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 West had problems with the Batman cowl not being flexible enough and lost his peripheral vision. Something true of the latter Batman actors as well but didn’t think it went back that far. He also had more Bruce Wayne time in the 1966 ‘Batman’ film so the mask didn’t take over. I’m been caught into rewatching the series on Channel 82 in the UK lately and it still draws you in. West says they had 250 guest-stars in its 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. His evolution of Mandrake The Magician and, of course, the Phantom, hits all the bases. I hadn’t realised how many colour changes the Ghost Who Walks costume had when the comicstrip was put out in colour and the final purple was more an accident than design. Decades ago, I wrote an article citing the Phantom being the first costumed super-hero. Falk confirms this here and how much ended up in those new-comers Superman and Batman. He wasn’t keen on the film serials of the Phantom but felt the 1996 version was the best. 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 which was failure and 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 being shown over here. It also tends to show there was no magic formula for success with significant stars, although supporting cast rose up through the ranks.
I have to confess I have less interest in ‘The Year Without A Santa Claus’ as writer Rick Goldschmidt looks over it. The same with writer Andy Mangels ‘Sigmund And The Sea Monsters’. With both, I can see why the UK gave them a miss.
Writer Scott Shaw! has a look at Roy Chapman Andrews (1884-1960) as the possible inspiration for a certain Indiana Jones. Reading the article, there’s a lot more different than like. Andrews was not a solo adventurer, neither was he after relics. He was actually into finding looking for the bones of extinct animals, often in the Gobi Desert until China got concerned they were stealing priceless treasures. Andrews history is far more interesting.
Back in the 1970s, I tried a couple of Don Pendleton’s ‘Executioner’ novels but found Mack Bolan a rather boring person. ‘The Destroyer’ was my preference. Writer Will Murray actually ghost wrote for both characters, although only one of ‘The Executioner’, explores the history. Pendleton (1927-1995) had 464 books attributed to him, although many of the books were ghosted as well. Good luck if you want to track them all down because it’s a lot of books. When Bolan had wiped out the Mafia, his original objective, with government approval he went after international terrorists. Even Pendleton thought his character was extremely lucky not to be killed. 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.
Certainly a mixed bag in this issue. I skipped a couple 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&zenid=nqk1ulisb5t35lk6ud0d7lpse0
