LOOK-IN TOMORROW PEOPLE STRIPS BOOKS

[jim244]

Almost forgot: had no luck locating the Fireball XL5 Comic Anthology so far.

I have mentioned earlier I did recently get first 2 volumes of TV21 reprints books from 2009, so a nice stop-gap find for the meantime.

Excellent books David,superb find.

[DavidKW]

Thanks Jim they sure are, and at £10 each I may have got myself a bargain too.

I have put in via the Anderson website a pre-order for volume 1 of the Stingray comic anthology. 15 minutes after the message arrived I put that order in, I'm not missing out on that one. Got myself a lucky spin 10% off it too!

It was by chance I found out about the Anderson shop, when TPTV sent me a 10% off voucher which I used. I found out about the XL5 anthology but too late, sold out. Still I got a Space 1999 anthology which is excellent, but still want the XL5 anthology the most.

[jim244]

Thanks Jim they sure are, and at £10 each I may have got myself a bargain too.

I have put in via the Anderson website a pre-order for volume 1 of the Stingray comic anthology. 15 minutes after the message arrived I put that order in, I'm not missing out on that one. Got myself a lucky spin 10% off it too!

It was by chance I found out about the Anderson shop, when TPTV sent me a 10% off voucher which I used. I found out about the XL5 anthology but too late, sold out. Still I got a Space 1999 anthology which is excellent, but still want the XL5 anthology the most.

Excellent purchase David.
Yes the Space 1999 anthology is fantastic and definitely your TVC books were a bargain !
BTW:I also still want the Fireball book but am having no luck sourcing it.
It should be noted however that it is incomplete.
XL5 was a TV comic strip first before TV21 and strips from TV comic are poorly represented.
That XL5 strip doesn't exist complete in archives.It ran from 1962 - 64.

[DavidKW]

I think someone else own's the rights to all TV Comic's outputs. There should be re-issues and re-prints of TV Comic's assorted strips but I don't think there have been any far as I know.

Even though most of the Artwork for TV Comic looks cheap and nowhere near the high quality of TV21's, Countdown's and Look-In's artwork and artists, they are still worth re-printing for others to enjoy. Pieces of social history too.

Spoke to a dealer at Manchester Comic fair about the Fireball anthology, seems many others are seeking and asking about it and many others like us didn't know of its existence until it was too late. I have, but I think many others need to keep pressing and campaigning the Anderson merchandise site (part run by Jamie, son of Gerry) to print more new copies of said new book.

I did read an article that the new strip in the book featuring other Anderson TV series is a bit poor and disappointing. Worst and more scandalous, it still contains the sexism that blighted the strips and TV series. Could be understood given these were produced during the sixties where attitudes were different, but I thought we'd have moved on a bit since then. Clearly not.

Perhaps it's because of my Autism making me not reach my potential via exposure to a lot of toxic environments with very narrow minded people (mysogynists and vain bitches ruled) had made me emphasize with feminists and hate mysogyny; something turns me on about a kick ass female who holds her own in male dominated areas and won't be patronised (the computer generated XL5 has over seuxualised and not character developed Venus; if she was told a missiion was "too dangerous, you must stay back" in the 60s strips, today I'd have her defy orders and sneak aboard and help with others with a "take that alien" and "come close or I'll blow you to bits" attitude).

[jim244]

I think someone else own's the rights to all TV Comic's outputs. There should be re-issues and re-prints of TV Comic's assorted strips but I don't think there have been any far as I know.

Even though most of the Artwork for TV Comic looks cheap and nowhere near the high quality of TV21's, Countdown's and Look-In's artwork and artists, they are still worth re-printing for others to enjoy. Pieces of social history too.

Spoke to a dealer at Manchester Comic fair about the Fireball anthology, seems many others are seeking and asking about it and many others like us didn't know of its existence until it was too late. I have, but I think many others need to keep pressing and campaigning the Anderson merchandise site (part run by Jamie, son of Gerry) to print more new copies of said new book.

I did read an article that the new strip in the book featuring other Anderson TV series is a bit poor and disappointing. Worst and more scandalous, it still contains the sexism that blighted the strips and TV series. Could be understood given these were produced during the sixties where attitudes were different, but I thought we'd have moved on a bit since then. Clearly not.

Perhaps it's because of my Autism making me not reach my potential via exposure to a lot of toxic environments with very narrow minded people (mysogynists and vain bitches ruled) had made me emphasize with feminists and hate mysogyny; something turns me on about a kick ass female who holds her own in male dominated areas and won't be patronised (the computer generated XL5 has over seuxualised and not character developed Venus; if she was told a missiion was "too dangerous, you must stay back" in the 60s strips, today I'd have her defy orders and sneak aboard and help with others with a "take that alien" and "come close or I'll blow you to bits" attitude).

