Cora Cleversticks

Debbie, ,

Plot

Cora works as waitress at the Sherlock Holmes Coffee House, a favorite haunt of all the super-sleuths in Queen Victoria’s London. Cora ends up solving cases that other detectives dismiss.

Notes

  • Text Story
  • Spot Art: David Matysiak
  • Each episode had it’s own title based on the case Cora is investigating.

Appeared

  • Cora Cleversticks – Debbie: #205 (15 January 1977) – #213 (12 March 1977)

 

List of Stories

  • Cora Cleversticks and the Case of the Disappearing Detective – Debbie: #205
  • Cora Cleversticks and the Case of the Filched False Teeth – Debbie: #206
  • Cora Cleversticks and the Case of the Soporific Soprano – Debbie: #207
  • Cora Cleversticks and the Case of the Baffled Bird-Watcher – Debbie: #208
  • Cora Cleversticks and the Case of the Exasperated Explorer – Debbie: #209
  • Cora Cleversticks and the Case of the Skinny Sneakthief – Debbie: #210
  • Cora Cleversticks and the Case of the Purloined Parrot – Debbie: #211
  • Cora Cleversticks and the Case of the Wealthy Winklemonger – Debbie: #212
  • Cora Cleversticks and the Case of the Burgled Brontosaurus – Debbie: #213

Queen Irene – She Doesn’t Have a Bean!

Debbie,

Plot

Irene Kinigen who had been brought up in Britain, suddenly found herself Queen of the small European country of Sylvania. With Fritz Splitz – her prime minister, chauffeur, and general odd job man, Irene tried the cope with the problem of being a queen without cash.

Notes

Appeared

  • Queen Irene – She Doesn’t Have a Bean! – Debbie: #26(11 August 1973) -#43 (8 December 1973)

A Holiday to Remember

Debbie, ,

Plot 

A series of complete stories about holidays. Such as in

Sleepy-Town Surprise

Marion Jackson arrives at sleepy town to help her gran for the holidays.  She wishes the village was livelier. Then she finds a mystery with pies and meets baker Mike, the pies are being ate by young runaway Willie Tomkins

Notes

  • Each story had individual title with the “a holiday to remember” subtitle, except for The Stranger’s Secret which had no subtitle.
  • Appropriately the series ran during the Summer.
  • Various artists including Terry Aspin

Appeared

  • A Holiday to Remember – Debbie: #177 (3 July 1976) – #184 (21 August 1976) [no episode in issue #179]

 

List of Stories

  • Beside the Seaside – Debbie: #177
  • Too Good to Be True – Debbie: #178
  • Sleepy-Town Surprise – Debbie: #180
  • A Dream Come True  – Debbie: #181 (Art: Terry Aspin)
  • The Cottage by the Sea – Debbie: #182
  • The Stranger’s Secret – Debbie: #183 (Art: Terry Aspin)
  • Susanna’s First Ball – Debbie: #174

Diana 1965

Diana, , , ,

Picture Stories

  • Jane Model Miss (Pages: 6-11)  [Art: Pamela Chapeau]
  • Dixie and the Good Deed (Pages: 15-20)  [Art: George Martin]
  • Nursing with Norma (Pages: 27-31)
  • Susan and the Sea Stars (Pages: 55-58) [Art: Don Walker]
  • The Twisted Racquet (Pages: 62-65)
  • When Unbeatable Brenda Met Goal-Getter Gertie (Pages: 67-70)
  • The Silent One (Pages: 71-75) [Art: John Burns]
  • Little Amy’s Secret Weapon (Pages: 80-81, 84-86)
  • A Skating Adventure with Yum-Yum (Pages: 87-92) [Art: Giorgio Letteri]
  • The Cat and the King (Pages: 107-110)
  • A Lucky Day for Delia (Pages: 117-121)

Text Stories

  • Dancing with Dianne (Pages: 45-48)
  • Angela and the Pantomime Princess (Pages: 97-99, 101-103) [Art: Don Walker]
  • Along Came a Spider! (Pages: 114-115)

