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New Collectible Discoveries

Shaun Cassidy/Parker Stevenson Notebooks Publicity photo from the 70's show. Marvel "Pizzazz" magazine Shaun - Hardy Boys Pennant

New On The Shelves The London Deception (Digest #158) All Eyes On First Prize (Clues Brothers #14) The Great Airport Mystery (Applewood Reprint #9) Slip, Slide and Slap Shot (Clues Brother #15) 3 in 1 Special Edition (1st 3 titles) with DUSTJACKET (!)

Reviewed By: Ben Schmitt

The Plot: The Casefiles start out with a bang(excuse the pun) with the Hardy Boy¹s Casefile #1 Dead on Target. The Boys are thrown into this one without any warning, they are not even on a case.
    In the first chapter, actually, the first paragraph, you obviously know that it¹s a serious situation with Joe trying to rescue his girlfriend(Iola) while Frank is preventing Joe from going into the flames to rescue her.
    Earlier they are inside the mall passing out pamphlets for an upcoming political campaign to be held there at the mall. Joe is flirting with an attractive blond when Iola walks over to him. She asks Joe to go get some pamphlets out of the Hardy¹s car. Joe proceeds to tease her until she snatches the car keys away. She angrily walks off while Frank talks to Joe. He asks Joe why he is flirting with her, then they walk after Iola. Their car was inside the parking garage. Joe calls after Iola only to have her walk faster. She opens the car door and the car blows up right in front of Frank and Joe. The car burst into flames as Joe starts to run towards the car. Frank runs after him and holds Joe back until Frank has to karate chop Joe to keep him from hurting not only himself but Joe. At the end of the explosion and after Bayport¹s cops check out the scene they come to the conclusion that there is no sign of Iola.
    Joe promises to track down Iola¹s killers and of course Frank agrees to help. This throws them into one of the best casefiles ever, arguably. They meet the Network and the Gray man and tangle with the Assassins, a deadly, evil corporation. There is a plane hijacking with the boys and the Gray man taking part in capturing the disguised Assassins. There is constant action throughout the book. They finally have a show down with Iola¹s killer, Sam Butler a.k.a. Al-Rousasa an Assassin. Butler was the detective handling Iola¹s case.
    The showdown is in Bayport¹s mall during the political campaign which the boys and there friends had passed out pamphlets earlier, on the day of Iola¹s death. Fenton Hardy is in control of security over Philip Walker the president-elect and Al-Rousasa is planning on killing Walker.
    Frank and Joe catch up with Al-Rousasa on the third floor of the mall as Al-Rousasa aims an Uzi at Walker. The only problem is that the Hardys are across the mall from him. As Joe spots a lighting cable hanging from the ceiling, an idea quickly forms in his head. He steps back a few feet and runs toward the cable. Joe grabs the cable and swings across the huge gap of the third floor to the other side!
    Al-Rousasa looks up in surprise but is not quick enough to avoid Joe¹s feet being planted into his chest. Joe lands safely but Al-Rousasa jumps up quickly to fight back! His uzi was knocked away but he pulls a large knife out of his clothing. He slices at Joe but Joe is able to move out of the way, the second time he¹s not so lucky. The knife slices the side of his palm, drawing blood. Joe grits his teeth in pain but continues to fight back.
    They fight until Joe is able to flip him away. Al-Rousasa starts to fall over the edge but is able to grasp the edge of the floor! Joe looks at him with hate in his heart and he knows all it would take is one stomp of his shoe on Al-Rousasa¹s hands and he would fall to his deserved death. But no, Joe knew if he did that, he would be no better than Iola¹s killer. Joe stretched out his hand to help him up. Al-Rousasa reached and grabbed Joe¹s hand, and with an evil grin, pulls Joe over the rail! Joe starts to fall over the side but Frank is there to grab Joe before he falls to his death.
    Al-Rousasa is not so fortunate though, the hand that Joe had stretched out was his bloody hand. Al-Rousasa slipped by the blood that he had drawn and fell three stories to his death. The boys get a reward and buy a van and some sophisticated detecting equipment.

Comments: I think that this Casefile was one of the best Casefiles written with plenty of action and hair-raising escapes by the Hardys and their friends. I especially like the encounters with the mysterious Gray Man and the Network. I also found that #100 True Thriller in the Casefiles dealt with the Assassins and the Gray man. It was kind of a similar plot. Also #80 Dead of Night in the Hardy Boy¹s Casefiles series contained the ³reappearing² of Iola haunting Joe. I would give this book an A+ for continuous excitement and excellent writing especially for the first Hardy Boys Casefile.

From: Kevin Murphy (kevinmurphy1@earthlink.net)
I was pleased to see the art work added to the article (Kevin's article in issue 18). It looks good. I never dreamed, when reading the HB mysteries in the late 1940's-early 1950's, that one day they and I would share space in a haven for their memory. I feel that I have, at last, "arrived." As someone else observed in the readers' message board, they may not have been the greatest literature, but they opened up the world of reading and literature for many of us.

From: pmandryk@tcs.on.ca (Phil Mandryk)
Is it possible to be put on the list to receive the Bayport Times? I've loved the Hardy Boys Mysteries for years, starting at 10 years old until now. It's exciting to read about a community, albeit fictitious, like Bayport. Thieves, crooks and robbers. And all in one little town! The boys have their work cut out for them. It's nice to take a break from this fast paced world and pickup a book where boys outsmart the Police and your Mom's only goal in life is to make sandwiches.

From: WConnallyw@aol.com (Wes Connally)
I originally read the Hardy Boys in late 40's and early 50's. Sort of drifted away to Tom Swifts, JRs, and Rick Brants. Still had a half dozen of brown and some light gray boards with orange Gretta end papers form child hood. Recently have reread these after I would guess about 50 years. Actually better than I remembered.
Now I am contemplating finishing out the collection or perhaps buying an existing collection. I have noticed that entire collections are sometimes posted on the Internet. Sometimes they have what are called old blue picture covers. Are these the original stories, or are they rewritten?
Obviously I am a green horn in this area. Any suggestions. I don't mind picture covers, but guessing I should stick with the stories as I read them as a child.

The Mike Humbert Department!