City Magazines was a British publisher of weekly comics and

men's magazines This is a list of magazines primarily marketed to men. The list has been split into subcategories according to the target audience of the magazines. This list includes mostly mainstream magazines as well as adult ones. Not included here are auto ...

that operated from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s. The company's most notable publications were comics magazines based on licensed television properties, including ''

TV Century 21 ''TV Century 21'', later renamed ''TV21'', ''TV21 and Tornado'', ''TV21 and Joe 90'', and ''TV21'' again, was a weekly British children's comic published by City Magazines during the latter half of the 1960s. Originally produced in partnership ...

'' and ''

Lady Penelope Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward is a fictional character introduced in the British 1960s Supermarionation television series '' Thunderbirds'', which was produced by AP Films (APF) for ITC Entertainment. The character also appears in the film seque ...

'', both of which featured comics based on

Gerry Anderson Gerald Alexander Anderson (; 14 April 1929 – 26 December 2012) was an English television and film producer, director, writer and occasional voice artist. He remains famous for his futuristic television programmes, especially his 1960s produ ...

Century 21 Productions AP Films or APF, later becoming Century 21 Productions, was a British independent film production company of the 1950s until the early 1970s. The company became internationally known for its imaginative children's action-adventure marionette tel ...

Supermarionation shows. A number of City Magazine titles were absorbed by

IPC Magazines TI Media (formerly International Publishing Company, IPC Magazines Ltd, IPC Media and Time Inc. UK) was a consumer magazine and digital publisher in the United Kingdom, with a portfolio selling over 350 million copies each year. Most of its tit ...

in the late 1960s; the company ceased operations in 1974, with its remaining assets coming under the control of the Daily Express.

History

City Magazines started in 1955; its first title was '' Blighty/Parade'', which it acquired from another publisher; followed by '' Escort'', launched in 1958. City Magazines' headquarters were initially at 45 St Pancras Way, London, later moving to 167-170 Fleet Street, and later to Aldwych House, 81 Aldwych, London."Parade" at Magforum
Archived at the Wayback Machine
Retrieved Apr. 20, 2021. In 1959–1960, City Magazines started a comics division. First, it launched the weekly teen girls' magazine ''Boyfriend'' in 1959, which featured a mix of text stories and comics. In the period 1961 to 1965, City Magazine published

licensed A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

comics based on the Hanna-Barbera animation properties

Huckleberry Hound Huckleberry "Huck" Hound is a fictional cartoon character, a blue anthropomorphic coonhound that speaks with a North Carolina Southern drawl. He first appeared in the series ''The Huckleberry Hound Show''. The cartoon was one of six TV shows to ...

and

Yogi Bear Yogi Bear is an anthropomorphic animal character who has appeared in numerous comic books, animated television shows and films. He made his debut in 1958 as a supporting character in '' The Huckleberry Hound Show''. Yogi Bear was the first ...

(with the odd ''

Flintstones ''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the activities of the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighbor ...

one-off In the field of vehicles authorized to drive, a one-off vehicle is a vehicle that was manufactured only once. The production of unique vehicles is reduced to one unit in each case. The easiest cases to analyze are those of cars and motorcycles. Un ...

thrown in). The company dipped into the growing "TV comic" market in 1960, acquiring the title ''Express Weekly'' from

Beaverbrook Newspapers The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...

and renaming it ''

TV Express Weekly ''Express Weekly'' was a British children's comic magazine, published between 1954 and 1962 under a progression of titles: ''Junior Express'', ''Junior Express Weekly'', ''Express Weekly'', and ''TV Express Weekly''. The publication was similar ...

''. The experiment only lasted until 1962, however, when ''TV Express'' was merged into

Polystyle Publications Polystyle Publications Ltd was a British publisher of children's comics and books that operated from 1960 to 1997, publishing such titles as ''TV Comic'', '' I-Spy'', ''Pippin'', '' Countdown/TV Action'', and ''BEEB''. The company's registered o ...

' ''

TV Comic ''TV Comic'' was a British comic book magazine published weekly from 9 November 1951 until 29 June 1984. Featuring stories based on television series running at the time of publication, it was the first British comic to be based around TV pro ...

