In Review: Dan Dare - Spacefleet Operations Manual

by Rod Barzilay; Illustrated by Graham Bleathman
Publisher: Haynes
Out: Now

The Book: Dan Dare is easily the most famous British comic hero. His adventures appeared in the original Eagle comic during the 1950s and 1960s, but he also featured briefly in 2000AD before returning in the re-launched Eagle of the 1980s.

This innovative Haynes Manual takes a detailed look inside the spaceships, space stations and various other craft that played such a huge part in bringing the excitement of space travel to the stories.

Beautifully illustrated with cutaway artwork by Graham Bleathman, and supported by fabulous contemporary comic-strip art, this is the ultimate technical guide to the spaceships of Dan Dare and a wonderful addition to every comic fan's bookshelf.


The Review: Rod Barzilay and Graham Bleathman have brought back the world of the original Dan Dare with a vengeance in this fun collection, delivering not just some great cutaways of the strip's well-loved vehicles and craft, but also making a coherent whole of the original Dare mythos, placing it in its own universe - no easy task given the character's long history. (The modern versions of Dare are not included in this Manual, consigned, perhaps, to other parallel universes).

While I'm sure there are Dare enthusiasts out there who will nitpick details of the chronology Barzilay has crafted (I have no idea if any of it is "wrong"), for me, the author has delivered a wonderful guide to a fictional universe, accompanied by some terrific cutaways from Graham Bleathman.

While some of the cutaways and art have been previously published (in Spaceship Away) there's plenty that is new to savour, and unlike some Dare-related books, its official status means there's no shortage of art from the comic strip itself included.

Back in its day, Eagle regularly published many amazing cutaways of real world ships, planes and other vehicles: it's wonderful to see the most memorable creation of Frank Hampson and his talented team put under a similar microscope in this Haynes Manual. The subject is treated with respect, but in a way that will rekindle an excitement and enthusiasm for the original in fans - and, hopefully, stir the imaginations of those new to the mythos.

There have been some who have commented on the format of the book: all the cutaways are printed across double page spreads and there has been some griping at the loss of some detail as a result. But to do as others have suggested - utilising gatefolds and landscape formats - would simply have made this marvellous title overly expensive, a barrier to bringing the world of Dan Dare to a new audience.

This is a glorious title, recreating the world of Dan Dare with aplomb. Worth tracking down - before the Mekon buys every copy for his spies!

Detail:

• A personal introduction by the Controller of Space Fleet, Dan Dare.
• A history of spaceflight, propulsion systems and our first steps to the Moon and Mars.
• Fully detailed and comprehensively annotated cutaway drawings of the principal ISF spaceships, space stations and installations, along with many of the alien craft that Space Fleet has encountered to date, by renowned cutaway artist Graham Bleathman.
• Profiles of ISF personnel, and the aliens they have faced over the years.
• Space Fleet history: a guide to ISF’s missions and Dan Dare’s adventures.

Based on the classic Dan Dare comic strip that appeared in Eagle magazine during the 1950s and 1960s, this Haynes Manual is fully authorised by the Dan Dare Corporation Limited.

• Buy the Dan Dare: Spacefleet Operations Manual from amazon.co.uk

•  Buy the Dan Dare: Spacefleet Operations Manual from Forbidden Planet

• More Dan Dare books from Forbidden Planet

• Read Jeremy Briggs interview about the book with Rod Barzilay

• Read Jeremy Briggs interview about the book with Graham Bleathman 

• Daily Mail feature, 18th May 2013: Looks like your electrosphere primary accelerator's gone, mate

• Haynes Dan Dare Page

Dan Dare: Six Questions For Writer Rod Barzilay

In the 1990s Rod Barzilay had the idea to bring Eagle comic’s best known character, Dan Dare, back into print, not updated for a Star Wars audience as in 2000AD or as a political commentary as in Revolver, but rather as the original character read and loved each week in the 1950s by hundreds of thousands of British schoolboys.

To remain true to the original Rod decided to approach the original 1950s artists to see if they would be willing to return to the comic strip of their youth. Keith Watson and then Don Harley agreed to this and the magazine Spaceship Away was born. 29 issues later, and with many more of the original 1950s and 1960s Dan Dare artists involved along the way, Spaceship Away remains a high quality, full colour, glossy magazine that is published three times a year. So it was no surprise that when Haynes decided to add Dan Dare to their list of science fiction technical manuals that includes Star Wars, Star Trek and Thunderbirds, Rod was the man to write it.

Jeremy Briggs spoke to Rod about this new Dan Dare Spacefleet Operations Manual from Haynes as well as Spaceship Away.

downthetubes: When did you first encounter Dan Dare and what made him standout for you amongst the other strips in Eagle?

Rod Barzilay: I first saw a copy of Eagle in May 1954, at the tender age of seven. I remember green men caught my attention, the Mekon and his Treens in ‘Prisoners of Space’, and although I liked other Eagle strips as well, the idea of outer space adventures appealed the most.

Desmond Walduck was illustrating the strip at this time while the following year Frank Hampson and his team took up the reigns again. To a lad who knew nothing about artists then, the strip just seemed to get better and better until the end of the 1950’s when Dan Dare was updated which was very unsettling to previous readers. Many characters disappeared, equipment and uniforms drastically changed, and continuity with past events was almost totally lost. When the strip went to black and white my interest waned and I stopped taking Eagle at the end of 1963 (mind you I was more interested in girls then!). However, from 1960 onwards I began to chase the early stories I had never seen. It took ten years to fill in all the gaps and when the original Eagle folded in 1969 I also started looking for the later issues to complete the run. It was only then that I saw some of Keith Watson’s later impressive colour Dan Dare work like ‘All Treens Must Die’.

DTT: You began Spaceship Away in 2003 and it is now on its 29th issue. What inspired you start the magazine and how has it changed over the years?

Rod: The magazine was started as a means to get new 1950s style Dan Dare stories in print for the fans who longed for the original Dan Dare to be revived.

Although Dan Dare is the main focus of Spaceship Away, from issue seven we started adding other sci-fi strips as well, including Charles Chilton’s Journey Into Space reprinted from Express Weekly with artwork by Ferdinando Tacconi, and Sydney Jordan’s “Hal Starr” reprinted from the Dutch comic Eppo and its first time being published in English. Later on we added Ron Turner’s “Nick Hazard”, John Freeman and Mike Nicoll’s “Ex Astris” and eventually the Daily Mirror’s “Garth” with art by Frank Bellamy and Martin Asbury.


DTT: Where did the idea for the Haynes Dan Dare manual come from, did you approach them or did they approach you?

