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TV CENTURY 21. Perhaps Britain's greatest ever comic for boys - at least for the first few years of its life, before it started its slow descent into oblivion. Some former readers speculate that it was the move away from newspaper-style covers which heralded the start of the weekly title's dire decline, but that needn't concern us for the moment. Instead, let's focus on the glory days, when the paper was the latest, greatest, scintillating sensation on newsagents' shelves.
So, enjoy the very first ten covers in the series - and don't forget to come back for part two. Any interesting reminiscences about reading the comic when you were a boy? Then don't be shy - why not share them in the comments section?!
You are so uncanny! I was just thinking about TVC21 (and something to ask you) when I switched on! I was going to ask you, with your almost mutant-like power of recall about where you were when you first bought/read old comics, are there any songs from that era that remind you of comics and vice-verca? For example 2 songs I hear always take me back to lying on my bedroom floor , reading TV21 - Ticket To Ride & It's Not Unusual. Does this kind of thing happen to you (as I suspect)? I was also going to ask you if you had to nominate Britain's BEST-EVER comic and you could only pick one, what would you choose? I am torn between 3 :- (tabloid) TV21, Fantastic! and (pulp) 2000 AD!! Now -OUT OF MY HEAD, PROF.X!!
ReplyDeleteAlthough there are certain songs which take me back in time when I hear them, there are none I can immediately think of which summon up associations with specific individual issues. Although Lou Christie's 'I'm Gonna Make You Mine' reminds me of sitting at the table reading Jet before going to school in the mornings. Can't recall the actual issue 'though.
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for your unsolicited testimonial as to just how uncanny I am, JP. I modestly accept your discerning assessment.
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And now, to demonstrate my uncanny powers, I predict that my puppet stalker will soon send me yet another comment for me to delete unread. He obviously reads everything I write, I ignore everything he writes - I win! Especially as his obsession with me has pushed my hits right up. Thanks, loser.
I read TV Century 21 as a child.
ReplyDeleteI started reading Eagle in 1962 and happily graduated to TVC 21 in 1965. I think that there is a lot to be said for the assessment that in its early years it was "[p]erhaps Britain's greatest ever comic". The comic had serious artists - Mike Noble and Frank Bellamy. The newspaper format appealed to a serious 12 year-old. It gave the comic gravitas. What I presume to be the non-Anderson product, Agent 21 was was well written. Fans are quick to whinge about the death of Gwen Stacy but Tina's death, bewildering to me at the time, introduced me to mortality in comics. (Agent 21 is a hidden gem, at least to my eyes. It would be nice to see the series reprinted.) TVC 21 depicted a future world, responsibly reported, with at least one crossover (Lady Penelope and Fireball XL5) and the suggestion that Agent 21's boss was Steve Zodiac.
My mother disposed of my TVC21's, possibly to a school fete. After my father passed away in 2001 I used a small bequest to recoup most of the TVC21s I had as a child.
Thank you for honouring this comic.
My pleasure Anthony, and sorry for taking three years to respond to your comment. You can be assured I meant to at the time, but must've got sidetracked. I remember also being bewildered by Tina's death, as she was one of the 'good guys' and surely they weren't supposed to get killed? Anyway, hope you've managed to fill any gaps in your collection since leaving your comment.
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