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43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Right Stuff, Old Boy?, 29 Mar 2005
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.
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