a Punisher project reuniting him with artist Steve Dillon (subsequently specified to be a weekly mini-series entitled Punisher: War Zone, to be released concurrently with the film of the same name).
Taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garth_Ennis
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 10, 2025
This didn't give me enough to bother seeking out the rest of the tale. Fine artwork, generic space opera. Dan Dare is pretty cool, a retro-British hero in a world where Britain has moved on. Some green aliens attack, there's a fun subplot where we find out the Prime Minister may not be a good person.
November 17, 2011
I bought this volume not because Dan Dare intrest me because Garth Ennis is my favourite comics writer and i have read so many good series by him.
The backpage blurb had Ennis qoute saying Dan Dare was THE hero in british comics. Having read the first 4 issues collected in this volum i thought it was fun stories, with serious subtext. Space adventure heroes have always fascinated me for some reason. Also interesting to read a idealistic, really heroic hero by Ennis. As he said in the introduction he is known for bleak characters who dont believe things can be better.
The backpage blurb had Ennis qoute saying Dan Dare was THE hero in british comics. Having read the first 4 issues collected in this volum i thought it was fun stories, with serious subtext. Space adventure heroes have always fascinated me for some reason. Also interesting to read a idealistic, really heroic hero by Ennis. As he said in the introduction he is known for bleak characters who dont believe things can be better.
September 23, 2012
For those of you who are not British I suspect the name Dan Dare means nothing at all (even for those who are British it won't mean much if you're under 30). I think the best comparison is with Flash Gordon. They are from a similar era and in many ways have similar feels to them, although Dare is unquestionably British in demeanor.
Like Flash Gordon, reimagining Dare for a modern more cynical audience has proved difficult despite multiple attempts. Here Garth Ennis, best known for violence and foul language in this like Preacher, shows his other side (he also writes some excellent war comics). Dare was a direct result of the impact of the war on creator Frank Hampson. That is the worldview that the comics embody.
So instead of trying to update that, Ennis leaves the characters largely alone and simply updates the world around them. Other people may be cynical and have lost hope, but not Dan Dare. He remains the pinnacle of an English (yes distinctly English more than British) hero.
Of course a modern view of Britain points out all the horrible things we did as an Empire (it's quite a list) and culturally we're not really into the flag waving in the way that American's are for example. But Ennis references some points in history when the people of Britain were engaged in something unquestionably heroic and largely selfless.
It's a moment in time that deserves to get more credit and attention than it does (usually swamped by US self-congratulatory movies) and it's something the country has a right to be proud of. Even if it is old-fashioned.
The story in the comic itself is simple enough. Involving the return of Dan Dare's nemesis The Mekon. The action plot deliberately echoes a number of recognisable British battles of the past but eventually places Dare face to face with his enemy in a battle to save the Earth.
I'm on record as thinking that "Grim 'n Gritty" has gone too far so perhaps this is something perfectly tailored to my tastes, but I really enjoyed both the story and the artwork (which also deliberately aped WWII Britain in a number of ways) even if I think that Erskine's faces looked a little frozen at times.
Like Flash Gordon, reimagining Dare for a modern more cynical audience has proved difficult despite multiple attempts. Here Garth Ennis, best known for violence and foul language in this like Preacher, shows his other side (he also writes some excellent war comics). Dare was a direct result of the impact of the war on creator Frank Hampson. That is the worldview that the comics embody.
So instead of trying to update that, Ennis leaves the characters largely alone and simply updates the world around them. Other people may be cynical and have lost hope, but not Dan Dare. He remains the pinnacle of an English (yes distinctly English more than British) hero.
Of course a modern view of Britain points out all the horrible things we did as an Empire (it's quite a list) and culturally we're not really into the flag waving in the way that American's are for example. But Ennis references some points in history when the people of Britain were engaged in something unquestionably heroic and largely selfless.
It's a moment in time that deserves to get more credit and attention than it does (usually swamped by US self-congratulatory movies) and it's something the country has a right to be proud of. Even if it is old-fashioned.
The story in the comic itself is simple enough. Involving the return of Dan Dare's nemesis The Mekon. The action plot deliberately echoes a number of recognisable British battles of the past but eventually places Dare face to face with his enemy in a battle to save the Earth.
I'm on record as thinking that "Grim 'n Gritty" has gone too far so perhaps this is something perfectly tailored to my tastes, but I really enjoyed both the story and the artwork (which also deliberately aped WWII Britain in a number of ways) even if I think that Erskine's faces looked a little frozen at times.
April 24, 2022
I've always been a big Garth Ennis fan, and I was really excited to see him do some hardcore sci-fi. However, I can't help feeling disappointed with Dan Dare. It's for want of a better word, dull. Gary Erskine's art isn't bad, its bright and some of the alien full page spreads are excellent, but the story isn't interesting and the characters are all too serious. Dan Dare to me screams pulp, you want larger than life, fun - This is more Starship Troopers (book not movie) than Flash Gordon and the strength of this volume hasn't made me eager to seek out the next instalment.
April 24, 2021
Dan Dare #1, by Garth Ennis, Gary Erskine (Illustrator)
UNDER AN ENGLISH HEAVEN
"It looks like they've brought a black hole with them." – Dan
.
