OK Earthmen, there's a load of good stuff coming out in the next few months, so we're going to take a look at as much of it as we can.

Century 21 Volume One: Adventure in the 21st Century and Volume Two: Invasion in the 21st Century (Reynolds and Hearn Ltd)

There have been several reprints of TV21 strips over the years, however the main attraction of these particular editions from Reynolds and Hearn is that the publishers have had access to the original artwork. Despite some gaps in the TV21 archive, these two volumes present a good cross-section of both the artists and stories from the comic's first series.

TV21's editor Alan Fennell strove to emulate the standards set by Eagle in the 50s - mainly by using full-colour photogravure and nicking their best artists. The original artwork, now over 40 years old, has reproduced superbly in these volumes and even someone familiar with the original comics would find these editions of interest. Mike Noble's space scenes sizzle with colour, as do Bellamy's explosions and Ron Embleton's immaculate figurework. Also featured are two of Frank Langford's groovy Lady Penelope strips and some great figure work from unsung hero Brian Lewis in a lesser-known Thunderbirds strip. The work of Don Lawrence, Don Harley and Gerry Embleton is also ably represented.

However it's the work of the 'Big Three' that predominates: Noble's 'Planet of Fire' and Embleton's 'Monster Weed Menace' in the 2nd volume are some of the best art and stories to have appeared in the comic and are fine examples of how to pace and draw a comic strip. Elsewhere the occasional bit of ropey plotting is shored up by superlative art in strips such as 'Prisoners of the Eye Leaves' and 'Secret of the Iceberg'. The only criticism I could make regarding the selection of art is the removal of the colour overlays from Ron Turner's 'Curse of the Elastos' strip - admittedly they looked awful in the original annual, but the artwork was drawn to accommodate them, and the already pedestrian art looks very weak when stripped of them.

The introductions to both volumes give a potted history of the comic's development and Alan Fennell's attempts to marry all the series into one unified 'universe', something that fans discuss to this day. The introduction to Volume One refers to the conflict between the good guys and TV21's rogue state Bereznik as a 'thinly-veiled allegory of the cold war', when really it's just a straight rehash of the nervy political climate of the 60s. You'd be hard-pressed to find any allegory in TV21, it was a typical British comic with the emphasis on straightforward adventure rather than any character or depth. The dialogue is solely there to support the plots which move rapidly from one set-piece to the next.

While it's understandable that Gerry Anderson himself would write the foreword to Volume 1 - after all the original comic was based on the various series he produced - these volumes are celebrating the comic medium so what Volume 2 really needed was a foreword by the man whose work features so heavily in both tomes, Mike Noble. It is to be hoped that there will be further volumes which will correct this oversight, along with perhaps giving the artists a deserved mention on the cover too. Anderson's name may help sell the product but the contents were the work of a very talented team.

These two Volumes of reprints represent a good example of what the heyday of TV21 was all about and the artwork (and printing), is of a sufficiently high standard to attract not only the loyal older fanbase but hopefully also a new generation of comic readers. The superb reproduction is the main selling point of these two volumes and it's to be hoped there is enough original art available to support further editions. Recommended.

Richard Farrell