Product Description

It'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 second instalment of this space-faring 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 plans to conquer the Earth! Includes background material exclusive to this book, with rare artwork, a new foreword and a previously unseen interview with Dan Dare creator Frank Hampson!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #26981 in Books
• Published on: 2004-09-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 96 pages

Review
Gatewaymonthly.com October 2004: " This is brilliant, original science fiction, paving the way for such projects as Star Trek and Star Wars, but it's more than that." The List Magazine, 18 Nov-2 Dec 04, review by Simon Dehany: "...hall of fame status in not only the comic world but also within the larger cultural community." BBC Cult, review by Nev Fountain, 14 December 2004: " Dan Dare is the quintessence of future nostalgia. It's a wonderfully exciting collection of stories, escapism for boys in short trousers stuffed full of catapults and cigarette cards."

The List Magazine, 18 Nov-2 Dec 2004, review by Simon Dehany
"...hall of fame status in not only the economic world but also within the larger cultural community."

BBC Cult website- review by Nev Fountain, 14 December 2004
"It's a wonderfully exciting collection of stories, escapism for boys in short trousers stuffed full of catapults and cigarette cards."

Customer Reviews

The British Comic That Soared
There was a time when the distant worlds of Mars and Venus were within touching distance, just a quick hop across space in a rocket. Hell there was little need for a rocket if you had enough gusto and spirit to see you through. The dream and optimism of a future that was not to be, is evoked in spectacular technicolour in these vivid accounts of Britain's favourite ace pilot: Dan Dare. His rocket-ships stream across space with the grace and agility of a Spitfire, whilst a calm head and Boy Scout ingenuity are enough to see him and his faithful northern companion, Digby, through any scrape.

Daring-do and adventure are the name of the game in this collected version of the Eagle comics of the 1950s, where excitement is never reined-in and made slave to scientific impossibilities. Yes there's a cursory appreciation for basic aeronautics, mechanics and playground science in order to lend a certain credibility (Arthur C. Clarke was a consultant on this first space adventure) but ultimately Dan Dare is left to face Silicon River Monsters, Green Martian Men, Magnetic Thought Chairs and of course, the Mekon! One of the most menacing sci-fi bad guys ever created, seriously.

Voyage to Venus is the second part of a two part adventure in which we are introduced to Dan and Digby and the International Space Fleet, (run from good ol' Blighty don't you know) and their bid to reach Venus in a search for alternative food sources for a starving Earth. In some truly darker moments we are taken through scenes of riots on the Earth, before Dan manages to land the first manned flight to Venus where his adventures begin. It's the introductory story, but one that sweeps across the planets with the scale of an Epic and finishes with a truly unexpected, coup de grace that leaves you in no doubt that the only boundaries to Frank Hammond's inspiring science fiction is his imagination and not some great vacuum that NASA have still been unable to bridge, almost seventy years after Dan Dare soared to the stars.

Voyage To Genius!
I have been looking around the net to find reprints of the original Dan Dare comic strip and saw reprints from the Eighties going for up to £75 a volume a while back. So I was delighted to see Titan books had reprinted the stories in volumes from the very first episode onward and selling them on Amazon for a brilliant price.
I encourage you to buy these as they are so much fun in full colour and so inventive too. Any age group would love these comics as they were done with much love and care to detail and are still so ahead of their times.
There are lots of good stories and characters and great ideas.
I am a big fan of Gerry anderson and firmly believe that Dan Dare was a major influence in Gerry's series just look at the space crafts and airports and all done with Fifties style and charm which makes the whole thing even more enjoyable.
Go on I dare you to try Dan Dare start with Voyage To Venus Part 1.

Better than Part 1
I had to buy part 2 of 'Voyage to Venus' after reading the spellbinding part 1 and to my delight I found out that its even better than the first one. If like me, you remember the Eagle comic from your childhood days and you collected these strips than having them in full, lovingly packaged and in chronalogical order is a must have. Heartily recomended!