"A Trip to England" is a Stingray comic story, first published over 8 parts in TV Century 21 issues 90 - 97.
Despite being a Stingray comic, A Trip to England features original Thunderbirds character the Hood, who has been hired by X20 in order to sabotage the Stingray vessel.
Plot[]
It's the 1000th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings, and just about every country - including Bereznik - is sending a representative to commemorate. Representing the W.A.S.P.s is Stingray and its crew, who are also carrying a camera crew in order to document the proceedings. Agent X20 notices this will be a great opportunity to not only destroy Stingray, but damage the W.A.S.P.'s reputation, and potentially start a world war. Planting a mysterious "Agent Baracuda" aboard the craft, Stingray's journey across the Atlantic is plagued by misfortune and sabotage, and the suspicious news reporter Cass is revealed to be none other than the villainous Hood himself...
Characters[]
(in order of appearance)
- Commander Shore
- Captain Troy Tempest
- Atlanta
- Lt. "Phones" Sheridan
- Surface Agent X20
- Titanica Slaves
- Mighty Titan
- Marina
- The Hood / "Rudolph Cass"
- TV crew
- Rosario Tunnel controllers
- British naval police
Reprint History[]
The story first reappeared in the 1993 Stingray Annual, published in 1992, along with two other Stingray comic stories. It was christened A Trip to England, a name which would stick for all of its later printings.
It next appeared in serialised form, being split into four parts, in the pages of Stingray The Comic. It began in the 23rd issue cover dated August 14th - 27th 1993 and continued in the 24th issue cover dated August 28th - September 24th 1993. Half-way through the story the magazine shifted from a fortnightly publication to a monthly one, heralding a name change to Stingray Monthly and an issue number reset. The story was completed over the first two issues of the rebooted magazine, cover dated October and November 1993.
The story would be reprinted again in October 2024 in Tales from the Depths, the first volume of two Stingray comic anthologies which both reproduced material from TV21 and featured new comic stories which were part of the Deadly Uprising narrative saga for the programme's 60th anniversary.
Trivia[]
- The Hood is last seen in this story diving off a cliff into the ocean, in order to escape being captured by Troy and Phones. In what is a fairly standard affair for the villain, Phones is certain he wouldn't have survived the jump.
- A Trip to England would follow directly into the next Stingray story, The Treasure of Loch Fionn, with Stingray and its crew still in England.