Dan Dare Top 5 novels

[8bitDredd]

Hi,

What's your top 5 Dan Dare graphic novels?

I need to read some soon.

[WhizzBang]

The original Voyage To Venus (first ever story) is very good. It was written in 1950 and so is a little bit colonialist with regards to Dan Dare's motivations but you need to just accept it as a product of its time. The art is lovely, you could describe it as retro-futuristic.

The initial run on the relaunched Eagle is good too, with the Dan Dare files in the middle of it being a highlight. I think it was written by Pat Mills but John Wagner may have had a hand in it too.

[Tjm86]

It's probably a sign of the age of many inhabitants of these parts but the revamped 80's Eagle Dare is held in high esteem around here.  As Whizzbang says, the story was written by Mills and Wagner for a start.  Then you have to add in the artwork, particularly Kennedy in high form.  Probably the most iconic image of the run was the NBC-suited SPS trooper.

Over the lifetime of the title, new Dare went through several reboots.  Tully had another shot at Space-Copper-Dare, this time without the cosmic claw.  Needless to say, it wasn't great.  Towards the end of the title's run the reboot ran closer to original 50's Dare but with a more modern sensibility.  Not hideous but it didn't always work brilliantly.  Overall then, the first Return of the Mekon story is worth seeking out but some of the stuff afterwards is less appealing.

Post Eagle has seen several iterations.  Morrison and Hughes' Revolver / Crisis run is a highly cynical piece.  It is redolent with the anti-establishment sensibility of the titles.  It does work well though.  Hughes is on top form with the artwork and Morrison seems to keep some of his excesses in check.  Given how little has changed politically over the last 20-30 years, it still works from that perspective too.

The Virgin comics Ennis/Erskine mini-series bears some similarities.  The politics and cynicism is not so heavy but is still present.  Unsurprisingly it is more militaristic / action-oriented.  There are similarities with Gibbons' run in that respect.  Erskine's artwork does lapse from time to time but overall is his usual high standard.

The small press Spaceship Away rather unsurprisingly follows far more in 50's era Dare's mold.  I say 'unsurprisingly' since the primary aim was to get an unpublished Watson strip into print.  It actually works really well and is worth a look.  More of a nod to the earlier days of the strip in terms of aesthetic but well written.

A little embarrassingly, I've never actually got round to reading the Milligan mini-series.  One or two reviews have been a little dismissive of it.  That said, I do need to judge for myself.

[Tjm86]

I would agree with WhizzBang on the Voyage to Venus story.  Of the original Eagle run it is one of the stronger storylines.  The other obvious storyline is Man From Nowhere / Rogue Planet / Reign of the Robots.  Although this is generally thought of as three separate stories, I tend to think of it as one unified whole.  Part of this is because of the way I originally read it in the Dragon's Dream edition.  The other reason is that each story runs seamlessly into the next.

Coming back to your original question then, if I had to go for my own personal top 5 it would go ...

1). Man From Nowhere / Rogue Planet / Reign of the Robots - original Eagle.  Hampson at the top of his game, an action packed storyline that moves along at a rattling pace.

2). Return of the Mekon - 80's Eagle.  Probably the best reboot.  As with MFN/RP/RotR it is a well-paced storyline with quite a few interesting threads.  Kennedy's artwork is consistent throughout once he picks up those duties.

3). The Controversial Memoir of Dan Dare - Revolver / Crisis.  The most political take on the character but, as I say, Morrison does temper it compared to some of his other work.  Rhian Hughes' artwork is superb throughout.

4). Virgin's Dare.  Action packed, well paced but quite brutal in places.  Benefits from Ennis' war-comics sensibilities with shades of Morrison's run.

5).  2000AD Star Fortress run.  Admittedly quite a contrast to the original Dare.  As with Ennis' run, quite a militaristic and brutal run.  It is Dave Gibbons at the top of his game though.  Maybe I'm a little biased here as it is one of my first experiences of Dare.

Honourable Mention - the Belardinelli 2000AD run.  Potentially unrecognisable as Dare some would argue, with good reason.  It is just absolutely gorgeous in terms of Belardinelli's utterly weird aesthetic.  The writing is a little dated now which is why I would only give it HM rather than include in the top 5.

[Colin YNWA]

A little embarrassingly, I've never actually got round to reading the Milligan mini-series.  One or two reviews have been a little dismissive of it.  That said, I do need to judge for myself.

I really enjoyed this relaunch and wish it had gone further. The way they used The Mekon was superb as I recall. Well worth checking out and as said wish we'd got more than the 4 issue mini we did get.

I think the Ennis version is the best, its fantastic and handles the romaniticsm of the character really well.

[Proudhuff]

On the FP sale page:


Dan Dare: Mission Of The Earthmen
–
£4.99RRP £29.99
Graphic Novel
Sale
In
Comics, Graphic Novels & Manga
Graphic Novels
By:Frank Hampson, and 1 otherPublished by:Titan Comics
limited to 3 per custom

[Richard]

I really liked the Ennis story.

In my opinion Dan Dare is the worst thing Pat Mills has ever written. I imagine he would probably agree, since the character isn't his and doesn't seem like the kind of character he would enjoy writing.

What I specifically disliked about it was that there was a female alien character who seemed quite interesting, and then there was an episode which revealed that she was just a human in disguise with a name like Mary Smith or something. How dull! I stopped reading it at that point.

