MESSAGE FROM ME

Welcome to issue 43 of The Eye Shield. I’m very pleased to report that this issue is overflowing with reader contributions, which is fantastic! Prolific contributor Chris Stallard presents Close, But No Cigar, which gives the lowdown on those teams that reached the very brink of victory (by reaching level three) only to have their hopes cruelly dashed on the home strait. If you have often thought that some level three performances were more deserving of a win than some of the actual winners, check out where your favourite almost-champions have ended up in Chris’s top sixteen. It’s a detailed, thought-provoking piece, Chris – thanks again for sending it in.

Elsewhere, Gary Day begins his account of the adventures of the young knight errant whose journey up to Knightmare Castle is the first thing we see at the start of every episode in series 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, as he presents the epic tale The Adventurer’s Adventure. This story (or playscript, as it might be more accurately described) began its life on the Knightmare Forum, but has now found a home within the loving bosom of The Eye Shield. The Adventurer is bold, cunning, witty and skilful, and has something of an eye for pretty young Dungeon maids; his adventures will keep you enthralled for many issues to come, readers. Gary, my heartfelt thanks are reaching out to you from your computer screen even now.

As for Richard Temple’s never-ending saga, Trade in the Old for the New, it’s finally coming to an end! Yes, at last the time has come to discover the thrilling conclusion to this tale of scheming, espionage, magic and mayhem, and it’s a conclusion that may surprise you, readers. Thanks again for the story, Richard – it’s certainly been a suspenseful read.

Interestingly enough, the final part of this story follows on from my sister Rosey’s latest Big Issue, which compares Honesty Bartram and Julius Scaramonger. Just think, all of Rosey’s observations and opinions may become obsolete if Lord Fear manages to achieve his evil goal of joining the two traders together in one body…

Now, if any of you are in need of an index of Classic Quest entries, check out the Website Feedback section of the Knightmare Forum, where Drassil has set up just such an entity. I was pleasantly surprised to see that someone had taken the time and effort to make this useful little reference to my (and some of Paul McIntosh’s, Tim Morris’s and Chris Griffin’s) work, so thanks for that, Drassil. Further to this, some of Drassil’s other comments on the forum have prompted me at last to join the ranks of posters myself, under the unoriginal yet fitting name of Eyeshield. I’ll now be joining in with any forum discussion relating to TES, and other Knightmare-related things as well no doubt, but I still want your e-mails, articles and stories, so get writing to the address at the end of this section!

You all know how pleased I am when I get an e-mail from a fellow original Eye Shield reader, so you can imagine how happy I was to receive the following correspondence from Dave Stone.

Just popped in to take a look at The Eye Shield; I can’t believe it’s still going after all this time! Keep up the excellent work. It’s people like you who are keeping Knightmare alive and kicking.

Thanks, Dave – I’m glad you’re still enjoying TES after all this time. I’m always very grateful for your messages of appreciation and support, readers, but I’m always particularly pleased to know that some of those original few of us who used to read Paul McIntosh’s fanzine are still reading and enjoying The Eye Shield after all these years. Thanks again for writing, Dave.

The following e-mail comes from Donna McMahon.

I was browsing the internet the other day and came across the Knightmare site. I was reading your input and I like the way you have taken the time to explain various elements of the show that brought many a joy to children’s Friday afternoons. I can only hope it will be brought back, as it most certainly would be successful, with the current fantasy interest in today’s market. Keep up the great work.

Thanks for writing, Donna. It’s certainly true that a lot of new films and TV programmes in recent years have taken a step back in time towards the Golden Age of Knightmare, but the problem with bringing the programme back now, as I (and others) have often said, would be its inevitable over-reliance on virtual reality and computer-generated characters, creatures and even dungeoneers! If Knightmare were to return as it was before (which is about as likely as Tim Henman emulating that guy from that film with Kirsten Dunst in it by winning Wimbledon in his early thirties) that would be fantastic, but anything else… well, it just wouldn’t be tennis!

I’m still hungry for feedback, readers, so drop me a line to tell me what you think of TES, Knightmare or any other related subjects at the usual address: eyeshield2002@hotmail.com