Spaceship Away #38

The latest issue of Spaceship Away (#38, Spring 2016) continues Des Shaw's ongoing celebration of the original Dan Dare, along with a bit of celebrating of other SF icons of the Fifties. Sometimes I think the magazine is designed just for me.

The first feature is about the old SF magazine Authentic... I co-wrote a book charting that magazine's history many years ago. It's illustrated with cover by John Richards, an artist whose work I love. Then there's Andrew Darlington's look at the Dan Dare yarns produced in the 1980s... which I read and enjoyed when they originally came out. Andrew weaves in a little history of the 'New Eagle' too, touching base with my obsession for British comics' history. And lastly, an article by Alan Vince about Keith Watson, which covers yet another of my obsessions for researching the biographies of old British comic strip artists.

When you add in Tim Booth's ever-impressive Dan Dare comic strips, the Jet Morgan and Nick Hazard reprints and Graham Bleathman's delightful cut-away centrespread, you have an issue that is pretty much guaranteed to get a good review from me.

So let's step back for a second and cast a critical eye over everything. Are the articles good as well as being about subjects of interest? Yes... yes they are. And the comic strips? Well, Terry Patrick was never my favourite, but there's nothing wrong with his Jet Morgan; and while it's late Ron Turner, Martin Baines does a remarkable job with the colours, lifting the strip out of the ordinary.

In other words, you don't have to be me to enjoy the magazine.

You can find out more about the magazine, buy back issues and subscribe to the latest issues at the Spaceship Away website.