Artist Malcolm Stokes was an often overlooked artist on titles such as Britain’s TV21 and Countdown comics, who passed in 2008.
Initially working in the comics industry for DC Thomson, Gerry Anderson fans will probably recall him best for his work on later episodes of the “Project SWORD” text stories for TV21 (Ron Embleton and Jon Davis among those providing art), and illustrating much of the Project SWORD annual, published in 1968. The TV21 feature was built around a fantastic range of toys as opposed to a TV programme, its history documented on the Moonbase Central website.
(Time Bomb Comics recently revived the concept in a special story, written by Lizbeth Myles with art by James Gray).
Born Donald Malcolm Charles Stokes in Trowbridge in 1935, Wiltshire, his father’s job in the Royal Air Force meant he travelled widely in his early life, living in Essex during World War Two, recalling being bombed during the blitz in later life. He joined The Boy Service of the Royal Navy aged 15, but signed up to go down the coal mines in Radstock, Somerset, only to discover he was in fact medically unfit to go into the army, because he was colour blind.
An obituary for The Wiltshire Times, published 9th October 2008, notes he met his wife Shirley on returning to Trowbridge and the couple were married in 1956.
He took a course at the West of England School of Art, in Clifton, Bristol (now the University of the West of England), but left before he completed it, and signed up with an advertising agency in Bath. He would go on to work for DC Thomson, creating strips for The Beano, The Dandy, and Sparky, as well as working on various Century 21 projects. He was a regular contributor to various Century 21 annuals and various storybooks, drawing Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, Joe 90 and Zero X. In 1969, he also drew the TV21 football strip, “Super League”.
He also drew at least one strip for Alan Class, featured in Astounding Stories. One strip, writer unknown, titled “The Heritage”, centred on two dying surviviors of Earth’s end on another world, who try to leave a message for posterity. The strip was reprinted in a 1973 collection of short stories, Tales From the Galaxies, published by Piccolo, alongside text stories by John Wyndham and Robert Sheckley, but the issue of Astounding it originally appeared in is not identified, and Stokes name is not included in story listings for the comic on the Grand Comics Database. Some elements, it has been noted, drawing on his work on the Project SWORD annual.
(I have to mention here that I’m not completely convinced the full story features in this collection, as the last page seems to end on a cliffhanger).
In the 1970s, he provided the only “Fireball XL5” strip for Countdown (Issues 12 – 14), and also drew three “Captain Scarlet” stories, the last ever “Zero X” strip (“Master of the Worlds!”, featured in Issue 27), two “UFO” stories, and art for “The Investigators” and “Child’s Play” two of a handful of non Anderson-inspired strips published in the title, featured here on downthetubes.
He also provided art for a Doctor Who story for the 1974 Doctor Who Holiday Special, “Perils of Paris”, featuring the Third Doctor, marking the arrival of Sarah Jane Smith in comics (although this may have been a late change to the story, Sarah referred to as “Liz” in one caption, either a reference to previous companion Liz Shaw, the art suggesting this quite likely given her portrayal, or a confusion of character with actor!); and two “The Protectors” stories for Countdown’s successor, TV Action.
He also appears to have been a contributor to two Ghost Specials published by Manchester based company, Panda, the second dated 1976, but is not credited.
In the 1980s, he was one of the artists on the short-lived Load Runner, which lasted just 13 issues, a title published on the back of the 8-bit home computer boom that saw the release of the Sinclair Spectrum, ZX81, Commodore 64, Vic 20, BBC Micro and more. As we’ve previously noted, other artist on the title included 2000AD and Battle’s John Cooper, and Marvel UK artist John Stokes (no relation).
He would return to the worlds of Gerry Anderson in the 1990s, drawing strips for Thunderbirds the Comic, again working for TV21 and Countdown editor Alan Fennell. His work included comic strip adaptations of two Thunderbirds episodes, 30 Minutes After Noon and Sun Probe.
He retired to Urchfont, Wiltshire, where he died after a long illness in 2008, aged 73, leaving his widow, Shirley, two sons, Martin and Tim, and three granddaughters.
Head downthetubes for…
• The Wiltshire Times: Obituary – Malcolm Stokes
• downthetubes: Looking Back at Load Runner
• Sequential 21: Operation Fleetway: The 1990s Gerry Anderson Comics Phenomenon
• Sequential 21: Thunderbirds & Lady Penelope Comic Bibliography
• Gerry Anderson Official: The Secret Heroes of TV21
• Gerry Anderson Official: 21st Century Artists: Countdown
• Moonbase Central is an excellent resource for all things Project SWORD related – and more besides
- About the Author
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John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.
He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Art and Illustration, British Comics, Comic Creator Spotlight, Comics, Creating Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Features, Other Worlds
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