{"id":31396,"date":"2025-01-23T09:00:20","date_gmt":"2025-01-23T09:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=31396"},"modified":"2025-01-21T17:25:55","modified_gmt":"2025-01-21T17:25:55","slug":"stingray-comic-albums-volumes-1-2-battle-stations-stand-by-for-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2025\/01\/23\/stingray-comic-albums-volumes-1-2-battle-stations-stand-by-for-action\/","title":{"rendered":"Stingray Comic Albums volumes 1 & 2 – Battle Stations! & \u2026Stand By For Action"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
\n\"\" \"\"
\nWritten, edited and compiled by Alan Fennel<\/strong> with Dennis Hooper<\/strong>, illustrated by Ron Embleton<\/strong>, with Steve Kite<\/strong> (Ravette Books\/Egmont)
\nISBN: 978-1-85304-456-4 (Album TPB #1) 978-1-85304-457-1 (Album TPB #2)<\/p>\n

This book includes Discriminatory Content<\/strong> produced in less enlightened times.<\/em><\/p>\n

The worlds of Gerry Anderson have provided generations of fans with life-changing, formative puppet-based entertainment since 1957\u2019s The Adventures of Twizzle<\/strong> and 1958\u2019s Torchy the Battery Boy<\/strong> (made with fellow fantasy puppetry pioneer Roberta (Space Patrol<\/strong>) Leigh before they went their separate ways). Anderson\u2019s later TV efforts included Four Feather Gulch<\/strong>, Supercar<\/strong>, Fireball XL5<\/strong>, Stingray<\/strong>, Thunderbirds<\/strong>, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons<\/strong>, Joe 90<\/strong>, and truly bizarre transition to live action feature The Secret Service<\/strong>. As was the nature of the times, these audio-visual delights spawned comics iterations, initially licensed to outside publishes but eventually via an in-house publishing venture created in collaboration with City Magazines (part of the News of the World group).<\/p>\n

TV Century 21<\/strong> (the unwieldy \u201cCentury\u201d was eventually dropped) patterned itself on a newspaper – albeit from 100 years into the future – a shared conceit that carried the avid readership into a multimedia wonderland as television and reading matter fed off each other.<\/p>\n

Stuffed with high quality art and features, tabloid sized TV21<\/strong> featured Anderson strips such as Fireball XL5<\/strong> and Supercar<\/strong> as well as the crack team of aquanauts pitted against a bizarre and malevolent plethora of beings who lived beneath the waves. Even the BBC were represented by a full-colour strip starring The Daleks<\/strong>. In-house crossovers were common and graphic adventures were supplemented with stills from the TV shows (and later, films). A plenitude of photos also graced the text features adding to the unity of one of the industry\u2019s first \u201cShared Universe\u201d products. The comic also offered features, gags, and other (US) television adaptations such as My Favourite Martian<\/strong> and Burke\u2019s Law<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

TV Century 21<\/strong> #1 launched on January 23rd<\/sup> 1965 – Happy Birthday future-boys!<\/em> – instantly capturing the hearts and minds of millions of children, and further proving to comics editors the unfailingly profitable relationship between television shows and healthy sales. Filled with high quality art and features, printed in glossy, gleaming photogravure, TV21<\/strong> featured previous shows in strips including latest hit Stingray<\/strong>, prior to next big draw Thunderbirds<\/strong> beginning on 15th<\/sup> January 1966, and incredibly illustrated by Frank Bellamy. It also ran the adventures of future spy Lady Penelope<\/strong> in advance of her screen debut.<\/p>\n

In an attempt to mirror real world situations and be topical, the allegorically Soviet state of Bereznik<\/em> constantly plotted against the World Government (for which read The West) in a futuristic Cold War to augment aliens, aquatic civilisations, common crooks and cosmic disasters that perpetually threatened the general wellbeing of the populace. Even the BBC\u2019s TV \u201ctomorrows\u201d were represented by a full-colour strip starring The Daleks<\/strong>. In that first year, Fireball XL5<\/strong>, Supercar<\/strong>, Lady Penelope<\/strong> and Anderson\u2019s epic submarine series Stingray<\/strong> captivated fans and catered to their future shocks, with top flight artists including Mike Noble, Eric Eden, Ron Embleton, Don Lawrence and Ron Turner.<\/p>\n

These collected comic albums stem from the early 1990s (when many of Anderson\u2019s unforgettable creations enjoyed a popular revival on TV and in comics publishing), each reprinting three unforgettable strip thrillers from the legendary weekly, scripted by editor\/writer Alan Fennel (and possibly studio partner Dennis Hooper) and limned by the incredible Ron Embleton (Strongow the Mighty<\/em>, Wulf the Briton<\/em>, Wrath of the Gods<\/strong>, Biggles<\/strong>, The Trigan Empire<\/strong>, Oh, Wicked Wanda!<\/a><\/strong> and many more, in Mickey Mouse Weekly<\/strong>,\u00a0 Express Weekly<\/strong>, TV Century 21<\/strong>, Princess<\/strong>, Boys\u2019 World<\/strong>, Look and Learn<\/strong>, Penthouse<\/strong> and others). For TV21<\/strong>, he especially distinguished himself on the Captain Scarlet<\/strong> and Stingray<\/strong> strips.<\/p>\n

