Dan Dare and the Birth of Hi-Tech Britain
April 28, 2008 9:39 AM   Subscribe

Dan Dare, pilot of the future, scourge of the Venusian Mekon menace, and modernist architectural inspiration?
posted by Artw (12 comments total)
 
I’m actually really enjoying the Garth Ennis written reboot of Dan Dare, though the breezy modernist flair of original becomes a sort of sad nostalfgia.

There were some fears that with Ennis writing it would be all buggery jokes, but, well, Grant Morrisons been there already... (lovely art by Rian Hughes)
posted by Artw at 9:55 AM on April 28, 2008


I was about to say that, Garth Ennis anything seems to be the same, but 10 times more violent and with more "OMG the gays".
posted by Joakim Ziegler at 10:30 AM on April 28, 2008


In another Modern Architecture/pop culture confluence, Auric Goldfinger takes his name from this guy, whos work Fleming despised. Rather ironic really, since Ken Adams ended up giving Bond Villains cool modernist lairs in the movies, one of the things most closely assosiated with Bond.
posted by Artw at 10:35 AM on April 28, 2008


Artw, the links in your comments are all broken. I suspect Mekon interference.
posted by EndsOfInvention at 11:42 AM on April 28, 2008


Nuts.

Ennis Dare.
Morrison Dare.
Ernő Goldfinger, who Fleming hated.
Ken Adams, set designer.

(I suspect cutting and pasting form an app that gets clever with angled quotes is to blame)
posted by Artw at 11:53 AM on April 28, 2008


The art of Rian Hughes
posted by Artw at 11:54 AM on April 28, 2008


That Goldfimger link is priceless.

Regarding Fleming's book: Goldfinger consulted his lawyers when the book was published in 1959 (which prompted Fleming to threaten to rename the character 'Goldprick') but eventually decided not to sue; Fleming's publishers agreed to pay his costs and gave him six free copies of the book. Goldfinger was a serious man and sometimes fired his assistants if they were inappropriately jocular.

Good thing it wasn't Oddjob.
posted by Guy_Inamonkeysuit at 11:59 AM on April 28, 2008


Hmmm bigged up in the Dare architecture article The Sainsbury Centre appears to be ... a box, a pretty box but not vary daring (sorry).

The Renault Distribution Centre
looks much better... nicely high-tech and comic-booky
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 12:13 PM on April 28, 2008


"Virgin" comcs.... lol, how unfortunate.
posted by autodidact at 1:01 PM on April 28, 2008


Another thing I like about Dan Dare is the post-war faith in the new United Nations and a very liberal, "Brotherhood of Man" positive attitude. At the end of the first story, a demilitarised Earth fights the Mekon with ceremonial troops from all over the world, and all races and colours and creeds, emerging victorious over racist and fascist Treens.

Of course, all the races and colours and creeds are led by a white British officer, but come on, this was the 1950s...
posted by alasdair at 2:25 PM on April 28, 2008


Material World podcast
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 3:17 PM on May 1, 2008


When Dan Dared
posted by Artw at 2:57 PM on May 4, 2008


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