Features

  • Every Song has a Story (Pages: 2-3, 126-127)
  • Five Little Animals (Pages:4)
  • Heads for the Tammy! (Pages: 12-13)
  • Four for Fashion (Pages: 14)
  • Getting to Know Ballet – Questions and Quotations (Pages: 21)
  • The Chinese Ballet (Pages: 22-23)
  • Ballet on Tour (Pages: 24-25)
  • Background to the Ballet (Pages: 26)
  • Getting to Know Famous Nurses – Brave Nurses in War and Peace (Pages: 32)
  • The Satisfaction of Being a District Nurse (Pages: 33-34)
  • Training a Pony (Pages: 35-42)
  • Over the Jumps (Pages: 43)
  • Ponies of Britain (Pages: 44)
  • Getting to Know Dances- The Dancing Hands (Pages: 49)
  • Getting to Know Dances- The Dance of the Gypsy Guitar (Pages: 50)
  • Dressed to Dance (Pages: 51)
  • Invitation to Dance (Pages: 52-53)
  • Dancing Puzzle Page (Pages: 54)
  • King of the Big Waves (Pages: 59)
  • Riders on White Horses (Pages: 60-61)
  • Down the Slippery Slope (Pages: 66)
  • The Shy Champion (Pages: 76)
  • Pen and Ink (Pages: 77)
  • Royal Gardens Seeing’s Believing (Pages: 78-79)
  • Like Mother – Like Daughter (Pages: 82-83)
  • Chimps with Everything (Pages: 93)
  • Starlet Corner (Pages: 94-95)
  • Acrobats on Ice (Pages: 96)
  • Acting in the Open Air (Pages: 100)
  • The Great Drama on the Hill (Pages: 104-105)
  • Anything You Can Do We Can Do Better! (Pages: 106)
  • Find the Foe (Pages: 111)
  • Alive-Alive-Oh! (Pages: 112-113)
  • The Story of the Bird in the Hand (Pages: 116)
  • Musical Mistakes (Pages: 122-123)
  • The Wonderful Life of Handel (Pages: 124-125)

(Click on thumbnails for bigger pictures)

Selina’s Search / Selina’s Sketches (1985)

Picture Story Library, , , , ,

Published: Selina’s Search – Debbie PSL #91 (1985)

Reprint: Selina’s Sketches – Mandy PSL #249 (1996)

Artist: Unknown

Plot

Mr James is a struggling, ailing Victorian artist. He has been commissioned to paint a picture of the opening of the new merchants’ hall. But during the ceremony he finally collapses, leaving the sketch six people short for his painting. If he can’t finish it, this will mean no payment, and they really need the money.

Fortunately the Guild of Merchants provided a preliminary plan of where the dignitaries were during the ceremony. His daughter Selina is going to use it to track down the six people and take sketches of them. But tracking them down is only half of it. Somehow, Selina has to get these six important-sounding people to sit for her. And she does not think this will be easy.


Selina’s first stop is a servant named Jem, who was a page at the ceremony. However, the maid won’t let her in to sketch a picture of Jem. Fortunately Jem overhears, and arranges a secret meeting with Selina. He does not have enough time to be sketched, but Selina finds a way to change the maid’s mind and let her in to sketch Jem – a drawing of her and her sweetheart. All of a sudden Selina is a welcome guest and given all the time in the world to sketch Jem in the outfit he wore at the ceremony.

Next is the French ambassador, who will be returning to France next day. But the constable at the French embassy won’t let Selina in. Then a coach knocks over a road sweeper and Selina sketches its coat of arms to identify the reckless driver. Impressed, the constable finds a way for Selina to sketch the ambassador: at Waterloo station where the ambassador is boarding his train for home.

Two down, but the merchants want the picture done in five days. So, although Dad is still not well enough, he has to start painting it now, and he is. The race against time has Selina braving the streets after dark for number three, Dr Armitage, who is the medical advisor for the guild.

Unfortunately Dr Armitage is out on call at the arches under the bridge. Selina finds this means he is tending to homeless children under the bridge, and he is more concerned with treating them than helping her with her sketches. To win him over she entertains the children with shadow pictures to help them forget the pain while he treats them. Dr Armitage agrees to the sketch on condition she also draws a poster to raise funds for the children. Dr Armitage also gives Selina’s father some medical treatment.

Number four is Septimus Swann, a leading member of the Guild and owner of a posh ladies shoe shop. However, Swann has left instructions not to be disturbed while he selects designs for his next collection. Then Selina discovers Swan has rejected the latest designs from his shoe designers and hits upon the idea of asking the customers what they want in a Swann shoe to design a shoe for Swann that will meet the customers’ wants. Swann is impressed with the design – and surprised that all Selina wants in return for it is a sketch of him for it rather than the ten guineas he offers.

However, Selina is rather annoyed that the conceited old peacock keeps her hours drawing copies of him to show his friends. This has eaten up valuable time she needs to track down the remaining two.

