On the 14th April 1950, a generation of spotty kids, some of which would become major players in British aerospace business, picked up an imposing colourful and authoritative weekly magazine (masquerading as a comic) which had been especially designed to introduce them to an exciting technical future, while at the same time preparing them morally and with the resolution to run an empire. On the first page, there began the first adventure of Dan Dare, ‘Pilot of the Future’ which was to run for 18 months. The first frame showed a British spaceport ‘some years in the future’ but clearly to be well established by the time the readers began their careers in the Interplanetary Space Fleet. 65 years later, the government is only now examining assessments into the possible location and viability of a British spaceport.
What went wrong? In Dan Dare’s world of the 1950s, the British, having developed jet engines, computers and radar, were in the process of developing nuclear power, rocket planes and the other marvels which seemed to bring the planets within reach of the generation that subscribed to Eagle, ‘The new national strip cartoon weekly’.
The British Interplanetary Society will ask those questions on Tuesday 14th April 2015 at a special one day symposium in London, to be opened with a brief introduction by Gerry Webb, the founder of Commercial Space Technologies who has been an active member of the BIS since 1957, and will give the first presentation. This will cover the science fiction and technical background to the period between the end of World War Two and the early 1960’s that was reflected in Eagle and inspired his generation’s view of a future which now seems like a dream of a very different parallel universe (Gerry expected to be skiing on Mars by the end of the century like Dan and professor Peabody).
CST has managed the launch of 33 satellites in former Soviet Union countries, the last being the British government satellite TDS-1. Gerry has contributed to interstellar studies over the years and was a member of the Project Daedalus team. An active attendee of science fiction conventions since 1962, he chaired a panel (with Arthur Clarke and Poul Anderson) on the Fermi Paradox at the last UK World Science Fiction Convention in 1979.
SKYLON is an unpiloted, reusable spaceplane intended to provide reliable, responsive and cost effective access to space. Currently in early development phase, the vehicle will be capable of transporting 15 tonnes of cargo into space. It is the use of SABRE’s combined air-breathing and rocket cycles that enables a vehicle that can take off from a runway, fly direct to earth orbit and return for a runway landing, just like an aircraft. Image: Reaction Engines Ltd.
Alan Bond, one of the founders of Reaction Engines Ltd., the company developing the HOTOL-inspired SKYLON Spaceplane and its SABRE powerplant, will then continue and enhance this theme.
“Anything seemed possible,” he says of the 1950s, ” and this knowledge was extant amongst the rank and file of the population, and was daily reported in the popular press, not just the specialist journals. Alan is also the renowned leader of the BIS Project Daedaleus project.
“For me, and many of my friends, it was the appearance of this technology in media that reached my home through ‘Dan Dare’ in the Eagle comic, Journey into Space on the radio and Quatermass (especially Quatermass Two and Quatermass and the Pit) on television that had a huge effect on shaping our interests. These were intelligently conceived and written stories which brought in science, technology, sociology, politics and morals. In this talk I shall focus on these three story lines from three very different media and compare what they said and what I, and others, got from them.”
Spaceship Away 34
After this introduction there will be authoritative presentations on Eagle in general and the “Dan Dare” strip in particular. The founding and progress of Eagle will be covered by Howard Corn who is the editor of Eagle Times (now in its 29th year), is the quarterly journal of the Eagle Society. The history and evolution of the “Dan Dare” strip will be given by Rod Barzilay , founder of Spaceship Away magazine devoted to publishing new adventures of Dan Dare in the classic style, along with items on the Daily Mirror hero Garth, Jet Ace Morgan and other characters with similar nostalgia appeal.
After lunch, the afternoon will be devoted to a broad range of topics centered on the golden age of Frank Hampson’s Dan Dare and the legacy of Eagle in general. Eric Fernie, Bob Parkinson and others will describe the Frank Hampson solar system, its races, cultures and technologies, and Greta Tomlinson, who was one of Hampson’s team of artists and the model for Professor Peabody, will be pleased to answer questions in a short session.
An important contribution will come from James Bacon, who organised the programme at the 2014 World Science Fiction Convention in London. James will discuss how the image of Dan Dare has developed a mythical dimension in modern multimedia SF.
Many other contributors will be confirmed when the BIS publishes the programme on its website in March.
• Yesterday’s Tomorrow – A British Interplanetary Society one day symposium to celebrate the Eagle comic and the launch of the career of Dan Dare | Tuesday 14th April 27/29 South Lambeth Road, Vauxhall, London, SW8 1SZ. Cost: £40 for BIS and Eagle Society members, £50 for non-members and free for programme participants. To register please click here
More info: http://www.bis-space.com/2015/02/12/14260/yesterdays-tomorrow
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The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “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: British Comics, downthetubes Comics News, Events
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Another brilliant example of the the relevance and value that comics has and had in our society. I love it where it says in the 5th frame of the Dan Dare story, “Danger! Space ship taking off. Do not pass this point.” Health and safety can be so obvious lol.
Full programme now available here
http://www.bis-space.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Yesterdays-Tomorrow-Programme.pdf