Plot:
Babs and Betty Cartwright are identical twins who were seldom apart, until Babs failed an exam and was sent to a different school to her sister. From that day on Betty receives all her parents’ attention while Babs is often neglected and frequently in trouble.
Notes:
- Artist: Charles Morgan
Appeared:
- Second Best Babs – Bunty: #766 (19 September 1972) – #784 (20 January 1973)
- Reprinted – Bunty: #1255 (30 January 1982) – #1273 (05 June 1982)
I grew up reading boys comics which usually involved fighting. One day when I had nothing else to do I started reading through my sister’s backlog of comics. It was a revelation. The stories were often about girls who were not loved by their parents and other psychological traumas. I always remembered this story, Barbara has to wear her sister’s caste off clothes and is given her old school blazer but there is something magical about the blazer and Barbara suddenly becomes very confident. I think that it was either published in ‘Bunty’ or ‘Sandy’ in the late 1960’s or early 1970’s. Another story I liked was ‘Town without Telly’.
A similar story, “The Clothes Make Carol”, appeared in Tammy, right down to the magic blazer.
Come to think of it, I believe the story you are describing is “The Clothes Make Carol”.
“Town without Telly” was also in Tammy.
‘Second Best Babs’ started in BUNTY 1255 (Jan. 30 1982).
I used to read Bunty at the time Second Best Babs was featured. I loved Bunty but have little recollection of that story, although I do remember my much older sister complaining it’d come to an end as she really liked Second Best Babs!
Poor Babs. Neglected and harshly treated by her parents, just because she failed an exam. I wonder how it all resolved?
The parents pressure on Betty being the best, means she gets sick with nerves and can’t take some exams in her new school, so Babs takes them instead pretending to be Betty. She passes them (not top of the class but still a pass).
Then Betty and Babs get into fight and father wants Babs out of the house, a policewoman that has been helping Babs takes care of her and nurtures her running talent. The parents get a surprise to see Babs in the paper which says she will probably win gold at the next olympics. Betty confesses about the exams and tells her parents off, her and Babs were two average kids whose lives were almost ruined by them.
Betty goes to find Babs to bring her home, she imagines life won’t be all rosy now, but that things have changed now the parents know everything and she wants to be friends again.
I remember it ending with Babs winning a big running race and her pretty appalling parents finally taking notice of her. I remember loving this story but thinking back on it, it was pretty bleak.
Artist Charles Morgan.
“Second-Best Babs” appeared earlier beginning in Bunty #766 (September 19, 1972). I don’t have the final episode but it should have ended in Bunty #784.
‘Second Best Babs’ DID end in 784 (January 20th 1973).