NEW AVENGERS COMIC

Boom! Studios has announced a new Avengers mini-series called Steed and Mrs. Peel. The six-issue comic will be penned by Ian Edginton (Hinterland), with art by Marco Cosentino (Grimm Fairy Tales) and covers by Stacey Lee. Boom! published new Avengers comics in 2012, and even reprinted Grant Morrison's Steed & Mrs. Peel. Although I supported these projects as a life-long fan of the show, I could never really get behind the look of the drawings. Perhaps it was because of my familiarity with the original series, but I found the character designs brittle and lacking in flair. According to the press release, the new comics from Boom! will sport more stylized artwork. This sounds like a wise move, as the original program was quite stylish and owed some of its look to the pop art movement in the 1960s. If the cover image below is any indication, we might finally see The Avengers spirit and aesthetic in comic-form. So, why am I nervous? Story continues below.

Yes, the cover looks fun! This version of Emma Peel looks like she has charm, humor, and energy that could fit nicely into Swinging London. The fluid form and features do a great job capturing the youthful spark that Rigg brought to the role. It is very Emma Peel. But I'm nervous that they are watering down the series with a typical modern approach to female characters. You can see it in the exaggerated physicality. The changes are subtle, but they are there if you know what to look for. It comes down to chest volume, and Boom! seems to think Rigg needed some work done. Compare with the TV stills below and you'll see a slight shift in bust proportion, weight, and location in relation to the length of the head. They have also lowered her hairline slightly to give her a younger, feline look.

The appeal of Rigg's character was generated by her confidence, brilliant mind, charm, and her youthful Mod beauty- not to mention the fashion! She could fence like a master while writing articles for cutting-edge science journals. An action heroine with a genius-level IQ! This design change might not be so big, but it does point to a larger issue that concerns me. I admit I may be overreacting in this case, but I do see a trend. Why are we constantly sold this idea that a woman's power and value is only in relation to the size of her assets and the degree of her cuteness and availability? Why is female strength typically portrayed as flirtation? Did the women's liberation movement never happen? I know we're just looking at a comic, but Mrs. Peel once stood as a true role model for girls -albeit a role model in kinky boots and leather. I just don't want to see that deeper power lost. The choice to outfit her with an oversized gun on the cover also points to an effort to add cute sex-appeal. Rigg's guns in the show, when used, were often quite small. I wonder if the big gun infantilizes the character somewhat? But Boom! shouldn't feel singled out. The 1998 Avengers film also got Mrs. Peel wrong. Not sure what I mean by the exaggerated physicality and sexual tone? Compare Thurman's costume and stance to Rigg's (with tiny gun) below.

The interior art of the new comic will have a different look. I'm not sure what we're in for, but Cosentino's work can be slightly stiff and he seems to be known for drawing curvy women (from behind)- another bad sign for our Mrs. Peel? Maybe I'm jumping the gun, so to speak. Maybe it will be fantastic! I hope so! I'd love to see a successful pop-art inspired Avengers comic that preserves the original power and charm of the characters. I'm all for a sexy Emma Peel (producer's code for Man Appeal), but don't forget that Smart is sexy, too. Fingers crossed and bowler adjusted. Boom!'s Steed and Mrs. Peel will hit stores this July. Interested in this topic? Check out my interview with writer/cartoonist/historian Trina Robbins (Miss Fury, Honey West, Wonder Woman) here.

Recent Ian Fleming posts on Spy Vibe: SE Asian 007, Cumberbatch as Ian Fleming, Fleming Jamaica Book, Bond Japanese Editions, Fleming Chinese Edition, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang 50th, Ian Fleming: Mt. Demon Hell Japan, Collecting Fleming, Live and Let Die 60th, new poster announced, 007 Audio Books Update, Appropriating Bond Exhibit, Fleming Letters Mystery, The Goldfinger Variations, Double 007 Book Designs,  Double 007 designs II, rare Ian Fleming edition, Book Design Dopplegangers, Turkish Bond design, Ian Fleming Letters, Erno Goldfinger, Noel Coward, Whispering Jack Smith, Hawaiian Guitar, Joe Fingers Carr, new Ian Fleming Catalog, Jon Gilbert interview, Double 007 Designs, Bond audio book reissues, discovery of one of Ian Fleming's WWII Commandos, James Bond book covers, Ian Fleming's Playboy interview for Kindle, Spy Vibe's discovery of a rare Ian Fleming serialization, rare View to a Kill, Fleming's Royal gold typewriter, Ian Fleming's memorial address, Spy Vibe's Ian Fleming image archive.

Recent Spy Vibe posts: Ipcress File Blu-ray, Honor Blackman Tour, Playboy Bunny Interview, The 10th Victim Japanese and Kindle, U.N.C.L.E. Japanese Books, The 10th Victim German Edition, UNCLE Gun, The Saint books return, Spy exhibit at the Pacific Science Center, Trina Robbins Interview, Catsuits, Batman '66 Green Hornet Interview: Ralph Garman Ty Templeton, DC Fontana Prisoner Video, Edward Gorey's 1960s, Ipcress File cinematography, 007 SOLO cover designs, Gloria Steinem and Denny O'Neil on MOD Wonder Woman, Win Scott Eckert interview, Siegel and Shuster's SPY, David McCallum: Son of Batman, Wonderwall comes to Blu-ray, Kevin Dart talks Ringo & Powerpuff Girls, Fu Manchu history panel, Mod Tales Interview, Atomic Art, Shane Glines Batman.

