A quick reminder of two panels I’ll be appearing on at Sci-Fi-London on Saturday (1st May 2010).
60 Years of Dan Dare
A panel on 60 years of the lantern jawed space pilot. Alex Fitch will be talking to: Garry Leach, who drew Dan’s return to print in 2000AD, ten years after the end of the original Eagle, in the late 1970s and more recently covers for Virgin comics’ revival of the ‘Pilot of the future’ in 2008.
Rian Hughes, who drew the Eagle-inspired comic The Science Service in 1989 and then the Mekon’s final revenge in the Thatcherite satire Dare in the adult comics Revolver and Crisis a year later; Gary Erskine,
who drew Dan Dare’s most recent official comic book adventures in the
Virgin Comics periodical of the same name; Titan Books Dan Dare
collections editor John Freeman, who previously wrote The Science Service and now writes the strip Ex Astris in the Dan Dare magazine Spaceship Away; and Rod Barzilay, the editor and one of the writers of Spaceship Away.
• 60 Years of Dan Dare runs from 10.30am on Saturday 1st May
30 years of Marvel UK
Alex Fitch hosts a panel on the British arm of the American Superhero publisher, featuring: Dez Skinn, a pioneering Marvel UK editor who launched titles such as Hulk Comic and Doctor Who Magazine , which featured early licensed work by Alan Moore, David Lloyd, Pat Mills and Dave Gibbons; Dan Abnett,
who gave Captain Britain a new, darker spin in the 1990s by adding him
to an Arthurian team of heroes with Gary Erskine, co-creator of the Knights of Pendragon; John Freeman, who edited many of Marvel UK’s early 1990s titles such as Death’s Head II, Warheads, Killpower and Motormouth, contributing strips to several issues as well, and also edited Doctor Who Magazine; and Simon Furman, primary writer for Marvel’s Transformers, and a dozen issues of Doctor Who Magazine. He created some of Marvel UK’s most memorable SF titles including Dragon Claws and Death’s Head.
• 30 years of Marvel UK runs from 11.45 am, Saturday 1st May
All the events – there are plenty more comic-related events –
take place at the Apollo Piccadilly Cinema, 19 Lower Regent Street,
London, SW1Y 4LR. More info at www.sci-fi-london.com
Showing posts with label Spaceship Away. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spaceship Away. Show all posts
Thursday, 29 April 2010
Thursday, 4 February 2010
Ex Astris Returns to Spaceship Away
The magazine has just gone to the printers and will be on sale in all its usual outlets, and online, soon.
Spaceship Away readers will soon realize that our latest episode of Ex Astris for the magazine is a very different beast to “Secrets of Ceres”, which ran in previous issues. This story, reflecting the huge scope of artist Mike Nicoll’s vision for the strip, is set in the 26th Century, at a point where Earth has long been a wasteland caused by a combination of environmental and other disasters, but humans are now fighting to reclaim their planet of birth from mysterious aliens and antagonistic descendants of the survivors of the world’s destruction some centuries previously.
While “Secrets of Ceres” is set before Earth is finally beset by disaster, Sarah Blake lives on in Katherine Blake in ‘Homecoming’, the all-action leader of an elite military squad aboard the Armstrong spaceship. Is she a direct descendant of Sarah, or are there other secrets yet to be revealed? More to the point, is Captain Charles Bryant the same Bryant followers of Ex Astris have seen in “Ceres” and “Return to the Moon” and, if so, how has he survived for almost five centuries?
Although the strip has been previously published – and was previously available online via myebook, where it achieved some 15,000 downloads – I’m looking forward to seeing it in Spaceship Away, simply because of the quality of the magazine. For us, the strip is a good fit with the science fiction vision of the Spaceship Away team.
“Garth: The Bubble Man” by Frank Bellamy, beautifully coloured by John Ridgway continues this issue, as does “Journey in Space: Planet of Fear” written by by Charles Chilton, and drawn by Ferdinando Tacconi.
Feature wise, there’s a report on the recent Spaceship Away day event and full information on Alistair Crompton’s new book on Dan Dare creator Frank Hampson, Tomorrow Revisited, out later this year. Graham Bleathman providea a cutaway of Dan Dare’s spaceship, the Anastasia, and there are some images of the original models used in the creation of the Dan Dare strip back in his original Eagle days, and an update on Day2Day Trading’s new Dan Dare action figure which we’ve reported on here.
