Published Apr 10, 2026, 10:00 AM EDT
John Dodge is an MTV Writer for CBR who specializes in movies, television, comics, and pop culture. He has a deep knowledge of franchises like Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Marvel, and DC Comics, along with a passion for indie and horror titles. An expert on obscure productions from the ’80s and ’90s, John is known for his encyclopedic recall of cult classics like Beetleborgs.
Comic book fans are about to get the chance to revisit one of the most underrated sci-fi action heroes of all time.
Speaking to The Guardian, writer Alex de Campi opened up about the upcoming Dan Dare: First Contact graphic novel from B7 Comics, which will reintroduce the '50s sci-fi hero to a new generation of readers. De Campi recalled moving to a new home and rediscovering her own Dan Dare compendia, which served as the impetus for the project.
"Over the following weeks, I kind of daydreamed [about] what it would be like to have a modern Dan Dare. That resulted in me emailing the Dan Dare Corporation asking if I could pitch a new Dan Dare graphic novel series. They said yes," De Campi explained. De Campi is joined by artist Marc Laming in not only reintroducing Dan Dare and the Interplanet Space Fleet, but also in rebuilding the entire franchise from the ground up.
- Written by ALEX DE CAMPI
- Art by MARC LAMING
- Main cover art by MARC LAMING
Created by Frank Hampson, the eponymous hero of Dan Dare, Pilot of the Future made his debut when the series kicked off in the pages of Eagle #1 back in 1950. The classic series was set in the far-off future of the 1990s, where Dan Dare and his fellow heroes face off against all manner of interstellar threats, such as the Mekon.
Despite being frequently compared to the likes of Buck Rogers, Dan Dare managed to stand on his own enough to garner a dedicated fan base, decades in print, and multiple adaptations across a wide range of media. Dan Dare even received a short-lived Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future CGI animated series in 2002.
Dan Dare's Return To Pop Culture, Explained
Image via B7 ComicsIn 2016, B7 Media released the first volume of its Dan Dare audio drama starring the voice of Ed Stoppard. Written by Richard Kurti and Bev Doyle and directed by Andrew Mark Sewell, the B7 Media audio drama was a hit and received a second volume the following year.
De Campi said of the upcoming graphic novel, "Everyone loves space adventure stories, but it feels like all we get these days in the west are the same two legacy IPs — Star Wars and Star Trek — flogged at us over and over. But after a while, those universes become so huge and complicated it becomes an impediment to new audiences."
Regarding what the world of Dan Dare: First Contact looks like, De Campi noted, "The USA is now the United Corporations of America, and space flight has been privatized. Except in the UK, which, after teetering on the brink of abandoning its public services in the 2020s, pulled back and recommitted to things like universal public health care, education, infrastructure, transportation — and space flight."
Dan Dare: First Contact from B7 Comics is slated to arrive this November.
English (US) · 