Stingray‘s sensational comic strip adventures from the pages of TV Century 21 can be experienced in spectacularly restored fashion with the forthcoming release of the Stingray Comic Anthology Vol. 1: Tales from the Depths! This colossal collection brings together the first three years of Stingray‘s TV Century 21 comic stories, as well as five brand new comic book adventures that form the latest instalment in Stingray: Deadly Uprising.
Tales from the Depths combines new and classic adventures of the World Aquanaut Security Patrol, capturing new dimensions of aquatic adventures for Stingray. From monstrous jellyfish to world weather chaos and Troy Tempest turning traitor against Marineville, Stingray‘s comic adventures propelled the super-sub into narrative territory away from the TV series, all brought to life with incredible artwork.
With the release of Tales from the Depths nearly blasting off, we’re counting down our top 10 Stingray TV Century 21 adventures!
10. The Stingray Hijack Mission
This high-octane, all-guns-blazing adventure isn’t the most substantial Stingray story you’ll ever find in the pages of TV Century 21, but its rip-roaring pacing and riotous levels of danger make it a thrilling read all the same. Stingray finds itself caught in the grip of a pair of World Navy personnel’s plans to hold the Ramsay Nuclear Research Base to ransom – with potentially explosive results. It’s an adventure that provides layer upon layer of thrusting action whilst reminding us that Stingray wasn’t entirely dependent on underwater aliens or fantastic oceanic worlds to create readable storylines. A enjoyably chaotic story from the strip’s later years in TV Century 21.
9. Treasure of Loch Fionn
Deceit and treachery are at the heart of this slow-burn mystery thriller. Treasure of Loch Fionn is one of several Stingray TV21 stories during this mid-period era that marries historical subject matter into Stingray‘s futuristic underwater adventure. Echoing similar reasoning from the above entry, whether in TV form or comic form, Stingray could be equally compelling when telling stories outside of its underwater science fantasy trappings. Treasure of Loch Fionn is all cautiously plotted mystery and was also the second story illustrated by Michael Strand, who feels quite at home in its character-driven plot and historic setting.
8. Lure of Titan
Lure of Titan boasts some of Stingray‘s most engrossingly surreal scenes in any format, opening with the Stingray crew investigating Titanica following reports that all Terror Fish activity has seemingly been brought to a standstill. Their investigations provoke further mystery when a charging Terror Fish is found to be piloted by a knocked-out crew of Aquaphibians. Venturing still further, Titanica appears to have been completely abandoned… The truth soon reveals itself when Titan hatches one of his audacious plans yet to overthrow the Stingray crew. Lure of Titan is a thrilling saga that prizes open the world of Titanica in ways rarely seen elsewhere in Stingray’s extended media. Strand’s depiction of Titanica’s labyrinthian interiors is a particular highlight throughout the story.
7. Weather Station Mystery
Ron Embleton’s artwork shines in this unusual combination of arctic setting and outer space alien robots. When investigating a series of inexplicable incidents involving freak weather conditions, Troy and Phones encounter a race of alien robots intent on melting the polar icecaps for their own devious ends. Quickly outnumbered and detached from Stingray, the situation becomes even graver when Troy appears to ally with the Martians! Surely this treachery can’t be genuine – can it? Embleton’s photorealist line art and glossy colours radiate throughout this adventure create a compelling visual flavour for such a quirky story to unfold with.
6. The Merglop Mystery
Another story revolving around artificially-triggered climate chaos brings with it some spectacularly moody artwork by Michael Strand. Compared to the isolated arctic setting of Weather Station Mystery, we see the full force of the villainous Merglop’s efforts to trash populated coastlines via artificial whirlpools and tsunamis. Their efforts are so severe that Stingray itself is knocked out of action for a good chunk of the story’s run. TV21‘s Stingray strip was rather sidelined into becoming a low-key affair throughout 1968 as newer and darker heavyweights Captain Scarlet, Zero X and Project SWORD quickly demanded the readers’ attention. Nevertheless, The Merglop Mystery is an invigoratingly stern affair that reminds us Stingray could equal the very best the comic had to offer.
