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TARGET, launched by NEW ENGLISH LIBRARY in April of 1972, was an odd periodical that didn't quite hit the target (spot the deliberate pun) with its intended audience - whoever they were meant to be. Not quite a comic, not quite a magazine (aside from the format), it was neither one thing or the other and, at 10 pence, was ridiculously expensive compared to other weekly periodicals aimed at kids or teens.
I bought the mag for a while, but no longer recall exactly for how long or, indeed, how many issues there were. I remember a novel being given away over several issues in part form, and eventually I combined them into the finished 'book', but I couldn't now tell you what it was called or who it was by. The free gift in the first issue was a sachet of the 'powder of life', which I suspect was the same as the 'Sea Monkeys' advertised in American comics.
In fact, I emptied it into a beer tumbler full of water, and after a few days (or was it weeks? I can no longer recall), little, almost microscopic creatures could be seen swimming around. Sadly, I had to pour them down the sink when we went on holiday that year, as there was no way I could let them starve while I was away for a fortnight. I like to think that they survived and made their way to freedom.
The mag had some comic strip content (two humour and two action/adventure strips), probably the most noteable being BOVVER BOY, perhaps the inspiration for a similar character that appeared in OINK! then BUSTER almost 15 years later, but the art never really grabbed me. Then there was L'S ANGELS, which confirmed my suspicion that the mag's publishers were trying just a little too hard to be different and (to use a later expression) 'down wiv the kids'. What with fashion and 'problem' pages, it seemed to be borrowing a leaf out of mags for girls, like JACKIE, etc.
Anyway, having recently acquired a replacement for my original, long-discarded first issue, I though I'd show you some of the contents. Did you buy this mag in your youth, and if so, what are your memories of it? Tell all in the comments section.
On a personal note, re-acquiring this particular issue causes problems for my memory, in that I can't remember where we went on holiday that year, though as I said, I recall pouring my powder of life creatures down the sink in advance of our departure. Could it be that we holidayed in Largs in '72 instead of '71? But if so, where then did we holiday in '71? One possible explanation is that, as we flitted houses halfway through June of '72, my parents may've cancelled our holiday at the last minute, as the cost of moving on top of a holiday would probably have made a dent in their finances, especially if the opportunity and decision to flit was a sudden one. Will I ever really know? Will you ever really care? (I think we all know the answer to that one.)
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On a personal note, re-acquiring this particular issue causes problems for my memory, in that I can't remember where we went on holiday that year, though as I said, I recall pouring my powder of life creatures down the sink in advance of our departure. Could it be that we holidayed in Largs in '72 instead of '71? But if so, where then did we holiday in '71? One possible explanation is that, as we flitted houses halfway through June of '72, my parents may've cancelled our holiday at the last minute, as the cost of moving on top of a holiday would probably have made a dent in their finances, especially if the opportunity and decision to flit was a sudden one. Will I ever really know? Will you ever really care? (I think we all know the answer to that one.)
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