Kim Stevens and Shaqui Le Vesconte look into the continuing apocalyptic saga of Earth's demise...

Project SWORD: TV21, 1968-69

The World of 3031! TV21's Imagination Runs Riot and Proclaims...

With this optimistic introduction, TV21 attempted to enter the heady world of 'hard' science fiction with a series of text stories which would continue to promote a range of Century 21 toys. The demise of the lacklustre Solo comic the previous year had curtailed the first Project SWORD tie-in (see Project SWORD Phase 1) so while adverts for the toys still appeared in TV21, the new stories wisely went back to square one and started - almost - from scratch.

Almost, on two counts. Firstly, the range of toys was pretty much identical, save for a few new additions. The Zero X, already a Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet tie-in, as well as having its own strip in TV21, got a fourth outing here too. Secondly, to get you into the thick of things, the opening installment starts six months into a new series of events. Backtracking through the recollection of one of the few regular characters, Commander Bill Janson (right, illustrated by Malcolm Stokes), gave Project SWORD its format:

"There had been no warning... a monstrous meteorite had slammed its way through the atmosphere on a direct collision course with the Earth. It had struck in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and suddenly that mighty sea belied its name. No longer was it peaceful, as a gigantic tidal wave gushed East and West from the impact area. Japan, China, Borneo, the entire Far East, vanished under the deluge. Australia sank beneath the fantastic flood... The Western seaboard of the Americas disappeared under the many fathoms of shock water... The Atlantic coasts and the inland areas of Africa, Asia and Europe remained dry... but three-fifths of the world's population were wiped out in a single, desperate tragedy. That had been bad enough, but worse was to follow... "

"The great mountain of hurtling space debris had penetrated the Earth's crust deep beneath the sea. Pressure was building at the Earth's very core... Volcanoes, millions of years extinct, suddenly erupted into burning, gushing life. Fissures criss-crossed the Earth, finding weak points in the crust. The sea boiled. Hurricanes raged. Earthquakes shattered areas that had never experienced so much as an earthslip... "

In this apocalyptic scenario is one hope - evacuation to the established human colonies throughout the Solar System. But only so many, around 500,000 out of millions, are eligible. People who can build a new Earth civilisation should disaster be averted. They have already gone - some two months prior to the start of the series, but now the task of getting more of the population off-world is being attempted, resulting in a second 'List Of Life'. This momentous, some would say impossible, task falls on the shoulders of Commander Bill Janson of Project SWORD...



Explained in the opening story, SWORD was an ideal organisation for the task. Equipped with vehicles for planets of all terrains that can now traverse the torn surface of Earth, and a fleet of craft throughout the Solar System, SWORD attempts to evacuate the remaining population, named (somewhat unfortunately but accurately) 'Rejects' from the survival camps they are interned in. However, the job is made difficult by 'Casuals', people who believe - with some right - they have been left to die, and wander the Earth trying to survive. They do not want to live the rest of their lives under the control of SWORD Reject Camps, and attempt to thwart plans to evacuate the others, believing all or none should die.

From the outset this is an ambitious and epic format, and one which could have made a compelling, dramatic (and no doubt expensive) science-fiction series had it appeared on television, even if using puppets. It is believed Keith Shackleton, the head of Century 21 Merchandising, did try and persuade Gerry Anderson to do a series along the lines of Project SWORD. But while the format of this version would have been a logical successor to previous series, combining the grim realism of Captain Scarlet, with the very human drama and optimisism of Thunderbirds, the concept of an 'Earth on the brink of destruction' style series was seen as too dark. The execution of the stories in TV21 were another matter, and while at turns clever, well written and occasionally witty, they tend to fail to draw the reader into the full potential of the format, preferring a series of one-off episodes, usually with a strong moral tone, with only the loosest of continuity to link them.

The first stories do form a kind of loose arc, particularly with the discovery the meteorite was aimed at Earth as a kind of distress signal. This leads to an expedition to a distant dying world, where the last inhabitant tells them there is a way to stop the disintegration of Earth - but not how - before he dies. This search for the means to stop the disasters seems to get lost, with semi-regular Professor Vilkoff being killed immediately after. Other early stories deal with the drawing up of the second evacuation list, and the resulting consequences - falsifying information to include unsuitable candidates, despair at being left to live out days on a dying Earth, and disgreemant with the philosophy behind the evacuations. However, from issue 176 onwards, while the standard of writing and ideas continues to be high, the series becomes more involved in the day-to-day conflicts with the Casuals. It is not until the end that another brief arc appears, with Commander Janson and Captain Malone - the only two real regulars throughout - attempting to locate the Casual leaders to form a peace treaty.

The text stories are usually credited to TV21 script editor Angus Allan - certainly he recalls having to compile and write the Project SWORD annual which appeared later in the year. The illustrations, one per story, were initially the work of the talented Ron Embleton, fresh from his stint on the new Captain Scarlet strip. A few other TV21 regulars - Don Lawrence and Mike Noble - handled a few stories before Jon Davis took over. The final stories were handled by Malcolm Stokes, who did the majority of the annual, and in some ways added a sense of closure to the series.