Rod: I believe Graham gave Haynes the idea to do a Dan Dare book, along with the suggestion that I could write it. He did bounce the idea off me and I was up for it. As Dan Dare has gone through so many changes over the years we decided to just stick with the original up until the point when Dan was made controller of Space Fleet. This was the period I knew the best and when the strip had the most interesting technology and ideas. The book took about six months to write and I was tweaking stuff right up until it went to the printers at the end of March. Some sections were rewritten when I reread the old stories again and spotted some references that I had miss-remembered, or forgotten about. Also as some information in Eagle had no reference time-line, or was at odds with earlier stuff printed in the strip or elsewhere, this did present some problems, and I had to work it all in somehow. No doubt I’ll get some interesting feedback on my solutions! I would have liked to have expanded some areas of the book had there been more space. Let’s hope nothing important got passed over – no doubt fans will let me know if that is the case!

DTT: How did you and Graham decide on what to feature in the manual? For instance how did you choose the Spacefleet theme rather than feature any spaceships that were in the Dan Dare strips?

Rod: The idea was that when Dan became controller of Space Fleet, he commissioned a manual for new recruits. This would not only give an outline of Space Fleet’s history so far, but would also include details of any craft or equipment they could encounter, be it older Space Fleet craft possibly lost in space, or alien ones that had already turned up in the Solar System and might reappear again someday - forewarned is forearmed. We investigate different drive technologies that Space Fleet has tried out, and alien ones it has encountered. There is a good look at lots of Treen spacecraft including the M.E.K.1 space station, and other important alien craft too, like Tharl’s Battleship, Black Cats, the Crypt inter-star ship, and the Zylbat. We also have notes on Theron, Cosmobe, Pescod, Nav, Triton, Pittar, and Krevvid spaceships, plus some unidentified ones that turn up in the saga as well.

DTT: Artist Graham Bleathman has provided cutaways for Spaceship Away in the past. How much interaction did you have with him over the details of the interiors of the ships and other vehicles featured in the book?

Rod: We both have extensive Eagle collections, which are rich in background details of spaceships and equipment, and did compare notes from time to time, talking over things not fully covered. Two spacecraft, the Marco Polo and the Delaware, were drawn up from my notes and designs in the comic strips in Spaceship Away, but it is Graham’s genius that brings them all to life in such fine cutaway detail. However, Eagle and related publications are a bit thin on the ground with details of Space Fleets early history so I expanded this area taking into account ideas put forward by other fans over the years.

DTT: If the manual is successful enough to warrant a sequel, are there other aspects of the Dan Dare universe that could be featured in a second book?

Rod: Oh yes – we could do a book on all the alien worlds that Dan Dare visited, looking at everything found there, futuristic cities, novel equipment, robots, other spacecraft and strange transport etc – not only in the Solar System, but further afield as well. Venus, Mercury and the Moons of Saturnia are rich in things to have a closer look at, as are planets in other star systems such as Cryptos, Phantos, Terra Nova, Zyl, Platinum Planet, Moss, for example. It would be great fun to do.

DTT: Rod, thanks for taking the time to talk to us.

• There are more details of the Dan Dare Spacefleet Operations Manual on the Haynes website

• There are more details of Spaceship Away on the magazine's website and Facebook page

• There are more details of Graham Bleathman's work on his website.

Dan Dare: Six Questions For Artist Graham Bleathman

For most comics readers Graham Bleathman's name is synonymous with large detailed cutaway paintings of buildings, vehicles and flying craft both real and fictional. It was not surprising then that he is now the artist behind four of the new series of Haynes Workshop Manuals that feature fictional vehicles rather that the real cars that the publisher is best known for. The latest of these is the Dan Dare Spacefleet Operations Manual which has just been published.

Jeremy Briggs spoke to Graham about these new Dan Dare cutaways as well as the rest of his work.

downthetubes: You are perhaps best known for your detailed cutaways of Gerry Anderson craft from TV series such as Thunderbirds, Stingray and Captain Scarlet published in the various 1990s comics that covered those series and the large format hardback cutaway books that followed. When did your love of cutaways begin and did you set out to be a cutaway artist?

Graham Bleathman: I first came across cutaway illustrations in the TV21 (and related) annuals that I picked up mainly second hand in the early 70s. A handful of cutaways also appeared in TV21 itself, which I also started to collect at around the same time that I was buying Countdown every week. I never bought (or had bought for me) TV21 when it first came out, so I relied on second hand and charity shops in the early 70s, along with jumble and ‘bring and buy’ sales, where in those days comics like TV21 and Eagle could still be found reasonably easily. It was at these sort of events that I found my first few copies of Eagle, and was of course somewhat taken with the centrespread cutaways as well as the more well known strips like 'Dan Dare' and 'Heros the Spartan'.

I don’t think I set out specifically to become a cutaway artist; it just sort of happened after I left college. During my time at Exeter College of art, I painted a cutaway of Exeter Cathedral, which was followed a year or two later by cutaways of Salisbury Cathedral and a few other buildings which were commissioned by the Salisbury Journal newspaper.

I was also involved in the Gerry Anderson fanzine SIG at the time, and I produced my first Anderson cutaway for that, which was a black and white illustration of the Battlehawk (SIG  issue 15, Spring 1986), from the then current Anderson production Terrahawks. 

DTT: Other than the many Anderson cutaways and the Haynes Manuals, what else have you worked on?

Graham: I worked on quite a few magazines, comics, and other products over the years. Some have an Anderson link; drawing many of the covers for the Fleetway comics (for which I drew the cutaways of course), artwork for Anderson and Star Trek jigsaws, greetings cards for Space Precinct, illustrations of film/TV locations and cutaways for TV series features in Radio Times, Cult TV, Inside Soap (yes, I’ve illustrated EastEnders, Neighbours, Coronation Street and Casualty!). I seem to have drawn thousands of ‘Sketch Cards’ featuring the Anderson shows for a company called ‘Cards Inc.’

A few real world illustrations have been drawn too in more recent years, such as cutaways for the now defunct RAF Magazine, Radio Times and a few books. I also have a ‘secret life’ doing the covers for DC Thomson’s ‘People’s Friend’! Under the name ‘J Campbell Kerr’, a team of artists has painted the landscape illustrations on the covers of the magazine since 1946. I started around 7 or 8 years ago (although I did do a brief stint in the mid 1990s) and, since the death of cover artist Douglas Phillips last year, I now paint around half of them on average.

I have no idea why the 'J Campbell Kerr’ name has been used all these years; no one seems to know the its origins, and nobody wants to break with tradition!

