Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
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Dan Dare
Apr 16, 2023 4:35:28 GMT -5
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zaku likes this
Post by Confessor on Apr 16, 2023 4:35:28 GMT -5
Fun fact: I've only read the Dan Dare miniseries written by Garth Ennis (liked it). So I read the character deconstruction without knowing what the pre-deconstructed original character looked like. I tried to use my imagination a lot! This was the mid-2000s Virgin Comics mini-series, right? I quite enjoyed that, actually, and it's really the only post-60s Dare comic I've read and found that I liked. It's not even really that much of a deconstruction, in all honesty (though it's definitely more government critical than the original). But at its heart, Ennis's Dan Dare definitely had tremendous affection for the original Frank Hampson comics. I've just read the wiki page about the character, and even Grant Morrison did a Dan Dare mini! Anyone read it? This was published in a short-lived British comic magazine called Revolver. My best mate back then bought it regularly and I would often browse through it. The thing is that the whole magazine was very much in the subversive, anarcho-punk, counter-culture mould and Morrison's Dan Dare was no exception. Basically, the strip and character was subverted as a vehicle for Morrison to take pot shots at Margaret Thatcher and the Conservative government with and had little worth or redeeming features beyond that, as far as I recall. I was already familiar with the classic 1950s Dan Dare by the time Revolver was coming out, so I found Morrison's take on the character quite jarring. I would also guess that it hasn't aged very well, being so tied to the late 80s/early 90s political landscape here in the UK.
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,051
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Post by Confessor on Apr 16, 2023 4:48:58 GMT -5
The Frank Bellamy samples above have convinced me that I want to try at least the first collection where he takes over the art. Do it! You won't be sorry. Bellamy is an absolute Titan of British comics of the 50s and 60s. He came in to replace Hampson due to his health failing, and was charged with freshening up the look of the Dan Dare strip, which resulted in a more "60s space age" design aesthetic. But the strips are basically every bit as enjoyable under Bellamy's hand as they were under Hampson's. And then, when you've fallen in love with his artwork on Dan Dare, don't forget to check out Frank Bellemy's other Eagle strip, "Fraser of Africa" (which I wrote about last year here and here).
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Post by Deleted on Apr 16, 2023 4:53:17 GMT -5
There are names that people know even if they have only a cursory knowledge of comics. Someone I know is hardly the biggest US comic reader, but I’m almost certain he knows the names Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko. I suspect if I said John Byrne or Alan Grant, he might not know, but I’d wager he knows Kirby and Ditko.
I’d say that anyone with a cursory knowledge of UK comics (all eras) knows the names Frank Bellamy and Frank Hampson.
Incidentally, I like it in fiction when desk-bound characters do get the opportunity to get involved in some action. Did Sir Hubert ever get involved in any?
Also, maybe I’m looking in the wrong places, but I can’t find any details about the creative mindset behind the changes to Dare in the mid-to-late 80s. Be interesting if some creators from that period could tell us about each and every change, big and small.
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Post by zaku on Apr 16, 2023 5:15:14 GMT -5
Fun fact: I've only read the Dan Dare miniseries written by Garth Ennis (liked it). So I read the character deconstruction without knowing what the pre-deconstructed original character looked like. I tried to use my imagination a lot! This was the mid-2000s Virgin Comics mini-series, right? I quite enjoyed that, actually, and it's really the only post-60s Dare comic I've read and found that I liked. It's not even really that much of a deconstruction, in all honesty (though it's definitely more government critical than the original). But at its heart, Ennis's Dan Dare definitely had tremendous affection for the original Frank Hampson comics. Having never read the original comic, I trust you! However Ennis' love for the character oozes throughout the pages, I have rarely read anything of him so restrained! I liked the mini very much. Basically, the strip and character was subverted as a vehicle for Morrison to take pot shots at Margaret Thatcher and the Conservative government with and had little worth or redeeming features beyond that, as far as I recall. I was already familiar with the classic 1950s Dan Dare by the time Revolver was coming out, so I found Morrison's take on the character quite jarring. I would also guess that it hasn't aged very well, being so tied to the late 80s/early 90s political landscape here in the UK. I absolutely don't want to get into political topics in this forum, but hearing the latest news coming from across the Channel, I think some topics of the time there are coming back in version 2.0...
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Post by mikelmidnight on Apr 17, 2023 11:17:34 GMT -5
I've just read the wiki page about the character, and even Grant Morrison did a Dan Dare mini! Anyone read it? This was published in a short-lived British comic magazine called Revolver. My best mate back then bought it regularly and I would often browse through it. The thing is that the whole magazine was very much in the subversive, anarcho-punk, counter-culture mould and Morrison's Dan Dare was no exception. Basically, the strip and character was subverted as a vehicle for Morrison to take pot shots at Margaret Thatcher and the Conservative government with and had little worth or redeeming features beyond that, as far as I recall. I was already familiar with the classic 1950s Dan Dare by the time Revolver was coming out, so I found Morrison's take on the character quite jarring. I would also guess that it hasn't aged very well, being so tied to the late 80s/early 90s political landscape here in the UK. I seem to recall that the series wasn't completed in Revolver, and wrapped up in Crisis? I might be wrong. I have the collection, at any rate. I enjoyed it, although as you say it's very much of the era in terms of politically-minded deconstructions.
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Post by berkley on Apr 17, 2023 18:27:03 GMT -5
The Frank Bellamy samples above have convinced me that I want to try at least the first collection where he takes over the art. Do it! You won't be sorry. Bellamy is an absolute Titan of British comics of the 50s and 60s. He came in to replace Hampson due to his health failing, and was charged with freshening up the look of the Dan Dare strip, which resulted in a more "60s space age" design aesthetic. But the strips are basically every bit as enjoyable under Bellamy's hand as they were under Hampson's. And then, when you've fallen in love with his artwork on Dan Dare, don't forget to check out Frank Bellemy's other Eagle strip, "Fraser of Africa" (which I wrote about last year here and here).
Jungle comics aren't usually one of my favourite sub-genres but if I like the artwork as much as the Dan dare samples lead me to suspect I will, I'll probably have to try Fraser as well. Looking up his wiki entry, I'm interested in Heros of Sparta and Garth too.
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 17, 2023 20:21:19 GMT -5
Do it! You won't be sorry. Bellamy is an absolute Titan of British comics of the 50s and 60s. He came in to replace Hampson due to his health failing, and was charged with freshening up the look of the Dan Dare strip, which resulted in a more "60s space age" design aesthetic. But the strips are basically every bit as enjoyable under Bellamy's hand as they were under Hampson's. And then, when you've fallen in love with his artwork on Dan Dare, don't forget to check out Frank Bellemy's other Eagle strip, "Fraser of Africa" (which I wrote about last year here and here).
Jungle comics aren't usually one of my favourite sub-genres but if I like the artwork as much as the Dan dare samples lead me to suspect I will, I'll probably have to try Fraser as well. Looking up his wiki entry, I'm interested in Heros of Sparta and Garth too.
I've seena couple of examples of Heros the Spartan, in the World Encyclopedia of Comics and it was gorgeous. Garth I have only seen as black & white reprints.
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