RetroFan has an interesting mix in its latest issue

Longtime readers of this site will not be surprised that I was delighted by the latest issue of RetroFan magazine from TwoMorrows, nor by my disclaimer that I am not compensated in any way for my review. I kind of wish I were; it's an expensive publication. Yet every couple of months, it satisfies with its mix of pop culture, and while it leans 50s/60s, it often has something of interest for us 70s/80s kids.

The January 2023 issue features talented writer Mark Voger's look at Leave It to Beaver plus Lost in Space co-stars Angela Cartwright and Bill Mumy in a cover story, but in a more BOTNS-era-centric piece, the mag looks at Wesley Eure from Land of the Lost. My favorite story in this edition is the comprehensive history of Underdog, a toon I watched quite a bit growing up. I believe my first exposure to it was on WNEP's Hatchy Milatchy!

Rankin-Bass historian Rick Goldschmidt contributes a story about The Little Drummer Boy--not my favorite of the studio's Christmas specials, but this article makes me want to revisit it.

There is a small piece on Cabbage Patch Kids. Scott Shaw! does a lot of pieces centered on 1960s California surf culture, which is not really in my wheelhouse, but he makes them entertaining. I love the spread spotlighting bizarre gifts from 1960s mail-order catalogs.

OK, I said my favorite story was the Underdog profile. Well, my favorite thing in this issue, period, is the first in a series by Andy Mangels presenting, in chronological order, the Saturday morning TV ads that appeared in comic books. This time takes us from 1962-1969, and I only wish the reproductions were a little bigger, but this is a gem!