DTT: Your work for Haynes began with the first of the Wallace and Gromit Haynes manuals, Cracking Contraptions, a book that sold so quickly that it had to be reprinted almost immediately it was published and has since gone to a third printing. After your second Wallace and Gromit book you moved on to the Thunderbirds Haynes manual which, given your artistic background seems an obvious choice, and now the new Dan Dare manual. Where did your interest in Dan Dare stem from and how did the Haynes manual come about?

Graham: My interest In Dan Dare originates through TV21; many of the artists on TV21 were poached from Eagle, and I began to notice the work of Frank Bellamy and others in Eagle as I started to pick up second hand copies. The Dan Dare stories seemed to have parallels with many of the concepts seen in the Anderson shows (particularly the way they were developed in TV21), such as a World Government and a (generally speaking) optimistic view of the future.

I became involved with Haynes when by bizarre coincidence both myself and the writer of the Thunderbirds manual (Sam Denham, with whom I have worked before on a couple of books) approached Haynes separately with a view to doing a Manual based on that series. Initially, Haynes weren’t too keen, but as they were moving into doing manuals based on fictional subjects anyway, they offered me the job of illustrating two Wallace and Gromit manuals instead, having seen my Thunderbirds artwork and in particular a Wallace and Gromit cutaway (of Wallace’s house) for the Bristol Evening Post. The Thunderbirds manual was therefore put on hold for 18 months or so. The success of the Wallace and Gromit manuals prompted Haynes to proceed with the Thunderbirds edition, and that has proved successful enough for them to commission something I had also thought about for a couple of years, Dan Dare. That book is now complete and I have returned to the Anderson world with another manual with Sam Denham to be published next year.

DTT: The writer of the Haynes manual, Rod Barzilay, is a familiar name to Dan Dare fans due to him creating and editing the long running Dan Dare magazine Spaceship Away. How did Rod come aboard and how did the pair of you sort out which spacecraft and other Dan Dare vehicles to feature in the book?

Graham: I knew Rod from Spaceship Away magazine, having initially met him at a Dan Dare ‘Open Day’ at an exhibition in Bristol a few years ago, at which Eagle and TV21/Countdown artist Don Harley was also present. I have since drawn around 10 or so cutaways of Dan Dare spacecraft (and real world locations such as the artists’ studios in Southport and Epsom), for SA over the years, and Rod’s knowledge of Dan Dare’s ‘fictional’ history made him ideally placed to supply the basic text of the book and provide the expert knowledge that I lacked; I almost got the impression that the future history of the Dan Dare universe was more real to Rod than our own!

This meant that he could concentrate on Space Fleet’s history and characters leaving me to deal with the artwork and technical bits. His comprehensive knowledge was ideal for me to bounce ideas from, with comments like ‘Space Fleet wouldn’t use that sort of space drive until such and such a date’, etc! We also selected the ships and locations on the basis of how important (Rod in particular) thought they were important to the Dan Dare history. I’m sure a few favourites will have been missed out, but with around 45 cutaways and illustrations in the book (not to mention lots of Eagle frames and other new artwork), I hope most people will be pleased with the results.

DTT: Those Dan Dare craft, along with the majority of the fictional vehicles you have painted cutaways of, were never created to be analysed in the sort of detail your work requires. How much of any given cutaway is 'creative engineering' on your part and do you have any background in the technical drawing of engineering subjects to help you fill in the gaps that the original artist's imagination did not need to show?

Graham: There is a fair bit of ‘creative engineering’ in the Dan Dare book in particular, although as much applies to the Anderson subjects as well (and especially Wallace and Gromit!). For Dan Dare, the main problems are visual inconsistencies between instalments, and often from frame to frame. After all, apart from the Anastasia and a handful of other cutaways, no-one at the time gave too much thought about how the ships worked or whether the details altered from frame to frame. In the 1950s, some effort was made to keep things consistent with the use of studio models and endless photographs, but no-one had time to ensure that fine detail (the detail that I would need years later, anyway!) remained true through all the stories.

In terms of scientific accuracy, the technology seen in the strip has not been seriously updated, although a couple of aspects such as radiation proofing in spacecraft and spacesuits and polarised heat resistant windows on spacecraft (for example) do get a mention every now and then. I don’t have a scientific background, nor do I have a background in technical drawing either, so it does seem a little odd to many people that the one thing I’m well known for are cutaways of vehicles, locations and spacecraft, both real and imagined!

DTT: The diversity of your cutaway subjects is remarkable, from the Eurofighter Typhoon fighter/bomber for RAF Magazine to Holby City Hospital for the Radio Times, from Thunderbird 2 for Thunderbirds The Comic to the Precinct House space station for Space Precinct magazine, there must be few types of vehicles or constructions that you haven't covered. Which of these has provided you with the greatest challenge to depict and which, of all of them, is your own favourite of your work.

Graham: The cutaway that gave me most problems was one of Wallace’s ‘cracking contraptions’ from the one of the Wallace and Gromit Manuals. It was a device for changing channels on a TV set that involved cogs and catapults in true Wallace tradition (as opposed to a simple remote control). Unfortunately, there was no visual consistency from shot to shot when watching the contraption in action on TV, and the solution I came up with was the only one that Aardman didn’t like. A compromise of sorts was reached, although the result isn’t terribly satisfactory. I guess the makers of said sequence weren’t really expecting some poor sod to try and make sense of it a few years afterwards; the contraption and the short film in which it was featured was created for a laugh, after all.

My favourite cutaway? Probably the Thunderbird 2 I painted for the Thunderbirds FAB Cross Sections book published by Carlton in 2000.

DTT: Thanks for taking the time to talk to us Graham.


There are more details of Graham Bleathman's work on his website.

There are more details of the Dan Dare Spacefleet Operations Manual on the Haynes website.

There are more details of Spaceship Away on the magazine's website and Facebook page.

Rare Roy of the Rovers art, Dan Dare toys go under the hammer

Roy Of The Rovers original artwork (1993) drawn and signed by Barrie Mitchell.
From the last issue of Roy Of The Rovers

Comic Book Postal Auctions Summer 2013 auction has another wide range of British comics lots, from the first issue of Comic Cuts published in 1890 (one of only eight known copies to exist), Radio Fun Number One from 1938,  a fine run of early Dandy comics and Desperate Dan’s fourth appearance original artwork by Dudley Watkins , from the Dandy No 4 Christmas issue 1937 – Dan’s first use of the famous blow-torch for shaving!

Desperate Dan art by Dudley Watkins from The Dandy Number 4, published in 1937

The auction closes on Tuesday 11th June, so nip over and take a look at the catalogue, which also includes a number of US comics.

