Monsters of the Year Go Blank

One of my favourite poems to teach is "Trio" by the late Edwin Morgan, formerly the Makar or national poet of Scotland. "Trio" is an expression of joy, a magical realist snapshot of Glasgow's Buchanan Street. The Magi of the title ward off the "monsters of the year" with music, laughter and tartan kitsch.

This is going to be a bookish Christmas for me - in fact, I've read more novels this year than I had done for some time- and I'm going to devote this 200th post to some characters who got me reading, as a kid.

After a brief flirtation with Andre Norton's junior sci-fantasy, I was turned on to the Doctor Who Target novels in the mid-Seventies. Beginning with half-remembered tales of the Pertwee Era, I devoured the range for virtually the next decade and a half.

The most magical Target book however was a Christmas gift in 1975: the Doctor Who Monster Book by Terrance Dicks.  Priced at an astonishing 50p, this black-and-white softcover book was a guide to the most famous aliens and robots from the series. Since the Tom Baker Era had just begun, the focus was on the first three Doctors and alongside the artwork from the novelisations, there were rare photographs. For decades, I didn't realise that the woman being menaced by a Yeti in a still from The Web of Fear was Anne Travers.

The most powerful and magical image of all was of the original Tardis team from 1963. At that point, I was still two years away from  glimpses of the actors actually moving and talking on The Lively Arts and a further four from (unbelievably) actually watching An Unearthly Child on tv. The Monster Book was a window to almost incredibly distant times.

After last year's twee homage to C.S. Lewis, I have low expectations of tomorrow's Doctor Who Xmas Special. But the Monster Book and the surreal, off-kilter annuals conjure up energy- crisis- Seventies Christmases past.

We've spoken previously on Place of Christmas 1974 being memorable for the triple-threat of the Marvel UK annuals: the most vivid being the Avengers Annual. This hardback reprinted Englehart/Heck stories from 1973- firstly, a two-part Magneto story which featured a guest appearance by Daredevil and the Black Widow. 
As I probably said last year, I was particularly fascinated by Magneto's Savage Land mutates, sensationally called the "Beast-Brood" here.  Madame Natasha's brief Avengers tenure was over by the next instalment, which not only introduced the Lion God but also the enigmatic Mantis. Meanwhile, the subplot of Hawkeye's solo status was carried over, happily, in the Hulk/Zzax clash in that year's (Mighty World of) Marvel Annual.

And speaking of C.S. Lewis, I braved the floods and landslips for a train journey to Aberdeen yesterday, where I saw The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
 I could have gone to a showing at the Elgin Playhouse but I had long promised myself a visit to the Belmont, the city's independent "art-house" cinema, controversially bought over by the ghastly Cineworld earlier this month. Although the young staff were friendly, it was too cold and virtually empty. Who needs "air con" in the North East of Scotland? In December?!

As you know by now, I came to Tolkien in the library of Strathaven Academy at the age of about 12 via the letters pages of Marvel comics which referenced Nazgul and Smeagol-Gollum. That dark -green image of lofty, forested peaks spoke to me of  barbarous kingdoms and magic. The reality was a quaint, rather stuffy children's book.

Over thirty years later, I volunteered to teach the book to S1 in my probationary year and didn't have an enjoyable experience. I found the prose awfully twee and the pace slow. Peter Jackson has no problem with a snail's pace: his movie is a whopping 2 hours and 45 minutes- and that's only part one! However, the imagery of Middle Earth is often exciting, especially the warring stone giants and the escape from the goblin kingdom.

Martin Freeman brings great charm and dignity to his lower middle-class hero and SirIan is twinkly and delightful as Gandalf. There's much fun to be had spotting Richard Armitage and James Nesbitt among the rambunctious dwarves. Seventh Doctor Sylvester McCoy also appears as dotty wizard Radagast, riding a sled pulled by bunnies. I could have done without the crusty matter in his hair, however- fungus? Bird shit?

The first ten minutes or so, starring Ian Holm and Elijah Wood, could have been trimmed- a needless link to Jackson's interminable LOTR trilogy. However, the riddling game with Gollum and the literal cliff-hanger sequence with the eagles liven up the final third of the film. It's also marvellous to see the magisterial Christopher Lee. I do want to see the next instalment but I think padding one children's book out for another trilogy is a somewhat cynical decision.

Have a peaceful Christmas and come back next time for Doctor Who and the Snowmen.

All images are presumed copyright of their respective owners.