''. From 1965 to 1970, City Magazines partnered with

to produce weekly comics based on Anderson's Supermarionation properties. The Century 21 Productions division

Century 21 Publications Century 21 Merchandising and Century 21 Toys were merchandising companies associated with Gerry Anderson's Century 21 Productions. There was also a publishing line, Century 21 Publications which (in partnership with City Magazines) created the com ...

provided the editors, writers, and artists, while City Magazines arranged for printing and distributing the titles. The Century 21 Publications imprint's most prominent and long-running titles were ''

'', later known as ''TV21'', which launched in January 1965; and ''

'', which launched in January 1966. Building on the success of the two earlier titles, in January/February 1967, City Magazines launched three more Anderson-related titles: ''Candy'', ''TV Tornado'', and ''Solo.'' The latter title didn't survive the year, merging into ''TV Tornado'' in September 1967, while ''TV Tornado'' merged into ''TV21'' in September 1968.

Matthews era

Leonard Matthews Leonard James Matthews (10 October 1914 – 9 November 1997) was a British editor, publisher, writer and illustrator of comics and children's magazines, best known as the founder of the educational magazine ''Look and Learn''. Early life Born in ...

, a longtime editor at

Amalgamated Press The Amalgamated Press (AP) was a British newspaper and magazine publishing company founded by journalist and entrepreneur Alfred Harmsworth (1865–1922) in 1901, gathering his many publishing ventures together under one banner. At one point the ...

and its successor Fleetway Publications, seems to have taken over City Magazines in early 1969.George Beal
Obituary: Leonard Matthews
''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'', 5 December 1997 Along with Alf Wallace, another former editor at Fleetway

Odhams Press Odhams Press was a British publishing company, operating from 1920 to 1968. Originally a magazine publisher, Odhams later expanded into book publishing and then children's comics. The company was acquired by Fleetway Publications in 1961 and the ...

, Matthews opened

Martspress Leonard James Matthews (10 October 1914 – 9 November 1997) was a British editor, publisher, writer and illustrator of comics and children's magazines, best known as the founder of the educational magazine ''Look and Learn''. Early life Born in ...

, which took over the packaging and publishing of the remaining City Magazines titles. In the summer of 1969, Gerry Anderson's Century 21 Productions had become financially over-stretched. Within a few months, the company had disbanded its three warehouse-sized studios on the

Slough Trading Estate The Slough Trading Estate founded in Slough in Buckinghamshire in 1920, was an early business park in the United Kingdom. According to the estate's owners and operators, Segro, Slough Trading Estate consists of of commercial property in Slough ...

. In June 1969 the entire staff of Century 21 Publications were given a month's notice.Stringer, Lew
"Flashback 1969: TV21 & Joe 90 No.1,"
''Blimey! The Blog of British Comics!'' (November 25, 2007). A small nucleus of staff from the disbanded division were taken on by Matthews at Martspress/City Magazines. City Magazines lost the Gerry Anderson license in early 1970,Stringer, Lew

''Blimey! The Blog of British Comics!'' (December 01, 2012).Stringer, Lew

''Blimey! The Blog of British Comics!'' (February 01, 2008). so the two remaining titles — ''TV21'' and ''Penelope'' — lost their Anderson-related content. Shortly after losing the Anderson license, City Magazines acquired the

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

license (previously held by

, a division of

), with some Marvel strips being reprinted in '' TV21''.Murray, Chris. "Mergers and Marvels (1962–1980)," ''The British Superhero'' (Univ. Press of Mississippi, 2017), p. 173. In the period 1967 to 1971, all of City Magazines' main comics titles ended up being taken over by

and/or merged into existing IPC titles: these included ''Boyfriend and Trend'' (formerly ''Boyfriend''), ''Penelope'' (formerly ''Lady Penelope''), and ''TV21'' (formerly ''TV Century 21''). By 1974,"Carnival losed" Magforum
Archived at the Wayback Machine
Retrieved Apr. 20, 2021. the company appears to have gone defunct; its assets ended up in the possession of the Daily Express Freeman, John
"Landmark British Comics: Looking Back on TV21 Issue 200,"
DownTheTubes.net (Oct. 29, 2015). (formerly Beaverbrook Newspapers).

Men's magazines

City Magazines started in 1955 with the weekly men's magazine '' Blighty Parade'', a magazine originally called ''Blighty'' which had been relaunched in 1939 by another publisher. In 1959, the title of the magazine was changed to ''Parade & Blighty'', and then in 1960 to ''Parade''. City Magazines published ''Parade'' until 1971, when it was taken over by Williams Publishing, the publishing imprint of

Warner Communications Warner Media, LLC ( traded as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City, United States. It was originally established in 1972 by ...