Dad anticipates no problems with number five, a Mr Toby Maitland. But he has not counted on Maitland falling ill too. Selina discovers Maitland is ill because he was put in charge of minding the guild regalia from the ceremony, but someone has stolen it. On the case is the constable from the French embassy, and he has to tackle the problem of conflicting descriptions of the thief, which sound pretty pantomime. Selina uses her sketches and pantomime posters to put together a composite, which matches the description of a criminal named Beanpole Beckett. Sure enough, they find the regalia when they raid Beckett’s house. In return, Maitland not only sits for Selina but also gives her a letter of introduction to the last person on her list: the Duchess of Dorian.

But even with this letter of introduction there are problems in getting the sketch. The duchess is up at Dorian Castle, Sussex, which is miles away. Fortunately, Selina matches to get a lift from her town residence, which is packing up and moving to the castle. However, the duchess is in the middle of organising a banquet and a bit busy to sit for a sketch. Then Selina uses her sketches to help a lady organise the flowers for the table. It turns out to be the duchess herself, and she is so grateful she is only too happy to sit for Selina.

Thanks to Selina’s sketches, Dad is able to complete the picture in time, and he acknowledges it at the unveiling. Dad is paid handsomely, and now many of the merchants want Dad to paint pictures for them too. But there’s more – the duchess was so impressed with Selina’s sketch book that she has the Director of Sarum School of Art award Selina a free scholarship.

Thoughts

This is a delightful, engaging story, and it has nice, simple artwork that lends itself really well to the setting. It’s a race against time that becomes a rags to riches story in the end. Selina didn’t quite intend it that way; she just wants to help her father get his work done in time and save face and receive his much-needed payment. We feel for Dad too, who is struggling with ill-health as well as poverty, and though he is still sick, he still has to get that painting finished on schedule. And no matter how sick he is, he has to make that painting a masterpiece.

The story doesn’t delve too far into the dark side of Victorian times. However, we still get hints during Selina’s search of it with the lives of servants, the homeless waifs under the bridge and the doctor who wants to help them, and Beckett the thief. The Jameses themselves are part of the dark side of it. They clearly live in poverty, have little money, and it’s no wonder Dad’s health is suffering. He not only needs the payment from that commission but the prestige and hope of more work from it as well.

There are some touches of humour, such as Jem the servant who’s a likeable scallywag to boot and is not going to have the maid turn Selina away like that. And there is the crook who looks like he’s straight from a pantomime, and pantomime posters help bring about his downfall.

Of course everything comes down to Selina not only being a brilliant artist who is able to sketch well enough to help Dad, but also use quick wits to get those people to sit for her. Getting the people to sit for her or overcoming difficult people who stand in her way turns out to be easier than she thought, even if it is extra work, because she uses her artwork to do them good turns first, from tracking down criminals to doing fashion designs. It always seems to happen that way. So they all get something out of having Selina sketching for them, and it is only fair that Selina receive an extra reward – the art scholarship.

Judy for Girls 1982

Judy, , , , , , , ,

I like to do a post about an annual around Christmas time, although with this book I originally wanted to do it for Halloween as it’s filled with so many spooky stories (and actually hardly a Christmas theme in sight!). But as I didn’t have the time to finish it for then, it will be a Christmas post after all.

From the cover we see no Winter theme, just two girls holding a balloon. Like most Judy annuals of the 80s, featured inside the front and back covers are a collection of photos – here we have everything from diving helmets to highland horses. As I mentioned lots of spooky stories, along with regular characters from the weeklies, a large selection of features and just the one photo story.

(For just a list of contents go to the last page)

Picture Stories

Lost Saturday (Pages: 5-9)

Art:  Jose Maria Bellalta?

Carla Trent is intending to visit her friend Sandra, but gets lost on her way, then a helpful motorist picks her up. Oddly it starts to snow in August, though the woman is not surprised. She brings her back to her house, she has a daughter her age and says she may know Sandra. They are having a party and say they will ring Sandra to come over. Carla still finds things odd, she  checks to see if a car coming is Sandra arriving, it is not her friend and the car skids into a gas main and there is big explosion. Carla wakes up in Sandra’s house, she tells Carla that she was found by  the roadside, she must have dreamed all the other events as there is no snow and the house she describes are still being developed. Months later Sandra invites her to a party with a new family that has moved in close by. Carla realises its the same party she was at before so she manages to get everyone out before the car explodes.

