Lady Penelope (later renamed to just Penelope in 1968) was the second magazine launched by Century 21 Publishing after its sister-comic TV Century 21. Running from January 1966 until December 1969, Lady Penelope would span 204 issues. Headlined and "edited" by Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward from Thunderbirds, the comic would also feature adventures from The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (and later, The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.), Bewitched (the only comic to last the magazine's entire run), The Beverly Hillbillies, Space Family Robinson, Daktari and The Monkees, as well as girls-comic staples, like fashion advice and give-away competitions. Further cementing itself in a shared universe of AP Films properties was the presences of Marina, Girl of the Sea and The Angels, spun off from Stingray and Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons respectively.
History[]
Before Launch[]
Issue 51 of TV Century 21 would print an article headlined "Lady Penelope Comic Ready" on its front page, informing readers that Lady Penelope herself, one of TV21's top reporters, would be leaving the comic to set up one of her own. While not yet disclosing the exact day of sale, it did let readers know it would contain The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The Beverly Hillbillies, Bewitched and a fashion section (FAB Club). The instalment of Lady Penelope Investigates published in this issue would also be dedicated to investigating the upcoming magazine, telling the in-universe story of how The Man From U.N.C.L.E. came to be included.
The cover of Lady Penelope's first issue would debut in TV Century 21 issue 52 by the means of a full page advertising, declaring the comic would be on sale the following Tuesday. Issue 52 would also be the first issue to not feature the Lady Penelope comic series. The following week, Issue 53 would let readers know that "the latest greatest comic for girls" was now on sale.
Thunderbirds-Related Content[]
Lady Penelope Comic[]
- Main article: Lady Penelope (comic)
A continuation of Lady Penelope's spy adventures, this time after having joined International Rescue. Art by Frank Langford, with Eric Eden not surviving the transition from TV Century 21.
Perils of Parker[]
- Main article: Perils of Parker
A humorous one-page comic showcasing what Parker gets up to off-duty, with guest characters Lil (the Creighton-Ward Manor's chef, originally from Vault of Death) and Perce (the manor's gardener, a character unique to this strip).
Gerry Embleton would draw the strip for its first twenty-one stories, before Peter Ford would take over. Vicky Shaw would lead the writing team, with occasional contributions from Angus Allan.
Lady Penelope's Secret Files[]
- Main article: Lady Penelope's Secret Files
Present in the magazine's initial format was a serialised prose series that explored some of the cases that Lady Penelope had been involved in over the years. Each story was narratively presented as a private file stored in a vault beneath her mansion, with a unique case numbering, and concerned children who were caught up somehow in a mysterious and dangerous scheme. It ran for a total of nine stories, across issues 1 to 35.
From a production standpoint, no authors or illustrators were credited, however Angus Allan is known to have contributed one story, and John Canning illustrated a handful of them. Indeed, Allan's story What Did That Dog Say? would later get spun off into its own comic series.
Lady Penelope Investigates[]
- Main article: Lady Penelope Investigates (series)
Another series that carried over from TV Century 21. However, here it would originally occupy a full page, which would include the ability to include larger photos of each instalment's subject. Interestingly, a few subjects that had been investigated in the TV21 version of the series - such as Roger Moore, Patrick McGoohan, and Jimmy Savile - would return to be 'investigated' again.
During its run in Lady Penelope, Vicky Shaw is known to have interviewed at least some of the celebrities that would form the basis of the series.
The Creighton-Ward Gallery[]
- Main article: The Creighton-Ward Gallery
Succeeding the Secret Files series was another serialised prose series which also featured children, but this time they were those of Lady Penelope's ancestors. Officially untitled, it narratively explored the stories of Creighton-Ward family members who have portraits hanging in the Manor's gallery, leading to the series often being dubbed "The Creighton-Ward Gallery". The Gallery only ran for three stories between issues 36 to 47.
Creighton Ward[]
- Main article: Creighton Ward
Creighton Ward follows student nurse Pat Langdon as she works at the Martinside Cottage Hospital's new children's wing - the Creighton Ward, named after Lady Penelope herself. Somewhat disjoint from the rest of the Thunderbirds continuity, the very first story would see Lady Penelope and Parker open the ward and recount the story that led to its opening. Relatively short-lived, it ran for just eight stories across issues 53 to 102 in 1967.
Michael Strand would draw the black-and-white strip.
What Did That Dog Say?[]
A spin-off from an instalment of Lady Penelope's Secret Files, What Did That Dog Say? saw Cathy Thomson and her ability to communicate with dogs (and later cats) back working at George's Poodle Parlourama. Written by Angus Allan, the series debuted with the revamp in issue 53, and lasted until the magazine lost its Century 21 license in 1969.
While technically part of the classic Thunderbirds continuity, the Thunderbirds Wiki has opted to not cover the series due its standalone nature.
Issues[]
- Main article: Category:Lady Penelope Issues
Covers[]
- Main article: Lady Penelope (magazine)/Covers
To navigate the magazine's issues by cover, split logically into issues in which the cover either contains Thunderbirds elements or not, please see our cover gallery.