• To order the issue online visit: spaceshipaway.org.uk
Wednesday, 30 September 2009
Garth Debuts in New Spaceship Away
Spaceship Away Part 19 – the title’s sixth birthday issue – doesn’t feature Ex Astris (we’ll be back soon, though) but does includes articles on Frank Hampson’s Epsom College days and the creation of comic strip Nick Hazard, drawn by Ron Turner, which also features in the comic magazine (also re-coloured by John Ridgway); plus new artwork from John M. Burns and all-new original Dan Dare comic strips – Green Nemesis and The Gates of Eden, both drawn by Tim Booth.
• To get the magazine delivered to your door, go straight to Spaceship Away Order Page
Monday, 8 June 2009
Ex Astris To Return to Spaceship Away
We're pleased to report that although the upcoming issue of Spaceship Away, on sale soon, brings the first Ex Astris 'prequel' story to a close, the strip will return to the Magazine next year - and this time, it will be for an ongoing run."We'll be back with Issue 21," says writer John Freeman. "We're delighted the editors of Spaceship Away have committed to a further series of stories: it's a testament to Mike Nicoll's creation and his stunning work that the strip has proved a success in the Magazine."
It looks like it's going to be an interesting year ahead for the SF comic magazine: in addition to continuing Dan Dare stories and more, Issue 19 will see the arrival of the Daily Mirror's classic strip Garth, coloured by John Ridgway - a story that has never been reprinted in the UK.
Talks are also going on with Sydney Jordan about completing the Dan Dare story he started
in the Planet on Sunday.
• Spaceship Away Part 18 is being distributed to existing subscribers. For more about the issue, click here
• To order Spaceship Away, click here
Sunday, 1 February 2009
Secrets of Ceres Part 2 Features in new Spaceship Away
On sale in all good comic shops soon is the latest issue of Rod Barzilay’s Spaceship Away comic magazine, featuring all-new comic strip starring the original Dan Dare and a variety of other SF strips including the second part of Ex Astris: Secrets of Ceres, a prequel strip to the story featured on ROK Comics and Clickwheel.Other strips in the magazone include Rocket Pilot by Keith Page, Nick Hazard by Philip Harbottle and Ron Turner, coloured by John Ridgway, and many more.
A highlight of the issue must surely be an all-new Dan Dare centrespread by veteran artist Mike Noble, perhaps best known for his work on TV Century 21 and Look-In – his first SF art, we believe, in years.
But that’s not all, because the issue also includes Frank Hampson's original Operation Saturn Dan Dare story outline that's just been rediscovered by his son, Peter Hampson; science fiction author Stephen Baxter has written an article comparing Eagle and TV21; ace downthetubes' contributor Jeremy Briggs has a look at Dan's Anastasia and cutaway king Graham Bleathman tackles the craft's cockpit - a difficult job as the details kept changing in the strip!
Plus, artist Don Harley talks about working with Frank Bellamy; a debate about SF writer Arthur C. Clarke's involvement in the creation of Dan Dare continues; and the magazine lifts the lid on a hidden bit of Dan Dare Red Moon artwork.
As usual, it's a packed issue with plenty to keep Dan Dare and SF comic fans happy!
• To order online visit: http://spaceshipaway.org.uk
Tuesday, 13 January 2009
Secrets of Ceres Episode 2 Preview!
Mike and I have just completed work on the second episode of Secrets of Ceres, the Ex Astris prequel strip running in science fiction comic magazine Spaceship Away, which goes to the printers soon.
There were some last minute hiccups thanks to a glaring proofing error over one of the character's names -- Sarah Blake, our hardwired space investigator suddenly started to be called by a different name, a subconscious link between her and the Ex Astris main strip that was almost revealed by accident! Special thanks to Des Shaw and Rod Barzilay for not only spotting it at the last minute but also giving us chance to put things right.
Hope you enjoy the low resolution preview of the episode's first page, above.