Junior Nanny (Pages: 13-15)

Art: Oliver Passingham

This is the only Christmas story in the annual (although there are some stories set during Winter). Chris Johnson has her work cut out for her when a 4 year old orphan, Alan, joins the home. He had been living with relatives who neglected him and his treasured comfort was an old bucket as it was the only toy he owned. When one of the other children kicks the bucket, Alan gets upset and doesn’t trust them and won’t play with them. Chris puzzles about how to help Alan she notices he is fond of helping with the babies. So Chris gets a little Christmas tree for the babies and talking with Alan, he agrees it needs a special bucket. After successfully separating him from his bucket, Alan begins to play with other kids.

Her Finest Hour (Pages: 17-19)

Harriet Cole had performed her first concert as a pianist. The audience gave her an encore and many praised Harriet, saying she had a bright future ahead of her. Terpsichore, the muse of dance and music, appears in her dressing room saying she will grant her her dearest wish. Harriet says she would like to relive the hour between 8pm to 9pm again. She gets her wish and she enjoys hearing herself play as everything is on autopilot, but then she meets the muse again and can’t stop herself from wishing for the same thing again. She only then realises her mistake, that she made her wish a few minutes before 9 and now is she is stuck in this loop forever!

Dottie’s Ye Olde Joke Book (Pages: 20-21)

One panel jokes with a historical theme.

Danger, Min at Work! (Pages: 24-25)

Min can never keep a job, in this story she gets a job in a bakery. It ends up being a disaster – Min puts her foot in flour, stacks the bread tins too high causing them to fall over on the baker. Then she manages to knock the water tap on and the flour and yeast making a whole dough the takes over the shop!

Wee Slavey (Pages: 27-31)

Art: John Leonard Higson

This Wee Slavey story takes place before Nellie worked for the Selby-Smythes. Instead she is working in an orphanage under the mean and grasping, Mrs Eckstine. While working picking up stones for a Lady Burrows, Nellie finds a ruby. Mrs Eckstine immediately takes it from her. Then Nellie finds out the stone is cursed and tries to warn Mrs Eckstine to give it back. She dismisses such superstition, but after several mishaps it does seem the ruby is out to get her! It does get returned to Lady Burrows, and she is so happy to have the jewel back, she takes all the orphans out for the day.

Lost Chance (Pages: 37-39)

Art: Claude Berridge

Jenny Norton wants to become a writer, and writes whenever she gets the chance, even if gets her in trouble in school!  She sees a competition to write for “Girls’ Weekly” but the final day for posting is the next day. She pits all her time into the competition staying up late at night and starting early next  morning.  She is just finished and goes to help her mom with something, when the wind blows her manuscript  onto a bonfire. With no time to write another entry Jenny believes her opportunity is gone. Then to her surprise, the next week her teacher calls her over to tell her she has given Jenny’s confiscated writings to friend at “Girls’ Weekly”. The friend was so impressed she wants Jenny to write for the book.

The Afanc (Pages: 42-46)

Art: Norman Lee

In a village in North Wales, Ben Evans, the gamekeeper has disappeared. Then one night a police patrol car sees Ben Evans on a horse but he is shaggy and wild looking, and suddenly vanishes again. They report back to the station, a woman says what they saw was the Afanc returned for revenge. Old folk tales tell of him, ruling the Welsh forest and hunting the unwary traveler, he was lured away but vowed to return. The police think this is rubbish, but the local gazette run the story and schoolgirl Prue and her friends are interested in the story. Their teacher is not impressed by the girls talk and makes them write an essay on critical journalism. The girls decide that she would believe them if she saw herself the Afanc herself.  So Prue dresses up and  rides out on horse, she frightens Miss Bake, who swerves her car into a ditch and causes the horse to bolt.The other girls own up and help Miss Blake, but Prue has disappeared. She is never seen again, at least by anyone who can tell the tale. Later a lost tourist goes missing. With all the disappearances, the police begin the wonder if there is some truth with the Afanc story.

Big ‘n’ Bertha (Pages: 50-51)

Dad wants to teach Big to be a guard dog, but he’s not having much success. Then Big catches a burgler, when he trips over the sleeping dog!

Born to Dance (Pages: 52-55)

Art: Jose Ariza?

