"Dan Dare" - Pilot of the Future Quiz

Answer: Albert Digby

Digby (Albert Fitzwilliam Digby) was born in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. He is somewhat chubby and accident-prone, serving as a loyal sidekick. Digby is the only character to appear in every story alongside Dan in the original "Eagle" comic strip, which debuted in 1950. His dedication to Dan proves invaluable, often helping him in perilous situations. He loves sleeping-perhaps a bit too much-and enjoys traditional English food. Dan named his spaceship "Aunt Anastasia" after Digby's closest relative.

"Dan Dare" first appeared on April 14, 1950, in the comic. The character was created by illustrator Frank Hampson, who also wrote some of the earliest stories. "Dan Dare" was a colonel in the Interplanet Space Fleet.

Answer: The Mekon

The Mekon was the ruler of the Treens, who inhabited the northern hemisphere of Venus. He made his first appearance in November 1950 in the 30th episode of the "Eagle" comic strip, "Dan Dare".

He is the only character, aside from "Dan Dare" himself, to appear in every edition of the comic strip published by "Virgin Comics", "Eagle", and "2000 AD". The Mekon appeared in nearly every story during the 1950s.

He was developed through scientific experiments and designed to exhibit extraordinarily high intelligence. As a result, he travelled on a levitating chair and had a weakened body with an enlarged head that housed his massive brain. He created sophisticated superweapons to achieve his goal: conquering the universe to facilitate scientific study.

Answer: The Interplanet Space Fleet

"Dan Dare" was a member of the Interplanet Space Fleet, commonly known as the Space Fleet or IPSF. Sir Hubert Guest serves as the Space Fleet's controller, assigning missions to Dan and occasionally joining him on assignments. Dan is a skilled pilot who took part in the initial Moon mission and led the first expedition to Mars.

Answer: The Anastasia

Dan commands the spacecraft named "Anastasia", which is named after Digby's aunt. The Anastasia is a spacecraft with wings, created by the character Sondar, and incorporates technology from both Earth and Venus. The spacecraft is technically called the ESSP-B1076 Anastasia-class.

The Anastasia is heavily loaded with weapons including, STRS/011 "Valkyrie" Anti-Mobile Suit Missile, STRS/014 "Fenrir" Anti-Ship Missile, STRS/026 "Vaetir" Plasma Field Missile and STRS/032 "Einherjar" Beam Disruption Missiles. Anastasia-class vessels are frequently held in reserve to prioritize carriers and destroyers, resulting in smaller yet more flexible fleets.

Answer: Pea Green

"Dan Dare" is typically depicted wearing a "pea soup green" (or simply "light green") spacesuit. Although the suit occasionally varied throughout the series-for example, the Mark III suit was red-the standard uniform of the Interplanet Spacefleet was known for its green colour.

Answer: McGregor

His full name was Daniel McGregor Dare, and he was born in the future (1967). When Dan went to Cambridge, he had the opportunity to conduct astrophysics research at Harvard University. After finishing his studies, he joined the Interplanet Spacefleet as a trainee flight cadet. Dan gained flying experience on missions between Earth and the Moon and was quickly promoted to Space Pilot One.

In 1996, he received the 'Order of the United Nations' for leading the Venus Expedition. One of his greatest accomplishments was liberating the Treens from the oppressive rule of Mekon.

Answer: 2000AD

When '2000AD' was launched on 26 February 1977, "Dan Dare" was the flagship strip, appearing on the front page. "Judge Dredd" did not appear until issue 2. "Dan Dare" was removed from "2000AD" in 1979.

"2000 AD" is a British comic magazine focused on science fiction. It is an anthology that publishes serialised stories in each issue, referred to as "progs". A comic's anthology gathers various works in the comics medium, usually from different series, and assembles them into a single collection or magazine. The comics included can vary from short comic strips that are too brief to be published on their own to comic book chapters that may eventually be combined into collected volumes.

Answer: England

The headquarters of the Interplanet Space Fleet was commonly linked to a spaceport located on an artificial island near Formby, Lancashire, England. It was designed to serve as the main centre for launching Earth's space rockets. This facility acts as the command base for the space fleet led by "Dan Dare".

Answer: Arthur C. Clarke

Arthur C. Clarke had an important, though short-lived, involvement in the creation of "Dan Dare", acting as the science and story consultant for the "Eagle" comic strip during its initial six months in 1950. His main role was to guarantee the scientific credibility of the futuristic plots, establishing a standard for the series to maintain technical accuracy in its depiction of space exploration. Clarke examined the scripts and illustrations to make sure that the rockets, space journeys, and outer space settings were believable according to the scientific understanding of the time.

Answer: Green

The Treens are a race of green-skinned humanoid beings governed by the Mekon, a specially designed individuals with exceptional intelligence. They are depicted as largely emotionless, lacking typical human sentiments regarding the value of life. In ancient times, the Treens existed as wild jungle tribes constantly engaged in tribal conflicts with one another, until the Therons forcibly took control of the northern hemisphere during a significant war in an effort to bring civilization to the Treens.