[Tjm86]

On the FP sale page:


Dan Dare: Mission Of The Earthmen
–
£4.99RRP £29.99
Graphic Novel
Sale
In
Comics, Graphic Novels & Manga
Graphic Novels
By:Frank Hampson, and 1 otherPublished by:Titan Comics
limited to 3 per custom

Thanks for that.  Turns out the Milligan GN is part of this as well.  Not to mention another original Eagle GN that was not included in the Hawk Book run.

[Tjm86]

... and now having corrected the original lapse of not reading the Milligan Dare run, what to say?

On the art front, leaving aside the slightly cartoony feel of the Mekon in particular, it does work pretty well.  There is a strong sense of energy, consistency of characterisation and physical form.  Probably it is always going to be hard to be blown away after nearly half a century of some of the amazing artists to grace the pages of tooth but there is a lot to be pleased with.

In terms of the writing, Milligan has certainly produced a cracking adventure yarn.  Not quite as brutal as Ennis' tale or as cynical as Morrison's.  He manages to maintain that nagging doubt about the Mekon throughout the tale.

It is quite a different Dare to those that have gone before.  A far cry from the patriotic post-war-officer-type of early Eagle.  Nowhere near as brow-beaten and demoralised as Morrison's.  Not quite as gung-ho as Belardinelli / Gibbons Dare.  In some respects probably closer to Eighties Eagle in terms of that sense of idealism but with a touch of ambivalence about his role in the 'world'.

Perhaps this is something worth considering.  It does feel a little like Dare reflects different generations of Britain.  Hampson's Dare reflects a sense of British superiority and excellence moulded possibly in the crucible of the Second World War and the Axis defeat.  Early Tooth Dare is brash, defiant and antagonistic.  Authority is now threatening, Britain barely features, in fact is almost whitewashed out.

Eighties Eagle sees Britain under the heels of oppressive authoritarianism before being sunk beneath the waves.  Dare himself starts out as a youthful rebel.  As time goes on though it feels like he loses himself, becoming a pale imitation of Fifties Dare before Tully tries to reinvent him as 'Action-Hero-Dare' once more (blissfully short-lived).  Overall there is a sense of identity crisis with no really lasting characterisation.

Morrison's hyper-cynical Dare is hardly surprising all things considered.  It reflects an increasingly 'professionalised' politics of the Blair years that has morphed into the beast we know today.  Dare's once-vaunted idealism feels utterly suborned by those who would exploit such aspects of past heroes for their own benefit.  Given how little has changed, how worse things have become, it is hardly surprising how relevant this iteration feels at times.

Nor is it surprising how closely Ennis' Dare fits.  There is a sense of struggle between the nostalgia for a once larger-than-life heroic figure and the discarded former serviceman.  Arguably this reflects a Britain unable to clearly define itself on the world stage.  Long gone is the kudos of the Allied Victories of the mid-century.  A last, lingering recognition of past glory leads into a potential over-extension with devastating consequences.

Overall Milligan's Dare works better than some other efforts, most notably Tully's.  Whether it will get the touted continuation or, like the Cosmic Claw storyline, simply lapse remains to be seen. 

[JohnW]

I don't usually read comprehensive socio-political appreciations of Dan Dare this early in the day, but now I think I might have to take a look at Milligan's version.

[Proudhuff]

Bugger 

[JohnW]

I read Milligan's Dare this evening and wasn't hugely impressed.
It's perfectly competent but no more than that. Maybe it would have had more of an impact if I'd been a dyed-in-the-wool Dan Dare fan. Dunno, really.
My verdict is that the art is unsuited to the story, although that's really just a matter of taste.
And the script? Either Milligan used to be cleverer than this or I used to be. Whichever it was, I preferred it that way. I kept looking for subtext and subversion and not finding them.

I'd be a fool to fault anyone's professionalism here – this is a well-made comic – but I feel that this is not a comic to deserve much appreciation from grown-ups.

I paid pocket change for this in the FP sale, so no regrets when it goes to the charity shop.

(Got Mission Of The Earthmen in the same sale, and even if the story happens to disappoint – gosh, it looks nice.)

[broodblik]

I totally agree with your review of Milligan's Dare.

Unfortunately Dan Dare is a character that will be remembered fondly by a few and doomed to be relegated to the archives of forgotten works.

I would like a collection of the 80s Dare my favourite period of the character but that is whishfull thinking.

[Le Fink]

I read Milligan's Dare this evening and wasn't hugely impressed.

Yeah I picked this up in the FP sale too, and agree with your summary. Also, a bit too cartoony!

I read the Revolver Dare at the time and thought it was pretty good, if a bit grim story-wise. As was mentioned before, the art was very appealing.

Off topic, but I also picked up a Milligan written adaptation of The Prisoner in the sale and I found that decent, if not mind-blowing.

[JohnW]

Got Mission Of The Earthmen in the same sale, and even if the story happens to disappoint – gosh, it looks nice.

Finally cracked this open.
It does not disappoint. It doesn't thrill either, but then I wasn't expecting it to.
This is my first proper look at fifties Dare and I can see why it's a perennial and sentimental favourite for some.
It's so of its time that when Dan speaks I can hear the voice of Kenneth More or John Mills. Likewise in my head, Digby's role is played by whoever did off-the-peg ee-by-gum parts back in the day, but it amuses me to substitute his sanitised exclamations ("Oh Corks!") for something saltier, earthier, and generally more suitable to a Lancastrian serviceman.