In ComPal's March catalogue a number of Beano printer’s proof covers sold strongly and their vendor has decided to offer eight more covers - this time Dandy proofs. all signed by legendary editor Albert Barnes, whose granite jaw was copied by Dudley Watkins when creating Desperate Dan.

The Beano is also well represented with bound volumes of the complete years of 1945, 1953 and 1955. There’s also a copy of The Beano Number 1 but it is in dull, brittle condition and offered at No Reserve.

For only the second time in 20 years ComPal have unearthed a Broons At The Seaside Jigsaw from 1944. This one is missing 14 out of its 400 pieces and is estimated at £350-400. One for Sunday Post readers, perhaps.

The company has never featured Thomas The Tank Engine before and a run of his first print books along with the rarer Isle of Sodor Railway Map are also in the auction.

Of interest to Eagle and Dan Dare fans will be a number of scarce Dan Dare toys and games feature so now is the time to consider your skills at Dominoes, Draughts and Rocket projection -- plenty to write home about using the Eagle Stationery Set and Dan Dare postcards.

There’s also a high grade run of Girl comics and some rare TV Century 21 gifts and spin-offs including issue 90 with Thunderbirds Cap (yes, I do remember wearing mine to destruction), Thunderbirds Are Go original film poster and a Stingray-inspired space pistol.

The 1970s offer key runs of Buster, Cor, Shiver And Shake and Valiant with the rarer Summer Specials including Beano, Dandy, Victor, Krazy and Tammy.

2000AD 1-3 are also up for grabs with their free gifts and there’s cover art by Colin MacNeill from Classic 2000AD #1, artwork from The Trigan Empire, Frankie Stein, Rupert and an exceptional Roy Of The Rovers board to complete the UK line-up by ace artist Barrie Mitchell.

The US section highlights a third tranche of 1950s pre-code horror, science fiction and EC titles with key issues of Astonishing, Beware, Vault Of Horror, Weird Science/Fantasy and the classic bondage/headlights favourite, Phantom Lady #17. The Silver Age offers Avengers #1, Hulk #1, Journey Into Mystery #83 and Tales Of Suspense #39 – all in affordable low grades.

• The Summer 2013 auction bidding ends on Tuesday 11 June at 8.00pm UK time.

• More info: www.compalcomics.com

• Receive an email before auctions open and closes: Click here to join their mailing list

Prisoners of Time: An Interview with artist Gary Erskine

IDW's yearlong celebration of Doctor Who’s 50th anniversary Prisoners of Time features the work of many British creators, with Phillip Bond providing art on Issue 5, on sale soon. Issue 4, the Fourth Doctor issue, was drawn by Gary Erskine, with assist from Mike Collins.

Put on your scarves and munch on some jelly babies, as we talk to Gary about his work on the fan-favourite Fourth Doctor...

downthetubes: Prisoners of Time is, I believe, the first time you have drawn an official Doctor Who strip - although you were commissioned to draw some illustrations of the Fourth Doctor for Doctor Who Magazine some 20 years ago. Is he your favourite Doctor?

Gary Erskine: Technically my first Doctor was Jon Pertwee with [Sarah Jane Smith] and Planet of the Spiders but my first vivid memory was the end of that particular episode and his regeneration into Tom Baker. He made for an astounding debut and was crazy as Hell. Leela proved a very memorable companion too and their episodes remain my favourite part of childhood television.

downthetubes: Can you tell us which companions feature in the story?

Gary: My episode of Prisoners of Time features Leela [in her classic leather outfit] She was always a favourite companion and I was fortunate to meet Louise Jameson in Edinburgh around the early 1980s when she was filming The Omega Factor at Edinburgh Zoo. I was twelve years old at the time and on a school trip and she was very sweet. I had such a crush on her too and could barely speak.

downthetubes: How do you approach the thorny issue of 'capturing likeness' - always an issue with licensed series based on real actors?

Gary: I have worked on a number of comic book licenses before and the likeness capture always proves a tricky area. The main area we had to concentrate on was the balance between Tom Baker's quirky and individual appearance and the delicate beauty of Louise Jameson. Not always an easy task and there was a lot of BBC approval edits and changes over the course of producing the book. It goes with the territory of working with licenses and actor/agent approval but we were very pleased with the end result.

downthetubes: Were there any particular aspect to working on this story that proved a particular challenge (and why?)

Gary: Not really. I love Doctor Who and any opportunity to work with the characters was welcome. The Judoon make an appearance and they have proved a new favourite alien species for the series. Leela's interaction with them is particularly memorable but saying anything more would be a spoiler.

downthetubes: you've also drawn another great British SF hero, Dan Dare - are there any other British heroes you'd like to tackle given the chance?

Gary: I remember an old Sydney Jordan story called Lance MacLane which was serialised daily in the Daily Record in Scotland for years in the late 1970s to 80s. It followed on from his work on Jeff Hawke and had a European sci-fi vibe to it and I really enjoyed following it. Several artists worked on the series and would change almost daily but the stories were fun and entertaining. I would probably wish to reboot that character somehow if the opportunity arose.

downthetubes: Why do you think Doctor Who has proven such an enduring success over the past 50 years - in print as well as on TV?

Gary: Doctor Who works because it is good wholesome sci-fi with clever story-telling featuring likeable characters. It is a combination that has proved (nearly) timeless.

Everyone seems to have an affection for a particular Doctor but very much like James Bond, the overall legacy remains strong and the audience will always be there for the show (in whatever form it takes). I look forward to more.

dowthetubes: Would you like to draw a longer Doctor Who series, given chance, and which minsters would you like to feature?

Gary: Sylvester McCoy's portrayal of the Doctor always intrigued me and Ace proved herself to be a feisty companion. I would hope to work with them at some point but a longer return to Tom Baker (with either or both Leela and Sarah Jane Smith) would be a sweet opportunity. I might pester my editor Denton Tipton and the writers Scott and David Tipton later this year and see what we can come up with?

I have a wee idea of a story that could work quite well. I can say no more at the moment.

downthetubes: You have your own 'franchise' you're working on right now, The Roller Grrrls - can you tell us what that's about and your plans?

The Roller Grrrls project is something my colleague Anna Malady and I have been working on for over 18 months now by building up an audience and trust with the roller derby community to create an on-going serial featuring the girls in a local league.

Part soap opera, part sporting comic, Roller Grrrls actually references an earlier comic legacy of British comics such as Tiger, Champion, Action and other boys comics where sporting scenarios and characters were the popular focus, which featured football stories and strips like Roy of the Rovers, Hot Shot Hamish and Billy's Boots. Elsewhere there was Formula 1, wrestling, boxing, speedway and many other sporting stories. Even Action  and 2000AD gave a nod to the reading audience's interest in sport with the Harlem Heroes, Speedball and Inferno stories.

