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“Forever Avon” fan fiction charity anthology celebrating the life of actor Paul Darrow raises funds for World Wildlife Fund

By John Freeman on February 4, 2021

Forever Avon, a Blake’s 7 fan produced charity anthology in celebration of the late Paul Darrow’s iconic character from Blake’s 7, has already raised over £500 for the World Wildlife Fund.

Edited by Oliver Dallas, Annie Worrall and Jackie Emery, members of the Blake’s 7 fan club Horizon, Forever Avon was released last year, and chronicles the life of Kerr Avon, from his troubled beginnings, to his reluctant career as a freedom fighter.

It features original fan stories and artwork, plus an introduction from actor Stephen Greif, who played leather-clad villain Travis in the popular 1970s BBC SFTV drama.

Oliver Dallas launched the project back in 2019, seeking 1000 – 3000 word short stories, set during any period of the show’s timeline, with there is no restriction on subject, but with the caveat that any story had to heavily feature and/or involve Avon as a main protagonist.

The book includes contributions from and features art contributions from creators such as Andrew Parsons, Grahame Robertson, Raine Szramski and Charles Walpes.

The short story collection in memory of Paul Darrow, and to raise money for the World Wildlife Fund, is a strictly non profit enterprise with no official endorsement from the Terry Nation estate.

Another Blake’s 7 fan production is also in the works right now. Instigated by Forever Avon contributor and graphic designer Grahame Robertson. He recently announced plans to produce the missing Blake’s 7 Annual in time for the 40th anniversary of Season D next year. With a contributor list that includes artist Trevor Baxendale, there’s more information about this project here on Facebook.

• Forever Avon is available here from lulu.com

• For more information and to read extracts from the stories, check out the Forever Avon Facebook page

FOREVER AVON: STORIES AND AUTHORS

A Life in the Day of Kerr Avon by Jackie Emery
Prisoner’s Dilemma by Stephen Brennan
Life Sentence by Jean Graham
Next on my List by S.F. Bennett
Cygnus Alpha – A Treasure to Hold by Larasati Widara with Sue Little
Brain and Brawn by Oliver Dallas
A Twist in the Tail by S.F. Bennett
The Prediction by Tim Gambrell
The Burned by Andrew Kyle
Bad Debt by Jennifer Copping
Avon’s Ruse by Gary J. Mack
To Bring the Dead by Annie Worrall
The Ageing Process by Claire and Katie Lambeth
A Matter of Trust by Sue Little
Only Mistaken by Mandy Mottram
A Reluctant Replacement by David McAllister
Long Odds by Gillian F. Taylor
Demon by Raine Szramski
Stalked by Luci Virgo
The Prisoner by Andrew Booth
A Man Who Trusts by Andrew Williams
Forever Bound by Nanna Sally Nelson
Ashes to Ashes by Lee Bagnall
The Sound of his Voice by Annie Worrall

ILLUSTRATORS

Adrian Webster, Stefan Kuerpick, Tom Newsom, Larasati Widara, Andrew Parsons, Ben Clark, Ryan Aplin, Grahame Robertson, Luke Skirenko, Raine Szramski, Raziel Ravenscar, Charles Walpes, James Chadderton and Leanne Hannah

Forever Avon also features a foreword by Stephen Greif, poetry by Annie Worrall and photography courtesy of Maureen Marrs and Team Blake

• Forever Avon is available here from lulu.com

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.