. Similar titles published by City Magazines were the

pin-up A pin-up model (known as a pin-up girl for a female and less commonly male pin-up for a male) is a model whose mass-produced pictures see widespread appeal as part of popular culture. Pin-up models were variously glamour models, fashion models ...

magazines '' Escort'' (1958–1971), ''Carnival'' (1965–1970), and ''

Men Only ''Men Only'' is a British magazine title that originated in 1935 as a pocket-sized men's magazine. It became a standard-sized pin-up magazine in the 1950s and was relaunched in 1971 by Paul Raymond Publications as a soft-core pornographic maga ...

'' (1965–1971). ''Carnival'' was acquired from Liverpolitan Ltd in

Birkenhead Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...

, where it originated in 1955. ''

'' was a vernable publication dating back to 1935, originally published by

C. Arthur Pearson Ltd C. Arthur Pearson Ltd was a British publisher of newspapers, periodicals, books, and comics that operated from 1890 to 1965. The company was founded by C. Arthur Pearson, later to be known as Sir Arthur Pearson, 1st Baronet. Pearson was involv ...

and acquired by City Magazines from the

International Publishing Company TI Media (formerly International Publishing Company, IPC Magazines Ltd, IPC Media and Time Inc. UK) was a consumer magazine and digital publisher in the United Kingdom, with a portfolio selling over 350 million copies each year. Most of its ti ...

. ''Men Only'' was sold in 1971 to

Paul Raymond Publications Paul Raymond Publications is a British publisher of softcore monthly pornographic magazine titles, including '' Escort'', '' Club International'', ''Mayfair'', '' Men Only'', '' Men's World'' and '' Razzle''. The company's lawyers scrutinise the ...

, who relaunched it as the start of a top-shelf publishing empire (competing with '' Mayfair'' as well as US magazines such as ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's Lifestyle magazine, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from H ...

'' and ''

Penthouse Penthouse most often refers to: *Penthouse apartment, a special apartment on the top floor of a building *Penthouse (magazine), ''Penthouse'' (magazine), a British-founded men's magazine *Mechanical penthouse, a floor, typically located directly u ...

'' during the 1970s and 1980s). Similarly, ''Escort'' was incorporated as part of ''Men Only'' and then relaunched in 1980 by Paul Raymond as part of his stable of

softcore pornography Softcore pornography or softcore porn, is commercial still photography or film that has a pornographic or erotic component but is less sexually graphic and intrusive than hardcore pornography, defined by a lack of visual sexual penetration. So ...

magazines."Men Only," Magforum
Archived at the Wayback Machine
Retrieved Apr. 20, 2021. In the period 1965–1967, the flagship title ''Parade'' was used in specials with the company's other monthlies: ''Parade Carnival'', ''Carnival Parade'', ''Parade Escort'', etc.

''Boyfriend'' and ''Trend''

City Magazines' second ongoing publication was the weekly

teen magazine Teen magazines are magazines aimed at teenage readers. They usually consist of gossip, news, fashion tips and interviews and may include posters, stickers, small samples of cosmetics or other products and inserts. The teen magazine industry ...

''Boyfriend'', which debuted in 1959. Early issues featured a

romance comic Romance comics is a comics genre depicting strong and close romantic love and its attendant complications such as jealousy, marriage, divorce, betrayal, and heartache. The term is generally associated with an American comic books genre published t ...

on the cover, whose story continued on the interior pages. Later issues featured photographic covers and the tagline, "The modern young woman's magazine." In 1966, with issue #352, ''Boyfriend'' was merged with another City Magazines title, ''Trend'', to become ''Trend and Boyfriend'', and then, shortly thereafter, ''Boyfriend and Trend'' (the "Boyfriend" in the title being much smaller than the word "Trend"). The magazine's tagline at this point was, "Setting the pace for the girl with go!" The magazine lasted until issue #428, 9 September 1967, when it merged with the

title ''

Petticoat A petticoat or underskirt is an article of clothing, a type of undergarment worn under a skirt or a dress. Its precise meaning varies over centuries and between countries. According to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'', in current British En ...

'' to form ''Petticoat/Trend''.

Hanna-Barbera comics

In the period 1961 to 1965, City Magazine published licensed comics based on the Hanna-Barbera animation properties

and

(with the odd ''

thrown in). ''Huckleberry Hound Weekly'' ran 283 issues, from 1961 to 1967, with a number of various one-offs and seasonal "extras." (In 1967, the title was acquired by Hayward.) ''Yogi Bear's Own Weekly'' ran 75 issues from 1962 to 1964, also publishing a number of specials and seasonal extras.

