Amberley
Books
RRP
£15.99
ISBN:
9781398101319
96
pages
140
colour images
15
Aug 2021
REVIEW BY ADRIAN SMITH
Collector
and historian John Buss is back again with another fascinating glimpse into the
world of 1960s adventure television series collectibles. Having already brought
us books on The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and
The Avengers and New Avengers, this time we get to see items that fans of Danger Man (known in the U.S. as Secret Agent) and The Prisoner (both starring Patrick McGoohan) could beg their
parents for every Christmas.
Given
Danger Man’s more grounded, often
serious nature, there were not all that many toys or games, but there were
still many different items available, thanks to the show being a major hit
ultimately running to over eighty episodes since it began in 1960. There were
several novels released based on the show, which were translated and available
in several countries including Spain, Portugal, France and Germany. As well as
paperbacks, annuals were also available, and a comic strip was published in the
“TV Crimebusters Annual†in 1962, which also featured stories from The Avengers, Charlie Chan and Dixon of
Dock Green, the latter not the first show you would suggest turning into a
comic strip. Some actual full comics were published as well, firstly in America
and then in Spain, Mexico, Sweden and the Netherlands. Only one full issue was
published in the UK. In this book you will find dozens of photos of every
publication that John Buss has been able to track down, also including TV
listings magazines featuring John Drake on the cover.
There
was also a Danger Man board game
issued in 1961, where some players committed acts of sabotage whilst another
player took on the role of John Drake. Fabulous stuff, and just one of the many
items in this book that will have you heading straight to eBay to see if you
can get one for yourself. The book even covers the many different soundtrack
releases on vinyl that have featured one of the versions of the Danger Man theme, including the
unexpected revelation that Bruce Willis recorded one in 1987.
The Prisoner was a
much bigger, glossier, high-concept show than Danger Man, and the available collectibles reflects that. As a result,
one might have expected a vast swathe of toys and other tie-ins. Perhaps its
more esoteric, nay confusing nature and its appeal towards a more grown-up
audience may be the reason that, aside from one Dinky toy car (of the Mini Moke
too, not even Number Six’s own car), what we mainly have here are novelisations
and comics. The Prisoner had its own
strips in TV Tornado and Smash, but no comic of its own. The Prisoner also featured in a set of
collectible trading cards, but that was about it during its original run. Only
years later when the show had firmly secured cult credentials would far more
items be created: one only has to visit the gift shop in Portmerion to see the
difference between The Prisoner’s
commercial potential now and in 1967.
Once
again, John Buss has created a fascinating publication that will appeal to
collectors and fans of 1960s television alike, and provides more evidence that
the author needs to be given the opportunity to curate his own museum.
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