Retro Fan #38 June 2025 (magazine review).
Under new editor Ed Catto, ‘Retro Fan’ has gotten back to larger articles. Andy Mangels covers ‘Spider-Man And His Amazing Friends’; these are specifically Firestar and Iceman. I never saw the series in the UK, although I think it was shown in the London area, just not in the southwest. Its history of getting on the box was fraught with problems. You would think the people brought up in L.A. had never read comic books before getting into the animation industry.
Considering that Marvel Entertainment had comic book people doing the character design and storyboards and even training the Japanese animators, the pictures of Spidey make him look awfully stocky. Probably the biggest surprise was the number of superheroes and supervillains in the mix as guest stars. On top of all this, there’s an interesting interview with Will Meugniot about his work on the series.
I don’t think ‘The Mod Squad’ (1968-1973) was ever shown in the UK, or at least not on the local channels. Writer Will Murray fills me in on the series of how young delinquents seeking redemption were recruited by a police captain to target adults manipulating youngsters. Hardly surprising that the cast have all died by now, but that’s why we need mags like this to keep these shows remembered.
Writer Mark Voger goes over the history of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’. I assumed it was originally a stage musical but really started as a double album with rock singers before going in that direction.
I think ‘Old Yeller’ (1957) had gone by in the UK when I was young, let alone on TV. Writer Don Vaughn interviews actress Beverly Washburn about her role in the film and the cast.
Writer Scott Shaw! looks at the creative staff who worked at Hanna-Barbera in their careers before and after, together with photographs of them. Finally, I get to see what Michael Maltese looked like. From the looks of things, the writers storyboarded their own gags. Should you ever encounter an American animation quiz, this article will provide a wealth of information.
I’ve been pondering on whether I should watch the only surviving eleven episodes of ‘My Living Doll’ (1964), and writer Lee Weinstein explains a lot about the Julie Newmar show and how much of it was an influence on later shows, including Seven Of Nine from ‘Star Trek: Voyager’ coming from Rhoda’s designate AF-709. Does that compute?
Writer Scott Saavedra looks into ‘Mr. Potato Head’, as created by George Lerner. There were earlier attachments to dress up fists and such before, but this toy, released in 1952, also had to contend with an American public with food shortages and not wanting their kids to play with their vegetables. That didn’t stop them from selling. We even had them in the UK, although I can’t remember the make, and it was a cheap toy and quickly abandoned after a couple of faces. I don’t think we had the same problem with the sharp tips you Americans had. Histories of toys have a similar problem to new authors in getting them made and seeing how many rejects they get before getting that lucky start.
Lastly, writer John C. Bruening has a look at the 261 Nick Carter books, over 300 eye-watering stories if you include his magazine appearances over a 67-year history starting in 1886 and ending in 1990. He was obviously reinvented periodically and became the Killmaster in the 1960s. I think I read one of them but not under that tagline in the 1970s and just treated it as a pulp read. Carter worked for AXE doing espionage business under various ghostwriters. You have to wonder why he didn’t transcend the books like that Bond chap. I did a Google check, and there was a French film, but that was about it. If nothing else, it does show there is a market still for pulp heroes, providing they have the right ingredients.
As always, ‘Retro Fan’ always has something to learn something from and compare with what appeared in your own country. Don’t miss out.
GF Willmetts
September 2025
(pub: TwoMorrows Publishing. 82 page magazine. Price: $10.95. (US). ISSN: 2576-7224. Direct from them, you can get it for $10.95 (US))
check out website: www.TwoMorrows.com and https://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=98_152&products_id=1796
