Look-In #28/1976
Look-In #28/1976 marks the first time Jaime Sommers — the Bionic Woman — appeared on the cover of any British comic publication, used deliberately to herald her television debut on ITV on 1 July 1976; the issue served as a cross-promotional launchpad timed to the show's UK premiere. Although her ongoing strip would not begin until issue #33 (7 August 1976), this earlier cover appearance demonstrates how Look-In functioned as a de facto advertising vehicle for ITV programming, blurring the line between editorial and promotion in a way that was distinctive to British TV-tie-in comics. For UK readers in 1976, it was also a landmark moment for a female action hero receiving solo cover billing in a mainstream children's weekly, at a time when the bionic franchise was the dominant pop-culture phenomenon among the magazine's readership. The issue simultaneously carried the long-running Six Million Dollar Man strip featuring Steve Austin, meaning both bionic characters were represented in a single issue weeks before Jaime's own strip formally launched.
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
Look-In was published by Independent Television Publications Ltd. and had been running since January 1971 under founding editor Alan Fennell, a veteran of Gerry Anderson's TV Century 21 comic; by 1976, editorial leadership had passed to Colin Shelbourn. The magazine's comic strips were written almost entirely by Angus Allan (also known as Angus P. Allan), who had worked alongside Fennell on TV21 and carried that relationship into Look-In. The Six Million Dollar Man strip, with art by Martin Asbury, had been running since the 21 June 1975 issue, and the decision to place Jaime Sommers on the cover of issue #28 ahead of the ITV premiere of The Bionic Woman on 1 July 1976 reflects the editorial team's tight coordination with ITV's broadcast schedule — a structural feature of the magazine's publishing model throughout the 1970s.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Look-In #28/1976 (cover-dated 3 July 1976) is the first British comic publication to feature Jaime Sommers (the Bionic Woman) on its cover, timed to coincide with the ITV premiere of The Bionic Woman on 1 July 1976.
- Jaime Sommers appeared on the cover as a promotional feature only; her actual Look-In comic strip did not begin until issue #33 (7 August 1976), written by Angus Allan with art by John M. Burns.
- The issue also contained an instalment of the ongoing Six Million Dollar Man strip featuring Steve Austin, written by Angus Allan with art by Martin Asbury — a strip that had been running in Look-In since 21 June 1975.
- Look-In was published by Independent Television Publications Ltd. and subtitled 'The Junior TV Times'; all strips and features were restricted to ITV-networked programmes.
- The Bionic Woman strip, once it launched in issue #33, ran for approximately three years — 19 complete serialised stories — through 24 May 1979, with artistic duties split between John M. Burns and John Bolton.
- The Bionic Woman was the only science fiction programme to reach the number-one ratings position in the United Kingdom during the 20th century; its ITV premiere episode drew approximately 14 million viewers.
- Following the end of both individual strips in 1979, Look-In launched a combined black-and-white crossover strip called Bionic Action, written by Angus Allan with art by Ron Tiner, uniting Steve Austin and Jaime Sommers for a further six months.
- The Look-In Bionic Woman and Six Million Dollar Man strips have never been formally collected or reprinted in trade format.