Front Page strip guide

Story One
Writer: Angus Allan.
Artist: John M. Burns, 2 pages b/w.

Part 1 - Issue 132, dateline 29 July 2067
A man turns up at the TV21 offices in Fleet Street, London, asking for the editor as he has a scoop. News editor Mike Leyton hands the story over to reporter Pete tracker, and finds the man - Bordon - dreams of disasters before they happen. Bordon's last dream was of Liverpool Space Port ablaze, and when news suddely breaks that this really happening, Tracker and photographer Lens are dispatched by helijet to cover the story. Leaving Bordon in the care of an office boy, it is some hours before the blaze is under control and they are able to return to the offices. But when they do, they find the boy tied up and Bordon gone...

Part 2 - Issue 133, dateline 05 August 2067
Tracker unties the boy, who says the last thing he remembers is talking to Bordon. The visitors card Bordon filled in at reception gives an address of 704 Theobolds Road, WC1 - but this was destroyed in the Atom War of 2028 and is now the site of Gray's Park.

Research finds cuttings of Bordon from 2017 and, using a holoscope, are able to match an image to how he looks now. Putting the picture on the front of TV21 brings in many calls but Bordon himself phones Tracker as he has had another dream - the Forth Road Bridge disappearing as if erased by a rubber. Tracing the call gives the same non-existent address in Theobolds Road, so Tracker and Lens are despatched by helijet to cover the Forth Bridge in Scotland - but by the time they arrive it has vanished as Bordon predicted...

Part 3 - Issue 134, dateline 12 August 2067
Tracker tells DIck, the helijet pilot, to land so he can get some on-the-spot interviews. The police have no comment but stranded motorists explain the bridge just seemed to be 'wiped away'. Lens wants to get a full width shot of the bridge position but as they drive to a better vantage point Tracker spots Bordon at the river's edge. The man makes off in a boat, and Tracker gives chase until Bordon slows and aims a device at him. Tracker leaps clear just as his boat disappears, much to the astonishment of Lens. Bordon escapes, but Lens takes tracker back to the TV21 office where they consult science correspondent Joe Chiffins. Chiffins suspects he knows what has happened, but it is a World Governemt secret and they will have to go to Unity City to get information. But then Bordon appears at the offices, claiming he has had another dream - in which he is dissolving just like the Forth Bridge did...

Part 4 - Issue 135, dateline 19 August 2067
Part of Bordon's side has already disappeared, and Tracker calls a doctor. But the doctor thinks Bordon needs to see Professor Cain, head of the Weapon Reearch Unit. They all take a Fireflash to Unity City, where Cain identifies Bordon as a Professor there. Bordon had invented an anti-matter ray called a Bordongraph, but had disappeared with the device after a car crash. Cain believes the Bordongraph is leaking its anti-matter ray, and may pose a deadly threat to milions if it is not found...

Part 5 - Issue 136, dateline 26 August 2067
The Bordon Ray brings down the Post Office Tower, giving away its position in London. Tracker and Lens hurry back to try and locate it, but thieves break into Bordon's flat and steal it, thinking it an old style camera. Unfortunately the ray cuts through the bag and the workings of their vehicle, and it crashes into the new Pentonville Prison. The ray then dissolves a hole in the wall, and by the time Tracker and Lens return to London, 200 criminals have escaped. Unable to tell their editor the whole truth, Tracker lands at the prison with U.S.S. clearance to investigate. But there is no sign of the Ray there - one of the criminals must have picked it up...

Part 6 - Issue 137, dateline 02 September 2067
Two of the escaped convicts take refuge in an empty cellar, where the older of the two, Guggins, reveals what he thinks is an old camera he found in the wall. When the other criminal Dawkins asks for a photo 'for his old mum', Guggins unwittingly disintegrates him, as it is the Bordon Ray. Guggins realises what happened to the prison wall, and plans a crime spree of his own. Nine of the eleven escaped convicts have been recaptured, but none have the ray. The news editor notices a hole burned into the door of a bank in Whitechapel, and Tracker is despatched to investigate. But at that moment, Guggins is rejoicing, having stolen forty thousand, and that is just the start...

Part 7 - Issue 138, dateline 09 September 2067
Guggins goes to sleep with the ray under his pillow, unaware it is burning through the bed and floor. Tracker tries to trace him, and finds an irate cabbie who recognises Guggins' photo - the ray had dissolved the back seat of his taxi when carrying him as a passenger! In a plush Park Lane hotel, Tracker is enquiring at reception when Guggins and half of his room crash through into the lobby from above! The criminal is caught and the Bordon Ray finally contained in a special case. Professor Cain arrives to take the device back to Unity City, where Professor Bordon is recovering in decontamination. His memory of events is hazy, although he recalls using an old telephone exchange that still works to make his calls. But a new story has already broken... a mysterious spaceship has been sighted over Nice - and Tracker and Lens are sent to find out what it is...


