From creative giants Warren Ellis (Transmetroplitan) and Chris Weston (The Filth) comes an alternative history painted in red, white and blue! In the death throes of the Second World War, the British capture the cream of Nazi rocket science and create a new British Empire where it seems the sun never sets. Instead the sky is lit by the rockets' red glare from a fleet of spaceships bound for the moon and beyond. But who funds this epic endeavour? The truth is the road to space is paved with a secret dark enough to bring the empire to its knees! This searing, satirical and beautifully drawn look at empire building exposes the horrors that have sometimes been carried out in the name of King & Country!
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £4.20
Trade in Ministry of Space for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £4.20, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Special Offer until June 30, 2013: Receive an additional £5 promotional Gift Card, when you trade-in at least £10 worth of books. Learn more
|
Book Description
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Review
"...Weston's lovingly created artwork makes you realise this was worth the wait." -- Comics International, no. 173, July 2004
"..a series that has finally lived up to its potential." -- thefourthrail.com Reviews February 2005
This is a thought-provoking and beautifully-drawn story that has a dark secret in its storytelling core. -- Ottakars' Outland
"..a series that has finally lived up to its potential." -- thefourthrail.com Reviews February 2005
This is a thought-provoking and beautifully-drawn story that has a dark secret in its storytelling core. -- Ottakars' Outland
About the Author
Warren Ellis's prolific writing can be seen on such varied and acclaimed titles as X-Men, The Authority, Transmetropolitan, Lazarus Churchyard and the award-winning Planetary. Chris Weston has worked regularly for 2000 AD on such stories as Judge Dredd and Indigo Prime. His other work includes The Invisibles, The Authority, The Filth, Transmetropolitan and an acclaimed run on Swamp Thing.
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
60 of 62 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A disturbing and brilliant look into an alternate history where Britannia may not rule the waves any longer, but certainly has a damn good go at ruling the skies.
Told mostly in flashback, this is the story of how the monomaniacal Air Commodore Dashwood jump-starts the British space programme at the end of the second world war; realising that Britain is finished as a land power he kidnaps the Peenemunde team and ensures - by any means necessary - that the Americans can't get their hands on any of the remains of the base.
Within a few years Britain has launched its first satellite and Dashwood becomes the first man into space - losing his legs when his rocketplane crashes on re-entry. Undeterred, he continues to push Britain ever further - space stations, Moon and Mars landings all soon follow. The Empire on which the Sun never set spans several planets...
...but the Americans eventually start up their own space programme; and they've discovered how Dashwood found the money to start the British Ministry of Space...
This is strong stuff. A complex political morality tale, a character study of a true monster, and yet also a loving homage to the world of Dan Dare. It's a curiously Bakelite sort of alternate history; no rock'n'roll in Britain, no Beatles, Nationasl Service, short back'n'sides... how much liberty is it worth sacrificing for the dream of the space programme? And can the means ever be justified by the ends?
Everything about this graphic novel is near-perfect - taut scripting, stunningly plausible art, and a real sense of back-story. Further dispatches from the Ministry will be awaited with interest.
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
By Alex Tolley
Format:Paperback
This is a gorgeously rendered, alternative history where Britain achieves dominance in space after WWII.
The hardware designs are superb blend of classic Dan Dare and real designs from the 1930's - 40's. But in the end, what makes this a great read is the story and it's "ends justifies the means" morality. Sci fi author Stephen Baxter's alternative space histories are on a par with this, as a comparison. For older readers, the homage to Dan Dare and Eagle comics is charming. I have to commend the team very highly for this production.
The only nit I have is that the assumption that Britain wouldn't change socially seems unlikely, and the implied segregation of non-whites was never a part of British society where I grew up, and unlikely to have emerged. But this a small nit and doesn't detract from this excellent story.
I strongly recommend it.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By Camus Lights
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This slim paperback seems to divide people by virtue of its last panel twist (I hardly believed it myself) and I can see why. The last panel introduces new questions that you might feel Ellis should have explored during the narrative so I can understand the frustration some appear to have experienced, but personally I felt it was pretty easy to fill in the blanks.
I'm a huge Warren Ellis fan and own more of his repetoire than is probably healthy but this is the first of his works I have felt spurred to review such was its thought-provoking nature, well-writteness and crucially Chris Weston's gorgeous artwork, which is a revelation and alone makes the book worth purchasing.
I'm a huge Warren Ellis fan and own more of his repetoire than is probably healthy but this is the first of his works I have felt spurred to review such was its thought-provoking nature, well-writteness and crucially Chris Weston's gorgeous artwork, which is a revelation and alone makes the book worth purchasing.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By R. Palmer
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
Ministry of Space is indeed a slim little book - I understand that the original comic was a run of 3 issues?
Anyway, I think this is recommended, the art-work in it is superb; beautiful stuff, it really captures the ideas that Ellis is trying to evoke in the story.
The comics start with the premise that Britain, exhausted by the war, was able to maintain its pre-eminence by ensuring that they had captured the German rocket-scientists and engineers that in real life, were spirited away to the United States. This allowed Britain to develop a space programme - and quicker than the US or the USSR did (the reasoning being that the character, Dashwood, had a similar vision to what could be achieved in space to Von Braun; he believed that the US was more concerned with winning the next war with its new adversary, the Soviet Union).
Though undoubtedly slight, I think that the artwork and the story are admirably able to create an impression of the world that this would create. A lot of it is filling in the blanks for yourself; but it works well.
