TV Comic Summer Special
Copyright ©1962 (Published June) by TV Publications Ltd.
Cover: Bill Mevin
Pages: 48
Price: 1s 6d (One Shilling & Sixpence)
Related Strips:
Four Feather Falls: Untitled. Artist: Neville Main
Supercar: Untitled. Artist: Bill Mevin
Four Feather Falls: Untitled. Artist: Neville Main
Notes:
• This was the first TV Comic Summer Special.
• The Four Feather Falls instalments are reprints of the first two weekly strips.
• Mike Noble illustrates the Range Rider text story.

TV Comic Holiday Special
Copyright ©1963 TV Publications Ltd.
Cover: Unknown
Pages: 48
Price: 1s 6d (One Shilling & Sixpence)
Related Strips:
Fireball XL5: Untitled. Artist: Neville Main
Supercar: Untitled. Artist: Bill Mevin
Fireball XL5: Untitled. Artist: Neville Main
Related Stories:
Supercar: Drilling For Oil. Artist: Photographic
Notes:
• Mike Noble illustrates the Range Rider text story.

TV Comic Holiday Special
Copyright ©1964 (Published May) by TV Publications Ltd.
Cover: Bill Mevin (?)
Pages: 48
Price: 1s 6d (One Shilling & Sixpence)
Related Strips:
Fireball XL5: Untitled. Artist: Neville Main
Supercar: Untitled. Artist: Bill Mevin
Fireball XL5: Untitled. Artist: Neville Main
Related Stories:
Supercar: Artist: Photographic
Notes:
• As well as the two Supercar and Fireball XL5 stories, the TV Terrors also encounter Mac, Doc and 'Superbus' in a superb spoof.

Stingray Special (TV Century 21)
Copyright ©1965 (Published May) by City Magazines in co-operation with AP Films (Merchandising ) Ltd.
Cover: Photographic
Pages: 48
Price: Two Shillings
Related Strips:
Oink the Seal: Untitled. Artist: George Parlett
Oink the Seal: Untitled. Artist: George Parlett
Stingray: Double Trap. Artist: Ron Turner
Oink the Seal: Untitled. Artist: George Parlett
Stingray: The Big Freeze. Artist: Ron Embleton
Oink the Seal: Untitled. Artist: George Parlett
Marina - Girl of the Sea: Untitled. Artist: Unknown
Related Stories:
Stingray: Barracuda 5
Stingray: Ship of the Desert
Notes:
• The special comes with two free gifts - a WASP and Stingray badge.
• Double Trap is reprinted in The New Thunderbirds issue 72.
• The Big Freeze is reprinted in Stingray Monthly issue 6.
• The Marina strip is reprinted, colourised, in The New Thunderbirds issue 71 but while showing how Marina came to be freed from Titan by Troy Tempest, acts as an unofficial 'pilot' for the Marina - Girl of the Sea strip which would later run in the Lady Penelope comic.
• The three Oink the Seal strips are reprinted in Stingray Monthly issues 1 to 3.
• The Fish Fun cartoons would be reprinted in the TV21 annual ©1969.
• Interestingly for a TV Century 21 story, Ship Of The Desert is a sequel to the episodes 'Star of the East' and 'Eastern Eclipse' and concerns what happens when Commander Shore decides to release El Hudat and Ali Khali from prison.

TV Century 21 Summer Extra
Copyright ©1965 (Published July) by City Magazines in co-operation with AP Films (Merchandising ) Ltd.
Cover: Photographic
Pages: 48
Price: Two Shillings
Strips:
Lady Penelope: Untitled. Artist: Frank Hampson
Stingray: Untitled. Artist: Ron Embleton
Supercar: Untitled. Artist: George Parlett
Fireball XL5: Untitled. Artist: Pat Williams
Notes:
• The special comes with a free gift - a 'Cosmic Capers' kit.
• The first full colour cutaway diagram is features, of Lady Penelope's Rolls-Royce FAB 1. This would be reprinted in the 1972 Penelope annual, and in issue 19 of S.I.G. magazine.
• The Lady Penelope strip is reprinted in Thunderbirds The Comic issues 57 and 58 as The Enemy Spy.
• The Stingray strip is reprinted in Stingray Monthly issue 7 as Aquaphibian Attack.
• The Cosmic Capers cartoons would be reprinted in the TV21 annual ©1969.
• Lady Penelope Investigates the A.P. Studios in a rare one page feature featuring several behind-the-scenes photos for Stingray. It also mentions Thunderbirds, some months before the series' debut on television, and that Lady Penelope and Parker have been "asked to appear in it... so you know it must be good."
• Fireball XL5 artist Graham Coton draws Burke's Law.
• Rab Hamilton draws Contact 21, and a page introducing the characters. This introduction would be reprinted in the TV2000 Thunderbirds Extra 1966 in Holland, and again in issue 1 of Joe 90 to start the strip.