Reprinted:
TV2000 (Holland) issues 50/1967 to 04/1968.

Notes:
• Part 1 gives some nice glimpses of the fictional TV21 offices, and John Burns uses actual covers as the basis for those seen on the wall behind Pete Tracker's desk (below), notably issues 54 and 57. Images of Fireball XL5, Stingray, and Thunderbirds 2 and 5 are also apparent.

• Continuity with other events from TV21 are also mentioned in part 1, with Bordon having foreseen the 'President' disaster (in the Thunderbirds strip that very same issue), the assassination of the Kaplan (TV Century 21 issue 19) and the crash of Zero X (presumably the crash from the film/photo adaptation, in issue 104, and not the as yet unseen second crash in Miami, which happens in issue 135!).
• Oops - part 2 shows an issue of TV Century 21 from 2017, but the publication started at the beginning of 2065. It is also unclear by the end of the story how Bordon comes to be seen in these photos from 2017.
• In part 1, the regular news editor seems to be called Mike Leyton, but in part 5 Tracker refers to him as 'Taffy'. Admittedly this could be a nickname (or an in-joke!) but the editor is never referred to by any name again throughout the strip.
• John Burns depiction of a Fireflash is radically different from that seen on television or in other strips.
• A Maximum Security Vehicle from the as-yet untelevised Captain Scarlet is seen in part 4 as a 'special armoured car', and again in part 7 (right), which Professor Cain uses when back in custody of the Bordon Ray.
• Speculation - we have a sneaking suspicion some of the real TV21 staff may crop up as 'cameos' throughout the strip, such as the 'office boy'.


Story Two
Writer: Angus Allan. Artist: John M. Burns, 2 pages b/w.

Part 1 - Issue 139, dateline 16 September 2067
In Nice, France, Tracker and Lens spot the stationary object but it is too high for a decent picture, and the World Air Force will not allow any craft to approach it. Using a telescope, Tracker is sure it resembles an aircraft carrier, and he and Lens take up residence in the airport hotel in the hope a plane will launch from it. Their patience is soon rewarded, and they give chase in a standby jet they have hired. The crew of the jet being pursued are prepared, and WAF interceptors force Tracker and Lens to land to present credentials. But they continue and follow the jet to Glenn Field, stating they have engine trouble to make an illicit landing there when warned off, when suddenly they find themselves directly in the landing approach of Captain Black's returning ZeroX mission to Mars...



Part 2 - Issue 140, dateline 23 September 2067
The plane clips one of the engines and crashes on the west perimeter of the airfield. As fire tenders and ambulances rush to the scene, the Zero-X lands, and Captain Black is able to make off in a car amidst the confusion - and vanishes. Tracker, Lens and the pilot are brought before Colonel White for questioning, but they plead that the incident may not have occurred his organisation - Spectrum - were not so secret. White agrees, and allows Tracker and Lens to interview him, allowing as much as security will permit. The news is out - Spectrum Is Green - and Tracker and Lens have a great story...



Reprinted:
TV2000 (Holland) issues 05/1968 to 06/1968.

Notes:
• A wonderful continuity bound ending, as we discover how Captain Black was able to elude Spectrum on his return from Mars.
• This short story also formally introduces the Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons strip, which begins in the next issue of TV Century 21.
• Interestingly, this is the only mention given that the as-yet unidentified Cloudbase is visible from the ground.
• Other strips would later make reference to France actually being the 'permanent ground position' over which Cloudbase would normally be stationed.
• The plane Tracker and Lens pursue is, of course, a Spectrum Passenger Jet.
• The original artwork of the last page of this story (see above), with overlaid bromide of the front cover, is known to still exist in a private collection.


Story Three
Writer: Angus Allan. Artist: John M. Burns, 1 page b/w.

Part 1 - Issue 141, dateline 30 September 2067
Fleet Street, 2067. TV21 is going to press, when suddenly...

An old-fashion car drives past the offices at speed, strafing the entrance with machine gun fire. Tracker and Lens are just returning from an assignment, and give chase. But the car plunges into the Thames and, unknown to their pursuers, continues on with an underwater motor. Calling London Rescue Unlimited to retrieve the wreck, Tracker is amazed to find there is no trace of the vehicle. Back at the TV21 office, the number of the car is traced - to gangster Al Capone, who died over a century ago...