Project SWORD story guide - Phase Two
Written by Angus Allan.

The Earth Will Die!
Issue 168, dateline 06 April 2068
Pages 14 & 15. Illustration by Ron Embleton.

Commander Bill Janson and Captain Malone rescue Professor Sinclair from Rejects living in the ruins of London.
MAC: The Scramble Bug appears in a superbly detailed picture, but the Moon Ranger and a Probe Force Spaceship get a mention.
Notes:
• Phew - good thing the Phase 2 version of SWORD relocated to London from Woomera... Australia gets wiped out by the first tidal wave.
• The Post Office Tower survives into the 31st Century, as do the Law Courts.
• The Illustration of the Scramble Bug is reused in the Project SWORD and ©1969 TV21 annuals.

The Sneak
Issue 169, dateline 13 April 2068
Pages 14 & 15. Illustration by Ron Embleton.
A SWORD officer stages an accident so that he can ‘discover' a suitable candidate for evacuation. He pretends the man is a famous athlete, and therefore suitable for evacuation, but in reality it is his brother, a former actor who suffers from asthma. The truth is revealed when a group of Rejects riot and the man’s asthma prevent him from escaping.
Notes:
• Oops - the 'SWORD' logos are missing from this story, leaving only the word 'Project' at various points.
• The Illustration of the Probe Force Flight 3 is reused in the Project SWORD and ©1969 TV21 annuals.

The Rebel
Issue 170, dateline 20 April 2068
Pages 14 & 15. Illustration by Ron Embleton.

A member of SWORD becomes dismayed that so many people will die, and becomes disillusioned with SWORD’s aims. He decides to sabotage their operation and steals a Booster Rocket, planning to crash it into London. However, the Booster Rocket has not been properly refueled and he cannot make it to Earth. Rather than be captured, he blows it and himself up.
MAC: The Booster Rocket and Task Force 1 craft
Notes:
• The Illustration of the Booster Rocket is reused in the Project SWORD annual.

The Clue
Issue 171, dateline 27 April 2068
Pages 14 & 15. Illustration by Ron Embleton.
A scientist living with the Casuals discovers that the asteroid which began the destruction of Earth contains a transmitter with a message from another planet.

Planet Of The Dead
Issue 172, dateline 04 May 2068
Pages 14 & 15. Illustration by Ron Embleton.
The alien message is decoded and it gives the location of a planet. Going there, SWORD discovers an almost dead race. The only living member explains that his people had to leave their world because it was threatened (by unspecified cause). They came to this planet hoping it would support them, but they cannot stand the humidity and are dying. In an attempt to attract help they sent the meteorite to Earth. Realising the problems this has caused, the alien is about to give them a solution but he suddenly dies. But at least now SWORD knows there is a real solution!

MAC: The illustration (above) shows Probe Flights 1, 2 and 3.

Janson's Nightmare
Issue 173, dateline 11 May 2068
Pages 14 & 15. Illustration: Malcolm Stokes.
A huge tidal wave rushes around the Earth causing devastation, and Professor Vilkoff is one of its victims. Janson has to organise the evacuation of Devon, Cornwall and Somerset before the tidal waves strikes. While the operation is underway, he realises he has omitted to include the Reject camp at Ilfracombe in the plan. With no one else available, he goes on a rescue mission himself - only to fail. Devastated, he is woken and finds the Ilfracombe disaster was all a nightmare - meanwhile the real evacuation of South West Britain has gone according to plan.

As Project SWORD battles to save a dying Earth, their unseen enemies are never silent...
Walking Death
Issue 174, dateline 18 May 2068
Pages 14 & 15. Illustration by Ron Embleton.
A ‘walking bomb’ is heading for Project SWORD Headquarters, homing in on a device hidden there by a Casual. The Casual is captured and when he sees the huge machine walking towards the base, he panics and tries to escape. Janson orders that he be let free, and the Casual heads for the device and destroys it, stopping the bomb.

Death In The Morning
Issue 175, dateline 25 May 2068
Pages 14 & 15. Illustration by Ron Embleton.
All the people at a Reject camp mysteriously die - the water supply has been poisoned, presumably by Casuals. But then a note is found, and it turns out that the water supply was poisoned by two of the Rejects - they having lost hope and not wanting a lingering death. The note reads: “There is no hope. The Earth will die, and all of us with it. We cannot go on living in this way. We have found a way to end our lives and the lives of everybody in this hopeless camp. We are all Rejects...we will all die!”
Notes:
• One of the few text stories to match the bleaker, desperate tone of the Project SWORD annual

Sabotage!
Issue 176, dateline 01 June 2068
Pages 14 & 15. Illustration by Ron Embleton
There have been a spate of crashes on the moon involving passenger sections of Nuclear Ferries. All have been thoroughly checked before launch but all still end in disaster. Captain Malone goes on a test trip and finds there is nothing wrong with the crafts - it is the space suit helmets which are the problems, having been fitted with mind altering devices.
MAC: Nuclear Ferries

Happy Anniversary
Issue 177, dateline 08 June 2068
Pages 14 & 15. Illustration by Ron Embleton
Commander Wenson, head of the moon colonies, is called out from a morale boosting concert to be told by Janson that he is sacked. Stunned, he doesn’t question this until he returns to Earth - only to find that Janson knows nothing about it! Janson, Wenson and a squad of troops return to the moon to be ambushed by - a surprise party for Wenson. They wanted him out of the way so they could organise a party to celebrate Wenson’s first year as head of the moon colonies. One of the people working on the concert was a master of disguise and had impersonated Janson.
MAC: Wenson seems to be watching the Project SWORD Moonbase set.

