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UFO
"The Assassin"
TV Action #118-121 (May 19,
1973 - June 9, 1973)
Writer: Unknown
Artist: John Burns |
After a mysterious disappearance, a manned
Venus probe returns to Earth.
Read the
Technodelic story summary at
the Internet Archive
NOTES FROM THE UFO CHRONOLOGY
Here, the aliens do not seem to be aware of the location of
SHADO headquarters, yet they definitely are aware of it in
some of the earlier-printed strips (e.g.
"Shockwave" and
"Spirit of Fear").
This may indicate the story takes place somewhat earlier in the
timeline, so that is why I have placed it here, despite the
later publication date.
The
Washington Post newspaper announces the return of
a manned Venus probe. The probe is different in appearance
from the Venus probe seen in
"The Cat With Ten
Lives".
In panel 7 of page 1 of the story, notice that the Russian
member of the Venus probe crew (Ryshkov) has the
hammer-and-sickle emblem of the Soviet Union on his
spacesuit.
On page 2 of the story, the Venus probe commander, Colonel
Butler, is awarded the Congressional Medal of Honour at the
White House in Washington, D.C. The White
House, of course, is the official home of the U.S.
President. The
Congressional Medal of Honor is an award given to U.S.
military personnel by the President in recognition of acts of
valor above and beyond the call of duty.
This story would take place in approximately 1985, making
the U.S. President in the real world Ronald Reagan.
Obviously, the writer and artist had no idea who the
President would be at this time and the man depicted here is a
different man. He is not named.
Is Venus probe crewmember Swann the same SHADO astronaut
Swann who appeared in
"The Million Year Old Trap" later in the chronology?
On page 4 of the story, Straker refers to his secretary as
Miss Ealham. Is this supposed to be Miss Ealand, his
secretary in most of the episodes of the TV series?
Part 4 of the story refers to the alien mind-control force
as the "mind mist".
Page 7 of the story depicts a larger than usual UFO craft of
the aliens, intercepting the Venus probe.
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