DAN DARE, ‘PILOT OF THE FUTURE’
FIRST TOOK WING IN 1950. Beautifully
drawn and initially written by Frank
Hampson, Colonel Dan Dare was a member
of the Interplanetary Space Fleet – essentially
the RAF with rockets. He appeared in the
seminal British comic Eagle for 17 years, as
well as being dramatised for fi ve years on
Radio Luxembourg.
Along with brilliant scientist Professor
Jocelyn Peabody and his heroic batman (think
butler) Digby, Colonel Dare explored the
solar system and fought countless menaces.
None of those villains were dastardlier than
the Mekon; the super intelligent tyrant head of
a subjugated alien species called the Treen.
Based on Venus, the Mekon was a constant
threat, with Dan at the forefront of humanity’s
clashes with him. Rockets were fl own, swashesWITH THIS YEAR MARKING THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF DAN DARE’S
FIRST APPEARANCE, WE DISCUSS THE UK’S FINEST FICTIONAL SPACE
PILOT AND TALK TO THE PEOPLE KEEPING HIS LEGACY ALIVE TODAY...
WORDS ALASDAIR STUARTFLASHBACK
DAN DARE
DAN DARE
FLASHBACK
were buckled, and days were saved, all with
Dan’s customary bravery and warmth.
Dan was initially presented as very much
an authority fi gure. In the immediate wake of
World War II, it made perfect sense to make
that choice, especially given the heroism
of British pilots during the Battle of Britain.
Viewed with a modern eye the authoritarian
aspects of his character can be alarming. But
what quickly reassures you, even in his earliest
appearances, is Dan’s fundamental decency
and compassion. While he’s a soldier by
training, he’s an explorer in spirit, and there’s
some lovely grace notes scattered through the
earliest material which speak to that. Not the
least of which is Dan naming his spaceship,
the Anastasia, after Digby’s great aunt. Let’s
see Captain Kirk get away with that. Although
speaking of Starfl eet, it’s also worth notingthat Space Fleet was a multinational military
and exploratory organisation that predated
its American counterpart. Dan’s adventures
regularly featured colleagues and crews
from other countries. While it wasn’t quite the
United Federation of Planets with added tea,
it was close.
But it’s Dan’s grounded, calm approach to
his fantastical life that would end up being
the backbone of the character throughout the
decades. Peter Milligan, writer of the most
recent Dare comic puts it well, that Dan has
“a kind of decency, tinged with just a little
naivety”. Colin Brake, series script editor and
writer for B7 Media’s Dan Dare audio dramas
feels similarly: “For me there’s something very
British about Dan Dare – as I’ve said before,
he’s Biggles in Space. In three words – he’s
honest, decent, intrepid... Dare is a completely
different kind of hero. A comic character that
is as likely to solve a problem with his brain
rather than violence.”
Colleagues Richard Kurti and Bev Doyle,
lead writers on the B7 Media adaptation of
the classic story ‘Voyage To Venus’ agree:
“His core values are what keep us alive!
Optimism, determination, courage, a desire to
explore the unknown, a refusal to be broken
by failure...”
These qualities also connect Dan to fellow
UK science fi ction stalwarts: Professor Bernard
Quatermass and The Doctor. All of them
are brilliant outsiders who are desperately
concerned with protecting those less fortunate
than themselves and approach that concern in
wildly different ways: The Doctor’s fi erce joy at
life, Quatermass’ endless and often unfounded
hope in science, and Dan’s deep-seated belief
in the fundamental decency of people.
That being said, given that Quatermass
is three years younger than Dare, and The
Doctor arrived a decade after Quatermass, it’s
tempting to see all three characters as points092 | W W W.SCI FI N OW.CO.U K
All images © Titan Comics092-095_SFN_170 Flashback.indd 92 18/03/2020 22:59DAN DARE, ‘PILOT OF THE FUTURE’
FIRST TOOK WING IN 1950. Beautifully
drawn and initially written by Frank
Hampson, Colonel Dan Dare was a member
of the Interplanetary Space Fleet – essentially
the RAF with rockets. He appeared in the
seminal British comic Eagle for 17 years, as
well as being dramatised for fi ve years on
Radio Luxembourg.
Along with brilliant scientist Professor
Jocelyn Peabody and his heroic batman (think
butler) Digby, Colonel Dare explored the
solar system and fought countless menaces.
None of those villains were dastardlier than
the Mekon; the super intelligent tyrant head of
a subjugated alien species called the Treen.
Based on Venus, the Mekon was a constant
threat, with Dan at the forefront of humanity’s
clashes with him. Rockets were fl own, swashesWITH THIS YEAR MARKING THE 70TH ANNIVERSARY OF DAN DARE’S
FIRST APPEARANCE, WE DISCUSS THE UK’S FINEST FICTIONAL SPACE
PILOT AND TALK TO THE PEOPLE KEEPING HIS LEGACY ALIVE TODAY...
WORDS ALASDAIR STUARTFLASHBACK
DAN DARE
DAN DARE
FLASHBACK
were buckled, and days were saved, all with
Dan’s customary bravery and warmth.
Dan was initially presented as very much
an authority fi gure. In the immediate wake of
World War II, it made perfect sense to make
that choice, especially given the heroism
of British pilots during the Battle of Britain.
Viewed with a modern eye the authoritarian
aspects of his character can be alarming. But
what quickly reassures you, even in his earliest
appearances, is Dan’s fundamental decency
and compassion. While he’s a soldier by
training, he’s an explorer in spirit, and there’s
some lovely grace notes scattered through the
earliest material which speak to that. Not the
least of which is Dan naming his spaceship,
the Anastasia, after Digby’s great aunt. Let’s
see Captain Kirk get away with that. Although
speaking of Starfl eet, it’s also worth notingthat Space Fleet was a multinational military
and exploratory organisation that predated
its American counterpart. Dan’s adventures
regularly featured colleagues and crews
from other countries. While it wasn’t quite the
United Federation of Planets with added tea,
it was close.
But it’s Dan’s grounded, calm approach to
his fantastical life that would end up being
the backbone of the character throughout the
decades. Peter Milligan, writer of the most
recent Dare comic puts it well, that Dan has
“a kind of decency, tinged with just a little
naivety”. Colin Brake, series script editor and
writer for B7 Media’s Dan Dare audio dramas
feels similarly: “For me there’s something very
British about Dan Dare – as I’ve said before,
he’s Biggles in Space. In three words – he’s
honest, decent, intrepid... Dare is a completely
different kind of hero. A comic character that
is as likely to solve a problem with his brain
rather than violence.”
Colleagues Richard Kurti and Bev Doyle,
lead writers on the B7 Media adaptation of
the classic story ‘Voyage To Venus’ agree:
“His core values are what keep us alive!
Optimism, determination, courage, a desire to
explore the unknown, a refusal to be broken
by failure...”
These qualities also connect Dan to fellow
UK science fi ction stalwarts: Professor Bernard
Quatermass and The Doctor. All of them
are brilliant outsiders who are desperately
concerned with protecting those less fortunate
than themselves and approach that concern in
wildly different ways: The Doctor’s fi erce joy at
life, Quatermass’ endless and often unfounded
hope in science, and Dan’s deep-seated belief
in the fundamental decency of people.
That being said, given that Quatermass
is three years younger than Dare, and The
Doctor arrived a decade after Quatermass, it’s
tempting to see all three characters as points092 | W W W.SCI FI N OW.CO.U K
All images © Titan Comics