''TV Express Weekly''

City Magazines' first foray into the growing "TV comic" market was with ''

'' in 1960–1962. City Magazines acquired the publication from

, changing its title from '' Express Weekly''. (The publication started out on 4 September 1954 as ''Junior Express'', was renamed ''Junior Express Weekly'' with issue #39, then ''Express Weekly'' with issue #74.) The first issue of ''TV Express'' was #286 (23 April 1960); it was merged into

' ''

'' after issue #375 (6 January 1962)."British Comics Reference , British TV-related Comic Strips,"
DownTheTubes.net. Retrieved Feb. 25, 2021. ''TV Express'' was similar in format to IPC's ''

Eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...

'': tabloid with

photogravure Photogravure (in French ''héliogravure'') is a process for printing photographs, also sometimes used for reproductive intaglio printmaking. It is a photo-mechanical process whereby a copper plate is grained (adding a pattern to the plate) and ...

colour, with a mixture of comic strips and features.

Century 21 Publications comics

''TV Century 21''

The company's first (and longest-running) title, ''

'', aimed at teenage boys, debuted on 23 January 1965; featured strips included '' Stingray'', ''

Supercar A supercar – also called exotic car – is a loosely defined description of street-legal, high-performance sports cars. Since the 2010s, the term hypercar has come into use for the highest performing supercars. Supercars commonly serve as t ...

'', ''

Fireball XL5 ''Fireball XL5'' is a 1960s British children's science-fiction puppet television series about the missions of ''Fireball XL5'', a vessel of the World Space Patrol that polices the cosmos in the year 2062. Commanded by Colonel Steve Zodiac, ''XL5' ...

'', and the aristocratic

from '' Thunderbirds''. The rest of the Thunderbirds team and Captain Scarlet eventually joined the comic's lineup. The publication extended its licensing beyond the Anderson productions, as well, publishing strip adventures based on the extraterrestrial Doctor Who villains the

Daleks The Daleks ( ) are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme '' Doctor Who''. They were conceived by writer Terry Nation and first appeared in the 1963 ''Doctor Wh ...

, in addition to adaptations of the popular television series '' My Favourite Martian'' and '' Burke's Law''. The comic dropped the "Century" from its title in January 1968, after 155 issues, and became known as ''TV21''. In September 1969, after 242 issues, ''TV21'' relaunched after a merger with another title, ''Joe 90 Top Secret''. At this time, the issue numbering of ''TV21 and Joe 90'', as the comic was now called, was reset to #1, with a "New Series No." printed on the front cover. While the general format of the old comic was preserved, the ''Thunderbirds'' and ''

Joe 90 ''Joe 90'' is a 1968–1969 British Science fiction on television, science-fiction television series created by Gerry Anderson, Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company, AP Films#Century 21, Century 21, for ITC Enterta ...

'' strips were now printed in black-and-white in favour of the new colour favourites '' Star Trek'' and ''

Land of the Giants ''Land of the Giants'' is a one-hour American science fiction television series that aired on ABC for two seasons, beginning on September 22, 1968 and ending on March 22, 1970. The show was created and produced by Irwin Allen. ''Land of the Gi ...

''. The ''Joe 90'' aspect gradually disappeared from the comic, whose name reverted to ''TV21'' after 36 issues (the 278th overall). (Further ''Joe 90'' annuals were published, however, in 1969 and 1970.) The title sputtered along for another year, mostly based on reprints, including of American

strips. With issue #93 (3 July 1971), the title changed publisher-name from City Magazines to IPC Magazines. ''TV21'' ceased publication with issue #105 (25 Sept. 1971), when it was merged into IPC's long-running comics title '' Valiant''.

''Lady Penelope''

In January 1966, a sister publication to ''TV Century 21'' — this time aimed at teenage age girls — was launched: ''

'', which featured Frank Langford's ''Lady Penelope'' comic strip (previously appearing in ''TV Century 21''). Billing itself as "the comic for girls who love television," ''Lady Penelope'' also included strips based on popular television programs of the era, including '' Bewitched'', ''

The Monkees The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was con ...

'', ''

The Beverly Hillbillies ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from 1962 to 1971. It had an ensemble cast featuring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr. as the Clampetts, a poor, backwoods family f ...