Paula Delaney is assistant to Madame Nina Nerova a ballet teacher. They invite a film team to see Madame teaching hoping to attract new stars. While lots of enthusiastic girls audition only one girl, Tessie has star quality, but she runs away when she realises she is being filmed. Watching the film Paula figures out who she is by her resemblance to another dancer.  They go to Tessie’s house where they meet her mother, a previous pupil of Madame Nerova and whose promising ballerina career was destroyed by accident. She was so bitter and sad about it, that Tessie hid her love of ballet from her, but it turns out her mother is happy to see her daughter dance and wants to see her become the str she could never be.

Dottie’s New Year (Pages: 56-57)

A humour strip with a panel for every month, that tells how Dottie has spent her year.

Cora Cupid (Pages: 58-63)

Art: Giorgio Letteri

Cora is always meddling in peoples love lives after a falling out with friends, she decides not to meddle any more. Even when she sees opportunities to get long term couple,Neil and Laura, back together, she resists. Then her friends start talking to her again because they want her to sort Neil and Laura out! But Cora has convinced herself not to meddle so much, that she can’t work her magic anymore. So her friends end up scheming with Neil and Laura to get her confidence back.

The Honest Thief (Pages: 65-67)

Art: Bert Hill

A “Girl with the Golden Smile” story. Jill steals a book about art from Westerby Department store. She wants to give it to her disabled sister to use, and plans to return it later. Anna tracks her down, and finds out her whole story, how they have little money, but Jill wants to help encourage her sister’s art talent. She promises not to steal again and Anna gets her sister a job doing portraits at Westerby’s.  Seems odd that Jill would “borrow” the book from the department store, when there are libraries whose purpose is the lend books and its all legal too!

Anita’s Butler (Pages: 74-76)

Art: Bert Hill

Mareton (Anita’s ghost butler) does not trust a boy, Bob Wilson, who is helping with a charity auction, that Anita is also volunteering at. Mareton sees him steal a medal and go off in sports car with older woman. Then he sees him tampering with a plane at air display. He convinces Anita to stop the plane, but the pilot turns out to be the woman from the sports car. She is Bob’s mother, he was fixing her plane and the medal he “stole” was actually his grandfathers medal, that was wrongly donated. The Wilson’s don’t mind the misunderstanding and take Anita for a plane ride.

First-Time Faith (Pages: 77-79)

Art: Jim Baikie

Faith Hope wanted to be the girl with the most entries in a local firm’s Book of Records. She gets an idea of getting new entry, when it comes to celebrating Lady Bernicia, the town’s hero. Bernicia never wore her wedding dress, instead wearing black in protest and started uprising against the invading Normans. Faith wants to be the first to wear the dress. She  enlists the help of Monica the museum curators daughter to get the dress for her. On the day of pageant, the lights go out and Monica ends of getting her dad’s overalls instead. Somehow Faith doesn’t notice the difference in the dark! So Faith doesn’t get her entry in the Record book.

Pony Tales (Pages: 80)

Humour strip about girls and their pony.

Is a Goldfish Really a Girl’s Best Friend? (Pages: 81-83)

A girl ponders about what the best pet would be. A dog would be a lot of work with all the walks, tortoise sleeps half the year, budgies tend to fly off an elephant takes up too much room. She concludes her goldfish really is the best.

The Golden Touch (Pages: 84-87)

May Ferrier’s father works for Lady Meshan. One night a constable comes across May with box of jewels, which had been missing for a year. May claims to have just sensed it, but her father is accused of stealing it from Lady Mesham and telling May where he hid them. At a trial their lawyer has an idea. He proposes that May is a diviner who can detect gold. Lady Mesham dismisses the idea, thinking the test has been set up in advance. But then May says she has gold on her person and a dentist in the courtroom confirms she has gold fillings. The charges are dropped and the Ferriers even get a reward for finding stolen goods.

The Haunted Churchyard (Pages: 91-95)

Art: Norman Lee

Petra Markham is dared by her friends to take a shortcut through a supposedly haunted graveyard. Her bravery soon leaves her when she hears a low wailing sound and she runs towards the church finding the vicars house. The Vicar goes with her to investigate and they find a trapped dog is source of wailing. The Vicar says it must belong to a neighbour, Mrs Bragg, and they go to his house for cocoa. The next day after recounting the tale to her friends, Petra realises she left her homework at the  Vicar’s house. She goes back but the house is derelict. She finds her homework there and is confronted by Mrs Bragg. She tells Petra, she had a puppy 40 years ago but he injured his paw around the time the last vicar of the church died!

Boyfriends (Pages: 97)

Humour strip where a poor guy is hassled by wannabe girlfriend.

Abandoned! (Pages: 98-101)

Art: Jose Ariza?