TV Century 21 International Extra
Copyright ©1965 (Published October) by City Magazines in co-operation with AP Films (Merchandising ) Ltd.
Cover: Photographic
Pages: 48
Price: Two Shillings
Strips:
Stingray: Untitled. Artist: Unknown
Supercar: Untitled. Artist: Bruno Maratha
Fireball XL5: Untitled. Artist: Harold Johns (?)
Supercar: Untitled. Artist: Bruno Maratha
Lady Penelope: Untitled. Artist: Frank Langford
Supercar: Untitled. Artist: Bruno Maratha
Stingray: Untitled. Artist: Ron Turner
Stories:
Stingray: Door of Danger. Artist: Ron Embleton
Notes:
• The design of the front cover often causes people to confuse this with the earlier Stingray special!
• The Lady Penelope strip is reprinted, colourised, in the ©1969 Penelope annual.
• The first Stingray strip is reprinted in issue 70 of The New Thunderbirds.
• The Stingray text story Door of Danger is reprinted in issue 76 of The New Thunderbirds.
• The Ron Turner Stingray strip is reprinted in Stingray Monthly issue 8 as The Volcano.
• Rab Hamilton draws the Agent 21 strip.

Thunderbirds Extra
Copyright ©1966 (Published March) by City Magazines in co-operation with A.P. Films (Merchandising ) Ltd.
Cover: Photographic
Pages: 48
Price: Two Shillings
Strips:
Thunderbirds: Untitled. Artist: Brian Lewis
Thunderbirds: Untitled. Artist: Don Harley
Thunderbirds: Untitled. Artist: Ron Turner
Stories:
Lady Penelope: Encounters D.C.
Thunderbirds: Flight to Destruction.
Notes:
• The three strips, two text stories, and some of the features were reprinted in the Dutch TV2000 Thunderbirds Extra for the summer of 1966. This acted as a introduction to the new TV2000 comic which launched in September that year.
• The reproduction in the TV2000 version is notably better.
• Flight to Destruction is reprinted, with some minor changes, as a two part story in the ©1992 Thunderbirds annual.
• The Build Your Own Thunderbird 1 is reprinted in the 1992 Thunderbirds Holiday Special.
• The Don Harley Thunderbirds strip is reprinted in the Thunderbirds Classic TV21 Strips book.

Lady Penelope Summer Extra
Copyright ©1966 (Published May) by City Magazines in co-operation with A.P. Films (Merchandising) Ltd.
Cover: Photographic
Pages: 48
Price: Two Shillings
Strips:
Lady Penelope: A Champion Meets Her Match. Artist: Michael Strand
Marina - Girl of the Sea: Untitled. Artist: Rab Hamilton
Lady Penelope: Odds Against Parker. Artist: Michael Strand
Perils of Parker: Artist: Marraffa Bruno
Perils of Parker: Artist: Marraffa Bruno
Lady Penelope: Bullets For The Bride. Artist: Michael Strand
Stories:
Lady Penelope: Voodoo Drums. Artist: Michael Strand
Notes:
• The Odds Against Parker and A Champion Meets Her Match were also reprinted in the TV2000 Thunderbirds Extra for 1966. This acted as a introduction to the new TV2000 comic which launched in September that year.
• John M Burns draws the Space Family Robinson strip, which was also reprinted with the final page coloured, in the TV2000 Thunderbirds Extra.
• The strip Bullets For The Bride is reprinted in Thunderbirds Extra 2 as Kogels Voor De Bruid.
• The story Voodoo Drums is reprinted in Thunderbirds Extra 2 as Voodoo Trommels.