There is a sort of twist, or reveal at the end, which many have remarked upon. I don't think that it's a problem that you may be able to guess where the story is heading, though, as it was just fun to get there. Also, bearing in mind that none of this happened, I think that the sense of moral compromise that it points to is necessary, otherwise the story would just end up being a sort of "what if..." and not in a good way (the vision that the book has is of Britain in a permanent 1950s - I think, that ultimately, though while going to Mars would've been fun, Ellis quite rightly dislikes the idea of that kind of backwards looking Britain).... Read more ›
Anyway, I think this is recommended, the art-work in it is superb; beautiful stuff, it really captures the ideas that Ellis is trying to evoke in the story.
The comics start with the premise that Britain, exhausted by the war, was able to maintain its pre-eminence by ensuring that they had captured the German rocket-scientists and engineers that in real life, were spirited away to the United States. This allowed Britain to develop a space programme - and quicker than the US or the USSR did (the reasoning being that the character, Dashwood, had a similar vision to what could be achieved in space to Von Braun; he believed that the US was more concerned with winning the next war with its new adversary, the Soviet Union).
Though undoubtedly slight, I think that the artwork and the story are admirably able to create an impression of the world that this would create. A lot of it is filling in the blanks for yourself; but it works well.
There is a sort of twist, or reveal at the end, which many have remarked upon. I don't think that it's a problem that you may be able to guess where the story is heading, though, as it was just fun to get there. Also, bearing in mind that none of this happened, I think that the sense of moral compromise that it points to is necessary, otherwise the story would just end up being a sort of "what if..." and not in a good way (the vision that the book has is of Britain in a permanent 1950s - I think, that ultimately, though while going to Mars would've been fun, Ellis quite rightly dislikes the idea of that kind of backwards looking Britain).... Read more ›
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By El Fanegas
Format:Paperback
This comic is very good. Depicts an excellent alternate history settings, as the british get Von Braum and all the rocket scientists from the Germans, and their "toys", and then all begin. I won't spoil anything more, see for yourself.
The art is very, very good. Nice depictition of both people, enviroments and spaceships. This is the way we should had gone into space, be more ambitious, in place of wasting the money and resources in stupid wars or another useless stuff.
The only complaint about this book: it's too damn short!. The story is absorbing, and well before you take in care, you'll end the book. It's too short. A few more pages would have been nice.
I have the Image Comics edition, so i supose this british Titan books one is similar. The book doesn't came "bare-bones". After the story, they're interviews, a preface, sketches, unfinishes pages in b&w, making-off of the page layout, etc.
In definitive, a great buying, cheap and nice to read, but too short.
The art is very, very good. Nice depictition of both people, enviroments and spaceships. This is the way we should had gone into space, be more ambitious, in place of wasting the money and resources in stupid wars or another useless stuff.
The only complaint about this book: it's too damn short!. The story is absorbing, and well before you take in care, you'll end the book. It's too short. A few more pages would have been nice.
I have the Image Comics edition, so i supose this british Titan books one is similar. The book doesn't came "bare-bones". After the story, they're interviews, a preface, sketches, unfinishes pages in b&w, making-off of the page layout, etc.
In definitive, a great buying, cheap and nice to read, but too short.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 20 reviews
3.9 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent counterfactual
This story imagines the world of Dan Dare and, working backwards, asks how could the UK have started the conquest of space? Read more
Published on 24 May 2011 by T. P. V. Hartman
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good, but could have been better
Ministry of Space was a very interesting 'What If' British forces had got to Peenemunde first.
A few issues I have with it:
1 Good premise and some excellent... Read more
A few issues I have with it:
1 Good premise and some excellent... Read more
Published on 3 May 2011 by gururob
4.0 out of 5 stars
Eye-poppingly attractive, sharp and concise.
The schtick behind this short graphic novel is an alternate history in which it was Britain that scooped up all Germany's Peenemunde rocket scientists at the end of WWII. Read more
Published on 12 Dec 2009 by Jason Mills
1.0 out of 5 stars
graphics cannot make up for poor story
The plot line is a simple premise, that one RAF pilot can convince the British governmant to snatch Nazi rocket boffins, and use Nazi gold to build a new empire in space, and the... Read more
Published on 6 Oct 2008 by C. D. Turner
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Curate's Egg, but worthwhile
I tried to add a 4th star to this re-review, but no go. A pity, as passing time has added to my appreciation of this title, and particularly the time put into the detailed artwork. Read more
Published on 11 Aug 2008 by DM Jefferis
2.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully drawn - but still a one-trick pony
I had great hopes for this book. I had been disappointed by 'Orbiter', but had hoped this book, with its evocation of Dan Dare, would be more successful. Read more
Published on 1 July 2008 by M. Dench
2.0 out of 5 stars
Great concept, poor story
Fantastic artwork, lovely concept. Lame plot, and yes, a last page plot twist so galling and ignorant you will never want to read or even think about this book ever again. Read more
Published on 15 Mar 2006 by Bloke
3.0 out of 5 stars
Very, very good but
Why the three stars? The last panel of the last page spoils it. This would never happen and lets face it if there was racial segregation there would never be these opportunities. Read more
Published on 12 Mar 2006 by Sir Sidney Ruff Diamond
5.0 out of 5 stars
Be Gentle With Me...
...I'm new to comic books. Only the third comic book I've really read (following the Watchmen and a couple of volumes of the Preacher), this is wildly different to either - a... Read more
Published on 5 July 2005 by A. Richardson
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
