Spaceship Away

Spaceship Away is a British illustrated, full-colour fanzine created to revive the visual style and spirit of the original Dan Dare stories associated with Eagle, the influential British boys’ magazine published from 1950 to 1969. Rather than functioning as a conventional commercial comics publisher or a general-interest magazine, it developed as a specialist publication for readers interested in classic British space adventure, retro-futurist illustration and the wider culture surrounding mid-century British comics. The publication was founded by Rod Barzilay in 2003. Its immediate purpose was to provide a home for The Phoenix Mission, a Dan Dare story written by Barzilay. Barzilay had attempted to secure commercial publication for the project and persuaded Keith Watson, an artist connected with the original Dan Dare tradition, to illustrate it in a deliberate pastiche of the earlier series. When commercial interest failed to materialize, Barzilay began publishing the material independently through Spaceship Away. The project gained credibility and creative depth through the involvement of artists and writers associated with Dan Dare and related British comic-strip traditions. After Keith Watson died, Don Harley assumed responsibility for illustrating The Phoenix Mission from the second issue onward. Harley had been a major Dan Dare artist in the 1950s and had at times shared artistic credit with Frank Hampson, the character’s best-known original creator. Tim Booth also became an important contributor, later co-drawing The Green Nemesis, a continuation of the story world established by The Phoenix Mission. Over time, Spaceship Away expanded beyond a single revival project. Its contents came to include additional Dan Dare stories, new material set at different points in the character’s fictional chronology, text stories, historical-style pastiches and humorous one-page parodies. Regular or recurring features include The Green Nemesis, Rocket Pilot and The Gates of Eden. The publication also carries spoof strips such as Mekki, Our Bertie, Dan Dire and Dan Bear, alongside new Dan Dare prose stories by Denis Steeper. The fanzine’s scope has also widened to encompass other British science-fiction properties and traditions. It has featured material connected with Charles Chilton’s Journey into Space and Sydney Jordan’s Hal Starr, reflecting an editorial interest in British space adventure more broadly rather than Dan Dare alone. Its stories frequently use continuity points from the classic Dan Dare setting, including the Sargasso Sea of Space, the Treen and Theron food shipments, and periods immediately before or after major events in the original Eagle narratives. Spaceship Away occupies a distinctive position between fan publication, archival tribute and original licensed-or-inspired creative practice. Its value lies in preserving the look, tone and storytelling conventions of classic British comics while commissioning new work from artists and writers familiar with that tradition. The available reference material identifies it as still operating in July 2024, although detailed corporate, ownership, circulation and distribution information is not established here.

