As my Avengers posts are going down remarkably well, here’s some more Avengers ephemera:
First off, the Avengers annuals. 1967 saw the publication of the first ‘official’ Avengers annual (Souvenir Press/Atlas Publications), and features Steed and Mrs Peel.
The second annual, published in 1968, featured Tara King. I was lucky enough to meet Linda Thorson at a Cult TV festival, who kindly signed my annual.
The third annual published in 1969, and again featuring Steed and King.
I should include the TV Crimebusters book produced by TV Publications in 1962, which contained an Avengers strip story featuring Dr David Keel, played by Ian Hendry, the original Avenger, and undercover agent, John Steed, played, of course by Patrick Macnee, the perineal Avenger.
Gold Key Comic: The Avengers featured in quite a few comic strips at the time. TV Comic carried both Emma Peel and Tara King strips. There was an early newspaper strip with Cathy Gale. A full colour strip appeared in the girls magazine, Diana, and 'The Growing Up of Emma Peel' was printed in another girls comic, June. While I don't have examples of those I do have a copy of the Gold Key comic.
Gold Key released a one-off all colour comic for the American market, in 1968. Titled John Steed & Emma Peel, presumably to avoid confusion with the Marvel Superheroes.
It features a photo cover from 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Station'. Some issues also feature a back page pin up. Unfortunately, mine doesn't.
The comic contained two comic strips, previously printed in TV Comic.
Although not vintage, I felt these books below might be worthy of a mention.
From 1980, this Australian bootleg publication; The Saga of Happy Valley by Geoff Barlow. For some reason Steed is spelt Steade, and Mrs Peel is Mrs Peale.
Above a couple more of Geoff Barlow’s bootleg Avengers stories.
In 1990, Eclipse Comics and Acme Press produced a three-part graphic novel from Grant Morrison and Ian Gibson, titled Steed and Mrs Peel.
I had the third annual, with Steed and Tara King.
ReplyDeleteIf I'm not wrong, it also had at least one strip, or story, with 'Mother' in it, as well ?
Absolutely right, Mish, well remembered. Mother appears in the strip, "May I have this Trance?" and two text stories, 'Come on in the water's deadly' and 'What's a Ghoul like you doing in a place like this?'. There's also a feature on Mother's character too.
ReplyDelete