Dan Dare: The Audio Adventures, Volume One

Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future was a popular British science fiction comic of the 1950s originally written by Frank Hampson and published in Eagle comic. It has undergone various adaptations and remakes through the years, with this being a version made for radio in 2017.

Voyage to Venus – The first story introduces us not only to our hero and his supporting cast but to recurring nemesis the Mekon. Beyond the title and the presence of the main characters, there is little resemblance to the plot of the original comic story, not least because this is rather shorter. Among other things, it has obviously been updated for the modern day in terms of both the technology (for example, Dare has a smartphone) and the science, with Venus being almost as uninhabitable as it is in real life.

Even so, we have something that feels like an old-style adventure story with daring escapes and villainous plans to be foiled. Dare is square-jawed and heroic, neither feeling painfully retro nor shoe-horned into modern issues and sensibilities that would feel out of place in this setting. Of the supporting cast, Digby has the best portrayal, a voice of sensible caution and pragmatism to Dare's heroic stance and flippant defiance. Peabody, the only significant female character from the original (and dropped altogether from the ‘60s version of the comic) has less of a role and doesn't come across as particularly sympathetic so far. 4 stars.

The Red Moon Mystery – The Mekon is absent in this second episode, which uses a different alien menace. The nature of the aliens, and the fact that much of the story is set on Mars, are both taken from the original comic story of the same title. Once again, however, the plot is substantially different (as is the depiction of Mars), the absence of a literal red moon being one indication of this. There's also clearly a plot arc building up here with another potentially sinister faction in the background that we'll presumably be seeing more of later.

Assuming you're not a purist fan of the original, this new plot works well, presenting us with an action and mystery story that also fills in more of Dan's background. The science is updated to the modern day without changing the basic idea behind the aliens and arguably has a grittier tone than its predecessor while still maintaining Dan's heroic persona. Digby has a significant role to play but he takes more of a backseat this time, giving Peabody a chance to shine; this version of her is something of a cold fish but her cool efficiency is an effective counterpoint to the action elements of the story. It's a good science fiction action tale that has a more modern feel than the first episode, and arguably benefits from it. 4.5 stars.

Marooned on Mercury – The Mekon returns in the third episode, which sees Dare and his companions being forced to land on Mercury. It hews closer to the plot of the original than the previous two episodes did, although there are still significant changes, not least in the shorter length. The disadvantage here is that the comic version of Marooned on Mercury is, by all accounts, not one of the better stories, and basically all we have a is straight-up rebellion plot, with Dare and Digby persuading the Mercurians to rise up against the Mekon, which they presumably could have done at any prior point anyway.

Nor do we get much of the characterisation of the previous two episodes, at least for the two male leads. Peabody is dealt with more sympathetically than before and helps to drive some of the story while Dare is mostly just being square-jawed – although he does get a good scene with the Mekon once the latter turns up in person. Having said all this, it's not a bad story, just lacking in some of the updated feel of the first two, perhaps because (unlike them) it's too busy emulating the original plot. It ends on a cliffhanger, setting up the second volume. 3.5 stars.