5. A Trip to England
Strand makes his debut as the Stingray strip’s resident artist after Ron Embleton in this engagingly espionage-tinged adventure in which X-20 employs the services of none other than the Hood to disgrace Stingray and the WASPs. The Stingray crew takes part in the 1,000th anniversary celebrations of the Battle of Hastings in England and is accompanied by a TV camera crew to document the event. A serious of inexplicable accidents plague the journey from Marineville to England, with the accompanying TV presenter perhaps not appearing as he seems. A Trip to England marries the intriguing idea of the WASPs being humiliated on a global stage with the delightfully memorable appearance from the Hood, who asserts himself as a formidable adversary for Troy, Phones and Marina.
4. Escape from Aquatraz
This large-scale prisonbreak story depicts both heroes and villains at their most extreme, with the Stingray crew weakened and Titan emboldened in ways rarely seen elsewhere in Stingray. Escape from Aquatraz is a great example of Alan Fennell’s masterful storytelling, since the saga is technically two distinct halves, but both instalments can still be enjoyed independently from each other. The saga’s first half sees the Stingray crew come to the aid of a captured Admiral from Titan’s underwater prison of Aquatraz, while the second half sees Titan harness the Admiral’s bathyscape’s atomic power to fashion a fleet of super-powered Terrorfish. A riveting and satisfyingly intricate saga that captures Stingray at the peak of its powers in the comic’s early years.
3. Marineville Traitor
1968 brought with it sweeping changes to TV21‘s line-up, including the reinvention of the longstanding Fireball XL5 strip into a series of text stories and the Stingray strip reinvigorated with a colossal 33-issue saga that sees Troy Tempest fight for his life against Marineville. Enemy saboteurs frame Troy for the destruction of a bomber aircraft. Rather than face the consequences, Troy absconds with Stingray, embarking on a globe-trotting mission to chase his enemies and clear his name, and in doing so, unravels a complicated plot to destroy Marineville from within. Marineville Traitor consists of several mini-sagas that form an overall arc, with the events in one saga surging into the next. It remains one of the most ambitious efforts that TV21 gave its Anderson characters and sees a change of artists midway through with the departure of Strand and arrival of Jon Davies. As sprawling as it is unpredictable, Marineville Traitor is one of Stingray‘s grandest adventures.
2. Monster Weed Menace
Marineville and Titanica alike find themselves outmatched by a monstrously large underwater weed menace that grows out of control and risks ensnaring the Marineville coastline. Ron Embleton’s final Stingray story for TV Century 21 exemplifies the kind of hostile threat that the practical and budgetary limitations of the TV series would have found tricky to pull off convincingly. Another Stingray story from its extended media to incorporate an outer space element, Monster Weed Menace carries a powerful galactic threat that bolsters its gargantuan sense of scale.
1. The Flying Fish Mystery
Underwater espionage and fantastic mecha-action sequences come together in this delightfully well-tuned aquatic Cold War adventure. The grand launching of the WASPs’ brand new ocean-going peacekeeping vessel Sea Leopard is thrown into jeopardy by the violent vanishing of a Marineville scientist, who turns out to be a Titanican spy. Sea Leopard is soon put to the test with the launch of Titan’s mighty mechanical crabs, with an intense ocean battle erupting between the two forces. Ron Embleton’s artwork emblazons this dynamic scenario with fierce energy, highlighting the storyline with deadly spectacle without forgetting its more methodical spy-fi beats. His meticulous art and inking are served especially well in the depiction of all the vehicular forces at work in the saga. A mighty beast of a storyline and undoubtedly the standard-setting comic strip adventure for Stingray in the pages of TV Century 21.
Pre-order your copy of Stingray Comic Anthology Vol. 1: Tales from the Depths now! Don’t forget to also discover the intriguing story of Stingray in TV Century 21 and how the strip evolved over the course of its run. Stingray‘s remaining classic comic adventures from TV Century 21, Countdown and beyond will be collected in the Stingray Comic Anthology Vol. 2: Battles Lines, which will be available later in the year.
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