In September 2024 an epic hardback collection – the Stingray Comic Anthology Vol. 1: Tales from the Depths<\/strong> – was released by Anderson Entertainment: a hefty hardback with no digital edition available yet. That\u2019s a book for another time and if it\u2019s beyond your means at the moment, these paperback tomes are still readily available, remarkably cheap and eminently re-readable…<\/p>\n

Although reproduction leaves something to be desired, and chronologically adrift in terms of running order, initial compilation Stingray Comic Album volume 1:<\/strong> Battle Stations<\/strong> delivers weekly undersea action by Fennel, Dennis Hooper & Embleton, collectively covering TV21<\/strong> #23-44, cover-dated 26th<\/sup> June – 20th<\/sup> November 2065. As part of the conceit, every issue was forward dated by a century, so if you still need help that\u2019s 26th<\/sup> June – 20th<\/sup> November 1965…
\n\"\"
\nSpanning #23 to 30 (26th<\/sup> June – 14th<\/sup> August) \u2018The Ghosts of Station Seventeen\u2019<\/em> see trusty aquanauts Troy Tempest<\/em>, Phones<\/em> Sheridan<\/em> and Commander Sam Shore<\/em> investigating a research station no scientist can remain in, uncovering sly skullduggery by aquatic aliens, whilst \u2018Aquatraz\u2019<\/em> (#31-37, 21st<\/sup> August to 2nd<\/sup> October) offers a gritty yet fantastical prison break yarn as our heroes must spring WASP personnel held by Titan at the bottom of the ocean. The action ends with another calamitous battle bonanza as \u2018The Uranium Plant Invasion\u2019 <\/em>(TV21<\/strong> #38-44, 9th<\/sup> October 2065 November 20th<\/sup> 1965) sees Titan\u2019s forces steal the secrets of atomic energy from the surface men and upgrade their Terror Fish fleet. The resultant war is spectacular, short, and a near-fatal wake-up call for humanity…<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Stingray Comic Album volume 2<\/strong> declares …Stand By for Action<\/strong> and re-presents the earliest episodes of the original run in staggeringly lovely 2-page weekly episodes by Fennel & Embleton as crafted for the incredibly rewarding but notoriously laborious and difficult to master photogravure print process. Throughout, these tales run in landscape format spreads – so read across, not down the page, guys…
\n\"\"
\nCrafted by Fennel & Embleton, \u2018The Monster Jellyfish\u2019<\/em> (TV21<\/strong> #1-7, 23rd<\/sup> January – March 6th<\/sup> 1965) sees subsea despot Titan of Titanica<\/em> attack the World Aquanaut Security Patrol with a mutated sea predator, capable of sinking the most modern aircraft carriers in the fleets. Thankfully Troy, Phones and amphibian ally Marina<\/em> are on the job and Marineville is saved by the sterling super-sub, before plunging on to face the astounding \u2018Curse of the Crustavons\u2019<\/em> (#8-14, March 13th<\/sup> – April 24th<\/sup>).<\/p>\n

Once the threat of losing all Earth\u2019s capital cities to talking lobster villains is dealt with, the drama descends into far more personal peril as \u2018The Atlanta Kidnap Affair\u2019<\/em> (#15-21, May 1st<\/sup> – June 12th<\/sup> 1965) sees Commander Shore\u2019s capable daughter made a pawn in the ongoing war. Abducted by Titan\u2019s agents whilst on a painting holiday, the incident incites Troy to go undercover to track her down and rescue her…<\/p>\n

These are cracking fantasy rollercoaster rides full of action and drama and illustrated with captivating majesty by the incredible Ron Embleton, who supplemented his lush colour palette and uncanny facility for capturing likenesses with photographic stills from the TV shows. Whether for expediency, artistic reasons tor editorial diktat the effect on impressionable young minds was electric. This made the strips \u201cmore real\u201d then and the effect has not diminished with time. These are superb treat for fans of all ages.
\n\u00a9 1992 ITC Entertainment Group Ltd. Licensed by Copyright Promotions Ltd. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written, edited and compiled by Alan Fennel with Dennis Hooper, illustrated by Ron Embleton, with Steve Kite (Ravette Books\/Egmont) ISBN: 978-1-85304-456-4 (Album TPB #1) 978-1-85304-457-1 (Album TPB #2) This book includes Discriminatory Content produced in less enlightened times. The worlds of Gerry Anderson have provided generations of fans with life-changing, formative puppet-based entertainment since 1957\u2019s … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Stingray Comic Albums volumes 1 & 2 – Battle Stations! & \u2026Stand By For Action”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[80,191,280,42,113,66,125,97,124,225,107,123],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adaptations","category-adventure","category-animal-antics","category-best-of-british","category-comedy","category-horror-stories","category-humour","category-kids-all-ages","category-licensed-product","category-mystery","category-science-fiction","category-tv-adaptations"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-8ao","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31396","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31396"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31396\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31405,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31396\/revisions\/31405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}