In September of 1968, Joe 90 aired in the UK. Obviously, it was impossible to incorporate his exploits into TV21’s continuity. So, Joe was given his own comic - Joe 90: Top Secret which arrived in January, 1969. It signalled a sort of turning point for the readership of TV21 and a choice . Apart from that years TV21 annual, a third Thunderbird and second Captain Scarlet annuals were published along with two others. The Joe 90 annual and the Project SWORD annual. The first set in the near future, the second set in 3031.
The Scarlet annual contained three excellent cutaways - The Clam Sub, first seen in the episode ’White as Snow’ , The Hovercraft seen in ’Traitor’ , and The Radar Truck first seen in ‘Manhunt‘.
The Joe 90 annual showed cutaway sketches of the Jet Air Car and Sam’s saloon, which to my mind were mildly disappointing compared to the Captain Scarlet cutaways. Both these cutaways were reprinted in colour in the Joe 90 Dossier, a booklet given away with Sutherland potted meat spreads.
However as the series was really about the transfer of brain patterns by scientific gizmo’s and computers, rather than fantastic vehicles so the annual carried some better cutaways of Culver Bay cottage and Mac’s laboratory showing the BIG RAT and the RAT TRAP.
We already know about the re used Zero X cutaway artwork in the Project Sword annual , but I also liked the traditional cutaway of the Moonbus .
By 1970 TV21 had merged with Joe 90: Top Secret and had changed beyond recognition. City Magazines published a second Joe 90 annual and the last TV21 annual which would maintain some of the original continuity, along with a combined Thunderbird and Captain Scarlet annual which did come across as a last gasp, the latter containing a breakdown of the Cloudbase Computer, and Dr Fawn’s Medic- Bay.
So there you have it, some of my favourite cutaways from the world of Century 21. I hope you enjoyed them.
I’m sure a lot of you who got the City Magazines comics and annuals throughout the sixties will remember the cutaways that featured from time to time showing the top secret workings of the futuristic vehicles found in the 21st century world of TV21.
Even these days, various modern Thunderbirds publications quite obviously take their inspiration from these original pieces of artwork trying to improve them and bring them up to date with new technical details and modern artistic and printing techniques.
Now, I’m not adverse to this, as it must appeal to younger fans of the shows and give a fresh outlook .
However, for an old codger like me, nothing beats the originals. They’re what I remember and they’re what I still refer to.
For those of you who don’t remember, or might not have been around when these first appeared I’ve dug out a few scans for your perusal. I’m not creating a list or anything. There are quite a few websites out there already fulfilling that duty. This is just a sampling of some of my favourites which appeared in the original TV21 and its associated publications.
TV21’s first futuristic cutaway appeared in issue 4 of the comic when a half page was devoted to showing the workings of the super sub, Stingray. Finding out that it’s propeller was actually a contra rotating anti-torque eddy damper was quite a revelation to me at the time. This drawing was later reproduced in the first TV21 annual in colour! . A while later, Titan’s Terror Fish was shown in cutaway (or should that be filleted! ) in issue 41. This would also feature, in colour in the second Stingray annual in 1966.
The TV Century 21 1965 Summer Extra carried a FAB 1 cutaway easily recognizable as the work of Eric Eden, the same artist who drew the Lady Penelope strip in the comic. I believe that Eric did quite a few other cutaways for City Magazines, the Zero X in the 1967 Thunderbird extra was one, but apart from the obvious ones I’d only be guessing at which others.
The second TV21 annual, released in 1966 featured a cutaway of one of my favourite spaceships, Fireball XL5. I particularly liked the separate Fireball Junior which revealed a rest room, galley and workshop, as well as the Jetmobile bay.
The first Thunderbird annual released that same year contained cutaways of all the Thunderbird craft. Thunderbird 2 , like Fireball Junior had living accommodation. I really liked this idea of going off to another planet, or landing at a danger zone and simply camping! I suppose it’s a bit like futuristic caravanning but without the hostility from other motorists or alien monsters or people in danger!
Anyway, I'll cut a way now, but please join me for Part 2 as we check out the secrets of Fireflash, The Sidewinder and maybe the odd vehicle from Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons.
CHECKLISTS BY BRAND (FOR COUNTRY BY COUNTRY SEE TOP OF BLOG)
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