Away from the classic television series, Thunderbirds' extended media takes the adventures of International Rescue to stratospheric heights of danger and excitement. This is keenly felt in the pages of TV Century 21, in which Thunderbirds occupied a premier run throughout January 1966 and September 1969.

What distinguishes Thunderbirds in comic form was the strip's presentation as ongoing serials rather than self-contained adventures like the TV series. Storylines in TV21 could run for any number of issues. The runaway disaster thriller The Space Cannon only lasts four issues, whereas the colossal space epic Solar Danger occupies a mightily impressive 15-issue run.

In keeping readers coming back for more. TV21 employed excitingly effective use of cliff-hanger endings. In celebration of this electrifying narrative style, and with the Thunderbirds Comic Anthologies readily available, let's count down 10 of the most shocking cliff-hangers from Thunderbirds' TV Century 21 adventures!

10. The Mole collapses on the seabed (Operation Earthquake)

A frighteningly claustrophobic moment that takes the phrase 'cliff-hanger' literally. Virgil and Brains' investigation of the possible connection between mysterious earthquakes and large-scale robberies results in Virgil and Brains' near undersea doom! Tunnelling sequences of the Mole in action were, understandably, avoided when filming in Supermarionation, making unpredictably tense sequences like these all the more unique to Thunderbirds' extended canon. 

9. Gordon is attacked by an octopus (The Zoo Ship)

Another thrilling example of how the comics achieved action story-telling that the puppets would struggle with. The image of Gordon ensnared by an unescapably large squid is perfect terrain for Bellamy to undertake, already naturally at home in depicting wildlife. International Rescue is stretched to the limit when a rescue operation to recover a sunken zoo ship full of animals is all part of an elaborate plot by the marauding Hood to distract the Tracy's while he invades Tracy Island. The Zoo Ship bursts with crackling moments of desperate adventure, but Gordon's tangle with the zoo ship's occupants is a highlight.

8. Scott targeted by flames (The Olympic Kidnap Plot)

One of the more curious Thunderbirds comic adventures still boasts intense jeopardy in this swashbuckling storyline of piracy that harks back to the kinds of historical thrillers Frank Bellamy was illustrating for the Eagle prior to joining TV21. Scott finds himself embroiled in a maniacal treasure hunter's plans to trace long-lost treasure that's barricaded by an erupting gas field. Zavolic's antagonistic exploitation of Scott's attempts to rescue Zavolic's earlier victims, a pair of Olympic runners, sees Scott seemingly tumble to his doom!

7. Scott, Virgil and Brains are sucked into an underwater lair (The Earthquake Maker)

International Rescue's efforts to stop a series of earthquakes in Persia leads to an uncovering of a criminal mastermind who plots to unstable Asian countries, but not before Scott, Virgil and Brains become ensnared by an outlandish mechanical device! The striking physical menace of the claws dragging the trio to their doom encapsulates how the comics could achieve levels of menace uncapable by the physically restrictive puppets, while Bellamy'd dynamic command of page compositions inject a wild energy into the action.

6. Jeff Tracy fails to save the space hospital (Revolt on Jupiter)

Thunderbirds enters riotous Dan Dare style space adventure territory with Revolt on Jupiter, in which an aged alien enemy of Jeff Tracy desires peace, but his son has far grimmer ambitions. In attempting to stop a violent uprising by Kranol's antagonistic son, Tragan, Jeff and Alan fail to prevent a space hospital from Tragan's line of fire. It's rare to witness International Rescue fail to save people in distress, but it occurs with alarming frequency throughout TV Century 21's later years.

5. The DOMO is destroyed (City of Doom)

City of Doom captures Thunderbirds at its most chaotic, a story defined by its explosive cliff-hangers relentlessly pummelling the reader, one after the other. The rare sight of Brains piloting a pod vehicle, the rarely seen DOMO (making its one and only appearance in TV21) is seemingly obliterated by rebel fighters intent on disrupting International Rescue's efforts to save the doomed scientific community of Project City. One of Bellamy's classic explosions (an artistic action he greatly enjoyed illustrating) closes out this particular chapter of one of Thunderbirds' most ambitiously enthralling missions.

4. Gordon is crushed by the President (The Revolution)

Bellamy's characteristic flourish of outstretched fingers of his characters is deployed to gruesomely effective use here. While we don't witness Gordon himself being crushed, Thunderbird 4 becoming smothered by the shifting President atomic liner is enough to convey the terror to the reader. This squeamish sequence of events occurs during Thunderbirds 1, 2 and 4's efforts to salvage the stricken President, attacked by impoverished townspeople who view the President as a symbol of decadence of the wealthy elite in society. The Revolution captures Thunderbirds arguably at its most nuanced in depicting just who the technologically advanced benefits of 2065 is in service to. 

3. Scott risks being sacrificed by tribal forces (Chain Reaction)

Chain Reaction is another story crafted in the City of Doom vein - unstoppable waves of disasters follow International Rescue's actions when a colliding satellite triggers a series of natural disasters. International Rescue's efforts to save an African tribe from a tsunami results in a misunderstanding of deadly proportions. Scott becomes captured and threatened to be sacrificed by the tribe, the story climaxing with the striking image of Scott tied down and the tribal warrior prepared to kill him! Such imagery plays into Bellamy's passions for ancient African civilisations.

2. The Hood devastates Tracy Island (Brains is Dead)

The Hood makes several daring raids against International Rescue throughout the TV21 adventures, but Brains is Dead sees him land some of his deadliest blows. Succeeding in capturing the brilliant scientist, the Hood succeeds in discovering the location of Tracy Island and masses his forces against the Thunderbirds' formerly top secret HQ. The breath-taking imagery of Thunderbirds 2 and 3 horridly attacked during take-off and the gloating of the Hood against Jeff is startling.

1. Scott accidentally 'kills' Brains (Brains is Dead)

Brains is Dead is full of shock tactics! Right down to the story's very title, the story's most shocking climax occurs early on when a routine medical appointment for Brains turns hostile. Captured by enemy forces, Scott's dashing to the danger zone is in fact a desperately unfortunate trap. Scott's attempts to rescue Brains result in him accidentally 'killing' the genius scientist. Rest assured, Brains isn't actually murdered, but that didn't stop Bellamy showcasing how dramatically violent these characters could be without succumbing to overly thuggish or grotesque imagery. Ensnared in what might be lightening, the sight of Brains actually being electrocuted is some of the most frighteningly raw imagery Thunderbirds delivered to its readers.

Enjoy these fantastic cliff-hangers and their thrilling stories in our Thunderbirds Comic Anthologies! Volumes 1 and 2 collect all of Lady Penelope and Thunderbirds' adventures from all 242 issues of the classic newspaper of the future. Volume 1 is available now, while Volume 2 is preparing for blast off!

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