Retro Fan #42 January 2026 (magazine review).
From the cover, it becomes pretty obvious that this edition of ‘Retro Fan’ is special. Writer Mark Voger brings out material from six interviews with actor Adam West (1928-2017) about his life. I think the biggest surprise was that West had problems with the Batman cowl not being flexible enough and lost his peripheral vision. The same issue applies to the later Batman actors, but I didn’t realise it dated back that far. He also had more Bruce Wayne time in the 1966 ‘Batman’ film, so the mask didn’t take over. I’ve been caught up in rewatching the series on Channel 82 in the UK lately, and it still draws you in. West says they had 250 guest stars in their three series.
Writer Jim Beard looks at an adult Dick Grayson from Earth-2 wearing a costume mixed in mostly with a Batman costume in 1967’s Justice League Of America #55 that nearly became a Captain Action costume.
Writer Will Murray tells the history of creator Lee Falk (1911-1999) as well as snippets from interviews he had with him. He skilfully evolves Mandrake the Magician and, of course, the Phantom, capturing all the essential elements. I hadn’t realised that the Ghost Who Walks costume underwent many colour changes when the comic strip was published in colour and that the final purple colour was more of an accident than a deliberate design choice. Decades ago, I wrote an article citing the Phantom as the first costumed superhero. Falk confirms this point and discusses how much influence the Phantom had on the newcomers, Superman and Batman. He wasn’t keen on the film serials of the Phantom but felt the 1996 version was the best, as it captured the essence of the original comic strip while updating the story for a modern audience. I hadn’t realised the line ‘For those who came in late…’ came from the strip. My choice item from this issue.
Writer Robert Jeschoner’s look at the 1970s TV Guide Fall Preview magazine points out what was a failure and a success on American TV. From a UK perspective, we only saw the successful ones over here. We rarely prejudged success at the time and waited for a season to be completed before it was shown over here. It also tends to show there was no magic formula for success with significant stars, although the supporting cast rose up through the ranks, indicating that factors such as audience engagement and storytelling quality played crucial roles in their popularity, which may explain why some shows were more successful than others in the UK despite the presence of big names.
I have to confess I have less interest in ‘The Year Without A Santa Claus’ as writer Rick Goldschmidt looks over it. The same applies to writer Andy Mangels’ ‘Sigmund And The Sea Monsters’. I understand why the UK didn’t embrace both of these works.
Writer Scott Shaw! looks at Roy Chapman Andrews (1884-1960) as the possible inspiration for a certain Indiana Jones. After reading the article, I found that there are many more differences than I expected. Andrews was not a solo adventurer, nor was he after relics. He was actually into finding and looking for the bones of extinct animals, often in the Gobi Desert, until China got concerned they were stealing priceless treasures. Andrew’s history is far more fascinating.
Back in the 1970s, I tried a couple of Don Pendleton’s ‘Executioner’ novels but found Mack Bolan to be a rather boring person. ‘The Destroyer’ was my preference. Writer Will Murray actually ghostwrote for both characters, although only one of ‘The Executioner’ explores the history. Pendleton, who lived from 1927 to 1995, authored 464 books, many of which also featured ghostwriting. Good luck trying to track down all of those books, as there are many to find. After Bolan wiped out the Mafia, which was his original objective and had government approval, he then went after international terrorists. Even Pendleton considered his character extremely fortunate to escape death. Of course, Marvel’s Punisher is based on Bolan, although Pendleton heard about him far too late to contest it. In many respects, both characters diverged from each other. I doubt if Bolan would make himself a target with a big white skull on his chest.
It’s certainly a mixed bag on this issue. I skipped a couple of things, like American adverts, simply because I had nothing to say and can’t recall any of them reaching across the pond. One question I might ask its editor, Ed Catto, is how far into the past is ‘retro’? Enjoy.
GF Willmetts
March 2026
(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=1843