This is an Emma Report story, at Morningside Children’s Home, the children are watching Emma do a report at zoo, then the Matron has special surprise, Emma has come to visit. Afterwards Janey sneaks into Emma’s car, she wants her help as she’s been looking after dog and the Home doesn’t allow big pets. They take the dog to a vet, Emma met through her time at television. Emma leaves vet to contact the children’s home as Janey seems to be hitting it off with him and his wife, and she suspects Janey could find a new home with them.

Bobby Dazzler (Pages: 106-107)

Art: Giorgio Letteri

Don and Mike both want to accompany Bobby to disco and there is only one spare ticket. She tells them whoever scores most goals at next match will take her. They get the same amount of goals but Bobby has managed to get an extra ticket, she just decided to wait until after the match to tell them!

Schoolgirl Vet (Pages: 109-111)

Kay Burrows family have a visitor, Miss Soong, who practice acupuncture. Wen Kay’s brother hasto attend to a lame cow, Kay and Miss Soong help. The cow is given all sort of treatments, including Miss Soong’s alternative treatments and the cow is cured. Kay is convinced it is Miss Soong that cured her, but Kay’s brothers not so sure, but he keeps that to himself!

The Warning (Pages: 113-115)

Art: Claude Berridge

Prudence Wells is on a train when she is puzzled that she keeps seeing the same man at each stop. At the third stop the man the man calls out for help. She gets off at next stop and sees the man. She goes to talk to him, causing him to move towards her and narrowly avoid a falling trunk that would have knocked him in front of a train!

Party Girl (Pages: 121-125)

Art: Matias Alonso

Samantha Parry is only interested in going to parties and having fun. She neglects her ill grandmother so she can go out with her potential new boyfriend Dominic. She even considers poisoning her grandmother to get rid of her. After midnight when a party ends, Dominic invites her to an all night party. While he goes to meet the host, Samantha finds something unsettling about the party, the drinks are flat, the food stale and the people seem strange and unhappy. She tries to leave but somehow ends up back in the same room again. She tells Dominic she wants to leave, but he tells her the host is very interested in meeting her and as her grandmother died tonight she can stay and have a life long party just like she wanted. We see the hosts shadow which appears to be the devil. Meanwhile a cop interviews a man, as an ambulance takes body away. He says the girl just drove into the wall but the shocking part was she was sitting on pillion and nobody was actually driving the bike!

Pages: 1 2 3

Halloween 2019 Roundup

Misty, Spellbound,

A day late I know, but still worth talking about what Halloween goodies I got this year.  As with previous years most come from Rebellion’s Treasury of British Comics line. For new editions this year, we have a fourth Misty book, this time focused on the artist Jordi Badia Romero and it is their most gorgeous book yet, complete with glossy hardcover. The introduction gives some insight into Jordi Badia Romero and also the work of his brother Enrique (which can sometimes get confused as they worked closely together). Then the book itself consist of mainly short stories (nineteen in total) and one 5 episode serial Screaming Point, as well as some Misty covers. There are many great stories here such as personal favourite of mine Hunt the Ripper which concludes in a fight between Dracula and Jack the Ripper, Darkness at Noon where a woman in ancient times has premonitions of great disaster and The Power of Young Melissa where a young woman appears to have the power to bring the dead back to life. The longer serial Screaming Point where an orphan, Lucy, goes to stay with her uncle, a public hangman is very atmospheric and one of Misty’s creepier serials.

Now in it’s 3rd year the Scream! & Misty special changes direction as it focuses on just one story –The Thirteenth Floor,  which continues its story from the previous 2 specials. Slightly disappointing is that Misty is dropped from the cover so the title is just Scream! Presents. But worries have been subsided with news of next years specials, as not only are we getting a Scream! & Misty Special in October there is also scheduled to be a Misty Presents Special in December. The amount of specials announced for next year  (including another Tammy & Jinty issue) is exciting, especially as they seem to going well enough to expand the amount of titles. So I guess going forward we can expect both combined anthology specials and focused “presents” specials.  As for  The Thirteenth Floor, it really does have room to breathe in this longer format, sometimes the story doesn’t flow to well and needs a second read to get everything, but overall works fine.  Like in the previous specials there are different artists for the real world and Max’s world. This can be a bit jarring at times but also quite effective, a lot of great artists here. The story like I said picks up from the previous special as Officer Hester’s memory wipe hasn’t been completely effective and she is closing in on Max and Sam, meanwhile Sam’s home situation isn’t a pleasant one and helping Max isn’t bringing out the best in him. There is some very creepy imagery throughout, so perfect for Halloween scares!  As well as this story there is a short stand alone story and the first episode from the original series.