Project SWORD continues to fight the Casuals... and Captain Malone asks...
Have You Ever Met Duprey?
Issue 178, dateline 15 June 2068
Pages 14 & 15. Illustration by Ron Embleton.
Duprey is transporting a vital component across the desert via Hovertruck. He is stopped by two nomads who ask for water, only to strike him unconscious. The Hovertruck being late, a search is organised. A dead body wearing a SWORD uniform is found by the truck, apparently poisoned by the local water. This is astonishing as Duprey would have know the water had been poisoned by SWORD in an attempt to drive the Casuals from the area. On their way back to base with the body, they see a figure stumbling through the desert on foot. This is Duprey. A Casual had taken his uniform and dumped him in the desert - their plan was to use the Hover truck to get in to the SWORD base. But they hadn’t known about the water and stopped to drink...

Project SWORD geologists report - and Malone faces death!
Message For Hancock
Issue 179, dateline 22 June 2068
Pages 14 & 15.
Illustration by Don Lawrence (right).
Hancock, a member of SWORD, is writing a history of 20th century British politics but finds documentary sources scarce. He tells Captain Malone that he would particularly like to find information on an old town called Blackstead. Malone is sent to the north of England to survey ground tremors, and falls into a crevice - only to find himself in the old offices of Blackstead Town Hall!
MAC: A Moon Ranger

Elementary, My Dear Janson
Issue 180, dateline 29 June 2068
Pages 14 & 15.
Illustration by Don Lawrence.
Trevor Flack, a research scientist, has been working for the Casual cause. He approaches Janson claiming he has had a change of heart and offers to work for SWORD. Janson sets him to work on helping with the building of a new colony on the moon to house evacuees. Flack seems to be doing a good job, but in reality he is working with other Casuals in an attempt to prevent the building of the colony. He is discovered at his true purpose by Commander Wenson who, being distrustful where Flack is concerned, has hidden a microphone in his spacesuit...

Captain Gleave of Project SWORD dies... needlessly!
Spanish Incident
Issue 181, dateline 06 July 2068
Pages 14 & 15.
Illustration by Don Lawrence (left).
Captains Malone and Gleave set out to evacuate the inhabitants of a Spanish town threatened by a volcano. On the way they come across a group of bedraggled people. Gleave wants to stop, but Malone thinks they might be Casuals and they don’t have time to deal with them. They reach the town to find it appears to be deserted. Gleave enters the town to check and is killed when the volcano erupts. Returning, Malone again comes across the group of wandering people, and finds they are the inhabitants of the town - Gleave had died needlessly...
MAC: A Scramble Bug

A routine clearing operation... until the Moon Ranger went berserk!
Take-Over Bid
Issue 182, dateline 13 July 2068
Pages 14 & 15. Illustration by Don Lawrence.
Two SWORD operatives are using a Moon Ranger. These can be controlled remotely via radar, and the two men find themselves captured by Casuals. Brainwashed, they return to SWORD base and kidnap Janson. They take him to the Casual base, where he will be brainwashed so he can be used as a tool to destroy SWORD. Before that can happen, he is rescued by Malone, who has tracked the Moon Ranger to the hideout.
MAC: The Moon Ranger

The Pipes Of Death
Issue 183, dateline 20 July 2068
Pages 14 & 15. Illustration by Don Lawrence.
A new Reject’s camp is to be built in the Highlands of Scotland, but the workers all mysteriously die. The Casuals have ‘planted’ hollow pipes in the fields through which they can pump poison gas. SWORD uncovers this and captures the Casuals, but the leader tries to escape - across the field of gas-emitting tubes...

In the Moonbase school - a lesson about Project SWORD... that ended in a death-ride in space.
Like Father... Like Son
Issue 184, dateline 27 July 2068
Pages 14 & 15.
Illustration by Don Lawrence (left).
Professor Branston is to lecture on modern developments in rocket propulsion to a group of school children on the moon. He takes them for a flight in a Nuclear Ferry, and reveals that he is actually Professor Draycott. Janson had forbidden him to work on the moon, and now he wants revenge. He plans to crash the Ferry with the children aboard - amongst them is Commander Wenson’s son, Peter. However, the children manage to overpower Draycott, and Peter lands the craft safely.
MAC: A Nuclear Ferry, but in the illustration Branston also has a model Moon Bus.

