Thanks to Rebellion, publishers of 2000AD, we’re delighted to bring you this exclusive Dan Dare item!
Featured here is Dave Gibbons specially commissioned and truly stunning cover for the first collection of the “Dan Dare” strips from 2000AD.
This Dan Dare: The 2000AD Years collection – the first of two – is the first time stories of the space hero as he appeared in the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic have been brought together.
When 2000AD launched in 1977, a rejuvenated, hard-edged Dan Dare was the lead strip in the first issue, alongside other classic strips such as “Invasion”, “Flesh” and “Harlem Heroes”, the latter drawn by Gibbons, who would later make 2000AD’s version of Dare, first seen in Eagle in the 1950s, very much his own.
The opening spread of “Dan Dare” from 2000AD Prog 1 back in 1977. Art by Massimo Belardinelli.
Written by Pat Mills and Ken Armstrong, artist Massimo Bellardinelli brought his own unique take to the story, offering a genuinely bizarre but unforgettable look to the strip’s aliens and settings.
While Belardinelli’s artwork might not have sat well with fans of the original Dan Dare stories, its distinctive appearance certainly helped give 2000AD a unique look on newsagents shelves that helped ensure its long lasting success that continues to this day.
Belardinelli would draw “Dan Dare” for 23 issues, before, after a short break for the strip, Dave Gibbons took over as artist.
The 2000AD incarnation of Dan Dare was last seen in Prog 126, his fate uncertain (2000AD have no plans for more stories, even though Dave Gibbons says he’d love to draw a Dan Dare/Aliens crossover!), and reprinting of the strips has long been delayed.
Last year, Rebellion announced they were planning to release the first of a two-volume “Dan Dare” series featuring the five main stories published comprising a total of 47 episodes, with an additional six standalone stories.
Volume One of Dan Dare: The 2000AD Years will include the artwork of Dave Gibbons and Massimo Belardinelli, with scripts by Pat Mills, Steve Moore, Gerry Finley-Day, and more.
The hardcover collection will be available from 5th November 2015 from all good book and comic book stores, as well as online retailers and digitally from 2000AD’s webshop and apps.
Web: www.2000adonline.com
• Massimo Bellardinelli Facebook Group
• Follow Dave Gibbons on Twitter @davegibbons90
• Although the Dan Dare story was left open in Prog 100, artist Gavin Aslett, created his own conclusion to the 2000AD incarnation with a 36-page strip, “Journey Through Time“, which has been praised by fans of the 2000AD Dan Dare. Read our story on this conclusion here
2000AD © Rebellion. Dan Dare © Dan Dare Corporation
John Freeman
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. Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Star Trek Explorer (previously known as Star Trek 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: 2000AD, British Comics, British Comics - Collections, Comic Previews, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News
That’s so going on my Christmas list.
Excellent! I’ve been waiting for this collection for so long…! One tiny correction, though: the last issue of 2000AD to feature Dan Dare (not counting one-off appearances in spoofs and the like) was prog 126, the last prog before 2000AD merged with Tornado.
Thanks – you weren’t the only person to spot my error and I’m sure I’ll have to come up with some kind of “No Prize” type award. Now fixed. Glad you liked the story.
Want. That is all.
Fantsastic and, it goes without saying, long overdue! Wonder if we could get the Mills/Wagner/Frey/Kennedy run from the ’82 Eagle relaunch after this?
I think reprints of the New Eagle “Dan Dare” would a great idea. I did suggest it while I was editing some of the Dan Dare books at Titan, but they didn’t seem inclined to the idea at that point. The range is still on hiatus – just as we were getting to strips not reprinted previously.