| Welcome to the personal recommendations from our staff (okay, they are all from me this month!) for September. There is a distinct nostalgic theme to this month's choices - looking at the latest Flash Gordon title from Checker made me think of Britain's own space hero, Dan Dare. And since Rebellion are collecting together all of Judge Dredd's adventures in a new series his earliest adventures seemed like a natural partner to Flash and Dan.
Three comics heroes from very different eras; from the 30s/40s America, 50s post-war Britain and then 1977's Britain, a time of punk rock, the Silver Jubilee, Star Wars and a little something new called 2000AD comic… Its not all nostalgia though - I chose these far more for the fact that they are simply brilliant comics and fabulous characters who have all stood the test of time, with new generations finding them over and over again through the years. That's the thing with True Heroes of course; they are always there, waiting, when we need them to inspire us.
Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon Volume 5 hardcover
It may seem odd to be picking a comic strip that is 65 years-old, but, like Dan Dare (arguably his British counterpart), Flash Gordon is simultaneously of his time and yet utterly timeless.
Yes, the way folks back in the 30s and 40s saw the future is rather quaint now, but I think this adds to the charm of Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon strips and besides, it doesn't detract from the delightful imagination on show here; gleaming, curving rockets ships and strange alien cities. Remember these were being imagined at a time when biplanes were only slowing being replaced!
This is pure imaginative adventure and the fun thing is it can be read by all ages - if you have children then share this with them. This is a lovely piece of comics and SF history and it is terrific to see it being brought to new generations.
Classic Dan Dare - Prisoners of Space
If you enjoy the Flash Gordon strips then you will almost certainly love the adventures of Britain's Pilot of the Future, Colonel Daniel McGregor Dare. In a grey, post-war, Austerity-era Britain the adventures of Dan Dare leapt out at kids starved of fun in wonderful, glowing colour on the cover of the Eagle comic.
As with Flash there is the promise and sheer joy of simple adventure yarns and of square-jawed heroes who will always stand up to the worst of villains, aided by a band of true friends. There is also the welcome promise of faith in the future, that there would be better days after the destruction of the war. That optimism was painted each week in the Eagle in bright colours with gorgeous artwork and a delightful imagination.
It is funny to feel nostalgia for an era you never knew and yet Dan Dare conveys this while still being a stirring yarn of true adventure. Like Flash these are suitable for all ages - if you have children then please share this book with them; they will love it.
Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files 1
From one classic, influential British comics character to a later one; Judge Dredd. Hard to believe he's been around for almost 30 years now; I remember him so well when I bought those 2000AD issues back in 1977 (do you remember your free Space Spinner?). Starting in Prog 2 he was not an immediate hit, but he built up over the issues until by the time of the first epic, Robot Wars, he was on his way to becoming the biggest British comics character of all time.
Rebellion are now collecting all of Dredd's adventures together in chronological order (this volume covers from is first appearance in Prog 2 through to Prog 60) and very welcome this classic material is. For the younger reader it is a chance to go back to the beginning and see those early strips, how it all began and evolved (like reading the Marvel Essentials of DC Showcase titles) and for the older reader like myself it is a welcome return to old strips we treasured back when 2000AD was utterly new and each week was a new range of Hyper Heroes to love.
Re-reading these is strange, even for those of us who have grown up reading Dredd since the beginning. It is like watching very early episodes of the original Star Trek where you see Spock cracking a smile and you know that's wrong, Vulcans don't smile, but that hadn't been established then. This is the same, where Dredd is seen as a higher form of law enforcement in some early strips, working alongside 'normal' police (who would vanish from Mega City 1 later) and yes, like early Trek Spock, Dredd would sometimes even smile! This is a terrific chance to watch the evolution of one of the best British comics characters and to wallow in those early Carlos Ezquerra and Mike McMahon (before he started doing huge boots on everyone) artwork extravaganzas. This is going to be an essential series for all British comics readers.
Writer: Various | Artist: Various | Publisher: Various
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