Following up on their superb Fireball XL5, Stingray, UFO, Space: 1999 and Terrahawks comic anthologies, Anderson Entertainment has opened preorders for Thunderbirds Comic Anthology Volume One, due for release this Autumn.
With its electrifying newspaper-styled headlines and breath-taking artwork, the weekly comic TV Century 21 catapulted Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s sci-fi puppet heroes to fantastic success in comic strip form.
Launched in January 1965, the comic’s early issues featured the ongoing spy-fi adventures of Lady Penelope and Parker in the “Elegance, Charm & Deadly Danger: Lady Penelope” strip illustrated by Eric Eden, nearly a whole year before Thunderbirds appeared on TV.
Thunderbirds itself eventually blasted off in the pages of TV Century 21 in early 1966 and would become one of the comic’s most popular strips. Artist Frank Bellamy illustrated the daring missions of International Rescue in stunning form with his meticulous artwork and inventive page layouts.
Thunderbirds Comic Anthology Volume One, available to preorder now, features all the “Elegance, Charm & Deadly Danger: Lady Penelope” strips, plus the first eight “Thunderbirds” adventures as seen in TV Century 21 to early 1967.
There will be those out there wondering why another Thunderbirds comic collection is needed, as the strips are surely the most collected aspect of TV Century 21, represented many times. But if you’ve already bought Anderson Entertainment’s comic collections, are you really going to leave a gaping hole in your growing set, especially with that Lee Sullivan cover screaming at you to buy it? I rather suspect not!
Inside, discover how Lady Penelope and Parker first met and became freelance trouble-shooters, battling against fearsome enemy agents. Then, picking up where the “Lady Penelope” strip leaves off, the “Thunderbirds” adventures capture thrilling new dimensions for International Rescue away from the classic TV series, including raging forest infernos, wild animal rampages and solar-induced climate catastrophes!
“It’s jam-packed with other material,” notes the collection’s feature writer and researcher Fred McNamara, “ranging from Thunderbirds launch sequence schematics and other artwork, highlights from the Dateline: 2066 and International Rescues, and a whole host of feature material providing publication histories, creator biographies and critical commentaries on the stories included.”
Thunderbirds Comic Anthology Volume One, available to preorder now, will be released in September 2025. Thunderbirds Comic Anthology Volume Two, completing the “Thunderbirds” strips from TV Century 21, will follow later in this anniversary year for the show, hopefully with further anthologies to come in 2026.
• Thunderbirds Comic Anthology Volume One | Format: Hardcover (printed), 304 x 228 mm (portrait)
Pagination: 296 pages | Features writer and researcher: Fred McNamara | Layout and strip restoration: Robert Hammond | Cover art: Lee Sullivan | Cover design: Robert Hammond
PLEASE NOTE Spread images are subject to licensor approval and amendment, and will vary from those shown here
• Check out Fred McNamara’s Sequential 21 blog for more Gerry Anderson-related goodness
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
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: British Comics, British Comics - Collections, British Comics - Current British Publishers, Comic Previews, Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Other Worlds, Science Fiction, Television
Doctor Who: The Monster Makers arrives in September 
Dive into the captivating underwater world of Stingray like never before – new comics anthology on the way 
Doctor Who: Black Sun Rising coming our way in October, featuring Alan Moore-penned tales
My favourite comic artist – indeed my favourite artist, in my youth, when I imitated his style (with some success, I’m glad to say). There were a couple of others in TV century 21 that I also liked a lot (the stories weren’t of so much interest, although OK) but I can’t remember their names, assuming I knew them. I remember one doing “Stingray” and one doing “The Daleks” some of the time…
Ron Embleton is the artist probably most associated with drawing “Stingray”, and Ron Turner on “The Daleks”