I get your point but don't agree with it entirely.
I believe Gerry had strong female lead characters in several shows.
Stingray: Atlanta and Marina
The Persuaders: Countess Carolina
Space 1999: Helena Russel and Maya
Thunderbirds: Lady Penelope

[DavidKW]

Oops, I think I've mis-communicated my point. There were some good strong female characters in Gerry and Sylvia Anderson shows. Two sets to add to your list you missed, all were good:

Captain Scarlet: The Angels - team of female fighter pilots (when in 67 when it was made women were not allowed to be, was unthinkable they'd ever be).
UFO: Lt Gay Ellis, Lt Nina Barry, Col Virginia Lake

[DavidKW]

I think what I was trying to say (not very well) was that Venus sure got a poor deal in Fireball XL5, both in the series and the comic strips, often needing rescuing damsel in distress, and there has been wasted opportunities to put this right and amend this since. Like I say, if made today Fireball needs at least one extra regular female character too.

The female characters did improve and get stronger in subsequent Anderson serials.

This did stop at Joe90: no female character and hardly any female guests either. Things not helped by Sylvia Anderson having next to no contribution to the series (she'd not long had Gerry Jnr and their marriage was in trouble too). Many say Joe90 needed one, I agree. In fact in my updated version of the concept, I'd have the lead as a teenage girl, but a major thing that drives this is that she does not just need only glasses to maintain the brain patterns: things like alice bands and big earrings are also used. Plus like in the 1960s, expectations in the real world would be lower of girls make it all the easier to not be suspected. Oh, and for ethical reasons, "Jo" signs forms to say she agrees to her father's experiment watched by her guarding Samantha Loover, who unknown to them is a secret agent.

The Secret Service also had to regular decent female character except a housekeeper like Joe90. But then TSS is driven by Stanley Unwin and is quirky and unique, only one such as Stanley Unwin.

I read some critics say in TV21 that the female characters in the strips of their series were not positively portrayed and given decent roles. I need to look at those when I collect and read and get the reprint books. Still, it's when in their own strips they got more of a chance to shine: Lady Penelope in TV21 before Thunderbirds began, then in her own comic, which also had Marina and later the Angels , first with respective backstory strips then more space to shine in their own solo adventures.

Has to be said, in the anthologies of UFO comics strips, the female characters have next to no role or anything much to do from what I've seen. In contrast Space 1999 in Look-In, Helena and later Maya have much to do and more than hold their own in some adventures.

[jim244]

Oops, I think I've mis-communicated my point. There were some good strong female characters in Gerry and Sylvia Anderson shows. Two sets to add to your list you missed, all were good:

Captain Scarlet: The Angels - team of female fighter pilots (when in 67 when it was made women were not allowed to be, was unthinkable they'd ever be).
UFO: Lt Gay Ellis, Lt Nina Barry, Col Virginia Lake

Great addition to my list and apologies for misunderstanding your point.

[jim244]

I think what I was trying to say (not very well) was that Venus sure got a poor deal in Fireball XL5, both in the series and the comic strips, often needing rescuing damsel in distress, and there has been wasted opportunities to put this right and amend this since. Like I say, if made today Fireball needs at least one extra regular female character too.

The female characters did improve and get stronger in subsequent Anderson serials.

This did stop at Joe90: no female character and hardly any female guests either. Things not helped by Sylvia Anderson having next to no contribution to the series (she'd not long had Gerry Jnr and their marriage was in trouble too). Many say Joe90 needed one, I agree. In fact in my updated version of the concept, I'd have the lead as a teenage girl, but a major thing that drives this is that she does not just need only glasses to maintain the brain patterns: things like alice bands and big earrings are also used. Plus like in the 1960s, expectations in the real world would be lower of girls make it all the easier to not be suspected. Oh, and for ethical reasons, "Jo" signs forms to say she agrees to her father's experiment watched by her guarding Samantha Loover, who unknown to them is a secret agent.

The Secret Service also had to regular decent female character except a housekeeper like Joe90. But then TSS is driven by Stanley Unwin and is quirky and unique, only one such as Stanley Unwin.

I read some critics say in TV21 that the female characters in the strips of their series were not positively portrayed and given decent roles. I need to look at those when I collect and read and get the reprint books. Still, it's when in their own strips they got more of a chance to shine: Lady Penelope in TV21 before Thunderbirds began, then in her own comic, which also had Marina and later the Angels , first with respective backstory strips then more space to shine in their own solo adventures.

Has to be said, in the anthologies of UFO comics strips, the female characters have next to no role or anything much to do from what I've seen. In contrast Space 1999 in Look-In, Helena and later Maya have much to do and more than hold their own in some adventures.

Great points Sir and I love your idea of Josephine 90.It would have made a far better show.
Love the fact that you,as I,see that Look-in treated females far better than TV21 etc and I don't think it was just that the mag was a few years after,I think Look-in attracted a joint male and female readership and therefore pandered to both.