Plot:
Mysteriously transported back to the present day from the overcrowded world of the year 2079, Cybela and her dog, Dee, were given a home by Gill and Paul Benson. At the house Paul had inherited from his uncle, Sir William Benson, Cybela learned that Sir William had made a breakthrough in time travel that could solve the population problems of her own time. Searching for the secret, Cybela found a hidden room, but was interrupted by Mrs Markham, the – mysterious housekeeper.
Notes:
- Writer: Marion Turner (under pen-name: Fiona Turner)
- Artist: Don Walker
- Editorial suggested that Cybela should be dark-skinned.
Appeared:
- Cybela – Judy and Emma: #1038 (01 December 1979) – #1049 (16 Feb. 1980)
I wonder… was this the first story with a black protagonist? I feel like it might have been, at least within the SF/thriller genres.
Well there are some unusual noms-de-plume on our forum, but this one might just take the biscuit. My problem will be a permanent inability to take him/her seriously. I’m thinking extraterrestrial? Or a McFlurry?!!!!!?
My late mother wrote the Cybela series and carbons of her scripts are still in the family archive. Making Cybela dark-skinned was a suggestion made by the editorial staff at Emma when she submitted her proposal.
What is your mother’s name, I would love to credit it on the story. It’s a story I very much enjoyed!
Interesting as well that you say she submitted to Emma, as this appeared in Judy & Emma comic not to long after it merged, it must have originally been written just for Emma. That does seem to fit with the comic having a more diverse protagonists, it must have been something editorial were trying to push for. (They also had stories with South American & Chinese leads)
Do you know any other stories your mother wrote for these comics?
Another question, Philip. Did your mother by any chance know the name of the artist who drew this series?
Ooops! Quick correction before I pollute history! My mother sold Cybela to Judy. I’ve just checked her original record of sales and it was her previous serial which went to Emma: Marsali – Girl of Mystery, published as Nola – Girl From Nowhere between September and December 1978.
As for the Cybela artist, I have contacted the archive department at D.C. Thomson to find out if they know.
Thanks for the information, Philip!
Cybela was pencilled and inked by an artist named Don Walker. No further information on him is available. Thanks to Duncan Laird and Victoria Woodcock of the D.C. Thomson Archive Department for this.
Thanks so much Philip, this is an artist that has been puzzling many of us for years!
Thanks very much for this, Philip!
Does anybody have a way of passing this information on to David Roach? I think he has been after a name for this artist for a long time.
I can PM you his address, Goof, if that will suffice.
I have sent you the address, Goof, by PM on ComicsUK.
Thank you for the address, Derek. However, I had in the meantime sent a message to the Downthetubes website, which published an appeal from David Roach for information about this artist several months ago. I also see that Tammyfan has posted the details on ComicsUK, so he should hear about it one way or the other.