TV Century 21 Summer Extra
Copyright ©1966 (Published July) - Published by City Magazines in co-operation with A.P. Films (Merchandising) Ltd.
Cover: Photographic
Pages: 48
Price: Two Shillings
Related Strips:
Stingray: Tentacles of Terror. Artist: Michael Strand, b/w.
Thunderbirds: Waves of Disaster. Artists: Don Harley & Michael Strand (?), b/w & colour.
Fireball XL5: Untitled. Artist: Michael Strand, b/w.
Stories:
Thunderbirds: Operation Masterstrike. Artist: Unknown
Notes:
• While the Thunderbirds strip is usually credited to Don Harley alone, the style in some frames - notably on the final two pages - appears to be that of Michael Strand.
• The Snow Train and the Sand Flea, from the later Project SWORD, make an early appearance in the 'Highways 2066' feature, illustrated by Eric Eden.
• There is a comprehensive four page feature on all the organisations from the World Government and Space Empire, through to the World Space Patrol and Universal Secret Service.
• Robert Develin - The Investigator - gives an overview of Universal Engineering Incorporated in the two page colour feature 'Investigation U.E.I.', again illustrated by Eric Eden.
• Agent 21 is drawn by Jon Davis.
• The story Operation Masterstrike is reprinted in Thunderbirds Extra 2 as Raketten Denken Niet (Rockets Do Not Think).
• Operation Masterstrike is also reprinted, with some changes to the text, in the ©1993 Thunderbirds annual.
• The strip Waves of Disaster is reprinted in Thunderbirds Extra 2 as Rampen Komen Niet Alleen (Calamities Don't Come Together).
• Tentacles of Terror is reprinted in Stingray Monthly issue 8.

Thunderbirds Are Go! Special
Copyright ©1966 (Published December)
Published by City Magazines in co-operation with A.P. Films (Merchandising) Ltd.
Printed in the Netherlands
Cover: Photographic
Pages: 48
Price: 3'6 (Three Shillings & Sixpence)
Stories:
Thunderbirds Are Go! (Abridged adaptation of film):
'Chapters':
Destination Mars
Lift Off - Zero X
Inquest
Calling International Rescue
Lift Off - Thunderbird 1
Thunderbird 2 - Ready to Go!
Lift Off - Thunderbird 3
Security Assured
Enter - Her Ladyship
Penelope's Gift
Countdown Begins
The Chase
All Systems Read Green
Stop At Home Alan
Notes:
• Not technically a comic orientated special but produced in-house by the newly formed Century 21 Publishing.

TV21 Thunderbirds Spring Extra
Copyright ©1967 - Published by Century 21 Publishing Ltd and City Magazines Ltd.
Cover: Photographic
Pages: 48
Price: Two Shillings
Strips:
Thunderbirds: Untitled. Artist: Brian Lewis, b/w.
Thunderbirds: Untitled. Artist: Ron Turner, b/w & colour.
Thunderbirds: Untitled. Artist: Don Harley, b/w.
Stories:
Thunderbirds: Double-Rescue!
Thunderbirds: Decoyed!
Notes:
• While no strip appears, Zero X from the recent Thunderbirds Are Go! film features prominently in photo articles about the crew and craft.
• The specification of the Zero X is reprinted, in colour, in the Project SWORD annual.
• The Double-Rescue! story is reworked quite significantly to reappear as Missile Alert in the ©1992 Thunderbirds annual.

Thunderbirds Holiday Special
Copyright ©1971 - Published by Polystyle Ltd.
Cover: Photographic
Pages: 48
Price: 10p
Related Strips:
Thunderbirds: Untitled. Artist: Don Harley, b/w & colour.
Parker: Untitled. Artist: Peter Ford
Lady Penelope: Untitled. Artist: Eric Eden
Parker: Untitled. Artist: Peter Ford
Thunderbirds: Untitled. Artist: Frank Bellamy, b/w & colour.
Notes:
• The photo on the cover originally appeared on the front of TV Century 21 issue 95.
• The opening b/w spread features photos and brief biographies of the Tracy brothers among photos and details of real life disasters.
• The Don Harley strip is reprinted from TV Century 21 issues 93 to 98, but is intercut with the opening frames of issue 92, drawn by Frank Bellamy.
• The Frank Bellamy strip is reprinted from TV Century 21 issues 99 to 104.
• The Lady Penelope strip is reprinted from TV Century 21 issues 12 to 18.
• The Parker strips are reprinted from Lady Penelope issues 48 and 50.
• While unrelated to any Anderson series, the objective of the 'Space Base' race game is 'Base Kahra' - a reference to the capitol of Mars from TV Century 21.

Countdown
Copyright ©1971 - Published by Polystyle Ltd.
Cover: Photographic
Pages: 48
Price: 10p
Related Strips:
UFO: The Alien Totem. Artist: Jon Davis
Stingray: Untitled. Artist: Gerry Embleton
Fireball XL5: Untitled. Artist: Frank Hampson
Notes:
• The special opens with a b/w spread called 'The Aliens Are Coming', which outlines the SHADO organisation from UFO.
• The Stingray strip is reprinted from TV Century 21 issues 58 to 61.
• The Fireball XL5 strip is reprinted from TV Century 21 issues 40 to 43.
• Peter Ford draws Hanna-Barbera's Dastardly and Muttley.
• John Burns draws Countdown - in reality an abridged Catch Or Kill strip from TV Century 21, with Crag Gorton as Grant Two, and his friend Kipper as Felix Four!
• Jim Baikie illustrates the Doctor Who text story.