The Wrong Tree
Issue 185, dateline 03 August 2068
Pages 14 & 15. Illustration by Jon Davis.
A SWORD operative is ambushed and shot. Before he dies, he tells his rescuers that it was Casuals and that they were hiding in 'the barn'. To be on the safe side, all barns in the area are searched and burnt in case they are Casual hideouts. When this has been completed, Malone notices and old tea shop and decides to stop and eat. A frightened old woman serves them, and when Malone tries to pay, she takes him out the back and shows him the bodies of two Casuals. She saw them trying to kill the SWORD operative, and shot them. At first she was afraid Malone was with them, but after seeing he wears the same uniform as the man being chased, she decided to tell them what happened. Malone notices the name of the tea shop... 'The Barn'.

Silently, menacingly, it hung above the Moon colony - scorching the Earthmen off the Moon!
Friend Or Foe
Issue 186, dateline 10 August 2068
Pages 14 & 15. Illustration by Jon Davis.
A strange alien craft appears above Moonbase and focuses the rays of the Sun on it. All attempts to destroy the craft fail, and as the temperature rises to unbearable levels, the colonists are evacuated - back to Earth! When everyone has left, the alien craft disappears. Shortly afterwards there is an explosion close to the moonbase. Investigation shows the explosions to have had natural causes. It seems the alien craft was trying to get them to leave before disaster struck!
MAC: The craft shown investigating the alien craft appears to be a Probe Flight 3.

Rejects storm SWORD HQ - Demand Commander Janson!
The Scapegoat
Issue 187, dateline 17 August 2068
Pages 14 & 15.
Illustration by Mike Noble (right).
Malone is surprised when a new recruit called Johnson - who looks almost like Commander Janson - arrives as part of a new security detail. But when Rejects overrun the London camp and demand Janson, fate takes a peculiar twist for Johnson...
MAC: The Zero X
Notes:
• This story marks Mike Noble's only contribution to the Project SWORD series.

The Other Man's Shoes
Issue 188, dateline 24 August 2068
Pages 14 & 15. Illustration by Jon Davis.
A radar operative at the Cambridge Rejects camp goes berserk and kills three men. Later, a SWORD operative named Pleasance hitches a lift on a Moonbus. He recognises the driver as the killer at the Cambridge camp. Realising that this man would be confused, Pleasance pretends to be him, and the man thus pretends to be Pleasance. As he half believes himself to be a SWORD man, he takes Pleasance back to SWORD base, to the astonishment of Malone.Pleasance later explains: “Well I reckoned he was so tangled up in his own problems that he couldn’t think straight. So I made out I was him - with all his problems. And he was posing as a SWORD man, so he had to try and help me. Of course he was helping himself really. But because it was someone else, he soon saw that the only thing to do was to give myself up...I mean himself up!”
MAC: A Moon Bus
Notes:
• The story is told in such a way that the reader is uncertain as to who is the ill man and who the sane, until the end.

The Whirlpool
Issue 189, dateline 31 August 2068
Pages 14 & 15. Illustration by Jon Davis.
Malone and Ashby are transporting several Moon Rangers via Hovercraft when they are caught in a whirlpool. Realising they will be sucked into it, Malone suggests they get into a Moon Ranger as it will have its own oxygen supply. But it turns out that the tanks are empty. Just before he passes out, Ashby thinks he can see the stars through the cockpit. Later he wakes in SWORD HQ, having been rescued. As the whirlpool subsided, the water levels fell and the Moon Ranger was actually on a small Pacific island a few feet beneath the water level. It is one of a number of small islands which were covered when the meteorite hit the Earth. They could actually have opened the cockpit and walked out of the Moon Ranger! Fortunately, both were rescued in time.
MAC: Moon Rangers and a non-toy range Hovercraft.

As Commander Janson dictates, death is only words away!
The Wrong Key
Issue 190, dateline 07 September 2068
Page 5. Illustration by Jon Davis (left).
A secretary’s bad typing saves the day, when a bomb is set to explode if the ‘e’ on her keyboard is pressed.
MAC: No craft actually feature but a model of a Dyna-Soar Gilder is seen on Janson's desk.

A SWORD spacecraft explodes... but they're only making a film... or are they?
The Damp Squib
Issue 191, dateline 14 September 2068
Page 5. Illustration by Jon Davis.
A film company gets permission to shoot at SWORD HQ, and proceeds to blow up models of the SWORD craft. A big scene is planned for early the next morning, and when Janson turns up he realises the craft are not models but actual SWORD machines! However, Malone has rumbled the film crew and removed the explosives during the night.
MAC: The craft shown blowing up seems to be a Probe Force 3.

The Casuals planned to destroy SWORD HQ... but first they need a Moon Bus...
Too Many Cooks
Issue 192, dateline 21 September 2068
Page 5. Illustration by Jon Davis.
Casuals capture a Moonbus and tie up the driver, Captain Flanders, putting him in the back of the vehicle. Posing as SWORD operatives, the Casuals calls SWORD HQ explaining they have been delayed by engine trouble. They plan to use the Moonbus to get into the HQ and kill Janson. But SWORD are suspicious of the call and surround the Moonbus when it enters the underground garage. They drag the driver out - to find it is Captain Flanders, who has escaped his bonds and overpowered the two Casuals.
MAC: A Moon Bus

Billy had met Project SWORD before... but this time was to be the last.
Billy
Issue 193, dateline 28 September 2068
Page 5. Illustration by Jon Davis.
Billy’s family had been killed in the events following the meteorite fall, and since then he has been living alone amongst the ruins of his home town. Seeing a Moon Ranger trundle through brings back memories of the last time that happened. The driver, concerned for Billy and finding his parents to be dead, had suggested he go to a Rejects camp where he would be safe. Fearing he was being arrested, Billy runs and the SWORD operative gives chase. Cornered, Billy throws a chunk of masonry down onto the SWORD man, killing him. Since then he has lived in guilt and fear. Wishing he could go to a Rejects camp, but not daring to because of his ‘crime’, he sadly watches the Moon Ranger pass through the ruins. As he watches, the building he is hiding in collapses, killing him.
MAC: Oops - the text refers to a Moon Ranger throughtout but the illustration shows a Moon Bus.

