[Quirky Quokka]

Thanks for all of your comments this fortnight. It looks like most people liked the ‘Sea Hunt’ comic, reactions were more mixed about ‘The Saint’, and not as many liked ‘Bold Venture’.  Here are my thoughts.

SEA HUNT #6

I really liked the artwork in this one. It’s good to see an adaptation of a TV show in which the main character actually looks like the real deal. I read a Dr Who graphic novel a while back that involved the 10th doctor (David Tennant), and the renderings of the Doctor weren’t very good. It wrecked my enjoyment of the whole book (though the story was convoluted too). So, it was good to see this character actually looking like Lloyd Bridges, complete with bushy eyebrows! Like others have commented, I wondered if some of the panels were based on actual episodes, but I couldn’t find anything in the episode list that jumped out at me. I guess that doesn’t mean they didn’t use some generic stills.

Treasure of the Mayas

I liked the way they introduced the theme of cultural misappropriation, with fortune hunters trying to take treasure and artefacts out of other countries. A nice contrast between the greedy fortune hunter and Mike’s quest to help the people retain their own heritage. Was this theme ahead of its time in 1960? I’m not sure.

Shadow of Danger (1-page story)

Not much of a story, though it does give some interesting info about manta rays. Not bad as an educational feature.

The Fisherman’s Feast

Fairly basic tale in which a charter boat crew helps a tourist to catch a marlin. I read the ending again, thinking that I’d missed something because it seemed too straightforward. I felt sorry for the marlin.

Underwater City

A nice contrast to the other ‘Sea Hunt’ story, showing some of the other tasks a navy diver might do. However, I had trouble with the premise of this one. Would blowing up a bridge and damming the river, make a bad situation worse? It might stop the floodwater from reaching the town (or would it?), but wouldn’t it cause flooding further upstream? I wondered if their attempts to avert disaster, actually caused a bigger environmental disaster.

Educational Fillers

Not bad. Given how much technology has advanced in the last 60 or so years, including space exploration, it’s hard to think back to a time when underwater exploration was the new frontier. And of course, there is still much to explore in the ocean. Also, some of the ‘treasures’ in the sea like oil, have brought pros and cons. I’m not up on the science, but I’m sure there would have been many more important substances harvested from the sea, but also environmental impacts like oil spills.

Overall

I really liked the first story, but had trouble with the premise of the second ‘Sea Hunt’ story. The fillers weren’t the most riveting, but I enjoyed the comic overall. I remember ‘Sea Hunt’ reruns being on TV when I was a kid, but I was more interested in other shows at the time. This comic made me want to check out the series, and I’ll probably watch some of the episodes on YouTube. It would have been cutting edge at the time. I’ll probably check out more of the comics too. I’m glad it brought back happy memories for many of you. I’ll comment on the other two selections in a separate post.

Cheers

QQ

[Quirky Quokka]

Here's my review of the other two selections.

Super Detective Library #59 – The Saint’s Sunken Gold

I must admit I was a bit disappointed with this one. The premise was okay, though the detectoscope was a bit laughable. However, the storytelling and script seemed a bit choppy. After a couple of you mentioned that it had originally been newspaper strips, the choppiness made more sense. I'm not as familiar with the Saint (having never watched the TV show), but I was expecting a bit more action and mystery. It seemed a bit predictable. There was no denying who the bad guy was from the get-go, as Clegg was drawn to look like the stereotypical thug. Still, it was good to have a longer-length story. I might still check out some of the other Saint comics on the site.

Overall - Glad to have read it, but not one of my favourites.

Bold Venture 21

I was really pleased to stumble onto this radio series, as I'm a big Bogart and Bacall fan. I love the snappy dialogue in their movies and that aspect didn't disappoint in this radio show. I loved the banter. Though I found it hard to believe Bacall was his ward. She never sounded anything less than sultry.

The story was okay, and I liked the musical interlude with King Moses. However, something was missing. When Robb mentioned the sound effects (or lack of), I realised that was it. They were fairly minimal and didn't really add a lot. You had to pay attention to the dialogue to find out what was happening. When Crashryan mentioned that B and B had recorded their parts earlier without the rest of the cast, that made sense. It definitely misses that immediacy of an ensemble cast working well together, along with a good sound effects person. I've listened to another episode and had to replay a couple of parts because I missed what was happening. I now realise the sound effects were the problem there too.

I like Bogey and Bacall enough that I will probably try some more of these.

Overall - I liked it for the star power and snappy dialogue of Bogey and Bacall, but it would have been better with good sound effects and real-time interaction with the rest of the cast.

As always, I learned a lot from all of you. There were some good conversations. Looking forward to seeing what selections we have next week.

Cheers

QQ

[Quirky Quokka]

Years ago, I downloaded all 57 episodes of "Bold Venture" from Old Time Radio Researchers Library. Last time I checked, they're still available for free downloading. These recordings are, for the most part, quite good in quality and are a great little "time capsule" into early '50s radio. Light-hearted adventure, snappy repartee, and Bogart and Bacall- who could ask for more? An excellent way to pass the time on a rainy afternoon!  Cheers, Bowers

I'm glad you liked them, Bowers. I've only listened to a couple of the episodes so far. Do you remember any episodes that were particularly good in case I want to check out more?

Cheers

QQ