'', ''

Crossroads Crossroads, crossroad, cross road or similar may refer to: * Crossroads (junction), where four roads meet Film and television Films * ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa * ''Cross Roads'' (film), a 1930 Brit ...

'', ''

Daktari ''Daktari'' ( Swahili for "doctor") is an American family drama series that aired on CBS between 1966 and 1969. The series is an Ivan Tors Films Production in association with MGM Television starring Marshall Thompson as Dr. Marsh Tracy, a vete ...

'', ''

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' is an American spy fiction television series produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television and first broadcast on NBC. The series follows secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a secret ...

'', and '' The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.''. Other strips published in ''Lady Penelope'' connected with other Century 21 Productions. After 123 issues, the title was shortened to ''Penelope''; it eventually ran for 204 issues until 20 December 1969, when it was acquired by

and merged with ''

Princess Tina ''Princess Tina'' (at times known as ''Princess Tina and Penelope'' and then simply ''Tina'') was a weekly British girls' comic published from autumn 1967 to summer 1973 by the International Publishing Company, initially under the Fleetway P ...

'' (to become ''Princess Tina and Penelope''). ''Lady Penelope'' annuals began appearing in 1967, continuing for six editions until 1972. City Magazines also published three ''

Annuals'' in the years 1968, 1969, and 1970.

''Candy''

After the company's success with weekly comics aimed at teenagers, Century 21 Publications' third ongoing title, ''Candy'', was a "nursery-type" magazine marketed to younger children. Launched mid-January 1967, the stars of the title were Anderson's puppet characters Candy and Andy (the female one being the magazine's namesake). Candy and Andy had originally been part of a new puppet series that had not succeeded in being sold to a studio. Early issues of the series featured photographic covers of Anderson's puppets; in addition to the main Candy and Andy strip, other strips were based on popular television children's programs like ''

Winnie-the-Pooh Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear and Pooh, is a fictional anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. The first collection of stories about the character was the book ''Win ...

'',

William Timym William Timym, (1902–1990) was an artist whose best known work is probably the ''Bleep and Booster'' cartoons for the BBC's '' Blue Peter''. Timym (pronounced Tim) was Austrian, grew up in Vienna and studied at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna ...

's Bengo the Boxer Pup, Maria Perego's

Topo Gigio Topo Gigio () originally known as "COCO GIGIO" was the lead character of a children's puppet show on Italian television in the early 1960s. The character, created in 1958 by artist Maria Perego, her husband Federico Caldura, and fellow artist Guid ...

, and

Associated Television Associated Television was the original name of the British broadcaster ATV, part of the Independent Television (ITV) network. It provided a service to London at weekends from 1955 to 1968, to the Midlands on weekdays from 1956 to 1968, and ...

's koalas Tingha and Tucker. ''Candy'' lasted 154 issues — as well as a number of annuals and specials — from 1967 through 1969.

''TV Tornado''

Also debuting in January 1967 was the new ongoing title ''TV Tornado''. True to its name, ''TV Tornado'', which was edited by

Mick Anglo Michael Anglo (born Maurice Anglowitz, 19 June 1916 – 31 October 2011)Holland, Steve, "Who's Who in British Comics", ''Comics World'' No. 43, Aceville Publications Ltd (September–October 1995) was a British comic book writer, editor and arti ...

, featured comics based on popular television properties, including ''

Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in ...

'', ''

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea ''Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' is a 1961 American science fiction disaster film, produced and directed by Irwin Allen, and starring Walter Pidgeon and Robert Sterling. The supporting cast includes Peter Lorre, Joan Fontaine, Barbara Eden, M ...

'', ''

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

'', ''

The Saint The Saint may refer to: Fiction * Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint", the protagonist of a book series by Leslie Charteris and subsequent adaptations: ** ''The Saint'' (film series) (1938–43), starring Louis Hayward, George Sanders an ...

'', '' Bonanza'', and ''

''; plus text features about '' Doctor Who'' and '' The Avengers''. The back story of the

Mysteron The Mysterons are a fictional race of extraterrestrials and the antagonists in the 1960s British Supermarionation science-fiction television series ''Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons'' (1967–68) and its 2005 computer-animated remake, ''Ge ...

s, Captain Scarlet's

Martian Mars, the fourth planet from the Sun, has appeared as a setting in works of fiction since at least the mid-1600s. It became the most popular celestial object in fiction in the late 1800s as the Moon was evidently lifeless. At the time, the pr ...

enemies, was revealed in ''TV Tornado''. Other strips and characters that appeared in ''TV Tornado'' included Batman, Superman,

The Phantom ''The Phantom'' is an American adventure comic strip, first published by Lee Falk in February 1936. The main character, the Phantom, is a fictional costumed crime-fighter who operates from the fictional African country of Bangalla. The char ...