TV Action + Countdown Holiday Special
Copyright ©1972 - Published by Polystyle Publications Ltd.
Cover: Photographic
Pages: 48
Price: 10p
Related Strips:
UFO: The Robot Renegade. Artist: Luis Bermejo (?)
Captain Scarlet: A Mysteron Funeral. Artist: Ron Embleton
Notes:
• The Captain Scarlet strip is an abridged b/w reprint of the TV Century 21 story 'We Will Destroy Earth's Communications'.
• The best feature is a superb cutaway painting of Moonbase from UFO, in colour on the centre pages, with explanatory text.
• Another double page spread features full colour photos of Commander Straker, Paul Foster and Alec Freeman.
• Peter Ford draws Hanna-Barbera's Autocat and Motormouse, and Dastardly and Muttley.
• Leslie Branton draws Hawaii Five-O.
• Jim Baikie illustrates the Doctor Who text story.

TV Action
Copyright ©1973 - Published by Polystyle Publications Ltd.
Cover: Photographic
Pages: 48
Price: 10p
Related Strips:
UFO: Dig For Danger. Artist: Martin Asbury
The Protectors: The Hunter. Artist: Martin Asbury
Notes:
• The centre pages feature a game Play the Protectors, illustrated with b/w photos from the series.
• Pages 36 and 37 also feature a nice spread of colour photos of the stars of The Protectors, different from the one that introduced the strip in issue 100 of TV Action & Countdown.
• The 'Picture Probe' puzzle on page 30 is a jumbled b/w publicity still of the three leads from The Protectors, which was also used on the cover of the novel.
• Stanley Houghton draws Mission Impossible, and also illustrates the Persuaders text story.
• Jim Baikie illustrates the Doctor Who text story.
• Peter Ford draws Droopy.

Thunderbirds Special
Copyright ©1982
Cover: Keith Watson (?)
Pages: 48
Publisher: Polystyle Publications
Printer: Plymouth Web Offset, Devon.
Price: 50p
Strips:
Thunderbirds: The Fire Trap. Artist: Ron Turner
Lady Penelope: The Downhill Racer. Artist: Frank Langford
Thunderbirds: The Space Pirates. Artist: Ron Turner
Thunderbirds: Terror at Torreba. Artist: Don Harley
Thunderbirds: Doom Wave. Artist: Michael Strand
Lady Penelope: Fool's Gold. Artist: Michael Strand
Notes:
• This special reprints most of the scarce 1972 Thunderbirds annual, the Thunderbirds strip from the 1972 Countdown annual, and one of the Lady Penelope strips from Countdown.
• The colour spreads are photos of Thunderbirds 3 & 5, Lady Penelope, and the first two pages of Doom Wave.

Thunderbirds Special
Copyright ©1983
Cover: Unknown
Pages: 48
Publisher: Polystyle Publications
Printer: Plymouth Web Offset, Devon.
Price: 60p
Strips:
Thunderbirds: Creature from Crexus. Artist: Don Harley
Lady Penelope: Double Deal. Artist: Frank Langford
Thunderbirds: Pressure Point. Artist: Don Harley
Lady Penelope: Trouble For Tomorrow. Artist: Frank Langford
Notes:
• This special reprints two classic Thunderbirds strips from Countdown issues 54-60, and issues 8-13.
• In addition to these, two complete Lady Penelope strips from issues 4 and 10 of the same comic.
• The reproduction on some pages of Creature From Crexus is notably poorer than the rest.
• The colour spreads are photos of Thunderbirds 1, 2 & 4, The Mole and FAB One.

Stingray Special
Copyright ©1983
Cover: Gerry Wood
Pages: 48
Publisher: Polystyle Publications
Printer: Plymouth Web Offset, Devon.
Price: 60p
Strips:
Terror of Titan. Artist: Michael Strand
Polar Peril. Artist: Colin Page
Monsters From Mars. Artist: Rab Hamilton
Deep Sea Doom. Artist: Brian Lewis
Notes:
• Obviously spurred on by the success of the first Thunderbirds Special, and repeats of the series on television, Polystyle brought out a second special this year, reprinting Stingray strips from Countdown.
• Three complete Stingray strips, two untitled stories from issues 3 and 13, and Model Mission from issue 22, are reprinted with a compilation of The Waters Of Hyde.

