However, once in a while a modern comic attracts my interest.
Although it came out a few years ago now, The Ministry of Space was an irregular three part comic mini series beginning in April 2001 and finally ending in April 2004.
Warren Ellis had the idea for the comic while cleaning out his loft. He found a reprinted copy of a Dan Dare story, The Man from Nowhere. Although, in the fifties it was science fiction now in 2000 it could be seen as an alternative history - a time where Britain had led and won the space race!
The Dan Dare story was written at a time when Britain was recovering following the Second World War. It carried a strong sense of patriotism and an open optimism for the future.
The Ministry of Space carried a darker message and replaced that patriotism with jingoism, and the optimism with good old fashioned British cynicism.
So what’s it all about?
Soon British pilots have broken the sound barrier, manned space stations and landed on the Moon and Mars.
The twist in the tale is the source of the funding and the price paid for progress!
3 comments:
While I am not a fan of graphic novels, this looks good- unfortunately, the cost of the copies still available I have seen is between £40-70!
Check out ebay, Andy. There's one or two up for around a fiver.
The artwork's good and reminissant of the old Dan Dare stuff. I think you'd like it being a Dare fan yourself.
I've still got my copies somewhere. It's a great read. There is a gaff in it though. One of the characters has an horrific accident and they mention Douglas Bader. Someone asks what happened to him and they say he died during WW2, when in reality he survived the war and died in the 1980s. As it's an alternate history maybe they got away with it though?
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