Girls comics too would feature sporting activities like hockey or netball and we are hopefully echoing that previous trend and pushing it to a new audience [both comic and roller derby fans] with Roller Grrrls. Granted, some of the themes we will be tackling involve more mature themes but the spirit of the earlier comics is still there.

I am also working up Incendiary.US which is an apocalyptic road movie (The Driving Dead?) and a horror western called Zachariah Gunn: Dakota, with colleague Dominic Regan, which references Once Upon A Time In The West and Hellboy. Both are to follow later this year after the Roller Grrrls launch in July. Stay tuned and follow them all on Facebook!

downthetubes: Above anything else, what one piece of advice would you offer aspiring comic artists?

Gary: Work hard.

• Gary Erskine's official web site is at: http://garyerskine.blogspot.co.uk/

• Print editions of the IDW Doctor Who titles are not officially on sale in the UK but you can purchase the digital editions

• Buy Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time #4 for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch

Thrill Power, 1957 Style, in the new Eagle Times

The new issue of Eagle Times, Volume 26 Number 1 - the magazine published by the Eagle Society - features an interview article by downthetubes writer Jeremy Briggs entitled "A Thrill Of A Lifetime In 1957".

"The Thrill Of A Lifetime article in this Eagle Times has perhaps the most unusual back story any comics article that I have ever written,"  Jeremy tells us. "It began late on the Sunday afternoon of the 2012 Hi-Ex comics convention in Inverness when an older gentlemen called Bob Pegg spotted artist Graeme Neil Reid wearing a Dan Dare t-shirt.

"If Graeme had not have been wearing that t-shirt, if Bob and Graeme had not been so chatty to each other, if Graeme had not known that I wrote articles for the Eagle Society, and if I had not have been in shouting distance of Graeme at the time, then this article would not have happened.

“This is the story of a 12-year-old Yorkshire schoolboy who won a competition in Eagle comic in 1957 to fly both him and his father to Africa for an all-expenses paid holiday in what today is Zambia, Zimbabwe and Kenya.

"That would still be a major prize in any comic or magazine today - imagine what it was like over half a century ago for a schoolboy who had never been further from home than Wales, let alone even seen an intercontinental airliner."

Other features in this 25th birthday issue include -

Dan Dare Pilot of the Future on Radio Luxembourg - a review of the radio serial, sponsored by Horlicks, that aired five days a week on 208 Medium Waveband from 1951 - 1956. The article includes a story listing and is accompanied by a short article on the origins of the malted milk product known as Horlicks.

Serial Thrillers: The Adventure Serial on British Radio - a review of Charles Norton’s new book about four immensely popular series from the Golden Age of British Radio: Paul Temple, Dick Barton, Dan Dare and Journey into Space.

P.C.49 and the Case of the Circular Tins - a further adaptation from one of Alan Stranks' famous radio stories

An obituary of Charles Chilton MBE (1917 - 2013), the renowned radio writer and producer, and writer of the 'Riders of the Range' strip that ran in Eagle from 1950 until 1962, plus a report on the funeral service held on 11th January, 2013, to commemorate his life.

How I learned to stop worrying and appreciate the genius of John M Burns - a look at the career and varied work of one of the artists who drew Dan Dare for new Eagle in 1990.

When is a Hampson not a Hampson? - on the particular challenge and difficulties of reliably attributing Eagle Dan Dare artwork to its original creator and lead artist, Frank Hampson.

Charles William (Bill) Nuttall - Artist - a former Eagle letterer (Eagle Society member David Gould) provides a biographical review of the early career of lettering artist and illustrator, Bill Nuttall, and his personal recollections of working with Bill at Eagle from the mid-1960s.

Mann of Battle: Part 1 - a look at the World War II strip that ran weekly in Eagle from 1962 - 1964, written by Alfred Carney Allan and drawn initially by Luis Bermejo, then for most of its life by Brian Lewis.

Dan Dare Holiday Special 1990 - the third in a series of articles about Eagle-related holiday specials, this one looking at the only Dan Dare-specific special to be published.

Interviewing Marcus Morris - a photo-illustrated article recounting a visit in 1987 to the home of former Eagle editor Marcus Morris

Lion, King of Picture Story Papers - a review of Steve Holland's recent book about Eagle's 1950s' rival - the comic that eventually swallowed Eagle in 1969.

• Membership of the Eagle Society is via Annual Subscription to Eagle Times magazine, which is published four times annually. The subscription rate for 2013 is: UK £27 Overseas £38 (in £s Sterling, please) Postal applications to: Keith Howard 25A Station Road Harrow Middlesex HA1 2UA United Kingdom If you wish to pay by Paypal (to the eagle-times hotmail address below) we request an additional payment of £1.50. Enquiries: eagle-times@hotmail.com. 

• More info: http://eagle-times.blogspot.co.uk

Colin Wilson, Frank Bellamy and Dan Dare

Evan Jenkins with his mystery Colin Wilson Dan Dare mural

Several years ago comic fan Matt Emery, who writes the Pikitia Press blog dedicated to the work of Australian and New Zealand cartoonists, had the opportunity to have a rummage through artist Colin Wilson's studio.

"Amongst his fine collection of European comics and art I found a folder of clippings from Frank Bellamy's run on Dan Dare from the Eagle in the late fifties," he notes in a recent post he's kindly allowed us to share here at downthetubes. "Colin professed to being a big fan Bellamy's work particularly another serial from Eagle, Fraser of Africa.

"Recently Colin was contacted by Evan Jenkins in New Zealand who had bought a residence Colin rented in the late seventies. Jenkins discovered a large mural on one of the walls of the house, a recreation of a panel of Bellamy's Dan Dare.

"Someone told Jenkins 'some comic guy' did it and Jenkins liked the painting so much he had it removed when he sold the house and it now resides in his garage down the other end of the country in Queenstown.

"Colin remarked on the painting, 'It's obviously me copying a Bellamy Dan Dare panel from Eagle - November 7, 1959 to be exact - but how the hell could I have done this and not remember anything about it? And it turns up 35 years later in some guy's garage!'"

• Matt has just posted a new interview with Colin Wilson, talking about the past year and his upcoming projects for French publisher Delcourt on his blog, which you can read here: http://pikitiapress.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/2012-in-review-colin-wilson.html

A 2012 Dan Dare commission by Colin Wilson

Spaceship Away 28 Available In Time For Christmas

Spaceship Away, the A4, full colour glossy magazine that covers original Dan Dare as well as a selection of other classic strips, has released issue 28 in time for Christmas.

