British Update: Countdown! Virtually complete run of 70s sci-fi Spectacular
*TV & Film Related Comics: The 1971 successor to TV Century 21, Countdown, launched with a heady mixture of new Gerry Anderson material – led by a comics adaptation of the brand-new series, ‘UFO’ – as well as ‘Doctor Who’ (shoplifted from stablemate TV Comic, where it had been running from 1964) and the rather handsome eponymous space opera ‘Countdown’, illustrated by John M. Burns. The Gerry Anderson material, ‘UFO’ excepted, soon reverted to reprints from TV 21, but nevertheless this weekly dose of sci-fi action continued unabated until issue #35, when the Persuaders joined up, and the weekly began its transition from a purely science-fiction comic to a more generalised adventure anthology. This selection, a lacking only a handful of issues, opens with #1 in GD £30, #2 VG £15 (pictured), #3 VG/FN £17.50 (pictured) and runs through to #58, the last issue before rebranding itself as TV Action. The scarce 1971 Holiday Special is also included FA/GD £12.50 (pictured).