Dan Dare #2, by Garth Ennis
IF YOU WERE AT WATERLOO
"Pull yourself together, man. You're supposed to be in charge around here."
.
Dan Dare #3, by Garth Ennis
THE WHITES OF THEIR EYES
"Wait a minute, this can't be right. If I obey this, we'll be deserting them down there." - Commander Ms. Christian
UNDER AN ENGLISH HEAVEN
"It looks like they've brought a black hole with them." – Dan
.
Dan Dare #2, by Garth Ennis
IF YOU WERE AT WATERLOO
"Pull yourself together, man. You're supposed to be in charge around here."
.
Dan Dare #3, by Garth Ennis
THE WHITES OF THEIR EYES
"Wait a minute, this can't be right. If I obey this, we'll be deserting them down there." - Commander Ms. Christian
December 28, 2021
Modernisoitu versio klassissesta Dan Dare-sarjakuvasta toimii aika hyvin, vaikka tarina on toki yksinkertainen: brittien avaruuslaivasto taistelee muukalaishyökkääjiä vastaan lähellä Neptunusta.
July 28, 2012
Mmmmm well um. A lot to like about this, but I'm probably too attached to Eagle-era Dare to be able to enthuse. Lovely moody colour art, some very nice story touches, but the setting means Ennis can't really be Ennis-y enough and Dare is just too ...well, stiff and 2d... a bit like some of the figures, especially the women... it has to be said... to really touch the heart. That said I read it through in one sitting, and enjoyed it, but it was hard not wanting the Mekon to win given the opposition. On the other hand, as Colin Smith points out here and here, it's worth reading simply *for* the decisions Ennis made... while I may not totally agree that "Focusing on Dare’s idealism and using it as a way to express a loathing and contempt for the real-politik of today’s West lent the character’s new adventures a remarkable edge and poignancy", he has a point.
June 28, 2009
Garth Ennis brings Dan Dare out of retirement to once more save the world from the evil Mekon. Dare's quiet humour and stiff upper lip heroics are used to celebrate all that is great about Britain whilst acknowledging and criticising its flaws. There's a poignant scene where Professor Peabody recounts Dare's dignified refusal when asked to become a figurehead for the National Front and the pain the offer causes him -- "They'd taint the very notion of being British. They'd wrap themselves in the flag, and an entire generation of immigrant people would look at the Union Jack and see a swastika."
The social commentary is wrapped in a sci-fi romp, echoing various military actions from British history. So you get Rorke's Drift with alien monsters, space cruisers with gun turrets resembling those of WWII battleships and space fighters with a Battle of Britain feel.
Good fun with a serious subtext.
The social commentary is wrapped in a sci-fi romp, echoing various military actions from British history. So you get Rorke's Drift with alien monsters, space cruisers with gun turrets resembling those of WWII battleships and space fighters with a Battle of Britain feel.
Good fun with a serious subtext.
March 12, 2011
My friend Mei-Yi, who recommended this to me, have a very good review of this book:
"...I think it shares many of its best sensibilities with 'Star Trek II': veterans returning to the forefront, passing along wisdom to younger characters and showing that sacrifice can be noble. Dan Dare's humility, kindness and sense of justice, especially in his low-key, British stiff upper lip manner in the face of overwhelming odds particularly affected me and appealed to me. I think Ennis and Erskine deserve a lot of credit for pulling off this depiction of Dan Dare who is heroic yet still believable as a human being without his character seeming anachronistic or satirical. I love Dare's understated manner in final two pages."
"...I think it shares many of its best sensibilities with 'Star Trek II': veterans returning to the forefront, passing along wisdom to younger characters and showing that sacrifice can be noble. Dan Dare's humility, kindness and sense of justice, especially in his low-key, British stiff upper lip manner in the face of overwhelming odds particularly affected me and appealed to me. I think Ennis and Erskine deserve a lot of credit for pulling off this depiction of Dan Dare who is heroic yet still believable as a human being without his character seeming anachronistic or satirical. I love Dare's understated manner in final two pages."
December 29, 2010
I grew up in the wrong country to understand the Dare mystique, including how anyone can take a character with such a silly name seriously, but I am curious about the characters loyal following in the UK, parts of Europe and Australia, and also his presence on radio. The old comic stories and radio shows did not draw my adult self into their spell, but this graphic novel did. The approach is to break with some of the details and much of the style of the past to create a sci-fi adventure story that is satisfying today. Garth Ennis has succeeded well enough that I shall look for more of his stories about Dan Dare.
September 7, 2016
While the plot may be a bit simplistic, I was really surprised by how much fun I had reading this comic. I like the characters and the cool, collected "British" style. While the figure work is a bit stiff, the overall impression of the art suits the story.
Want to read
January 25, 2011Creo que algo en castellano se había editado de este tipo. Y si no, será cuestión de tener a mano alguna vez la edición en inglés.
December 23, 2011
Stifly drawn space adventure with a classic hero who is only slightly updated. Not too good, not too bad.
March 27, 2014
Adequate. Clean, honourable, though a little charmless, and unfortunately I don't think it was just due to the source material. Honestly a little disappointed with Ennis.
April 25, 2016
a new tale of classic British SF like the American Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers
January 10, 2011
3.5/5
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Hail Brittania!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews