The first look at a new book
about 'Look-in'

"The Best Of Look-in - The Seventies"

Edited by
Graham Kibble-White

Prion Books Ltd


£9.99 Delivered


£8.57 plus Delivery

  Oct 07 Update 
You can now use Amazon's new feature 'Search Inside' to view some pages from the book.

Also, a new edition of the book has been released, it seems to be exclusive to 'The Works' at the moment, and it has a different cover (see below),



It costs £6.99 plus delivery and you can buy it here.

Regular visitors to the Look-in archive's forum pages, may remember a thread from a lady called Lorna Russell, who mentioned the possibility of a book about Look-in.  I'm pleased to say that the book has now seen the light of day, published by Prion Books ltd., it is called 'The Best of Look-in - The Seventies', hopefully an indication that the other years may be covered in separate volumes.

The book seems to be mainly just reprints of various strips and features, and is more of a nostalgia kick than anything else.  For the fan who doesn't want to have to find the space, (or the money) for a full collection of issues, it would be a great little read, and for the hardened Look-in collector a great addition to their collection, if not a must.

If you want to get your own copy, the details you need are on the left.

First review by Shaqui Le Vesconte

There's been a lot of anticipation for this book, ever since a certain project editor turned up on a certain forum a few years ago announcing the project and asking for help. Well here it is, and one has to ask who the book is aimed at. Considering, if you glance at the online Strip Archive alone, there's nine years worth of material, and a scant 140 pages in which to fit 'the best' in, it's always going to be a squeeze, and something of a compromise.

Editor Graham Kibble-White's introduction is brief, almost too 'to-the-point' (ooh look, another pop cult ref...), offering little that is new - though the Dutch 'Jamin Junior' is a revelation! For the record, Germany also had a fair share of 'Look-In' reprints.

It's not necessarily going to appeal to die-hards, who have most of the issues the content is culled from, though it's an extremely nice edition to have. Kudos has to be given for trying to present some complete stories (or nearly - the 'Black Beauty' is bizarrely missing part 1), and a variety of artists, so instead of John M. Burns hogging both 'The Tomorrow People' and 'The Bionic Woman', a John Bolton version of the latter appears. The rest of the strips are one-offs but most conspicuously absent is 'The Six Million Dollar Man', drawn by Martin Asbury, surely the most iconic and long-running of the seventies action strips 'Look-In' had. Alan Parry's contributions are also overlooked (a Bill Titcombe 'Man About The House' is used instead) and unmentioned, while Gerry Haylock gets a name check despite only drawing a single 'Star Story' in 1971.

In terms of editorial features, interviews, pop, sport and pin-ups, it's a fairly diverse but - I would venture to say - considered mix that tries hard to tick the boxes of prime interest over nine years and actually does an admirable job. So where strips like 'Follyfoot' and 'Space:1999' got nudged out, they at least get some look in (no pun intended) here. Extra points go to each page giving the date of the original in small print and, in the case of the strips, the writer and artist (though Gerry Embleton's credit on 'Catweazle' is missing... and 'Superflop' is Brian Lewis surely?). And a fair smattering of adverts also appear, including Flintlock promoting Raleigh Bikes, the Denys Fisher 'Six Million Dollar Man', Dr. Who figures by Weetabix and - strangest of all - 'Look-In' sweets? Chew on that one!

Overall, it's never going to be the definitive 'Look-In' reference that some would like to see. Is it really 'The Best Of"? No, space prohibits that. But it is a brilliant nostalgia fest of a coffee table book, guaranteed to make the more casual reader it is aimed at go 'oooh!' on many a page turn. And one has to hope sales make a second volume for the Eighties a distinct possibility. or maybe the Seventies, Vol.2?
 

My Review

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