Today in Comics History, June 19: Happy birthday, Charlie Drake!

Hallo, my darlings! Born in 1925, today's the birthday of British comedian, writer, actor, sing-songer, and painter Charlie Drake from The Worker, Drake's Progress, Charlie Drake In..., and (naturally) The Charlie Drake Show, a 1968 Montreux Festival winner, and twenty UK pop singles!


from Radio Fun #1039 (Amalgamated UK, 06 September 1958), creators uncredited and unknown

A Month of... Board Games! Day 24: Agent 21 Across

Welcome to the exciting world of Secret Agent 21, the Spy of the Future, whose day job was editor-in-chief of the comic TV Century 21! Now who says Grant Morrison invented meta comic books??!


Editorial column from TV Century 21 #1 (23 January, 1965)
Also, he has a game!

"U.S.S. versus S.O.F.R.A.M." from TV Century 21 Annual 1968
(Century 21 Publishing Ltd. and City Magazines Ltd., 1967); creators unknown
(Click picture to SHIELD*-size)

Because I know you're wondering: U.S.S. stands for Universal Secret Service. And S.O.F.R.A.M. stands for the Solar Organisation For Revenge and Murder! Man, the British are not as good with spy acronyms as Nick Fury, Napoleon Solo, or Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

In addition to Agent 21, the TV Century 21 series also featured comics starring Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds, Stingray, and Fireball XL5...plus Get Smart, My Favo(u)rite Martian, and The Munsters! Wha-huh?!?




As for Century 21, it eventually evolved from a British comics weekly into a real estate firm and a mid-range fashion department store. Wow, they really did adapt to the changing markets of the 2000s!


*Surprisingly Hypnotic In Extra-Large Dimensions