The door burst open... and two SWORD soldiers stormed in...
The Traitor
Issue 194, dateline 05 October 2068
Page 5. Illustration by Jon Davis.
A teacher at the London SWORD camp school, Professor Claire, feels compassion towards the Casuals, although he does not agree with them. He teaches his class, “...just because a man is our enemy, it doesn’t mean we have to treat him unkindly...”. Recently, Professor Claire had been captured by Casuals, they intending to kill him. They are calmed by his kind manner and listen to him, fascinated by his philosophy. They ask him to return and speak with them again, and on one such trip, a rival of the Professor films him consorting with Casuals. Professor Claire is arrested and his rival, Bradbury, replaces him in the school. However, Bradbury doesn’t triumph for long. Being captured in a similar way as was Professor Claire, the Casuals find his manner less acceptable and kill him.
MAC: A Nuclear Ferry.

At Project SWORD HQ, all's set for the big...
Round-Up
Issue 195, dateline 12 October 2068
Page 5. Illustration by Jon Davis (left).
The disturbances caused by the meteorite strike seem to have stopped, and if another doesn't occur within several days it may signal Earth is no longer in danger. Janson calls a secret meeting to discuss the possibility of making peace with the Casuals, as evacuation will not be necessary. However, the meeting is being monitored by the Casuals via a Moon Prospector stationed outside. However, whatever plans are made come to nothing as when the meeting is over, Janson is told there has been another earthquake...
MAC: The Moon Prospector

The Call Of The Sea
Issue 196, dateline 19 October 2068
Page 5. Illustration by Jon Davis.
Captain Wheeler is travelling by Moonbus from the coast to London. The coastal areas are favoured by small bands of disorganised Casuals. Wheeler stops to admire the sunset, and while he gazes out to sea a Casual saws most of the way through one of the axles of the Moonbus. Driving a little further, Wheeler is about to take the turn off to London, but decides to have one more look at the sea. The Moonbus moves off, and trying to take a turning too fast, it plunges over the cliff and onto the rocks below. Later, Captain Malone looks down at the wreckage. There is no sign of Captain Wheeler’s body. Driving back to London, Malone notices someone standing by the cliff edge and staring out to sea. He stops, thinking it might be a Casual, but it is Captain Wheeler. The Moonbus had been stolen by another group of Casuals, unaware of the sabotage, whilst he was admiring the view...
MAC: A Moon Bus

Ex-Captain Morgan
Issue 197, dateline 26 October 2068
Page 5. Illustration by Jon Davis.
The World Government plan to return to Earth, believing the danger may be sufficient over to take command back from Project SWORD. But one Captain believes it the wrong move, and aids the Casuals in staging a fake disturbance to make them think twice...
MAC: A Moon Bus

A missile streaks toward SWORD HQ - and finds it defenceless!
The Fire-Practice
Issue 198, dateline 02 November 2068
Page 5. Illustration by Jon Davis.
When an unscheduled Task Force craft fails to respond to hails as it approaches SWORD HQ, and communications seem to have been jammed, Captain George Birkett is given a lesson in responsibility and conduct...
MAC: The Task Force craft in the illustration appears to be an RTF1.

In a plot against Commander Janson, the Casuals remember...
Christmas Is Coming
Issue 199, dateline 09 November 2068
Page 5. Illustration by Jon Davis (right).
Janson receives a Christmas present in the form of after-shave but only a lucky accident prevents him from using on himself - and finding it is actually acid from the Casuals.
MAC: No craft feature but the model Dyna-Soar Gilder is still on Janson's desk.

The Little Bet
Issue 200, dateline 16 November 2068
Page 5. Illustration by Jon Davis.
Lieutenant Baxter is waiting for an interview with Commander Janson when news comes in he has been kidnapped. Baxter must take top secret plans to the Casuals in return for Janson.
MAC: The Moon Bus illustration is a cropped reuse of the one used originally for the opening story 'Billy'

A SWORD craft disappears... and then reappears!
Alibi
Issue 201, dateline 23 November 2068
Page 5. Illustration by Ron Embleton.
A SWORD Probe Three fighter, equipped with a new drive and weapons goes missing. Janson is fearful it has fallen into the hands of the Casuals, which would give them a craft that would never need refuelling to strike at SWORD indefinitely. As a search continues, the craft reappears intact in its hangar. Tracing the culprit hinges on whether the suspects can answer a certain question...
MAC: The Probe Force 3 illustration is a cropped reuse of the one used originally for the story 'The Sneak!'