, Flash Gordon, the Green Hornet,

Magnus, Robot Fighter Magnus, Robot Fighter is a fictional superhero, appearing in comic books created by writer/artist Russ Manning in 1963.Steve Holland, ''Sci-Fi Art : a graphic history''. Lewes : ILEX, 2009. (pp. 102-3) Magnus first appeared in ''Magnus Robot Fight ...

, and

The Invaders ''The Invaders'' is an American science-fiction television series created by Larry Cohen that aired on ABC for two seasons, from 1967 to 1968. Roy Thinnes stars as David Vincent, who after stumbling across evidence of an in-progress invas ...

''Solo''

''Solo'', which debuted in February 1967, also contained strips based on the Mysterons, as well as other licensed TV properties like ''

'' and ''Sergeant Bilko'' (a.k.a. ''

The Phil Silvers Show ''The Phil Silvers Show'', originally titled ''You'll Never Get Rich'', is a sitcom which ran on CBS from 1955 to 1959. A pilot titled "Audition Show" was made in 1955, but it was never broadcast. 143 other episodes were broadcast – all half-a ...

''). The title also featured

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

-related strips, including ''

Mary Poppins It may refer to: * ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fantasy novels that introduced the character. * Mary Poppins (character), the nanny with magical powers. * ''Mary Poppins'' (film), a 1964 Disney film sta ...

'', Super Goof, and

Uncle Scrooge ''Uncle Scrooge'' (stylized as ''Uncle $crooge'') is a Disney comic book series starring Scrooge McDuck ("the richest duck in the world"), his nephew Donald Duck, and grandnephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie, and revolving around their adventures in ...

. In late September 1967, after publishing 31 issues, ''Solo'' merged with ''TV Tornado''. And in September 1968, after 192 issues, ''TV Tornado'' was merged into ''TV21'', forming ''TV21 and Tornado''.

''Joe 90''

The Andersons' latest Supermarionation production, ''

'', inspired a ''Joe 90'' comics annual in 1968, followed on 18 January 1969 with an ongoing comics series, called ''Joe 90 Top Secret''. This publication did not endure, however, merging with ''TV21 and Tornado'' in September 1969 after only 34 issues.

Annuals and specials

With the success of ''TV Century 21'', City Magazines published a number of related annuals and specials, two of them featuring '' Stingray''. The first '' Thunderbirds'' annual was published in 1966, with a new one appearing each year until 1972. City Magazines also published the first ''TV Century 21 Annual'' in 1966, eventually putting out five such annuals (with the last one appearing in 1970). A second ''Stingray Annual'' appeared in 1966, and two more ''TV Century 21'' seasonal specials in 1966 and 1967. The first ''Captain Scarlet'' annual debuted in 1967; City Magazines published a new one in 1968 and another one in 1969.

Other publications

In January 1968, City Magazines launched ''Go Girl'', a mix of comic strips, pin-ups, and text features. The series only lasted 31 issues, however, from 13 January to 10 August 1968. From 1969 to 1972, City Magazines also published ''Once Upon a Time'', packaged by Martspress, which was an educational comic in the vein of ''

Look and Learn ''Look and Learn'' was a British weekly educational magazine for children published by Fleetway Publications Ltd from 1962 until 1982. It contained educational text articles that covered a wide variety of topics from volcanoes to the Loch Ness ...

'', featuring artists like

Don Lawrence Donald Southam Lawrence (17 November 1928 – 29 December 2003) was a British comic book artist and author. Lawrence is best known for his comic strips '' The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire'' in the British weeklies '' Ranger'' and '' Loo ...

Jesús Blasco Jesús Blasco (3 November 1919 – 21 October 1995) was a Spanish author and artist of comic books, whose career covered most of the conventional history of comic strips. He worked extensively in British comics in the 1960s and 1970s. Career Bla ...

, and

Ron Embleton Ronald Sydney Embleton (6 October 1930 – 13 February 1988) was a British illustrator who gained fame as a comics artist. In the 1950s and 1960s, Embleton also pursued a career as an oil painter, and he exhibited his works widely in Britain, Ge ...

