Essential Avengers magazines

cyberrich · Post by **cyberrich** » Sat Aug 18, 2012 5:23 pm

Timeless A-Peel wrote:
Speed Six wrote:I also have some of those Avengers Files magazine/digest/book/whatever you call them that John Peel put together. I wouldn't classify them as essential, though.
I haven't got these. Everything I've read about them has been less than complimentary. Are they really that bad Rich.

paulpdjh · Post by **paulpdjh** » Sat Aug 18, 2012 6:17 pm

Timeless A-Peel wrote:
paulpdjh wrote:On a vaguely related point, a while ago I managed to acquire Vol 1 issue 7 of On Target. This included a two page comic strip entitled The Rat Trap. Does anyone know whether the strip continued in later issues?
It's been awhile since I read my old On Targets, but I'm struggling to remember the strip. Was it a reprint of one printed in TV Comic or the like, or a new one commissioned for the magazine?

It was a newly commissioned strip. The graphics are pretty basic - according to the editorial it was written/drawn by an amateur artist and would run to eight pages. However, it isn't featured in the next On Target magazine I have - volume 2 issue 2 - but I know that there were a couple of issues in between.

The story featured Steed and Tara who were called in to investigate when the leader of the local fox hunt was apparently killed by a giant fox! I wouldn't describe it as a 'must have', but so far as I'm aware, it's the only Avengers comic strip from the 1980s and the forthcoming Steed and Mrs Peel comic has reawakened by interest in the Avengers/New Avengers comic strips in general.

Timeless A-Peel · Post by **Timeless A-Peel** » Sun Aug 19, 2012 11:59 am

Dandy Forsdyke wrote:I'm going from memory (not always reliable at the best of times) but I'm sure I read in one of the editorials that Dave Rogers had either secured or planned interviews with one or more of 'the back room boys' as he put it. I also remember Julie Steven's name being mentioned, but I'd have to go through them to be sure.

Reading through several of Dave Rogers' rambling editorials to get to one nugget of information is not always a comfortable or pleasurable experience so don't hold your breath on that one...

That's entirely possible--Dave was always trying to get in touch with more people from the show. I would love to read a print interview with Julie--her commentary on the DVDs was brilliant because she had so much to say, and no one had ever given her the opportunity to say it! With the leads' tendency to trot out the same old anecdotes in interviews, it's people like Julie who haven't talked about the show much who are the sources of "new" info. If there is a Julie interview, I hope it sees the light of day at some some point.

cyberrich wrote:I haven't got these. Everything I've read about them has been less than complimentary. Are they really that bad Rich.

Well, they're not great. They're essentially one-season episode guides with pictures. I have the TNA and Tara ones. The TNA ones have little character summaries at the start, which aren't too bad, and occasionally there's a picture in there that I haven't seen before. But there are errors in there, too--one of the TNA ones has a picture that's not even from the show! Bottom line, they were never great enough to make me want to get the rest of them.

paulpdjh wrote:It was a newly commissioned strip. The graphics are pretty basic - according to the editorial it was written/drawn by an amateur artist and would run to eight pages. However, it isn't featured in the next On Target magazine I have - volume 2 issue 2 - but I know that there were a couple of issues in between.

The story featured Steed and Tara who were called in to investigate when the leader of the local fox hunt was apparently killed by a giant fox! I wouldn't describe it as a 'must have', but so far as I'm aware, it's the only Avengers comic strip from the 1980s and the forthcoming Steed and Mrs Peel comic has reawakened by interest in the Avengers/New Avengers comic strips in general.

Hmm, I don't remember it at all, but then it's been ages since I read my On Targets. I'd check on it in my own issues, but I think my box of fanzines is still in storage from my last move. I do remember a couple of other little fan-drawn strips in some other fanzines, but not that particular one. It would be fun to look at in anticipation of the new comic series, definitely. Anyone else able to get to their complete set of On Targets?

Post by **dissolute** » Mon Aug 20, 2012 2:35 am

cyberrich wrote:
Timeless A-Peel wrote:
Speed Six wrote:I also have some of those Avengers Files magazine/digest/book/whatever you call them that John Peel put together. I wouldn't classify them as essential, though.
I haven't got these. Everything I've read about them has been less than complimentary. Are they really that bad Rich.

They are terrible. At least, those I have are. The "Season 1" guide is mostly illustrated with photos from Series 4 and 5 and contains so little information about Series 1 the writer ought to be done for misleading advertising.

JohnSteedFr · Post by **JohnSteedFr** » Mon Aug 20, 2012 10:17 pm

And this series of files is full of mistakes (not the correct titles given to some episodes). It's confusing and there are only two pages of information (interviews, too) at the end.

Frankymole · Post by **Frankymole** » Mon Aug 20, 2012 11:19 pm

dissolute wrote:
cyberrich wrote:
Timeless A-Peel wrote: I haven't got these. Everything I've read about them has been less than complimentary. Are they really that bad Rich.

They are terrible. At least, those I have are. The "Season 1" guide is mostly illustrated with photos from Series 4 and 5 and contains so little information about Series 1 the writer ought to be done for misleading advertising.

The ones on "The Prisoner" were really bad (I bought one, and saw one or two others), so I never felt tempted to buy The Avengers ones.

Dandy Forsdyke · Post by **Dandy Forsdyke** » Sat Oct 13, 2012 1:56 am

Dandy Forsdyke wrote:I'm going from memory (not always reliable at the best of times) but I'm sure I read in one of the editorials that Dave Rogers had either secured or planned interviews with one or more of 'the back room boys' as he put it. I also remember Julie Steven's name being mentioned, but I'd have to go through them to be sure.

Reading through several of Dave Rogers' rambling editorials to get to one nugget of information is not always a comfortable or pleasurable experience so don't hold your breath on that one...

By the way, I didn't know her but I'm so saddened to read of the death of Laure Sermini. RIP.

Ah, just come to me: Billy Westley.

cyberrich · Post by **cyberrich** » Mon Sep 23, 2013 3:52 pm

Speed Six wrote:Timescreen and Action TV both carried features about The Avengers/New Avengers, though would have to check to see which issues.

Just bought my first Action tv mag. No.7 from Autumn 2002. Nice colour photo of Steed and Emma on front cover. Well written in depth article about The Avengers inside by Andrew Pixley. Does anyone have any other Action tv mags featuring The Avengers that are worth looking out for? Rich.

Ian Wegg · Post by **Ian Wegg** » Tue Sep 24, 2013 9:47 am

I'm not sure about Action TV but the significant Avengers articles in Time Screen are these:

Issue 2:
The Cybernaught Analysis
Albert Fennell – A tribute by Dave Rogers
TNA episode guide by Andrew Pixley
General article on Christmas episodes (include “Too Many Christmas Trees”)

Issue 8: Avengers Cars

Issue 13: “A Day In Avengerland” – location guide
Issue 19: List of the work of Brian Clemens
Issue 20: Interview / obituary Tony Williamson
Issue 21: Telefantasy in comics (includes Avengers)

They often appear on eBay at fairly reasonable prices.

~iw

cyberrich · Post by **cyberrich** » Tue Sep 24, 2013 11:13 pm

Thanks for uploading those Avengers covers. I've only got the first of those (No 13) which has about 6 pages of Avengers on location. Love the covers of the next 2 (with Purdey and Tara). Is there much about the Avengers inside those 2 mags? If so I'll have to look out on ebay for them? Thanks. Rich.