Screwbury
Issue 202, dateline 30 November 2068
Page 5. No illustration.
Screwbury is a tight, unhumorous man disliked by his colleagues at SWORD. Seeing Captain Malone reading A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens gives Joshua Freeman an idea, and he decides to play a trick on Screwbury. Later, Screwbury is having trouble sleeping and he sees a ghostly figure which claims to be the Ghost of Christmas Past. The figure shows him all the joys of childhood again. Later a second figure appears, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and finally the Ghost of Christmas Future visits him. Next morning, Screwbury is a changed man - generous and cheerful. Joshua is surprised and decides that maybe they won’t have to play that trick on Screwbury after all...

You Can’t Fool SWORD Twice...
Crackers
Issue 203, dateline 07 December 2068
Page 13. No illustration.
Casuals put a small but powerful bomb into a Christmas cracker, and then have the cheek to sell it to SWORD in a box of crackers at 12/6 a dozen! While the SWORD personnel are celebrating Christmas , a Casual is captured and brought before Commander Austin, the man in charge of the base. Knowing of the bomb-in-the-cracker plan and having dealt with it already, Austin decides to have some fun with the Casual. He invites the Casual to pull a cracker with him. Shaking with fear, the Casual pulls the cracker - but there is no explosion. The Commander turns to one of his men, Captain Bell, saying, “You’d never believe it, but the Casuals tried putting bombs in these things. As if we’d fall for that again!” Then Commander Austin takes the paper hat from the cracker, opens it and puts it on the Casual’s head, saying, “There! You do look nice!”.

Two SWORD explorers travel through time - and become...
The Eye-witnesses
Issue 204, dateline 14 December 2068
Page 12. No illustration.
Captain Blakely and Lieutenant Spry are travelling to Anstrobus to see if it is suitable for colonisation. Both are disappointed to have been sent on this mission at Christmas time. Landing on the planet, they find a palace inhabited by invisible beings. They are taken into a room containing a large screen, and are shown shown events from Earth’s past of over three thousand years ago! Several months later and back on Earth, they ask Malone if he had a good Christmas. Malone says that he did and that he is sorry the two men had to miss it. Captain Blakely replies: “Oh...we didn’t miss it, Captain Malone. But then we didn’t actually celebrate it either. I suppose you could say we watched it happening.”.
Notes:
• One of the few stories to indicate SWORD is still exploring deep space.

Where did Mills see the snakes? In the cave... or were they...
All In The Mind?
Issue 205, dateline 21 December 2068
Page 5. Illustration: Unknown.
Captain Malone investigates a strange cave reputed to be a Casual hideout, but one of his men swears the cave is full of snakes instead.
MAC: A Moon Bus, and...
Notes:
• The illustration is from one of the Project SWORD adverts.

In 3031, Project S.W.O.R.D. look to 1968 to foil an assassination plot!
The Name's The Same
Issue 206, dateline 28 December 2068
Page 5. Illustration: Malcolm Stokes
A thousand year old petrol driven car provides the solution to a casual ambush for a SWORD Moon Bus convoy
MAC: A convoy of Moon Buses.
Notes:
• The name which is 'the same' is a Jensen saloon with the 'e' missing, so Janson thinks the car is called the same as him.

The Casuals are enemies to Project SWORD - but not to...
The Visitors
Issue 207, dateline 04 January 2069
Page 5. Illustration: Malcolm Stokes
An alien craft lands near Guildford, witnessed by Lieutenant Westcott, and its crew taken away by Casuals. Fearing for the safety of the new 'visitors', Captain Malone attempts a rescue mission and finds the aliens are invisible... and by no means strangers to the situation on Earth.
MAC: The Moon Bus
Notes:
• Is it possible the invisible aliens are inhabitants of the planet Anstrobus, as previously mentioned in the story 'The Eye-witnesses'?
• The Illustration of the Moon Bus is reused in the ©1969 TV21 annual.

Trust Janson
Issue 208, dateline 11 January 2069
Page 5. Illustration: Malcolm Stokes
Short of staff, Janson takes a risk and allows a former Casual to pilot a Nuclear Ferry. When it explodes, Janson feels it is his fault for making a poor decision, and decides to resign. However, before he has time to do so, a report arrives detailing the death from heart-attack of one of the ground crew. He had died whilst checking the Ferry - it was human error, not sabotage.
MAC: A Nuclear Ferry
• The Illustration of the Nuclear Ferry is reused in the ©1969 TV21 annual.

Then and Now
Issue 209, dateline 18 January 2069
Page 5. Illustration (right): Malcolm Stokes
Primitive space craft appear on the moon, circling the Moon Observatory. The SWORD personnel are amazed that anyone would risk space travel in such primitive, fragile craft. The vehicles move off but later more are seen, similar in design though with different markings. The craft land and the occupants appear to argue with each other, with a member of one group shooting a member of the other group. SWORD operatives try to help, and the injured person explains they are from the planet Ursus. The groups are members of opposing political factions, each aiming to be the first to land on Earth. The SWORD operatives are astounded that the two groups would not co-operate in such an undertaking... until one of the SWORD men shows them the book he has been reading - a history of the 20th century space race.
MAC: A Space Glider
• The Illustration of the Space Glider is reused in the ©1969 TV21 annual.

