 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2010) |
| TV Century 21 | |
|---|---|
 TV Century 21, issue 1, published January 1965 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | City Magazines (1965–1971) IPC Magazines (1971) |
| Schedule | Weekly |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Genre | Action, adventure, science fiction, spy-fi, techno-thriller |
| Publication date | 23 January 1965 – 6 September 1969 After merger with Joe 90: 27 September 1969 – 25 September 1971 |
| No. of issues | 242 After merger with Joe 90: 105 |
| Main character(s) | Stingray Lady Penelope Fireball XL5 Supercar Thunderbirds Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons Joe 90 The Daleks Star Trek |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Alan Fennell, Tod Sullivan, Angus Allen, Terry Nation |
| Artist(s) | Vicente Alcazar, Frank Bellamy, John M. Burns, John Cooper, Gerry Embleton, Ron Embleton, Richard E. Jennings, Mike Noble, Carlos Pino, Paul Trevillion, Ron Turner, Keith Watson |
| Editor(s) | Alan Fennell (1965–1967) Chris Spencer (1968) Howard Elson (1968–1969) After merger with Joe 90: Tony Rose John Barraclogh |
TV Century 21, later renamed TV21, TV21 and Tornado, TV21 and Joe 90, and TV21 again,[1] was a weekly British children's comic published by City Magazines during the latter half of the 1960s. Originally produced in partnership with Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's Century 21 Productions, it promoted the company's many science-fiction television series. The comic was published in the style of a newspaper of the future, with the front page usually dedicated to fictional news stories set in the worlds of Fireball XL5, Stingray, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and other stories.[2] The front covers were also in colour, with photographs from one or more of the Anderson series or occasionally of the stars of the back-page feature.
The brainchild of writer-editor Alan Fennell (who also wrote episodes of the various Anderson TV shows) and presenter Keith Shackleton,[3] TV Century 21 was produced by the staff at the Andersons' Century 21 Publications, while printing and distribution was handled by City Magazines. Many of the leading British comic artists of the time contributed to the publication, including Frank Bellamy (who drew two-page-spread adventures for Thunderbirds),[4] John M. Burns, John Cooper, Jon Davis, Eric Eden, Ron and Gerry Embleton, Rab Hamilton, Don Harley, Richard E. Jennings, Mike Noble, Paul Trevillion, Ron Turner, James Watson and Keith Watson, and the duo of Vicente Alcazar and Carlos Pino under the pseudonym "Cervic". Initial weekly sales were in excess of 600,000.[5]
The comic was adapted for the Dutch market as TV2000. Early copies of TV Century 21 are difficult to find, and attract high prices compared to nearly all other print material associated with Gerry Anderson's work.[citation needed]
- ^ "Technodelic's feature on Captain Scarlet, which ran as the magazine changed named". Technodelic.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
- ^ "Anthony Simons: TV Century 21". Dcs.shef.ac.uk. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
- ^ "British Comics Reference | British TV-related Comic Strips," DownTheTubes.net Retrieved 25 February 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
StringerTV21Joe90was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Gravett, Paul (July 2006). "Great British Comics: An Introduction". Forbidden Planet International. Interviewed by Joe Gordon – via PaulGravett.com.