Spaceship Away emerged from an effort to restore the character and visual language of the original Dan Dare stories for a modern specialist readership. Dan Dare had first appeared in Eagle, a British boys’ illustrated magazine that ran from 1950 to 1969. The character became associated particularly with the work of writer and artist Frank Hampson, whose clean linework, detailed machinery and optimistic space-opera setting helped define the visual identity of postwar British comics. Rod Barzilay created Spaceship Away after developing The Phoenix Mission, a new story written as a pastiche of the classic Dan Dare material. Barzilay sought commercial publication and secured the participation of Keith Watson, an artist who had worked within the original Dan Dare tradition, to illustrate the story. When the project did not attract sufficient commercial interest, Barzilay chose to publish it independently. The first issue appeared in 2003, giving the story a dedicated platform and establishing the fanzine’s editorial identity. The publication’s early development was strongly shaped by the participation of artists connected with the historic Dan Dare strip. Following Watson’s death, Don Harley took over the illustration of The Phoenix Mission from the second issue. Harley was a notable original Dan Dare artist and had worked in the period when the strip was closely associated with Hampson and the Eagle team. Tim Booth subsequently provided additional artistic support and later co-drew The Green Nemesis, a sequel to The Phoenix Mission written by Barzilay. Spaceship Away gradually broadened its contents. Instead of limiting itself to a single continuation of Dan Dare, it began presenting several stories set at different points in the character’s fictional history. The Green Nemesis uses the Sargasso Sea of Space, a setting associated with Hampson’s Reign of the Robots. Keith Page’s Rocket Pilot is positioned shortly before Dan Dare’s first journey to Venus and before the Kingfisher expedition. Tim Booth’s The Gates of Eden is set in 1998, at the beginning of the first Treen and Theron food shipments to Earth. These stories use the chronology and concepts of the original strip as a framework for new adventures. The fanzine also developed a humorous and experimental side. One-page parodies and comic variations include Mekki and Our Bertie by Ray Aspden, Eric MacKenzie’s Dan Dire and Andy Boyce’s Dan Bear. These features treat Dan Dare as a recognizable cultural property while allowing contributors to parody its names, conventions and characters. Alongside the comic strips, Denis Steeper contributed new Dan Dare text stories set after the original Eagle strips, in which Dan has become Sir Daniel and has been elevated to Controller-in-Chief of Space Fleet. In later years, the publication’s remit expanded to other British science-fiction properties. It has included material related to Charles Chilton’s Journey into Space and Sydney Jordan’s Hal Starr, placing Spaceship Away within a larger network of British space-adventure fandom. Its editorial approach combines continuation, reconstruction, pastiche, parody and archival enthusiasm rather than pursuing a single standardized format. The available reference material describes Spaceship Away as still operating in July 2024. No reliable information is supplied here about a parent company, corporate structure, circulation, revenue, formal headquarters or current distribution arrangements. The publication is therefore best understood as an independent or specialist fan-oriented comics brand whose principal identity rests on its ongoing editorial and creative program.

• 2024

  Publication reported as ongoing

  [1]Spaceship Awayen.wikipedia.org

  The available reference describes Spaceship Away as still operating as of July 2024.

• 2003

  Spaceship Away begins publication

  [1]Spaceship Awayen.wikipedia.org

  Rod Barzilay launched the fanzine as an independent vehicle for The Phoenix Mission after the Dan Dare story failed to secure sufficient commercial publishing interest.

• Don Harley takes over The Phoenix Mission artwork

  [1]Spaceship Awayen.wikipedia.org

  After Keith Watson’s death, original Dan Dare artist Don Harley continued The Phoenix Mission from the second issue onward.

• The publication expands beyond its original Dan Dare revival

  [1]Spaceship Awayen.wikipedia.org

  Spaceship Away added new Dan Dare stories, parody strips, text fiction and material related to other British science-fiction properties.

A specialist British fanzine and retro-comics publication preserving and extending the classic Dan Dare and British space-adventure tradition.

• Illustrated science-fiction publication · 2003

  Spaceship Away fanzine

  The core product is a full-colour illustrated fanzine devoted initially to Dan Dare and later to a broader range of British science-fiction and popular-culture subjects. Its contents combine original comic strips, continuations of classic stories, prose fiction, parody features and work by contributors familiar with British comics history.

• Dan Dare comic strip · 2003

  The Phoenix Mission

  Written by Rod Barzilay, The Phoenix Mission was the project that directly led to the creation of Spaceship Away. It was designed as a pastiche of the early Dan Dare stories and was first illustrated by Keith Watson before Don Harley continued the artwork from the second issue.

• Dan Dare comic strip

  The Green Nemesis

  The Green Nemesis is a sequel to The Phoenix Mission, written by Rod Barzilay and co-drawn by Tim Booth. Its setting includes the Sargasso Sea of Space, a location associated with the classic Dan Dare story Reign of the Robots.

• Dan Dare comic strip

  Rocket Pilot

  Keith Page’s Rocket Pilot is set before Dan Dare’s first journey to Venus and before the Kingfisher expedition. The strip uses an earlier point in the character’s chronology to explore the period immediately preceding the familiar classic adventures.

• Dan Dare comic strip

  The Gates of Eden

  Written and drawn by Tim Booth, The Gates of Eden takes place in 1998, when the first Treen and Theron food shipments to Earth begin. It extends the setting through a story anchored to a specific period in Dan Dare continuity.

1. 1Spaceship Awayen.wikipedia.org