Time Bomb Comics has announced a new partnership project with Anderson Entertainment, Gerry Anderson’s Project SWORD, reviving a TV concept never fully realised, which did feature as s comic strip in the short-lived SOLO comic, and as an ongoing text story series in the 1960s comic, TV Century 21.
In the works is a new full-length graphic novel, written by Lizbeth Myles (Big Finish’s Doctor Who, Blake’s 7 and Survivor) with artwork by James Gray (IDW, Star Trek, Gerry Anderson’s Space Precinct).
Set in the year 3031, Project SWORD imagines a future reshaped by catastrophe, when a colossal meteorite strikes Earth and burrows into its core. Rather than ending the world outright, it destabilises the planet. Vast regions sink beneath rising seas, volcanic activity tears at the surface, and civilisation faces a slow, frightening collapse. The responsibility for saving humanity falls to the Space World Organisation for Research and Development – Project SWORD.
The title is the latest release as part of Time Bomb’s successful ongoing licensing partnership with Anderson Entertainment Ltd to produce original comics based on series created by enduring fan-favourite Gerry Anderson. The Spectrum anthology showcased stories from the worlds of New Captain Scarlet, Space Precinct and Terrahawks. Unlike those, however, Project SWORD’s TV show was never released.
Project S.W.O.R.D. – The Original
As Fred McNamara notes over on the Anderson Entertainment web site, Project S.W.O.R.D. had begun as Century 21 Toys’ acquisition of pre-existing science fiction toys, that demanded accompanying media produced to successfully sell them.
“Project S.W.O.R.D. began as an underwhelming comic strip in the pages of the short-lived SOLO. This embryonic take on the concept detailed the Space World Organisation for Research and Development’s efforts to colonise nearby planets following the drying up of Earth’s own resources. Running for only a pair of storylines by a unknown writer/artist duo between June and September 1967, SOLO‘s merger with TV Tornado resulted in the Project S.W.O.R.D. comic strip being swiftly abandoned.
Unusually for the time, Project SWORD’s tie-in merchandise was launched ahead of the show to create excitement. Unfortunately, the series was never produced.
“SOLO‘s merger still left Century 21 Toys with merchandise that needed publicising,” Fred notes. “Rather than continue where the poorly executed SOLO strip left off, Project S.W.O.R.D. was transformed into an ongoing series of text stories in TV Century 21. Project S.W.O.R.D. becomes a maelstrom of jarring cynicism. In the far-flung future of 3031, a colossal meteorite collides with the Earth. Entire continents are wiped from existence in an instant. What’s left of the ruptured Earth becomes a ticking time bomb of pent-up pressure, threatening to detonate at any given moment.”
Project SWORD: The Graphic Novel
For 60 years, Gerry Anderson fans have wondered what Project S.W.O.R.D. might have looked like based on the details suggested by the toys produced, the stories in TV Century 21 (aka TV21), and a one-off comic Annual.
“The creator brief was simple,” explained Time Bomb Publisher Steve Tanner of the new graphic novel project, “to imagine Gerry Anderson’s Project SWORD as a popular contemporary TV show being produced today but still retaining the unique Anderson tone and style of old, and then create a faithful comics adaptation of one of its episodes!”
This approach has resulted in artist James Gray taking the original concept ideas and creating modern designs, vehicles and hardware inspired by Gerry Anderson’s sixties vision, but all approved by Jamie Anderson of Anderson Entertainment.
Speaking on how she rose to the challenge of building the world of Project SWORD, Lizbeth Myles said; “It was a fascinating challenge. Gerry Anderson has created many incredible worlds, but few exist as a single annual for an unmade telly show. Even with so little material, I wanted to be true to what there was, which meant drawing on nibbles of world-building, characters with only a panel or two, and epic vehicles that had pictures but were never in any of the annual’s stories.”
”Go on, sign up to get notified!” fellow Doctor Who writer Paul Cornell effuses of Lizbeth’ script. “It’s such a wild and wonderful idea, and she’s made it work for right now.”
Time Bomb Comics will be launching a Kickstarter campaign for Gerry Anderson’s Project SWORD at the end of April, also feature exclusive reward content, through which advance digital and printed editions of the book will be available before the full release later this year.
• The Gerry Anderson’s Project SWORD Kickstarter campaign can be found here
Head downthetubes for…
• Moonbase Central: SWORD Box Art Origins: Moon Bus, Prospector, Ranger, Snow Train and Ant
Paul Woods ongoing efforts to identify the artists who created the Project S.W.O.R.D. Box Art
• Moonbase Central: PROJECT SWORD on Paper: A Checklist
Paul Woods documents the Project S.W.O.R.D. publications
• Moonbase Central: Blog History: Project S.W.O.R.D. and SpaceX Toys Collectors Checklist 1998
• Moonbase Central: Ed’s Century 21 Project S.W.O.R.D. Official Manual
- 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.
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