The Invaders in UK comics

I recall the US series `The Invaders` in some issues of TV Tornado comic in 1967-68. I am pretty sure the `Gold Key` comics series had an issue displaying it too-but Gold Key might be a US publication! Can anyone clarify please? Alan.

alanultron5 wrote:I recall the US series `The Invaders` in some issues of TV Tornado comic in 1967-68. I am pretty sure the `Gold Key` comics series had an issue displaying it too-but Gold Key might be a US publication! Can anyone clarify please? Alan.

Gold Key were indeed an American company, a sub division of Western Publishing. They published four issues of The Invaders between 1967 and 1968, and also published long running series' based on Star Trek, Tarzan, the Man from UNCLE and about a zillion other TV and film properties, as well as cartoons.

Thanks Tony! As I recall, neither Goldkey or TV Tornado really got a good idea of the series and some of the strips were rather innacurate! Mind you in comparison they aren't so bad re the first two UK paperbacks "The Halo Highway" and "The Meteor Men" those are so `awry` its unbelievable!

alanultron5 wrote:Thanks Tony! As I recall, neither Goldkey or TV Tornado really got a good idea of the series and some of the strips were rather innacurate! Mind you in comparison they aren't so bad re the first two UK paperbacks "The Halo Highway" and "The Meteor Men" those are so `awry` its unbelievable!

I've never actually read any of the books. I have a friend who collects that kind of stuff novels based on cult TV, and have seen The Meteor Men on his shelf, but for some reason The Invaders never really struck a chord with me.

alanultron5 wrote:Thanks Tony! As I recall, neither Goldkey or TV Tornado really got a good idea of the series and some of the strips were rather innacurate! Mind you in comparison they aren't so bad re the first two UK paperbacks "The Halo Highway" and "The Meteor Men" those are so `awry` its unbelievable!

It was the fad at the time for 'proper' SF writers to try and make novels and adaptations a bit more realistic, beyond the constraints of TV budgets. Certainly 'Voyage To The Bottom of the Sea', written by top SF writer Theodore Sturgeon, was one attempt, as were others about 'The Time Tunnel', 'The Prisoner' and 'Land of the Giants'.

But I gather the two other 'Invaders' novels by Peter Leslie - 'Night of the Trilobites' & 'The Autumn Accelerator' - were more in the flavour of the actual series.

And had 'Crikey' continued, I was mooting a closer look at 'TV Tornado' and offering a critique of its two year run.

A shame that won't appear in Crikey! - I could, however still put it on the website. Unless, of course, you place it somewhere else. I enjoyed Roy Thinnes on TV in "The Invaders". As you all know, it was just "The Fugitive" with a different actor and name. It was a good show though!

GBF wrote:A shame that won't appear in Crikey! - I could, however still put it on the website. Unless, of course, you place it somewhere else.

I was waiting to see how 'Crikey!' dealt with my first submission before going ahead with other articles.

And the verdict? It seems to have gone down well, with Lew Stringer at least.

tony ingram wrote:And the verdict? It seems to have gone down well, with Lew Stringer at least.

Haven't received a copy yet.

shaqui wrote:

tony ingram wrote:And the verdict? It seems to have gone down well, with Lew Stringer at least.

Haven't received a copy yet.

Odd, I have sent it...

The `Invaders` latter episodes-which weren't shown in the UK till the 1990's began to move away from the `Fugitive / Cold war style of earler eps! With the rising`Libralisation` of late 1960s US society the series stopped portraying thinds so much in `black & white` in its tone of stories!

alanultron5 wrote:The `Invaders` latter episodes-which weren't shown in the UK till the 1990's began to move away from the `Fugitive / Cold war style of earler eps! With the rising`Libralisation` of late 1960s US society the series stopped portraying thinds so much in `black & white` in its tone of stories!

Why weren't they shown here originally? Any ideas?

Tony! It was due to the first half of the second series dying a ratings death in the UK! ATV passed on the option for the final 13 eps in 1968! Only on the BBC 2 screenings were those final 13 where Vincent is joined by a group of fellow "Believers" did UK viewers get to see those!

The series then portrayed certain `Invaders` as having emotions and many `non-hostile` It was found that the Expeditionary forces had `decieved` many back home! And though their planet `was` dying, they had many more worlds to choose from than Earth! It was a warmongering faction that was behind the Invasionb! One top Alien Leader (Played by Barry Morse) managed-with Vincent's help-to get back `hoome` with evidence to call off the Invasion!