The global fascination with the cosmos has reached a fever pitch. Between the anticipation surrounding NASA’s Artemis II mission and the cinematic success of space-bound epics like the adaptation of Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary, the public appetite for interstellar adventure is at a modern high. It is a climate of renewed curiosity that provides the perfect launchpad for the return of one of Britain’s most enduring cultural icons.
Colonel Dan Dare, the stalwart chief pilot of the Interplanet Space Fleet, is making a high-profile return 76 years after his debut. In a new graphic novel titled Dan Dare: First Contact, the character is being reimagined for a generation facing very different earthly anxieties than those of the mid-century. This Dan Dare reboot, produced by B7 Comics, seeks to bridge the gap between the optimistic futurism of the 1950s and the complex realities of the 21st century.
The project is the result of a collaboration between writer Alex de Campi and artist Marc Laming. With the authorization of the Dan Dare Corporation, the duo has stripped the legend down to its essentials to build a narrative that is accessible to newcomers while honoring the DNA of the original strips. The impetus for the revival was personal for de Campi, who describes a moment of serendipity while unpacking books a few years ago.
“I moved house a couple of years ago and was unpacking boxes of books when I pulled out some of my old Dan Dare compendia, so I sat down on the floor and re-read old Frank Hampson strips for an entire afternoon,” de Campi said. “Over the following weeks I kind of daydreamed what it would be like to have a modern Dan Dare. That resulted in me emailing the Dan Dare Corporation asking if I could pitch a new Dan Dare graphic novel series. They said yes.”
From Post-War Utopia to Climate Dystopia
When Frank Hampson first introduced Dan Dare in the debut issue of The Eagle on April 14, 1950, the vision was one of shimmering, post-war hope. The world Dare inhabited was almost utopian, reflecting a society eager to move past the trauma of World War II and look toward a bright, scientific future. Still, the 2024 reimagining pivots sharply to reflect contemporary fears.
In First Contact, the Earth has been ravaged by climate change. The geopolitical landscape has shifted, creating a stark contrast between the privatization of the West and a revitalized public sector in Britain. De Campi has envisioned a future where the United States has evolved into the “United Corporations of America,” where space flight is entirely privatized.
Conversely, the United Kingdom is portrayed as a progressive vanguard. According to de Campi, the UK in this timeline “after teetering on the brink of abandoning its public services in the 2020s, pulled back and recommitted to things like universal public health care, education, infrastructure, transportation – and space flight.” This narrative choice transforms the Interplanet Space Fleet from a mere military arm into a symbol of public service and collective human ambition.
Modernizing the Crew and the Conflict
While the core conflict remains—pitting Dare against the Mekon, the dome-headed, green-skinned Venusian dictator—the supporting cast has undergone significant transformations to better reflect modern society and the history of exploration.
Professor Jocelyn Peabody, a key scientific figure in the series, is now of Indian descent. This change allows the story to engage with the themes of empire and exploration more deeply. De Campi noted that as any space exploration story is inherently a story about colonization, it adds a necessary layer of complexity to have a character whose cultural heritage includes the experience of being colonized.
Even the comic relief has been upgraded. Digby, originally Dare’s middle-aged “batman” or military servant, has been recast as a young, working-class engineer, and inventor. While his role has shifted from a bumbling assistant to a “fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants” technician, the creators have kept one essential detail intact: he is still from Wigan.
Breaking the Cycle of Legacy IPs
The decision to reboot Dan Dare similarly stems from a desire to diversify the sci-fi landscape. De Campi argues that Western audiences have become overly dependent on a few massive franchises, which can eventually become barriers to entry for new readers.
“Everyone loves space adventure stories, but it feels like all we get these days in the west are the same two legacy IPs – Star Wars and Star Trek – flogged at us over and over,” de Campi said. “But after a while, those universes become so huge and complicated it becomes an impediment to new audiences.”
By returning to a “back to basics” approach, B7 Comics aims to capture the “hope and wonder” of the original 1950s strips without requiring the reader to have a degree in fictional galactic history. This approach follows a history of various Dan Dare iterations, including appearances in 2000AD in 1977, a 1982 Eagle relaunch, and a darker, revisionist take by Grant Morrison and Rian Hughes in the magazine Revolver in 1990.
| Era/Publication | Tone/Approach | Key Characteristic |
|---|---|---|
| 1950s (The Eagle) | Utopian/Optimistic | Post-war scientific wonder |
| 1990s (Revolver) | Revisionist/Bleak | Aged and bitter protagonist |
| 2024 (B7 Comics) | Progressive/Dystopian | Climate-ravaged Earth. public service focus |
The 100-page graphic novel arrives after a successful crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, signaling a strong grassroots demand for the character’s return. Andrew Mark Sewell of B7 Comics emphasized that the goal is to move the characters forward while remaining true to their essential DNA, noting the importance of not “throwing the Mekon out with the bath water.”
Dan Dare: First Contact is scheduled for release in November, marking the official return of the Colonel to the forefront of British science fiction. Whether this reboot can capture the same cultural zeitgeist it did in 1950 remains to be seen, but its commitment to modern social commentary suggests a journey that is as much about Earth as it is about the stars.
We would love to hear your thoughts on the return of Dan Dare. Do you think modern sci-fi needs more “public service” heroes? Share your comments below or join the conversation on social media.
