Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future is a 1986 video game by Virgin Games for the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and Commodore 64 home computer systems. It is based on the classic British comic strip "Dan Dare". The Commodore 64 version was considerably different in gameplay to the ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC versions. The Mekon reveals his typically dastardly plan: Earth must submit to his terms or he will propel a hollowed-out asteroid the size of a small planet into Earth. Dan and his sidekick Digby fly to the asteroid in Dan's spaceship,
Dan Dare Dare, assisted by Digby (who sacrifices himself in battle) leads a spirited defence of both Earth and his honourable principles. Launched in October 2003, Spaceship Away magazine was originally created in order to get "The Phoenix Mission" (a 1950s style story by Rod Barzilay with art by Keith Watson and Don Harley) into publication, with the agreement of the Dan Dare Corporation. Response was good enough to warrant the magazine's continuation following that strip's conclusion, initially with "Green Nemesis" (again by Barzilay and Don Harley, with later chapters drawn by David Pugh and Tim Booth. Other stories have since followed.