Man From Uncle - Gen
Title:
CAN YOU GET CHANNEL D ON CABLE?
Publisher
Info: Pigs in Peril Press
Review:
Call this one The Zine That Almost Got Away. Somehow I missed CAN
YOU GET CHANNEL D ON CABLE? at REVELcon. I glanced at the
cartoonish computer-generated cover and thought it was a novelty
zine or something, then got distracted before I had a chance to
look at it closely. Fortunately my friend Leah McGrew was more
perspicacious; she bought the zine, took it home, read it, and
called me on the phone. "I'm coming over with this
zine," she said. "You have GOT to read it." And
you know what? She was right.
Like Illya, the
zine is deceptively slight, but packed with surprises. It has
just 71 pages and 5 stories. The first story,
"Boyfriend," by Linda Cornett, was unlike any other
M.U.N.C.L.E. story I have ever read. It was the story of a
computer expert's brief involvement with Illya, told from the
point of view of her teenage daughter. The story held my interest
firmly, even though Illya is practically a minor character and
Napoleon doesn't appear at all. The ending, which was both happy
and sad, felt absolutely right.
"Farbror,"
by C. W. Walker, is a vignette written in the distinctive style
of her St. Crispin's Day Society zines. This author has an
unusual "take" on M.U.N.C.L.E.: she writes as if it
were for real, with a serious and mature tone. This little piece
offers us a glimpse of Napoleon, a few years after the original
series, dealing with subordinates in a leadership position. Dry
wit abounds in an excellent story.
"The Hawk
Affair" by Jean Graham was my least favorite of the zine,
though I normally enjoy Jean's writing. A dangerous mercenary
being guarded by Solo and a new agent escapes. I simply could not
believe the naivete and faintheartedness of the new agent; it
didn't seem realistic for her to be allowed a position of such
responsibility. Unfortunately, those unrealistic characteristics
are necessary to the plot, which is set in motion by an escape
that would never have happened had she been competent. That
criticism aside, I did like the clever trap that the escaped
mercenary set for his pursuers, and I enjoyed the Solo-Kuryakin
banter, written with a light and accurate touch. In all fairness,
I should add that Leah liked this story more than I did, and
cited the good character development undergone by the new agent.
"The
Missing Mistletoe Affair" by Jennifer Adams Kelly is a
G.U.N.C.L.E. story that's better than most aired G.U.N.C.L.E.
episodes. (Scarcely a term of distinction, I realize.) The story
is just plain fun. My favorite part was the cliffhanger when Mark
Slate was trapped in a life-size snowman mold about to be drowned
in molten plastic! Very true to the flavor of the original
series, with a lot more consistency of plot and cleverness of the
agents. Some great lines, such as one Thrush underling to
another: "Like you're Mister Bigshot because you get to
deliver toilet paper to all satraps in a three-state
radius." The Thrush's kindly, confused father was a funny
and touching character, whose poignancy never degenerated into
melodrama.
The authors of
"The Worst Case Affair" have some impressive
credentials - J. M. D'Agostino-Toney is an RN and Leigh Zavakos
an EMT, and Terry L. Neill came up with a fascinating story idea.
Although it features a desperate attempt to save Illya's life
after horrible interrogation, it is not a simple "get"
story, but a gripping and vividly detailed medical drama. A
running subplot concerns Napoleon's resistance to an expensive
pilot program of sending field medics out with U.N.C.L.E. teams -
until he sees the program in action. Although technical, the
medical parts of the story are explained clearly for the lay
reader. Furthermore, the authors convey the sense of being
trapped for several hours awaiting rescue in a realistic manner:
even heroes get grouchy sometimes! The only objection I have is
the age of the pilot program leader. I don't think a person can
get a Ph.D. plus field medic training plus become a specialist in
interrogation plus rise to the rank of Section Head by the age of
"26 or 27!" Thirty-six I could buy. Maybe a workaholic
thirty.
The editors, Terry L. Neill and J. M. D'Agostino-Toney, are to be commended for a thoroughly enjoyable fanzine, small but densely packed with delightful stories! I gave the one I had read back to Leah & bought one of my own; it's a definite keeper. It's cheap, too! It was $6 in person. The moral of the story is: take Leah to every zine convention! Uh, no, I guess the moral of the story is, don't pass by a zine too quickly - you may overlook a gem.
Reviewer: Anne Collins Smith