. (This title also appears to have been affiliated with

.) The company published ''Motor Cyclist Illustrated'' in the period 1969 to 1971. The final comics title launched by City Magazines was the football comic ''Striker'', which debuted on 10 January 1970. Only the first 23 or 24 issues of ''Striker'' included comics content; about 7 pages per issue. Sometime around issue #30, the magazine was acquired by Banner Press Limited and merged with another magazine to become ''Inside Football and Striker''.

Comics titles (selected)

Hanna-Barbera

* ''Huckleberry Hound Weekly'' (283 issues, 7 October 1961 – 4 March 1967; acquired by Hayward) * ''Yogi Bear's Own Weekly'' (75 issues, 27 October 1962 – 28 March 1964)

Century 21 Publications Century 21 Merchandising and Century 21 Toys were merchandising companies associated with Gerry Anderson's Century 21 Productions. There was also a publishing line, Century 21 Publications which (in partnership with City Magazines) created the com ...

* ''Candy'' 154 issues (21 January 1967 – 27 December 1969) * ''Joe 90 Top Secret'' (34 issues, 18 January 1969–September 6, 1969; merged into ''TV21 and Tornado'' to form ''TV21 & Joe 90'') * ''

'' (204 issues, January 22, 1966–20 December 1969) ** ''Lady Penelope'' (52 issues, #1–52; January 22, 1966 – 1967) ** ''The New Lady Penelope'' (10 issues, #53–62; 1967) ** ''Lady Penelope'' (60 issues, #63–122; 1967–1968) ** ''Penelope'' (82 issues, #123-204; 1968–20 December 1969; merged into IPC's ''

''; became ''Princess Tina and Penelope'') * ''Solo'' (31 issues, February 18, 1967–23 September 1967; merged into ''TV Tornado'') * ''

/ TV21'' (347 issues, 23 January 1965 – 26 June 1971) ** ''TV Century 21'' (154 issues, #1–154; 23 January 1965–December 30, 2067 ecember 30, 1967 ** ''TV21'' (37 issues, #155-191; January 6, 2068 anuary 6, 1968��14 September 1968) ** ''TV21 and TV Tornado'' (51 issues, #192-242; 21 September 1968 – 6 September 1969) — numbering continued for one issue in 2014 by Network (dated "13 September 2069") ** ''TV21 & Joe 90'' (36 issues, #1–36; 27 September 1969 – 30 May 1970) ** ''TV21'' (56 issues, #37–92; 6 June 1970 – 26 June 1971; merged into IPC's '' Valiant'') * ''TV Tornado'' (88 issues, 14 January 1967–September 14, 1968; merged into ''TV21'' to form ''TV21 and Tornado'')

Magazine titles (selected)

Men's magazines

* ''Carnival'' (1965–1970; acquired from Liverpolitan Ltd, where it originated in 1955; continued by Williams Publishing) * '' Escort'' (1958–1971; later continued by Paul Raymond) * ''

'' (1965–1971; acquired from IPC; continued by Paul Raymond) * '' Parade'' (1955– 1971; continued by Williams Publishing)

Other

* ''Bliss'' (2 issues, 1961) * ''Boyfriend'' (428 issues, 1959–1967): ** ''Boyfriend'' (351 issues, #1–351; 1959–1966) ** ''Trend and Boyfriend'' (8 issues, #352–359; 1966) ** ''Boyfriend and Trend'' (69 issues, #360–428; 1966–9 September 1967; merged into IPC's ''

'') * ''Go Girl'' (31 issues, 1968) * ''Motor Cyclist Illustrated'' ( 1969– 1971) * ''Once Upon a Time'' (1969–1972) * ''Striker'' (23 issues, 10 January 1970 – 4 March 1972; merged with ''Inside Football'' anner Press Ltdto become ''Inside Football and Striker'') * ''

'' (91 issues, 23 April 1960 – 6 January 1962; merged into

' ''

'')

References

Notes

Sources consulted

* * {{gcdb publisher, id= 4941 , title=City Magazines; Century 21 Publications

External links

''Candy''
at ''ComicVine'' 1955 establishments in England Publishing companies established in 1955 1974 disestablishments in England Publishing companies disestablished in 1974 Comic book publishing companies of the United Kingdom Defunct comics and manga publishing companies Lists of comics by publisher Magazine publishing companies of the United Kingdom