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Eagle Comic and Dan Dare – Space Hero
Dan Dare fronted the Eagle comic in the UK from 1950 until its demise in 1969. Colonel Dan Dare, assisted by Spaceman Digby battled aliens, confounded devilish plots and helped save the earth in weekly episodes, usually leaving his young audience on the edge of their seats waiting for next week's episode after another cliff hanger last picture frame.
There are those who believe that much of the more modern 'Dr. Who' series had its origins in the stories of Dan Dare. Dare's arch enemy, the Mekon, certainly has some resemblance to the leader of the Daleks…
The rarer printed examples of the comics now change hands for considerable sums. The drawings are wonderful examples of 1950s /1960s comic art. The style is different from American comics of the same period – and the characters are more pipe smoking Battle of Britain 1940s propaganda hero than the superhero with miraculous powers characters that were sweeping America at the same time.
Put together by a fan, this website also covers other stories in 'The Eagle' and the artists and writers behind the stories.
10 nostalgia points! http://www.dandare.org/
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Chris O. If I recall correctly the pipe-smoking British heroes were in the Victor?
K D. Ah, the Victor... Front page always the story behind the war medal. Did more for recruiting into the armed services than any official publication. Helped millions of boys learn how to say 'Achtung! Spitefire!' , 'Kamerad!' and of course, 'Banzai!'. Good times...
I think pipe smoking was obligatory in all comics if you were going to win the VC at that time. Filthy huns and Nazis favoured cigars.
I seem to remember one RAF story called 'Matt Braddock' who was the scourge of the Luftwaffe?
Chris O. Apparently that was in The Rover, not The Victor, and it had no pictures so I might have given that one a miss. But as for the British having no superheroes:
"He laid three darts on the palm of his hand and propelled them off with a flick. He scored three bulls-eyes"
That'll do for me. And his flying was beyond impressive, including a bombing run on which he flew so close to the ground that the blast from his own bombs turned the plane over and he was flying upside down at 20 feet. Since he survived, we can assume he had no further bombs to drop from that position.
Undoubtedly he would be a gay icon today; perhaps he was, even then.
http://www.britishcomics.20m.com/matt.htm
K D. And a best buddy of Biggles...
'Biggles Flies Undone'
'Biggles and Ginger go Camping'
etc., etc.,