RetroFan magazine #26 looks at "Super Friends," "All in the Family," and more

The current issue of RetroFan from TwoMorrows Publishing dives into the tangled history of the Super Friends franchise. You may wonder, how can Super Friends, of all shows, be a complicated history? Well, just trust me, it is. We got into a bit of it on our episode, but Andy Mangels does a great job of laying out the early production history of the series.

I say "early" history because this piece is only the first part of a four-parter! Next ish brings the awesome Challenge of the Super Friends incarnation.

The other major BOTNS-adjacent piece is the long profile of Mr. T. The man has had a fascinating life outside of The A-Team, and the article hits many of the highlights. However, though it makes extensive use of T's 1984 autobiography, I believe it avoids the part where the star basically admits to killing people when he needed to do so. There may be some doubt about the veracity of T's book, but the guy has some tales to tell.

There is also a good history of The Avengers (the TV show, that is) with a profile of the almost-original Emma Peel, Elizabeth Shepherd. An article on Cheryl Miller delves into the TV show Daktari. There is even a section on Nutopia, the nation crated by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. I enjoyed the story on Mexican monster movies, which touched on the Santo films.

Maybe my favorite part of RetroFan #26 is the summary of All in the Family collectibles. That's right--AITF. In 2023, it might be difficult to think of the show as a merchandising bonanza, but as the Joey Stivic doll indicates, the megahit did spawn many items. Richard Kolkman describes the t-shirts, the campaign buttons (Archie Bunker for President), the board games, and more in a fun story with some great illustrations.

Material from the Sixties, Seventies, Eighties: A good mix of subject matter in this issue of RetroFan, all presented in the usual appealing package. As always, the magazine earns my highest recommendation!