SATIRE/SURREALISM BOOM IN THE UK

The rare spy show, The Corridor People (1966), is now available on DVD from Network. As Tanner wrote in his excellent review at Double O Section, the show's four episodes draw on elements of the theater of the absurd, and things can get pretty weird! If you wonder just how "far out" it gets, Tanner mentions the final episode of The Prisoner, Fallout, as an example. Press releases for The Corridor People often mention similarities to The Avengers and Monty Python. But looking at the promotional clip below, I think it will help viewers to appreciate The Corridor People more by taking a quick look at the larger context of the surrealism and satire boom in 1960s England. We'll save the preview of The Corridor People for the end. No peeking!


Satire Boom
With the rise of youth culture and a questioning of traditional class roles, social satire became the new frontier in late 1950s/early 1960s British humor. Following in the footsteps of Peter Sellers and The Goons, who offered a wild send-up of British characters and institutions, young comedians like Peter Cook and Dudley Moore of Beyond the Fringe and the future members of Monty Python became the acerbic voice of the generation. Some of the popular targets included class, the generation gap, authority, official media, media styles/conventions, education, family, and the job market. Comedy fans may recall Beyond the Fringe skits like The Great Train Robbery, Sitting on the Bench, and my fave below, One Leg Too Few. Film fans may remember John Schlesinger's Billy Liar (Tom Courtenay/1963) for its blend of satire and fantasy. John Lennon played a key role in this satirical climate, with his James Thurber-like published books of cartoons and poetry, In His Own Write (1964) and A Spaniard in the Works (1965).

Surrealism Boom
Surrealism experienced a rather major renaissance in the early-mid 1960s. Long before the mind-altering psychedelia that we associate with the 1960s was introduced, influential artists like John Lennon were already thinking outside the box. Inspired by the surrealism of Lewis Carroll, Lennon and others challenged the status quo with a playful and eschewed view. One figure who loomed large in this movement was an American ex-pat in London named Richard Lester, who had worked with the Goons on television projects. At the dawn of the sixties, he collaborated with Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan on a short film called the Running Jumping & Standing Still Film (1960). John Lennon, a fan of The Goons, loved the movie and kept Lester in mind when it came time for The Beatles to make a motion picture. Seeing a clip from Running Jumping below, I'm sure Spy Vibers will recognize a gag which echoed through Monty Python skits years later. Fish-Slapping dance anyone?

Richard Lester was picked to direct The Beatles in A Hard Day's Night (1964), also groundbreaking for its surreal segments, and he continued to helm the films, Help! (The Beatles/1965) and How I Won the War (Tom Courtenay/John Lennon/1967). Lester also teamed with James Bond composer, John Barry, in two major pieces for the 1960s, The Knack... and How to Get it (Rita Tushingham/1965) and Petulia (Julie Christie/1968). Fans of The Monkees might recognize a scene inspired by The Knack, where the characters wheel a bed through traffic.

Lewis Carroll
As I mentioned, the surreal and whimsical work of Lewis Carroll (1832-1898) resonated throughout the Arts in early-mid sixties England. John Lennon often listed the author as a big influence on his own imagery (see I am the Walrus below). A notable celebration of Lewis Carroll came in 1966 with the BBC's production of The Wednesday Play. With a soundtrack by Ravi Shankar, this surreal Alice film starred a who's who of British talent, including Peter Sellers, Wilfrid Brambell, Leo McKern, Sir Michael Redgrave, Eric Idle (Monty Python), Sir John Gielgud, and all four members of Beyond the Fringe, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Alan Bennett, and writer/director, Jonathan Miller. Spy Vibers will recognize a number of actors in the film for their appearances in the satirical/surreal spy shows, The Avengers and The Prisoner.

The 4th Wall
An element that is pointed out when discussing the performance style of The Corridor People is the breaking of the fourth wall, or when actors speak directly to the audience. This was not a new technique. Eugene O'Neill is one playwright who employed it in his play, Strange Interlude. This was parodied in the 1930s by the Marx Brothers, where Groucho actually speaks of "corridors." The convention was also seen in the wartime and post-war comedies of Bob Hope and Warner Brothers animation studio. The sudden, snappy interplay between character and viewer was hip again in the 1960s and seen often in British films. This convention of storytelling had an element of participation that I believe created a deeper level of engagement with the largely young audience. Where we watched Truffaut's Julie Christie interact on-screen with a TV soap opera in Fahrenheit 451 (1966), films like Alfie (1966), How I Won the War (1967), and The Knack...and How to Get it (1965) actually put the movie-going viewer right into the action.

Additional Viewing
Essential faves from the satire/surrealism boom also include The Wrong Box (Michael Caine/Peter Cook/Dudley Moore/1966) Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969-1974), Not Only But Also (Peter Cook/Dudley Moore/1965-1970), Bedazzled (Peter Cook/Dudley Moore/1967), The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer (Peter Cook/1970), and below: The Bed Sitting Room (Richard Lester/Peter Cook/Rita Tushingham/1969) and Magical Mystery Tour (The Beatles/1967).

The Corridor People
Now that you have a larger context of the satire/surrealism boom in 1960s England, take a look at the promo trailer for The Corridor People below. With an appreciation for the satirical and surrealist approach, I think Spy Vibers will also enjoy the added spy elements in the show. I particularly enjoy the silencer in the baby carriage! Again, the complete four-episode set is available from Network here. Linked words in this post will lead to related video clips and media.

The exploration of Surrealism continues here with a look at The Prisoner and Fallout.