Thunderbirds: Classic Comic Strips

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Thunderbirds: Classic Comic Strips compiled and edited by Graham Bleathman and Sam Denham

Pub: Carlton. 160 page hardback. Price: £12.99(UK). ISBN: 1-84222-731-9

Check out website: www.carlton.com

If your childhood was in the 60s and you lived in the UK, then I doubt you'd have escaped seeing the 'TV Century 21' comic in the newsagents.

Even if you collected them, I doubt if you had enough sense to keep all of them. I know I didn't although I've re-acquired over 30 of them over the years again.

Thunderbirds Unfortunately, they have to be kept out of sunlight or the paper starts to go a little brown as I discovered with my rather expensive first issue.

It's been long overdue for these strips to be shown to both an older audience where it will stir memories and the new generation who can't help but appreciate the current Thunderbirds comics aren't a patch on the old 60s material.

There are seven comic strips, two of Lady Penelope introducing her and Parker, before using them to springboard into five stories featuring 'Thunderbirds'. If you really need to be told about International Rescue then you've been living with your head in the sand too long.

Although the selling point here is the work by the late great Frank Bellamy, Eric Eden and Don Hartley aren't any slouches either. Seeing the villainous robot, Mr. Steelman - Penelope's adversary, can still send a chill down your spine.

At the beginning, there is a ten page history of TV21's development with cover repros and page art. Between the stories, there are several features including some decent photographs from these TV21s plus a multitude of the promotional advertising that is going to have TB fans drooling and wonder where they're going to get them.

I've got Thunderbird 5 - which when battery-powered still bounces around like the 60s Dalek when it hits barriers - and several of the Century 21 records. Somewhere, I've even got the TB postcards and Smiths Crisps model set that I'll have to have a serious look for sometime (& no, they're not for sale!).

Seeing the adverts is a sharp reminder of just what a merchandise movement that was going on backwhen which hasn't changed in anything but sophistication over the decades.

If anything, the only real disappointment is Graham Bleathman's cover. I've known Graham from way back in my fanzine editing days - he used a couple of my articles in his 'Magazine Of Tomorrow' zine - and I know he's far more capable than the presentation here.

It would be nice to think that sales of this book will encourage more volumes in this series. Ron Embleton and Mike Noble were also superb artists and their work on 'Fireball XL5' and 'Stingray' really needs to be bound in hardback.

Come to that, the rest of the stories wouldn't be a bad idea either. TV21 had the cream of comic artist talent back in the 60s and it really shows here.

GF Willmetts

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