Priced at £7.95, including UK postage, the 44 page issue features a new Marooned on Mercury cover from original 1950s Dan Dare artist Don Harley as well as a special one off Christmas Dan Dare story entitled The Tannenbaum Caper in which Eagle's Dan Dare and the Daily Express' Jeff Hawke meet for the first time. This fully licensed strip was written by Jeff Hawke creator Sydney Jordan and illustrated by Don Harley.

The other comic strips in the issue include the latest episode of the Dan Dare story Parsecular Tales written and drawn by Tim Booth, the continuing reprint of the Jet Morgan/Journey Into Space strip Shadow Over Britain! from Express Weekly illustrated by Ferdinando Tacconi, a Ron Turner strip The World That Dissolved published for the first time in colour, and the continuing reprint of the Garth story Finality Factor from the Daily Mirror also published in colour for the first time.

Spaceship Away continues its features on little known Dan Dare spin-offs with a piece on the pilot episode for a live action Dan Dare TV series featuring Robert Bathurst as Dan and Geoffrey Hughes as Digby. Other features include an appreciation of artist Ferdinando Tacconi, who passed away in 2006 along with a tribute to him from Jeff Hawke's Sydney Jordan, a career spanning interview with Sydney himself, and a piece on that other 1950s comic strip spaceman Swift Morgan whose adventures were illustrated by Denis McLoughlin.

The centrespread of the issue is a special preview of the new cutaway by Graham Bleathman of the J Series Space Station from the original Dan Dare strip in 1950s Eagle which will be featured in the Dan Dare Spacefleet Operations Manual due to be published by Haynes in 2013.

There are more details of Spaceship Away on the Spaceship Away website.

Keith Watson Dan Dare art up for auction, first Joe 90 and more

Dan Dare art by Keith Watson

Art from Trigan Empire by Don Lawrence, Dan Dare by Keith Watson and Nellyphant by Leo Baxendale are just some of the lots in the current ComPal Auction, which closes soon.

Also up for grabs are first issues of titles as diverse as Comic Cuts, published in 1890, Mystic, published by L. Miller in 1960 and a first issue of Joe 90 comic - with free gift.

Comic Cuts is widely regarded as the first comic and the Number One on offer is one of very few known to have survived. "It’s a bit grubby and dog-eared," note ComPal, "but one might be after 122 years." Not so The Hotspur with some ultra high grade complete years of 1935 and 1938 on offer.

 

The first Rupert annual was published in 1936 and there’s a copy available with rare dust jacket followed by annual 2 with its original despatch box.

 

A Beano Book 1 is also in the auction.


There are more Eagle rarities in the current auction with, Keith Watson’s original artwork of a darkly threatening Mekon and another Dan Dare Walkie-Talkie Set (released early 1950s) produced by J & L Randall – a lot that includes one Jeff Arnold and two Dan Dare badges, Eagle Passport with all four inserts, Eagle Club Membership Card, Eagle Pocket Chess And Draughts Set in card (no pieces), three Eagle Annual and book flyers with Junior Shipmate of The Cutty Sark Eagle Certificate and six Dan Dare plastic figures.

One other fun item has to be a set of Dan Dare knitting patterns published by Sirdar in 1991, offered with some Dan Dare model figures set hand-painted metal and boxed, produced by Good Soldiers in the 1990s.

One of ComPal's long standing customers mainly collected Christmas and Fireworks issues of Beano and Dandy and he has consigned his entire collection of war years issues right through to the 1970s.

One non-comic offering is a 1939 run of Picture Post with brilliantly evocative covers and photo-stories of Britain preparing for war.

A rare TV Century 21 special is also on offer, along with Fleetway’s Super Library, all 26 issues, and a fine Trigan Empire artwork by Don Lawrence.

The US section highlights 1950s pre-code Horror comics with long runs of Dark Mysteries, Web Of Mystery and Marvel Tales. There are most issues of Superboy #3-75, Superman #102-300, J L A #1-164 and a Hulk #1 cents copy.


• Bidding closes on Tuesday 27th November at 8.00pm GMT. Full catalogue at www.compalcomics.com/catalogue/index.htm. If you have a question about any of the items in the catalogue, please send an email to Compalcomics director Malcolm Phillips at comicbook@compalcomics.com

Trigan Empire by Don Lawrence

 

Haynes to publish Dan Dare Operations Manual

Dan Dare Spacefleet Operations Manual
Promotional Cover only, subject
to change

British publisher Haynes is following up its successful fictional guides to the workings of Thunderbirds and Wallace & Gromit with a Dan Dare Spacefleet Operations Manual, written by Rod Barzilay with illustrations by Graham Bleathman.

Set for release next June, this innovative Haynes Manual will take a detailed look inside the spaceships, space stations and various other craft that played such a huge part in bringing the excitement of space travel to the Dan Dare stories featured in Eagle.

Beautifully illustrated with cutaway artwork by Graham Bleathman and supported by fabulous contemporary comic-strip art, Haynes tells us this  will be "the ultimate technical guide to the spaceships of Dan Dare and a wonderful addition to every comic fan’s bookshelf".

The book includes:

• An  introduction by Dan Dare and brief history of world government
• New discoveries, including cutaways of impulse drive and gravity motors
• Spacefleet and civilian spacecraft, including cutaways of all major craft
• Bases, space stations and defence craft, including Spacefleet HQ
• Alien craft including the Mekon's craft and feature on Dan Dare's own ship, the Anastasia
• New drive systems and what the future holds

Rod Barzilay will of course be well known to many downthetubes readers as the fouding editor of the Dan Dare-inspired comic magazine Spaceship Away, while Graham Bleathman's art has graced a huge range of newspapers and magazines, from cutaways of Thunderbirds and other Gerry Anderson craft to the workings of Walford's famous  square from EastEnders.

Spaceship Away 27 on sale now

Issue 27 of the Eagle-inspired comic magazine Spaceship Away is available now, this time with a background theme drawing on the Dan Dare story The Red Moon, featuring a number of paintings relating to that story from both Don Harley and Tim Booth.

Most importantly, aside from ne Dan Dare and other comic strips, the issue pays tribute to, and has last words from artist Bruce Cornwell, who sadly passed away earlier this year.