Missing From Home
Issue 210, dateline 25 January 2069
Page 8. Illustration: Malcolm Stokes
The discovery by Professor Trent and Captain Spry of human bones and an ancient tape recorder on the Moon finally solve a thousand year old missing persons mystery.
MAC: A Moon Ranger and a Moon Bus
MAC: Written only months prior to the first Moon landing, this story implies that the event did not happen until 'much later' than 1968.

Project SWORD's latest problem is...
A Question Of Discipline
Issue 211, dateline 01 February 2069
Page 5. Illustration: Malcolm Stokes
Computer programmer Perry is disciplined by Commander Janson for lazy and careless work. Perry's next job is to programme a Moon Bus ferrying expensive equipment to a new base in the Midlands. But too late for anyone to act, Janson finds mechanic Carter has been replaced by a Casual who has planted a bomb on board, set to explode when the vehicle reaches its destination.
MAC: A Moon Bus and a Task Force 3

Out on SWORD's launch pad two boys gamble with death as they play...
Hide and Seek
Issue 212, dateline 08 February 2069
Page 5. Illustration by Malcolm Stokes (left).
Two boys, sons of a SWORD pilot and well know for playing tricks, play hide and seek at the launch site of a SWORD craft. It is to be loaded with canisters which will then be dumped in space. One of the boys hides and his brother, searching for him, suspects he has hidden in one of the canisters. He tries to tell ground personnel, but they are so used to the boys’ tricks that they think it is a hoax. Meanwhile, Janson has been given information suggesting the launch may have been sabotaged. When the countdown reaches zero, nothing happens: the craft doesn’t lift, but neither does it explode. At that moment the boy rushes into Janson’s office to tell him about his brother - only to find the other boy already in the office...
MAC: A Booster Rocket

The Hill
Issue 213, dateline 15 February 2069
Page 5. Illustration by Malcolm Stokes.
A man from SWORD and a Casual, both fathers, elect not to kill each other when they see the effect they are having on their sons.

The Casuals attempt a full scale of Project SWORD with...
Time Out
Issue 214, dateline 22 February 2069
Page 5. Illustration by Malcolm Stokes.
A SWORD exploratory project needs a vital component if it is to make its launch window, otherwise they will have to wait over three years before launching is again possible. The factory manufacturing the part does not have transportion to get to SWORD, so a SWORD operative famous for his punctuality is sent to fetch it. He picks up the component with ample time to spare for the return journey. He notices an S.O.S. signal on the ground and lands to see if he can help. It is a trap, and he is drugged into unconsciousness. When he wakes, his craft has gone and he is devastated he has failed in his mission. But he realises the vital component is still in his pocket - the Casuals must have thought it was in the vehicle, and there is still time to get to the launch. Looking at his watch, he sees he has made it back in time, and feels very pleased with himself. But the SWORD personnel want to know where he has been - the launch window has closed. When he was ambushed, the Casuals put his watch back one hour...

The Hidden Eye
Issue 215, dateline 01 March 2069
Page 5. Illustration by Malcolm Stokes.
A Reject complains about the installation of cameras in the camps - he feels it is an invasion of privacy. Captain Jobson, a very absent-minded man, is dealing with the complaint although he too thinks the cameras are an intrusion. After the Reject has left his office, Jobson realises a solid gold model of a Moon Ranger is missing. He thinks the Reject has taken it, but the cameras in his own office show it has simply rolled off of the desk and into the wastepaper basket.
MAC: The Moon Ranger model

Project S.W.O.R.D. have learnt the lesson... before you can foil a sabotage plot. You must...
First Catch Your Casual
Issue 216, dateline 08 March 2069
Page 5. Illustration by Ron Embleton.
Commander Janson and Malone discuss the SWORD/Casual problem. They think it would be a good idea to have a peace treaty between the two groups, but how are they to get the Casuals to attend discussions? Malone has an idea - he lets it be known that a powerful explosive is to be transported from London to Manchester. An attempt at stealing the explosive is made by the Casuals, and when captured they are persuaded to attend discussions. The consignment of explosives itself was merely a ruse.
MAC: The Scramble Bug illustration is a cropped reuse of the one used originally for the opening story 'The Earth Will Die!'

For Malone it could be the beginning of the end... but for Project SWORD it is...
The End Of The Beginning
Issue 217, dateline 15 March 2069
Page 5. Illustration by Malcolm Stokes.

Malone is captured by Casuals while trying to negotiate a peace treaty. They intend to kill him but he demands to be brought two pens and two sheets of paper. Bewildered, the Casual leader does so, and Malone tells him he wants them to write down what they are trying to achieve for Earth. When this is done, Malone says that they should each read what the other has written. To the astonishment of the Casual leader, they have both have the same aims - world-wide peace, security for their children and freedom for all people - and he agrees to sign the peace treaty.
MAC: The Moon Bus
Notes:
• This story makes a kind of fitting conclusion to the SWORD/Casual conflict, suggesting they can work together. It also highlights, to a degree, the futility of most conflicts as both sides do usually have the same interest - though often for just their own kind. However, the fate of Earth itself remains unanswered.


