Space Family Robinson in Lady Penelope
In 1966 the weekly UK publication Lady Penelope ("the comic for girls who love television") printed Space Family Robinson stories. These used the same characters and technology as the Gold Key titles but were original scripts, not reprints. Authorship is not known for certain, although there is good reason to think that some may have been written by then sub-editor on Lady Penelope, Brian Woodford§. The artist was John Burns.
The 52 weekly instalments, printed in black and white, told six stories:
- The Robinson family begin their mission and become lost when an explosion sends them far off course. This is the only story based on the Gold Key comic books.
- Unwittingly, they become involved in a war between two planets.
- The Robinsons meet telepathic tripods whilst searching for materials to repair the Station's power source.
- Tim and Tam are sent on a quest by aliens with the ability to restructure matter with their thoughts.
- An alien claims the Robinsons must pay tax for travelling through his space, and demands Tam as payment.
- The Robinsons land on a duplicate of Earth, mistaking it for home.
All six stories were reprinted in the Dutch comic TV2000.
The Lady Penelope Summer Extra (1966) included a three-page story in which the Robinsons land on a recently abandoned planet. They discover that the hasty exodus was due to the approach of a massive gravity source. This story was reprinted in the TV2000 Thunderbirds Extra (1966) with the third page coloured by the Dutch publishers.
There was also a story in the Lady Penelope Annual for 1966. Unlike all the others, this one had a title, Tam Meets The Trygans, and told how Tam returns to the Station alone only to find it occupied by aliens intent on stealing it. This is the only story printed in colour throughout, and the only one not drawn by John Burns. The artist has not yet been identified.
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