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New Spaceship Away features new Dan Dare, and a look at a Mickey Mouse Weekly space hero

By John Freeman on March 26, 2025

The latest issue of Spaceship Away, Part 65, is available now, features more “Dan Dare” adventure, a look at a “Don Conquest” a space hero created for Britain’s Mickey Mouse Weekly, drawn by Harry Winslade, and “Jeff Hawke” continues.

Designed, produced and edited by Des Shaw, published three times a year in March, July and November, this issues offers the usual mix of strips. The first issue of 2025 for this long-running dan Dare-inspired comic zine opens with the regular, continuing “Dan Dare”, a new episode of ““The Rotorcruiser Affair“; plus episodes of a continuing “Jeff Hawke” story, “Pass The Parcel” by Sydney Jordan, coloured by Martin Baines, and “Kalgan The Golden“, a story by E. C. Tubb, adapted by Phillip Harbottle, with art by Ron Turner.

Andrew Darlington provides an informative feature details the adventures of Space Hero “Don Conquest“, a black and white strip drawn by Harry Winslade, published in Mickey Mouse Weekly between October 1954 and September 1956.

Harry Winslade, of course, was also an early contributor to EAGLE, providing many single panel illustrations for early issues, and drawing “Judy and Pat” for Girl in 1951 and 52. He would go on to draw for ZIP and Express Weekly, finding work later in his career at DC Thomson’s Hornet. Steve Holland has a profile of him here on Bear Alley.

As ever, Ray Wright provides his “Space Review” column, the latest from space and beyond, and Philip Harbottle is back to discuss British Science Fiction of the 1950s, writing, highlighting his collection of ‘Paperback Editions’.

There’s humour, too, from Brian Berke and drawn by Dave Windett, in “Dan Dare – Stripey’s Terra Nova Visit“, a centrespread displaying a realistic model of Tharl’s Flagship from the Dan Dare story, “Operation Saturn”, superbly made by Sid Clark, and a profile of Triangle Super Phant from “Rogue Planet”.

The issue rounds off with a back cover featuring a previously unpublished piece of art by the late EAGLE artiist, Don Harley.

• Subscribe to Spaceship Away or order back issues at spaceshipaway.org

• Jeff Hawke Fan Club: jeffhawke.com

• Episodes from Jeff Hawke – “Pass the Parcel” feature here on ComicArtFans and here on Heritage Auctions

• Steve Holland has a profile of Harry Winslade here on Bear Alley

• Harry Winslade – Lambiek Profile

• Subscribe to Phil Harbottle’s 1950s British Science Fiction YouTube Channel

About the Author
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John Freeman

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.