The Editors Of Ben Is Dead: Retrohell

The Editors Of Ben Is Dead: Retrohell

Remembering and celebrating the '70s and '80s is a big deal today; everyone who lived through the era seems both horrified and fascinated by the experience. To this end, the editors of the small-press magazine Ben Is Dead have packaged their favorite memories of the time into Retrohell, a half-celebratory, half-horrified remembrance of what were formative years for many. Although it's alphabetized and cross-referenced for the reader's convenience, Retrohell isn't a reference guide, with most entries forgoing definition in favor of the contributors' personal musings—"I was captivated by Sybil as an impressionable pre-teen…"—or simple lists like, "Cartoons—Archies; Atom Ant; Bad Cat; Baggy Pants And The Nitwits…" But really, that's okay. If Retrohell were a true reference work, it would have to be drier and more professional, and then it wouldn't be any fun—or, for that matter, anywhere near as relevant. Retrohell is a book-length toy, a way to spend a few hours sitting around saying, "Oh my god, do you remember Wonderful Waterfuls?" And, as toys go, it's quite well done.

 
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