Art for a “Dan Dare” story drawn by Adrian D. Beeton, aka Adrian Beeton, from the very first 2000AD annual, goes under the hammer soon at Heritage Auctions – and art from the original EAGLE, too.
Spotted by artist David Roach, who identified Adrian as the artist, two pages from the untitled ten-page story in the 1979 2000AD Annual, the writer and artist uncredited, are being offered across two separate auctions – Page 6 in the 2025 March 5 Wednesday Comic Art & Illustration Select Auction #322510 (Lot #46264, here), and Page 7 in the following week’s 2025 March 12 Wednesday Comic Art & Illustration Select Auction #322511 (Lot here).
Dan Dare archivist Steve Winders notes that when he drew the Dan Dare strip, Adrian, perhaps mischievously, drew Dan to resemble the original and the strip sneaked Digby in, giving him the name ‘Wilmo’! John Freeman I’m not sure about that. Beeton also slipped his own name into the strip, on the space helmet of one of the crew.
Other “Dan Dare” art coming to auction is from the original EAGLE – the second page of Episode 6 of the very first “Dan Dare” story from Volume 1 No. 6, cover dated 19th May 1950, and the front page art for EAGLE Volume 2 No. 17 (mis-attributed by Heritage to No. 14), cover dated 3rd August 1951. Both of these artworks by the Frank Hampson-led “Dan Dare” art team are from the very first Dan Dare story known collectively as “Voyage to Venus” feature in the 2025 April 3 – 6 Comics & Comic Art Signature® Auction #7413.
Adrian Beeton was a contributor to several Marvel UK titles in the 1970s, creating posters for titles such as Captain Britain and the company’s short-lived war comic, FURY, and provided a cutaway of the 2000AD Dan Dare’s “Space Fortress”, first featured in Prog xxx. H is also credited as the artist on an early 2000AD Futuregraph, featured in 2000AD Prog 5, “War is the Volgan Way of Life”.
Adrian seems to have dropped out of comics shortly after this – does anyone know what happened to him? Do let us know, below…
The Space Fort, brought to life by artist Dave Gibbons in the 2000AD strip, is something of an icon for some fans. Back in 2019, one enterprising modeller known as “32Buds” even created a fantastic looking physical model of it, his process outlined here on this ROF Fandom thread.
Of course, “32Buds” isn’t the only fan of the Space Fortress and its associated “Eagle” craft. 2000AD writer Michael Carroll, for example, a fan of the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic’s rake in the character, has previously created 3D renders of both based on Dave Gibbons art – and more besides – as has Lightwave3d Modeller & Designer Gerard Duffy – who is, coincidentally in the process of updating his “Eagle Craft” designs, to reflect changes in their look as the ship, drawn by Dave Gibbons, progressed!
Dan Dare The 2000AD Years – The Collections
• Dan Dare The 2000AD Years Volumes One is available in print from book stores, online book stores and comic book stores | ISBN: 978-178108349 | AmazonUK Affiliate Link | UK Bookshop.org Affiliate Link
Writers: Pat Mills, Steve Moore, Gerry Finley-Day
Art: Massimo Belardinelli, Dave Gibbons
Publisher: Rebellion
320 pages
The Book: Dan Dare, Pilot of the Future is a British icon. Created by Frank Hampson in 1950, he first appeared in the weekly Eagle comic, where he was an instant hit with the British public.
Almost a decade after the original series had ended, Dan Dare was resurrected in the pages of 2000AD. Waking from suspended animation after two hundred years, Dan Dare faced an unfamiliar universe, filled with terrible new threats, but also included all too familiar ones… such as his old nemesis The Mekon.
Collected up for the first time, the first volume of this punk-fuelled space opera features the superb writing of Pat Mills (Nemesis the Warlock), Steve Moore (Doctor Who) and Gerry Finley-Day (Rogue Trooper) with art by Massimo Belardinelli (Slaine) and Dave Gibbons (Watchmen).
• Read Steve Winders review Dan Dare The 2000AD Years Volume One
• Dan Dare The 2000AD Years Volumes Two is available in print from book stores, online book stores and comic book stores | ISBN: 978-1781084601 | AmazonUK Affiliate Link | UK Bookshop.org Affiliate Link
Introduced by Garth Ennis
Creators: Gerry Finley-Day, Dave Gibbons, Trevor Goring, Nick Landau, Garry Leach, Brian Lewis, Chris Lowder, Roy Preston, Tom Tully
Includes feature by David McDonald on Dan Dare post 2000AD
Veteran British Space Pilot, Dan Dare continues his 2000AD adventures through a hostile universe. Together with his hardened crew, Dan pilots the mighty Space Fortress into battle against the most dangerous entities the galaxy has to offer including giant water worms, an evil doppelganger and the terrifying menace of the Mekon!
Known amongst 2000AD fans for its controversial ‘non-ending’, this volume features the iconic artwork of Britain’s first Comics Laureate, Dave Gibbons, and the work of artists Brian Lewis, Garry Leach and Trevor Goring and the scripts were provided by Chris Lowder, Gerry Finley-Day, Roy Preston, Tom Tully and Nick Landau.
• Read Colin Noble’s review Dan Dare The 2000AD Years Volume Two
• Artist Gavin Aslett created his own unofficial conclusion to the 2000AD incarnation with a 36-page strip, “Journey Through Time“, which you can rad about here
• 200AD Online: www.2000adonline.com
• Massimo Bellardinelli Facebook Group
• Follow Dave Gibbons on Twitter @davegibbons90
2000AD © Rebellion. Dan Dare © Dan Dare Corporation
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: 2000AD, British Comics, Comic Art, Comics, Creating Comics, Digital Media, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Other Worlds