Growing up in the UK in the 80s, it was impossible to avoid seeing re-runs of classic Gerry Anderson shows.

Anderson’s brand of high octane sci-fi action shows, mostly featuring then state-of-the-art marionettes and stunning model work (with plenty of explosions!) made each episode feel like a mini, family friendly action movie.

They were exciting, ambitious and hugely compelling shows – though they could also be incredibly cheesy, that was always part of their unique charm.

Time Bomb Comics did a great job of bringing three of those shows back, albeit in comic book form, with their anthology Spectrum: The Worlds of Gerry Anderson #1 in 2022.

Featuring Captain Scarlet, Space Precinct 2040 (one of Anderson’s non-puppet shows featuring actors, albeit with some hidden under layers of prosthetic alien make up) and his last major puppet-led show, 80s production Terrahawks, Spectrum (named after the Earth’s defence/peacekeeping organisation in Captain Scarlet) was an awful lot of fun.

It also left fans – including me – wanting more.

Thankfully, that’s what we have here – with the same creative teams bringing us another story from each of the aforementioned Worlds of Gerry Anderson.

First up, Captain Scarlet is on a mission to find his partner and friend, the missing Captain Blue. It doesn’t take long for him to stumble upon a much bigger problem – and a deadly plot that he must foil!

Next up, we return to the future cop action in Space Precinct 2040 – with our human police officers investigating the strange death of an alien.

Lastly, Terrahawks gives us a lovely slice of retro-futuristic action as hero Tiger Ninestein is zapped into an early 80s style video game – with much higher stakes than may be apparent from that description!

Once again, this anthology does a great job of introducing new fans (or even re-acquainting long term fans, seeing as we’re now reaching ages where our memories aren’t quite what they were!) with the premise of each story – nicely detailed synopses of each show’s setting are presented as an introduction to each strip.

It also does a great job of giving us stories that closely ape the spirit of Anderson’s shows; sometimes cheesy, overly earnest but action packed and incredibly fun all the same.

The writing and art from each of the creators is on point, with a clear love of the source material shining through.

Also, check out that gorgeous painted cover by Steve Pugh too!

With this second issue having been successfully funded via Kickstarter, let’s hope that this isn’t the last we’ve seen of Spectrum.

Through projects such as Spectrum, Gerry Anderson’s worlds continue to bring excitement, danger and fun to generations of kids and adults – long may it continue.

Spectrum: The Worlds of Gerry Anderson #2 is available at select retailers. It will soon be available online, but in the meantime, the first issue can be purchased from The Shift online store or directly from publisher Time Bomb Comics.