While I have not got my copy yet i should also mention Julia Round’s book Gothic for Girls: Misty and British Comics is now available on Amazon. This book gives an in-depth analysis of Misty, so I must for fans.  I look forward to receiving my copy soon.

Meanwhile on the DC Thomson side of things, there is a bit of a Halloween mystery. At the start of the month DC Heritage department opened a Damian Darke twitter account hinting at the return of Spellbound. Then it was announced that they were releasing a digital edition of Spellbound with reprint of serial “I Don’t Want to be a Witch!” and a collection of Damian Darke stories to be released on the 30th October. Then when that date came around all information has suddenly disappeared without explanation and Damian Darke’s twitter account has been deleted! I’ve been trying to make enquiries about this so I will update when I know what has happened as I know many people were eager at the news of the release. Myself being super eager when I checked on twitter and saw the information was gone, I checked on comixology (digital comics website) and saw it was available there, so I bought it. But now I see it has also disappeared from the comixology shop so not available for anyone else. So I won’t post any information about it, until I know further details about why it was pulled (I’m half expecting the copy I bought to be recalled!), but I will say I hope whatever has gone wrong can be resolved because it is quite a nice collection.

So even though Halloween is officially over, still some good reading and a mystery to solve!

UPDATE – So apparently DC Thomson have been doing a bit of clean up of their social media, but the Spellbound issue will be released again in the new year – a further upate is this never materialized and this Spellbound issue seems will never see the light of day which is a shame, particulary for those who contributed and put together the issue.

Fran – Friend for a Year / Prisoner of Time [1979]

Nikki, Tracy, , , ,
  • Fran – Friend for a Year – Tracy: #03 (20 October 1979) – #15 (12 January 1980)
  • Reprinted as Prisoner of Time – Nikki: #171 (28 May 1988) – #185 (3 September 1988)
  • Main Artist: Carlos Laffond
  • Second Artist: Candido Ruiz Pueyo

Plot

On a Halloween night, Julie Jackson has a party on top of Holly Hill, a place where witches were legend to meet in olden times. Julie has brought an old spell she found in the library which is meant to summon spirits. She is startled by sudden appearance of a girl, causing her to drop the paper into bonfire, before she can recite it. The girl, Fran Gray, joins the party, she has some strange old fashioned sayings and seems to know more about history than modern things. She tells Julie she used to live here a long time ago and has recently returned. She also tells her that 300 years ago witches met at this place and their influence lingers. Julie invites Fran back to her house when it starts to rain. Later after everyone leaves, the Jacksons discover Fran has no home, so invite her to stay. Fran is grateful but she can only be friends with Julie for a time.

The Jacksons end up fostering Fran, but there are many puzzling things about Fran. Julie notices her marking the calendar, she says a year goes by quickly. Fran seems to very knowledgeable, on the first day of school Fran evacuates everyone when she realises the new school has been built on an old mine. Everyone gets out before the school collapses. Reporters want to do a story on her heroism, but Fran shies away from photos and doesn’t want any interviews. At the newspaper office the reporters find an old story about a girl saving children during a bombing, the think the similarities with Fran is curious. With the school closed, Julie and Fran go to stay with her cousin. When they arrive, Fran sees the door plaque for Dr Hawkforth, then when Carol greets them, Fran throws silver dust on her to protect herself from evil. Talking to her family Dr. Hawkforth remembers stories about witches in his family and Fran refuses to stay with them. So they have to leave.

More mysterious behaviour when they go out riding and Fran uses a side sidle. She saves a fox from a hunt as she says she knows what it is like to be hunted. Time passes and soon it is Christmas. Wanting to show her gratitude to the Jacksons Fran digs up old heirlooms to give to them as presents. Christmas is not happy time for Fran though as when the Hawkforths visit, Fran will not interact with them and draws circle around her bed to protect from evil. Seeing the presents Fran gave, Uncle John says he has an old painting of  a woman with the brooch and when Julie tells Fran about it, she says it was her mother, but then says she has no mother and no family. When Julie tries to comfort her saying she has them now, Fran replies that it’s only for a year.  Fran causes more trouble at a New Year when she hypnotizes a rude girl causing her to throw trifle over herself. She says its one of the many things  she learned over the years. When Fran wants to go to Brinton Julie accompanies her and she puts flowers on an ancestors grave. It seems a reporter and pastor are waiting to find out who the mysterious mourner is who leaves flower on the same day over the years on a gravestone too faded to read. On another family outing the girls meet an old woman who is shocked to see Fran as she looks like the girl, Fanny, that they adopted. But Fanny disappeared after a year leaving only a thank you note. They bring some comfort to Mrs Palmer, but Julie again wonders what is Fran’s connection with Fanny.