The next issue of Spaceship Away includes an article by acclaimed SF author Stephen Baxter and features a new centre-spread painted by Mike Noble, perhaps best known for his work on TV Century 21 and is his first SF artwork for a while. There's also another painting by top illustrator Graham Bleathman and the magazine will also be looking at the connection between Dan Dare artists and Gerry Anderson's world. More info on the issue, on sale soon, from the Spaceship Away web site!
In other EA news, Episode 7 of the strip is now also on Clickwheel.
Thursday, 9 October 2008
Spaceship Away On Sale Now
The latest issue of the Dan Dare-inspired comics magazine Spaceship Away is on sale now via the official web site, featuring no less than eleven strips - including part one Secrets of Ceres, an all-new Ex Astris adventure by downthetubes editor John Freeman and artist Mike Nicoll.The issue also features a Dan Dare 'prequel' strip, Rocket Pilot, written and drawn by top Commando artist Keith Page; the first episode of a beautifully coloured version of Nick Hazard, Intersteallar Agent, drawn by Ron Turner (colouring supplied by John Ridgway); and two more continuing original Dan Dare strips, Green Nemesis and The Gates of Eden.
Editor Rod Barzilay sees the issue as a 'jumping on point' for new readers, with Ian McLumpha's Space Girls and Eric Chilton's Journey into Space (drawn by Tacconi) just two more strips in the jam-packed line up, complemented by a range of features on the making of the original Dan Dare stories.
Published three times a year,this full colour, glossy magazine started out as a way to get a newly created 1950’s ‘old Eagle’ style Dan Dare strip story (Drawn by Keith Watson and Don Harley) in print, along with how it was done.
The magazine has grown from 24 to 48 pages a time, and is now moving sideways into other science fiction.
"Spaceship Away is evolving all the time," says dedicated editor Rod Barzilay, "and there are more new things already in the pipeline."
• To get the magazine delivered to your door, go straight to Spaceship Away Order Page
• More about Ex Astris at www.exastris.co.uk
Sunday, 14 September 2008
Secrets of Ceres joins Spaceship Away
Were delighted to report that Secrets of Ceres, the first part of a new Ex Astris strip drawn by Mike Nicoll and written by John Freeman, will feature in the next issue of the Dan Dare-inspired comics magazine Spaceship Away, now at the printers and which editor Rod Barzilay tells us will soon be shipped to subscribers.Secrets of Ceres is a three part-story set in the Ex Astris universe created by Mike, set some years before the strip available as a free to view comic on ROK Comics and the one-off strip Homecoming, appearing in another independent UK comics title, Bulletproof Comics, which will be available from that publisher's Online Store soon.
Secrets of Ceres is set in the mid 21st Century, at a time when the race to space has been rekindled, borne from both the need for raw materials and a desire to explore. With bases on the Moon, Mars and the asteroids, humankind has truly expanded beyond the confines of home planet Earth... but is this fast expansion driven by other needs, unknown to the general public at large?
By 2040, the major asteroid Ceres has been selected as staging post for the mineral exploitation of the Asteroid Belt, with big corporations paying for the base in return for property rights. By 2050, Ceres base is fully up and running -- moved using giant ram jets into Mars orbit to better exploit its resources.
But beneath the surface of Ceres secrets are about to be uncovered - secrets investigator Sarah Blake may not live to reveal...
Spaceship Away (a three times a year, full colour, glossy magazine) started out as a way to get a newly created 1950’s ‘old Eagle’ style Dan Dare strip story (Drawn by Keith Watson and Don Harley) in print, along with how it was done. However, it didn’t stop there! Soon, other new Dan Dare stories - some serious, some not, and features joined the title, including plans, cutaway drawings, development notes, real science connections, custom-built models, foreign DD, readers' chat-back and background write-ups.
The magazine has grown from 24 to 48 pages over its five year publishing history and is now moving sideways into other SF comicsas well. Of the latest issue's 11 regular strips, five are non-Dan Dare, including Charles Chilton's Journey into Space, Space Girls and Ron Turner's Nick Hazard Interstellar Agent - Mission to Vorga.
• More about Spaceship Away at spaceshipaway.org.uk
• More about Ex Astris at www.exastris.co.uk
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