Sands of Terror (comic story)

Sands of Terror
Main character(s):	Lady Penelope, Parker, Virgil
Featuring:	Bandranaik, Jeff, Scott, Alan, John, Brains
Main enemy:	Zenith
Main setting:	Zarabia, 2066
Key crew
Publisher:	City Magazines
Editor:	Alan Fennell
Artist:	Don Harley
Release details
Printed in:	Thunderbirds Extra 1966
Release date:	March 1966
Format:	1 part - 8 pages
Thunderbirds crossover stories
← Previous	The Man from MI.5
Next →	The Great Silver Robbery!

Sands of Terror was a Thunderbirds comic story printed in TV Century 21 in 1966. It featured the Doctor Who universe character of World President Nikita Bandranaik prominently, as well as the location of Unity City, first introduced in The Daleks story Duel of the Daleks.

Summary

to be added

Characters

• Penelope Creighton-Ward
• Parker
• Virgil Tracy
• Jeff Tracy
• Scott Tracy
• Alan Tracy
• John Tracy
• Brains
• Nikita Bandranaik
• Zenith
• General Hassau
• King of Zarabia
• Head of the World Government Disaster Enquiry Committee
• Lead scientist
• Palace guard

Worldbuilding

• Tapping heat and energy from the Earth's molten centre is a "practical and profitable" industry. Zenith, regent of Zarabia, refuses to take the advice of the World Government Disaster Enquiry Committee and discontinue the dangerous projects, citing the importance of the natural gases to the economy.
• One of the Australian project controllers states that the nitrosynatic air is polluting the air, convincing another to evacuate the area and ignite the pre-set detonators.
• Zenith initially dismisses the survival of the trapped scientists as a hoax and threatens to shoot down any aircraft invading Zarabian air space.
• Lady Penelope and Parker discover that Zarabia has twenty-four ultrasonic missiles at various points, which have a maximum speed of mach sixteen. She tells Jeff their map references so Thunderbird 1 can "take care of them".
• Alan comments that Zenith has surrounded Thunderbird 2 from behind the high-tension cable Scott laid down with enough tanks to start a war .

Story notes

• Four of the story's eight pages (the first, fourth, fifth, and eighth) were printed in colour, with the remaining pages being printed solely in black-and-white.

Continuity

• International Rescue again assist the World Government of Nikita Bandranaik in a rescue operation. (COMIC: Solar Danger)
• Lady Penelope's car can deploy thick oil slip from special apertures beneath the rear bumper. (COMIC: The Vanishing Ray, The Assassination Threat)
• When needing to quickly open a safe, Lady Penelope is thankful Parker has not forgotten his previous profession. (COMIC: Mr. Steelman)
• Lady Penelope contacts Jeff on Tracy Island with a device which doubles as a handheld mirror. (TV: The Man from MI.5)