Part 2 - Issue 142, dateline 07 October 2067
Meanwhile, from a stately home near London, 'Capone' and his gang are preparing for another hit - the London Jewel Company. Emerging from the Thames at a deserted wharf sometime later, the two cars speed through the London streets. In Bond Street, Tracker and Lens are on a routine assignment when the cars arrive. Lens gets his camera rolling but the reporters are spotted, and one of the gangsters opens fire...

Part 3 - Issue 143, dateline 14 October 2067
Capone holds Tracker and Lens at gunpoint, and takes them hostage. He wants to be a bigger 'king of crime' than his ancestor, and takes them back to his plush residence outside London, via an underwater trip in the cars. Treating them as guests, Capone tells them they will publicise his every move, to make him a success. Tracker is allowed to report to his editor, even though he and Lens are hostages, but when he tries to nose around he is discovered and clubbed out. Capone tells Lens to get back in the room, as they have a busy day tomorrow - their biggest story ever - he is snatching the Crown Jewels...

Part 4 - Issue 144, dateline 21 October 2067
Tracker thinks Capone is mad but his thugs bludgeon them into unconscious as a reminder to do as they are told. When two more thugs are sent to wake them a while later, Tracker and Lens jump them and make an escape bid - but they do not know where thay are, and Capone has Tracker's dictamike. They make for the state room to use the phone, but Capone and his men have already found them...

Part 5 - Issue 145, dateline 28 October 2067

Tracker and Lens are once again tied up, and Capone will kill them - after they witness the crime of the century. The specially modified cars travel underwater up the Thames, as Capone uses the dictamike to give a running commentary, which automatically appears on Tracker's typewriter in the TV21 offices! As more of Capone's men, disguised as tourists, overpower the guards in the Tower of London, the cars emerge at Traitor's Gate. Holding the front page, the news editor tries to warn the police - but they think it is just a publicity stunt...

Part 6 - Issue 146, dateline 04 November 2067
The editor decides TV21 must act, and a team of staff pack into two helijets and lift off from the offices. Meanwhile, Capone has crwoned himself 'king of crime' but his reign is short as the TV21 'strike team' arrives. In the ensuing fight, Capone escapes in one of the amphibious cars butTracker dives into the Thames after him...

Part 7 - Issue 147, dateline 11 November 2067
Tracker gets to the door of the car as it submerges, and opens it. As TV21 men battle the gangsters, Lens gets the pictures, and Tracker fights Capone underwater. Tracker wins, and brings Capone to the surface to be handed over to the police. The police have finally arrived at the Tower as well, and arrest Capone's gang. The jewels are retrieved from the Thames, and TV21 once again has the scoop on Fleet Street. But this is already yesterday's news, and Tracker and Lens have a new assignment.

Reprinted:
TV2000 (Holland) issues 07/1968 to 13/1968.

Notes:
• With the move to one page, the masthead changes to a slightly different design.
• This story receives a 'Stop Press' flash on the cover of issue 144, noting 'TV21's Top Team Vanish'.


Story Four
Writer: Angus Allan. Artist: John M. Burns, 1 page b/w.

Part 1 - Issue 148, dateline 18 November 2067
A strange large object falls out of the sky into the Taurus Mountains in Eastern Turkey. As Spectrum are investigating, Tracker and Lens are despatched to cover the story. Parachuting from their helijet to the site, they find Captain Olive has already concluded the object, which resembles a giant seed, is not Mysteron activity. The man who reported the landing tries to ask about a reward from Lens, but as Tracker examines the object, vines suddenly grow from it and grab him...

Part 2 - Issue 149, dateline 25 November 2067

Lens and the by-stander help Tracker to fight his way free but the vines are still growing. U.S.S planes are called in to bomb the growth, and after the blast, there are no remains. Tracker and Lens return to TV21, only to find news of a new growth - the plant had seemingly gone underground and has resurfaced in Istanbul itself...

Part 3 - Issue 150, dateline 02 December 2067
As Istanbul is evacuated, Tracker and Lens are despatched to cover the story. U.S.S. fighters blast the expanding growth as they arrive, and while Lens takes pictures, Tracker is able to get a sample of the vine. This is taken to Unity City Scientific Research and Development Centre, where Doctor Stone analyses it - and declares that they in grave danger of extinction...