The Loyal And The Dead
TV21 Annual ©1969
Pages 20-24.
Illustrations by Malcolm Stokes.
Reject James Ashton is shocked to find his friend George Barrat has apparently commited suicide. Ashton finds what he believes to be a message in Barrat's suicide note, warning of an attempt to take over SWORD H.Q. but with no evidence has to investigate alone. He discovers a large group of Casuals, with the assistance of Rejects and Guards in the camp, have manage to smuggle and arm a large number of vehicles into an underground storage area. Ashton tries to warn SWORD H.Q. but is only able to get off a brief radio message before being discovered an killed by Bream, one of the turncoat guards. Even though the combined mutiny is brought forward and the camp overrun, SWORD H.Q. take heed of Ashton's warning and the attack is repelled. Afterwards, Commander Janson and Captain Malone find Ashton's body - supposedly another suicide - unaware he was the person who warned them but unknown to either, his farewell note also contains a hidden message...
MAC: Scramble Bugs, but a number of designs also feature in the storage area that appear to have nothing to do with the SWORD toy range.
Notes:
• A straight-forward tale that, if you didn't follow the weekly stories, may have left you a little bemused even though the prose does cover what has happened to Earth briefly.
• However further on in the same annual, there is a three page feature on the hardware of Project SWORD which fills in more of the background.
• Ashton's own cryptic farewell - using the same method as Barrat - contains the message "Barrat died for SWORD and so do I".

Overall, it would appear as a merchandising venture neither of the two Phases of Project SWORD were as successful as the other Century 21 toys had been. While as a creative venture, Phase 2 was by far the better of the two versions, it lacked the adventure and dynamism of Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet, being somewhat static as a text story. Had it been afforded the luxury of a full blown colour strip in TV21 (surely still much cheaper than a television series?) then maybe things would have been different. But then, Project SWORD did get one final outing...

Late in 1968, a Project SWORD annual appeared. Following the same lavish format as the other Century 21 annuals, it filled in the history of SWORD and contained several more strip and text stories with most illustrations by Malcolm Stokes, aided by Michael Strand, Tom Kerr and an unidentified artist. Some of Ron Embleton's paintings for the early SWORD stories also reappeared, adding to the main feature on SWORD's mission. Each story tended to focus, as with the Project SWORD Phase 1 strips, on a particular vehicle in the range including the somewhat anachronistic Zero X and Apollo Moon Rockets, with the usual cutaways and technical background. Other photos, strangely, would come from the recently released film 2001: A Space Odyssey...

In many ways, the annual was the epitome and fruition of the Project SWORD Phase 2 format. Not constrained by a rigid weekly word count, the nine stories are hard-hitting and thoughtful tales, with a high body count and sobering attitude. The Earth portrayed in vivid colour and concise prose is literally falling apart around the characters - something of a far cry from some TV21 stories where the locations tended to be a little too peaceful and somewhat Home Counties. We see New York buried by volcanic lava, Africa torn apart by earthquakes and an ecological attempt to save the threatened animal life of Earth too. It is a desperate scenario requiring often extreme solutions. But there is still hope, as the feature on 3031 spells out, 'as long as there is Project SWORD'. It is fitting that this most readily available version of Project SWORD is the one that does it the most justice.

As well as merchandising the toys, a few other SWORD items appeared such as a couple of Century 21 Cut-out Books from which card models of the craft (some of which only featured in the annual) could be made. Another range of small toys called Spacex (see right), which also originated in Hong Kong, featured pocket-sized versions of the some of the SWORD craft, such as the Nuclear Ferry, Booster Rocket, Moon Bus and Lunar Prospector. While not technically SWORD items, they have a peripheral interest to the dedicated collector. The Scramble Bug, Lunar Prospector and Moon Crawler also appeared as part of the UFO Moonbase kit by Imai in Japan. More recently these has been reissued with the Moonbase as a prepainted kit by Konami (see below).

The lavish Letts TV21 Diary, which would appear from 1970 onwards - ingeniously designed so it could be used any year in that decade - featured a photo of the Booster Rocket and 'factual' information suggesting it was designed in 2073 when SWORD was first set up (contradicting the history of Phase 2 given in the annual though). A painting of a prototype of the Beetle, hailing from 2095, also appeared.

One further text story and feature appeared in the last TV21 annual that Century 21 had any input for, late in 1969. Neither added anything to the saga, but by this time the weekly TV21 as most fans knew it had gone, to become a pale shadow of its former self in a merger with Joe 90: Top Secret. In a matter of months, even Century 21 itself would shut down - the end of an era and, for many, an end of a whole world in itself. In some ways, maybe Project SWORD Phase 2 was more prophetic than it realised...

The Gerry Anderson Complete Comic History would like to thank:
Rob van Bavel
Mike Dennison
and David Nightingale
- for their help with this feature.

Version 1.1 - 01.05.05


Any comments or notes about any of the strips, please contact technodelic@blueyonder.co.uk.

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