MEN’S ADVENTURE QUARTERLY Issue # 12
The UFO Issue
Edited by Robert Deis & Bill Cunningham
Subtropic Productions, LLC.
143 pgs
We were 13-year-old freshmen in high school when we discovered private-eye paperbacks. Our fond memories include the white-haired, affable Shell Scott by Richard S. Prather and Chester Drum by Stephen Marlowe. Not to forget the Mike Shane monthly mystery digest and eventually Mickey Spillane’s toughest tough-guy of them all, Mike Hammer. Heady stuff for a young reader who had first cut his literary teeth on comic books. But we loved them all, and now editors Robert Deis and Bill Conningham have given us a P.I. themed issue of their wonderful Men’s Adventure Quarterly.
There is so much great material in this 12th issue, it’s difficult to know where to start. As ever, the reprinted fiction is top-notch and worth the price of admission. We were familiar with Frank Kane’s Johnny Liddell but had never had the pleasure of reading one of his tales. That’s now been remedied. The Ed Noon piece by the prolific Michael Avallone is a real winner and is accompanied by a touching bio written by his son. Honestly, we can’t recall a time when his name didn’t jump off the spinner racks at us on so many tie-in books, and to learn he even wrote adventures of the Partridge Family was a hoot.
The history of Honey West, one of our favorite past TV series, was informative and we appreciate the beautiful layout with pictures of the gorgeous Anne Francis. That it only ever had one season is a media crime. Then there are the articles on the real-life Al Hynd, a truly remarkable detective, and Walter Kaylin, one of MAM’s own super-scribes who could write anything. And often did.
Bob and Bill, what else can we add? With every issue of MAQ, you guys reach new heights of genuine entertainment that is so bloody rare these days. Thank you.