Thunderbirds Holiday Special
Copyright ©1984
Cover: Unknown
Pages: 48
Publisher: Polystyle Publications
Printer: Plymouth Web Offset, Devon.
Price: 65p
Related Strips:
Near Miss. Artist: Frank Bellamy
Shaft K279. Artist: Frank Bellamy
Arctic Menace. Artist: Frank Bellamy
Notes:
• The first TV Century 21 reprints in over 10 years are a highlight, albeit mostly in black and white, of this special.
• Near Miss is a compilation of Talons of the Eagle, Shaft K279 is Atlantic Tunnel and Arctic Menace is The Big Freeze.
• The colour spreads are part 4 of Talons of the Eagle, part 5 of Atlantic Tunnel and part 3 of The Big Freeze.
• The mastheads from the original Thunderbirds strips are redrawn by an unidentified artist to make the stories complete compilations.

Zero G Holiday Special
Copyright ©1989
Cover: Photographic/Art: Martin Asbury
Pages: 48
Publisher: Polystyle Publications
Printer: Southernprint Limited, Poole, Dorset.
Price: 95p
Strips:
The Minute Millenium. Artist: Brian Lewis
The Asteroid Affair. Artist: Martin Asbury
Murder On Ice. Artist: Jon Davis
Space Tug. Artist: Brian Lewis
Stories:
Dangerous Friend. Artist: Martin Asbury
Notes:
• Not technically an Anderson-based comic but this Holiday Special, brought out to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first Moon Landing, reprints four of the stand-alone SF strips from the first year of Countdown.
• These were from issues 21, 26, 36 and 25.
• The Countdown text story from the 1972 annual is also included, and seems to use the original artwork or films as the illustrations are markedly clearer than their initial printing.

Thunderbirds Holiday Special
Copyright ©1992
Cover: Graham Bleathman
Pages: 48
Publisher: Unknown
Printer: Unknown
Price: £1.25
Strips:
Solar Danger. Artists: Frank Bellamy & Don Harley
Notes:
• Nice to see this epic strip together in one compilation.
• Unfortunately, the spreads on pages 42-43 and 46-47 are transposed from their proper order.
• Graham Bleathman's cover of Thunderbirds 1 and 2 flying over a mountain range originally appeared on the cover of the 1990 Thunderbirds Calendar.
• The Build Your Own Thunderbird 1 is reprinted from the 1966 Thunderbirds Extra.

Thunderbirds Holiday Special
Copyright ©1993
Cover: Graham Bleathman/Photgraphic
Pages: 48
Publisher: Polystyle Publications
Printer: Southernprint Limited, Poole, Dorset.
Price: £1.35
Related Strips:
Thunderbirds: Mission To Moonbase. Artist: Frank Bellamy
Fireball XL5: Untitled. Artist: Don Lawrence
Notes:
• The lack of reprintable strips makes this a somewhat more disjointed affair than the previous year's special.
• The Fireball XL5 strip was the last colour story to appear in TV Century 21.
• Some nice technical style drawings of each of the five Thunderbird craft are featured, plus FAB One, across six of the spreads but these cannot hide their obvious inclusion as filler material.

Stingray Summer Special
Copyright ©1993
Cover: Photgraphic
Pages: 48
Publisher: Fleetway Editions Ltd
Printer: BPCC Magazines, Carlisle.
Price: £1.35
Strips:
Untitled. Artist: Michael Strand
Stories:
Shark Spotting. Artist: Graham Bleathman
Blazing Destruction. Artist: Graham Bleathman
The Story of Titanica. Artist: Graham Bleathman
The Mighty Leap. Artist: Andrew Skilleter
Fire Sting Missiles. Artist: Andrew Skilleter
Notes:
• '6 complete stories' boasts the cover, but only one of these is a reprinted strip from TV Century 21, from issues 109-115.
• The other 5 are somewhat brief, single page affairs based around five of the artwork covers from Stingray The Comic.
• The Story of Titanica reprints the text of the two page strip History of Titanica from the ©1966 Stingray annual.
• Graham Bleathman's cutaway specification from issue 1 of Stingray The Comic is also reprinted.

Any additions, corrections or notes about any of the specials featured here, please contact technodelic@blueyonder.co.uk.

The Gerry Anderson Complete Comic History would like to thank:
Keith Ansell
Richard Farrell
Ronald Kroon
Alastair Roxburgh
Phil Rushton
and Kim Stevens
- for their help with this feature.


Version 1.4 - 01.10.06


All text © The Gerry Anderson Complete Comic History, and its respective writers, and may not be reproduced without permission.
All images © their respective copyright holders