The strip line up is as follows:

• "Dan Dare: Parsecular Tales" by Tim Booth - part four of an epic new adventure continuing the original Dan Dare legend
• "Shadow over Britain", a Journey into Space story by Charles Chilton, based on the 1950s radio show
• “Thoughts That Kill” by Ron Turner, coloured by Martin Baines, a short one off story of the danges of telepathic civillisation
  
• "Dan Dare: Amberlint" (Part One) written and drawn by Nick Spender, an ex-student of Dan Dare's original creator Frank Hampson
• "Garth: Finality Factor" (Part Four) by Jim Edgar and John Allard, art by Martin Asbury

Alongside tributes to Bruce Cornwell, features this issue include 

• ‘Diego Valor’: downthetubes contributor Jeremy Briggs reveals the history of a Spanish spin off of Dan Dare.
  
• Graham Bleathman has produced a cutaway of Dan’s apartment, based on Eagle published frames and notes by Greta Tomlinson, who was a member of the strip's original studio
  

Looking ahead, the editorial team tell us they have some amazing items coming up in our autumn issue, including a Jeff Hawke / Dan Dare strip by Sydney Jordan and Don Harley. Issue 28 is due in November.

- To get Spaceship Away delivered to your door, head over to the official website: http://spaceshipaway.org.uk

Dan Dare Radio Show - Missing Episode surfaces

Back in 2008, I posted a news story here titled "Dan Dare's Holy Grail", reporting on the continued hunt for episodes of the Dan Dare radio show broadcast by Radio Luxembourg in the 1950s.

Aired on Radio Luxembourg between July 1951 and May 1956, the Dan Dare Radio Show, based on the first Dan Dare comic story from Eagle, was made on wax discs that were then sent to Luxembourg to be broadcast.

All episodes of the show were believed to be lost forever – but now, one, albeit a poor recording – has surfaced on the Internet (Mediafire link: I advise you should always scan for viruses before downloading anything from the Internet).

My source for the link tells me that one reason the quality is so bad is that, as well as it being recorded with a microphone next to a speaker (or more acurately, it sounds like the microphone is on the other side of the room), is that over the years the person who taped it recopied it from one tape to another several times (possibly with a mic next to a speaker again). One of the times this was done it was recorded at 15/16 speed which is the slowest a reel to reel will go, and that speed was almost never used as its too slow and quality is always bad.

My source also reports that two episodes of the Dan Dare show exist: recovered, it would seem, during an appeal for the return of lost or missing TV and audio shows in 2011 co-organised by the Kaleidoscope’s website (www.lostshows.com).

The purpose of the appeal was to track down recordings of otherwise lost TV and radio shows that might exist in the lofts, sheds and cupboards of the general public, and was promoted on Radio 4’s PM programme and with a spot on the BBC website. A full list of materials found is listed in this PDF: http://wiped.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/lostshowsappeal2011.pdf.

Sady, the recording of Dan Dare - Pilot of the Future: Episode 53 - The Lost World On Mars is described as "almost completely incomprehensible" (and I'm wondering if this is the episode that has surfaced online).

The other episode listed, Dan Dare - Pilot of the Future: Episode 76 - Under Sentence of Death aired on Radio Luxembourg on 21st January 1952 - but according to the PDF, the recording has been donated to Kaleidoscope "on the strict understanding that it will not be archived or otherwise distributed, without the owner's prior consent."

The Dan Dare Info site reveals Bob Danvers-Walker announced the Adventures of Dan Dare, whilst former Dick Barton actor Noel Johnson took the part of Dan, Digby was played by John Sharpe, Peabody by Anne Cullen, and the Mekon by Francis De Wolfe. Other parts were played by Kenneth Willams and Ralph Richardson. The series was produced in London by John Glyn-Jones.
 

The Dan Dare Radio Show was sponsored by drinks company Horlicks, who encouraged young listeners to enroll in the Horlicks Spacemans Club, and then marketed a series of related items that could be bought - usually for six pence and a label from a Horlicks jar. The Spaceman Club items included The Spacemans Club Handbook, a Dan Dare Tie, Spacefleet Service Identity Card, The Spacemans Club Badge, the Dan Dare Spaceship Cup (for drinking one's Horlicks, of course), and a Periscope.

RTL, the former Radio Luxembourg have been kind enough to search their archives for one fan, but copies of the show have never been found there and it is believed they were either destroyed after the broadcast, or when their "sell by date" expired.
However, like Doctor Who fans tracking missing TV episodes, there is a remote possibility copies of the show may exist elsewhere. Eagle, and many of its strips, was republished in many countries including Australia, France, Potugal and Croatia (to name but a few) and the radio show was also broadcast in Australia. The original scripts were also sent to Spain where they were translated into Spanish and broadcast by Spanish actors. (The name Dan Dare was quickly changed to Diego Valor).

In Australia, 4AK QLD and 4BK QLD Radio broadcast the show each Monday and Tuesday but so far, no-one has had any luck tracking copies down under. Unlike the Biggles radio show, the Australian National Film and Sound Archives does not appear to hold copies, but now fans are trying to find out of the series was ever broadcast or elsewhere.

It seems unlikely the show was broadcast in South Africa - as yet, no-one seems to have tracked down South African versions of Eagle comic - but New Zealand is a strong possibility.

The BBC’s Radio 4 produced a four part Dan Dare radio serial in 1990 - Dan Dare, Pilot Of The Future, again, based on the first comics story. This time Dan was played by Mick Ford, with Terrance Alexander as Sir Hubert.

John Ainsworth and Nichoas Briggs, who are these days better known for their work for Big Finish, produced a Dan Dare audio drama as a test, with David Banks (Doctor Who's Cyberleader) playing Dan Dare and Colin Baker playing Digby. Comic artist John Ridgway tells me he supplied Colin with reference for his to voice Digby and capture his Lancashire accent.

It's great to hear that at least some of these early shows do stil exist, and perhaps Kaleidoscope might consider passing a copy to the Dan Dare Corporation at some point so they could make it available to Dan Dare fans.

• Dan Dare Info Radio Luxembourg Page

• Wiped Web Site: http://wipednews.com

• Dan Dare Corporation web site: www.dandare.com

Dan Dare art, Marvel UK collections up for auction

The Summer 2012 auction at Compalcomics is open, with nearly 200 British comic-related lots up for biding, including Dan Dare art by Frank Hampson, a limited edition Dan Dare bust and collections of 1980s Marvel UK titles such as Captain America and Forces in Combat.

Compalcomics last auction in March saw Dan Dare and Eagle powered into the stratosphere with £555 pad for The Eagle Club letter and Membership Card, £565 for Dan’s interplanetary figures boxed set by Crescent Toys and £390 for the Horlicks Eagle Rocket Cup and badge.