Part 4 - Issue 151, dateline 09 December 2067
Stone reveals the seed pod originated on the planet Seismo, so named becasue of its frequent earth tremors. The seeds are activated by noise, and Stone believes one had lodged on a rocket recently sent to collect mineral supplies, only to have been dislodged as it re-entered the Earth's atmosphere. The only way to stop the plant is to cut out all noise. As the evacuation of Istanbul is soon completed, this is a relatively simple matter, and the tendrils relax and drop. A specially silenced freight 'copter is sent to carry the plant out over the Black Sea, but as it approaches a chemical tanker, it is threatens to drop its alien cargo...

Part 5 - Issue 152, dateline 16 December 2067
The helicopter and expanding growth crash-land on the tanker, and the noise of the engines continues to stimulate it. But Tracker notes the vessel is carrying a cargo of liquid hydrogen, and by using a drum of phosphorous from Universal Chemicals in Istanbul as a trigger, U.S.S. fighters are able to blast it. The huge explosion wipes out the growth on the confined space of the tanker, and it sinks without trace. Back at the TV21 offices, tracker and Lens receive a personal thanks from the World President himself. But their next assignment is to find out who has made a threat against the life of the World President...

Reprinted:
TV2000 (Holland) issues 14/1968 to 18/1968.

Notes:
• The apperance of Spectrum in the first part, investigating the seed pod for Mysteron activity, lends some more nice continuity to the strip.
• The depiction of the World President in the final part seems strangely at odds with the rest of John Burns' style - almost as if it were added later by someone else (right).


Story Five
Writer: Angus Allan. Artist: John M. Burns, 1 page b/w.

Part 6 - Issue 153, dateline 23 December 2067
The Silver Wheel circuit, Ohio, America. The world's greatest race track. The event of the year - The Universal Motor Racing Grand Prix...
Tracker and Lens are covering the event, but in a workshop in the pits, two oriental mechanics plot to kill the World President. Over Hagglers' Bend, the most exciting point on the circuit, is the World President's box. At a pit stop, the favourite driver Camersen has his tyre changed but it is booby-trapped. As Tracker and Lens try and get some long shots of the World President, the car races under the box - and explodes...

Part 7 - Issue 154, dateline 30 December 2067
The World President and his guests are saved by automatic ejector seats which propel them clear of the explosion. As guards moved to protect the party as they land nearby, Tracker notices the two mechanics making off in a helijet. Escape seems certain but Tracker takes one of the ejector seats and flies into the path of the helijet, causing it to crash. Tracker survives, and in hospital once again receives the thanks of the World President.

Reprinted:
TV2000 (Holland) issues 19/1968 to 20/1968.

Notes:
• A nice action-packed but regrettably short end to the strip.

After this, the strips' raison d'etre seemed a little lost, and it became a single page. Released of its responsibility as prologue for Captain Scarlet did allow it to tell stories at their own pace, even if these were a little odd. The follow-up tale seems firmly in mold of the Batman television series, with a gangster claiming to be Al Capone attempting to steal the Crown Jewels. Again, there is uneven plotting, with twists of mystery given convenient - if not wholly believeable - explanations. But the idea of having the TV21 actually take up arms and go deal with the mob themselves, after not being believed by the police, almost make this strip the best of the run. Paparazzi-power has never been stronger.

The penultimate story deals with an alien life-form that feeds on sound, and the idea would crop up again - albeit with light - as a Thunderbirds strip in Countdown a few years later. The final strip is short, little more than a coda, with Tracker and Lens saving the World President. As with other strips around this time, preceding the usual end-of-year reshuffle, this seems a filler until the real TV21 editorial team knew which would continue or not.

Somewhat out the blue towards the end of the year, Front Page was also reprinted in its Dutch counterpart TV2000, as the literally translated Voorpagina, making it the only other non-series strip from TV Century 21 to appear in the publication besides Agent 21. It could be speculated that, like De 5 Julias (The Angels), it was included as a run-up to Captain Scarlet but while both strips introduced Spectrum and Colonel White simultaneously in issue 5 for 1968, the Scarlet strip did not start until issue 18, possibly due to the series' delay in appearing on Dutch television.

Bizarrely, the strip retains the name of the paper as TV Century 21 (or TV Eeuw 21) throughout, with one notable exception - when Colonel White is finally interviewed in issue 6 - and the TV2000 art department include a jury-rigged cover of that issue (see right) to match the TV Century 21 which had appeared in the original version for issue 140.

The Gerry Anderson Complete Comic History would like to thank:
Gillian & Angus Allan
and John Burns
- for their help with this feature.

Version 1.1 - 01.09.05


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