At home Julie catches Fran putting on make-up to try and look older, and again Fran makes some mysterious comments about some people not getting to be old. Later when out with some friends Fran saves girl from drowning. It seem for a minute, after saving the girl, Fran is going to let the water take her, but then changes her mind, she tells Julie she must follow life through to it’s natural end. Julie begins to get more pieces of the puzzle,when Fran is knocked out by tree rambles about “Don’t burn the witch, spare Sarah Hawkforth until she has freed me”. Then when the Jacksons go looking for a birth certificate for Fran in village she was born in, they can only find a Fran Gray from over 300 years ago. As Fran’s birthday approaches she becomes more unhappy, she promises to reveal everything to Julie soon. Mrs Jackson makes Fran a cake but  the 14th candle won’t light. That night Fran sneaks down to grandfather clock and Julie follows her.  At midnight the hands spin backwards, Fran tells Julie the spell still holds.

Carol Hawkforth arrives soon after Fran’s birthday, she has been doing some digging  into her ancestors and has found out about Black Sarah a witch burnt at the stake. A black cat arrives at the house, Fran says it’s reminding her she can’t stay longer. Finally Fran tells her story – Sarah Hawkforth lodged with her family, but when her father found out she was a witch he cast her out, she cursed Fran with living forever. Sarah was burnt at stake before Fran could get her to reverse the spell. So as Fran stayed 13 forever all her family and friends grew old and died around her. She then for the next stage of her  endless journey.

Thoughts

It’s that time of year again, to look at some spooky stories. When this story was first printed it started appropriately around Halloween although the reprint started in May! There were two artists for the story, perhaps because I had gotten used to Laffond but I think he did a better job at portraying the wise qualities of Fran and spookier atmosphere. [Update: Thanks for Goof for the artist names, also I just noticed that the Nikki reprint has 2 extra episodes, I don’t know which episodes are extra as I don’t have the Tracy issues to compare but presumably those that were cut didn’t affect the story and may have to do with Lafford’s early death] Of the story titles, I prefer Prisoner of Time, as it keeps more with the mysterious tone. The first episode in Nikki had a cover that  promises it to be the strangest story ever read. I don’t know if that is true but it does come close and the cover was very intriguing. That cover actually takes a lot from the last 2 episodes  so readers must have been anticipating when these story elements would be revealed.

It is quite a detailed story, so my summary just covers main points, but there is lot of strange behaviour and sayings like “love apples” for tomatoes that Fran use. It is very interesting that it turns out Fran was cursed by a witch, as she displays some witchy qualities herself, such as saying a spell on Holly Hill to protect Julie from spirits, her use of silver and circles to ward off evil and her putting girl “under a spell” by hypnotizing her. Early in the story I thought it would be revealed that she was persecuted as a witch by the Hawkforths, especially as she mentioned she knew what is was like to hunted like the fox. So the reveal that she was actually cursed by a Hawkforth witch was well done.  I do wonder if she met some good witches over her time, and that’s where she learned some spells, perhaps she has sought help to break the curse before. We don’t get to learn much about Fran’s past as we only get hints of it throughout the story, so it does leave room for readers to imagine what the last 300 years has been like for Fran, once her secret is revealed.

Some things don’t quite add up though, such as if she has been alive all this time, even if she still likes old fashion things its odd that she is not also knowledgable about modern things. The ending also leaves some questions, as it plays up the difference in age of Julie and Fran, making out that she is so much younger and naive which contrasts to her worldly presence (The switch in artist for the last 6 parts also makes Fran look younger, I don’t know if that is intentional or just their style). With the Jackson’s knowing the truth and ancestor of Black Sarah among them, you’d think they might try to help Fran instead of letting her go, but maybe that would lead to too many questions by authorities. There are some dark tones in the stories, Fran is certainly a tragic and sympathetic figure, having to watch her family die, to never have permanent friends, it clearly distresses her, so much that she even contemplates suicide at one point! Quite heavy stuff. It is a story that feels fresh in comparison to some other witch stories and a captivating read.