Dan Dare, Pilot of the Future, returns! First published in classic British comic The Eagle, these are the original space adventures of one of Britain's best-loved characters.

Believed dead after successfully saving the Earth from the Red Moon, Dan and his friends have crashed on Mercury and fallen into the hands of the rock creatures that inhabit the planet! To make matters worse, the dreaded Mekon is once more on Dan's trail!

This volume includes an exclusive introduction by Queen guitarist Brian May, an in-depth article focusing on the art of Frank Hampson, an unseen Hampson interview, and rare strip “Spaceship Away”!

The Pilot of the Future has returned! From the pages of British adventure comic The Eagle comes the phenomenon that is Dan Dare! Frank Hampson’s legendary 1950s creation blasts back in a collection of retro adventures reprinted here in new Collectors’ Library volumes. Featuring writer-artist Frank Hampson’s beautiful full colour artwork, Dan Dare’s adventures look just as vibrant and thrilling today as they did on their original debut in April 1950. Collected in this volume are the original stories from The Eagle’s comic strip run. This volume features a special introduction by Queen guitarist and long-time Dan Dare fan Brian May, a character guide, an in-depth article on the art of Frank Hampson, a story checklist, the third part of a previously unseen interview with creator Frank Hampson and a rare comic strip story Spaceship Away.

In Marooned on Mercury, join the courageous Dan Dare and his friends Digby, Professor Peabody, Hank, Sir Hubert, Pierre, Sondar and Volstar in a series of fantastic, exciting adventures. The Pilot of the Future saved the Earth from the threat of the Red Moon but now him and his crew are believed dead. Stranded on Mercury, Dan and the crew come under attack by the planet’s inhabitants: rock creatures. Making matters worse, the dreaded Mekon is once more after Dan and our hero soon finds himself caught between a rock and a hard place. A collection of stunning, retro science-fiction tales that will appeal to old fans, newcomers and adventurers alike!

Frank Hampson was the creator, writer and artist for Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future. It became a British phenomenon with merchandising that included everything from stamps to sweet cigarettes, merchandising that continues today. Dan Dare continued as an ongoing series up until 1996, although Hampson was only involved in the early years of the comic strip and died in 1985. Overshadowed by his success on Dan Dare, Hampson also illustrated a number of children’s books for Ladybird. While the comic has finished as a continuing series, Dan Dare lives on in the memories of those who read it back in the 1950s as well as in the continuing merchandise and the 2002 CGI TV series.

“Dan Dare is a fun, lively artifact from mid-century England, and its artwork and attitude are worth a second (and third) look.” – Publishers Weekly

“The stories are engaging, the artwork beautiful and the colour vibrant” – Sci-Fi Online

“Frank Hampson’s stories for Dan Dare were a great stimulus to my imagination and helped enormously to while away the days spent growing up in Sheffield” – Michael Palin

Classics · Dan Dare
Volume 4 in the series · Contains Eagle Vol 3 #12 to Vol 3, #46