In their latest catalogue they highlight the second part of a collection with a Frank Hampson Dan Dare artwork, one of his earliest boards, from Eagle Volume 1 No 33, pubishd in 1950, in which Dan's memory is restored by Volstar the Theron. Hampson's artistic devotion to detail is perfectly illustrated from Volstar's Venusian habitat down to Daniel McGregor Dare's argyle socks!

Also on offer are high grade bound volumes of Eagle from 1951-1959. There’s a super Super-sonic Space Pilot Gun, brilliantly boxed, a rare Dan Dare bust – one of only 20 cast, and an affordable double-page artwork by Carlos Cruz from 1987 featuring the Mekon and Dan in battle at London’s Natural History Museum.

There’s further original art of Beryl The Peril by Davy Law. David 'Davy' Law (1907-1971) found international fame by introducing Dennis The Menace to unsuspecting Beano readers in March 1951. He also penned Beryl The Peril, Captain Hound and the accident prone nitwit, Corporal Clott. Law's artwork rarely comes to market, so this lot, a page from The Topper, will attract plenty of attention.

There's also art from Look and Learn's The Trigan Empire by Don Lawrence, Grendel by Ron Embleton, Oor Wullie by Dudley Watkins and a six board complete Bionic Woman story by John Bolton pubished in Look-In, in which Jaime Sommers is bequeathed an ancient key – but faces mortal danger as she encounters the evil clan of Uncle Ebeneezer in The House of Six Locks!

This aucton's rare British comics selection includes The Dick Turpin/Spring-Heeled Jack Library from 1902, The Beano Comic No 1, The Beano Book No 1 and Beano and Dandy bound volumes from 1949 and 1950, Lion 1-45, Misty 1-23 - and Tiger No 1, pubished in 1954, with free gift Space Gun and 6 press-out Flying Saucers, all in their original bag.

The US section offers Classics Illustrated #43-74, mainly first editions, and the first tranche of our DC Comics one-owner collection spanning one hundred lots including Superman from 1948-1955, Action, Adventure and Superboy from 1959-1970s, Showcase #9 and #10 and Lois Lane #1-6.

Our favourite item - which may attract interest from beyond the comics community given his now international status as a fine artist - is a Rolf Harris self portrait, dedicated to a fan in the 1960s. Oh, and the DC Superheroes Pen Set from 1977!

• Bidding closes on Tuesday 5th June at 8.00pm UK time. Catalogue at: www.compalcomics.com/catalogue/index.htm. There are 316 lots in this catalogue.

• If you have a question about any of the items in the catalogue, please send an email to Compalcomics director Malcolm Phillips at comicbookATcompalcomics.com

30 Years of the New Eagle

Thirty years ago last month, a new incarnation of one of Britain’s most famous comics burst on to the news-stands (ok, we're a bit slow off the mark with this one, but the down the tubes office is a busy place ok?!). Eagle, the Rolls Royce of comics during the 1950s, was back in a new format for a new generation. In some ways it was a completely new title - only Dan Dare survived from the previous version. Many purists hated the re-launched publication but for a new generation, Eagle became the comic of choice.

How to mark this landmark anniversary? Well, we could tell you about Doomlord and the other photo-stories. We could tell you about the wide range of features in the comic including columns by major personalities of the day. We could tell you about the interviews with people as high-profile as Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott and… Cannon and Ball. (Actually, that’s a cheap shot - Cannon and Ball were major stars in their day). We could even tell you about the free space spinner in issue one. But you know all that. Instead, let’s look at what made Eagle different. What made it special, unique, pioneering… And no, we’re not talking about the Glamorous Teacher feature!

Here’s how -

New Eagle Did It First!


The magazine format

A lot of boy’s comics today aren’t really comics at all. They are magazines with puzzles and all sorts of features and information for children to enjoy. Eagle was effectively a magazine and was ahead of its time in being so. Sure, there were comic strips but there were also columns written by major sporting personalities, radio DJs and comedians of the day. Eagle was so much more than just a comic.

Predicting/showcasing new technology
Eagle used to have lots of features about up and coming technology and gadgets, some real and some imagined, be it wrist watch radios or shiny little discs which music could be recorded on called CDs (wonder if they caught on?). They didn’t always get it right. In January 1983, Eagle suggested that by the year 2000 the skies might again be full of airships! And in February of that year they suggested that Dalek-style security robots would be available within 2 years and that they could replace security guards! Now, I know some security guards might act like Daleks but even so…

Amazing 3D

In February 1983, Eagle promised us a ‘super new picture-story and features in 3D’. Using red and green glasses that came free with the comic, readers could enjoy stories and photographs in three fabulous dimensions. Ok, 3D had been around for decades and is commonplace today, but in the 80s this was an exciting new development for young comics reader who knew nothing of the craze for 3D movies in decades past.

Showcasing new talent

A lot of very talented people did early work on Eagle and there’s no better example of this than writers Alan Grant and John Wagner who went on to become international comics legends achieving the dizzying heights of, amongst many other things, writing Batman for DC. And the 30 April 1983 issue featured a rather splendid Dan Dare drawing by reader Jonathan Haward - he actually went on to draw the Dan Dare strip for the comic in future years.

Ideas which cropped up in TV/films years later

Eagle’s writers were very, very imaginative. And some of their ideas were used in movies and films years after they had been in the comics. That’s not to suggest plagiarism - two writers can come up with the same idea independently and you will often see an idea in one programme that’s been used in a film years before. Even so, it really is remarkable how some of the concepts in Eagle have been recycled.

Yes, Doctor Who fans may say how original their favourite programme was introducing a flying shark in the first Matt Smith Christmas special, A Christmas Carol, in 2010. A flying shark - who would have thought of that! In fact Dan Dare introduced a flying shark in 1982. The sinister mercenary Star Rider had his own flying pet shark, Zarkuda. Once off its leash , it was a deadly killer. And very cool. Keeping on the Doctor Who theme, the next series is going to feature a cybernetic cowboy it seems - Eagle did a robotic cowboy years ago in - you’ve guessed it - Dan Dare (mind you, that was arguably a homage itself to the 1973 film Westworld). Then there was The Mask of Evil strip which featured a mask which, once worn, merged with the wearer’s face and changed their personality - eat your heart out Jim Carrey! And here’s what Alan Grant said to the fanzine Eagle Flies Again about the Eagle story The Thirteenth Floor (which had begun in the short-lived horror comic Scream): ‘I’ve seen several movies based on the same concept - one of which was actually called The 13th Floor (I think it was Australian, and I bet the writer or director had seen Eagle as a kid).’

Truly, the 1980s Eagle was a comic ahead of its time!