Dan Dare - Space Hyper Hero

Discuss or comment on Britain's sole surviving boy's comic from the 1970's. The home of Judge Dredd, Slaine, Nikolai Dante, ABC Warriors and Sinister Dexter. Has been running since 1977.

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starscape
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Re: Dan Dare - Space Hyper Hero

Post by starscape »

It was very much boy/teen adventure. When Eagle and Victor died, they left a glaring gap in readership with the inevitable result of few connections between kid humour and adult adventure. Desperately missed.

That said, I've picked Eagle runs at some great prices. Really good fun reads. The likes of MACH 1 and Charley's War appeared towards the end.
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suebutcher
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Re: Dan Dare - Space Hyper Hero

Post by suebutcher »

The Keith Watson Dan Dare strips in New Eagle were top-notch, if you prefer the Fifties version of the character. I've got about half of his run, around 1989-90. Watson's my favourite Dare artist; I love the airbrushed colours, the angular lines, and huge slabs of black shadow in his mid-Sixties Eagle strips.

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philcom55
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Re: Dan Dare - Space Hyper Hero

Post by philcom55 »

Oddly enough Watson himself was colour blind. Though I too loved his 1960s Dan Dare strips it's worth noting that many were actually coloured by airbrush wizard Eric Eden.

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suebutcher
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Re: Dan Dare - Space Hyper Hero

Post by suebutcher »

Did Eric Eden also work on Watson's New Eagle Dan Dare?

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philcom55
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Re: Dan Dare - Space Hyper Hero

Post by philcom55 »

I think Eric died in the early 1980s - certainly before the new Dan Dare strips Keith Watson drew for the New Eagle.

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Re: Dan Dare - Space Hyper Hero

Post by Lew Stringer »

philcom55 wrote:I think Eric died in the early 1980s - certainly before the new Dan Dare strips Keith Watson drew for the New Eagle.
Yes, sadly Eric Eden died in 1983 aged just 59.
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Re: Dan Dare - Space Hyper Hero

Post by SID »

suebutcher wrote:The Keith Watson Dan Dare strips in New Eagle were top-notch, if you prefer the Fifties version of the character. I've got about half of his run, around 1989-90. Watson's my favourite Dare artist; I love the airbrushed colours, the angular lines, and huge slabs of black shadow in his mid-Sixties Eagle strips.
I thought that David Pugh made a fine successor to Keith. Not only did I find his artwork brilliant but that he managed to stay loyal to the Frank Hampson image of the Dan Dare while giving him a 1980/1990s feel. I was really enjoying his and Tom Tully's stories and where they were leading Dan (including a possible romance with Jocelyn). I was really gutted when Eagle was cancelled as that meant no more TT/DP Dan Dare.
Reading comics since 1970. My Current Regulars are: 2000 AD (1977-), Judge Dredd Megazine (1990-), Spaceship Away (2003-), Commando (2013-), Monster Fun (2022-), Deadpool and Wolverine (2023-), Quantum (2023-).

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suebutcher
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Re: Dan Dare - Space Hyper Hero

Post by suebutcher »

Should we start a "Dan Dare - After Frank Hampson" thread for the later Eagle and New Eagle versions of the original character? Most histories of the strip focus on Hampson, and the 1961-67 era's a bit of a dark age to me.

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Re: Dan Dare - Space Hyper Hero

Post by philcom55 »

Though I can just remember the last days of Frank Hampson's Dan Dare from my older brother's copies of Eagle it was the Harley and Watson versions of the 1960s I grew up with myself. Unfortunately the problem with having an extended discussion about Dan Dare is that the current copyright holders have warned Al off reproducing artwork from ANY version of the character on this website!

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paw broon
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Re: Dan Dare - Space Hyper Hero

Post by paw broon »

It's odd that the current copyright holders have warned Al off reproducing artwork from ANY version of the character on this website, but I'm sure it's because this site is an easy target. There are complete scans of the character in his various comic versions available on many high vis. internet sites incl. a motion version of one of the stories on youtube. I'm not suggesting that is a good thing, rather that this site is easy meat and the copyright holders might actually have to do some work to find and issue their threats to these other sites. Heaven forfend they might break into a sweat.
Also, the tv version is currently on youtube. Has been for a while.

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suebutcher
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Re: Dan Dare - Space Hyper Hero

Post by suebutcher »

Usually copyright holders will allow you to show bits of art or text for the purpose of review, and isn't that what we're doing here? Discussing the strip is only going to increase public awareness, and that can't be bad for the owners. There are moderately detailed images of Dan Dare Eagle covers over on Ebay for purely commercial purposes. Picking on us doesn't make sense.

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Re: Dan Dare - Space Hyper Hero

Post by geoff42 »

Anyone fancy the new Dan Dare book that collects the first run from his 2000 ad run? Not a popular reinvention among the elitists, I believe. I'm tempted but I have all the stories in my 2000 ad collection. Sill, come xmas, I may feel like splashing out... just like buying an annual.

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Re: Dan Dare - Space Hyper Hero

Post by geoff42 »

If a second volume is published, will the unfinished story in 2000 ad be wrapped up? Unlikely, but... as a bonus, they could have a text story to resolve matters in the end... who knows?

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Re: Dan Dare - Space Hyper Hero

Post by SID »

geoff42 wrote:If a second volume is published, will the unfinished story in 2000 ad be wrapped up? Unlikely, but... as a bonus, they could have a text story to resolve matters in the end... who knows?
That would be nice wouldn't it - preferably by the original writing/drawing team but if not Dave Gibbons, then perhaps Patrick Goddard??

Must admit, looking forward to getting the first volume at Christmas.
Reading comics since 1970. My Current Regulars are: 2000 AD (1977-), Judge Dredd Megazine (1990-), Spaceship Away (2003-), Commando (2013-), Monster Fun (2022-), Deadpool and Wolverine (2023-), Quantum (2023-).

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Re: Dan Dare - Space Hyper Hero

Post by SID »

Well did get it from Christmas and it reminded me how good the 2000AD's Dan Dare was in his own right.
Reading comics since 1970. My Current Regulars are: 2000 AD (1977-), Judge Dredd Megazine (1990-), Spaceship Away (2003-), Commando (2013-), Monster Fun (2022-), Deadpool and Wolverine (2023-), Quantum (2023-).

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