Category Archives: Mandy

Slave to Love!

Mandy
  • Slave to Love! – Mandy:  #1252 (12 January 1991) – #1261 (16 March 1991)
  • Translated into Dutch as “Zwaar verliefd” (Deeply Smitten) – Tina #9/1993-15/1993
  • Art: Leslie Branton

Plot/Thoughts

In the later years of girl comics, romance/boy drama stories became a more popular feature.  I suppose it was a sign of changing times, when fashion and pop stars were also becoming more common features. There is nothing wrong with some boy related plots, some were quite enjoyable but others didn’t exactly feature the most inspiring role models.

This story has an uninspiring, un-relatable, unsympathetic protagonist in my opinion.  Gail Somers gets a crush on a boy Justin. Justin has a horrible lazy sister Andrea who decides to take advantage of Gail’s crush. She makes a deal to get Gail and Justin together if Gail becomes her slave for a month and a day.

slave to love 1

 

Gail is somewhat under the delusion that the guy will take his younger sister’s advice on love. She blows off her friends gets in tons of trouble and doesn’t realise what an idiot she has been until the end.  At this stage Justin has met a girl he actually talks to and has started dating her. Her friends are totally understanding of the situation afterwards.

slave to love 2
Seriously they take that as a reasonable explanation for blowing them off. Oh it was all for guy well then of course everything’s okay, trying to get a boyfriend is way more important than our friendship!

None of the characters are that likeable. While there are a lot of stories where girls are being blackmailed or manipulated by nasty girls. Usually these girls are black mailed under the threat of their father getting fired or a family secret getting revealed or something, so it’s easy to sympathise with these characters.  This is why I really find it hard to sympathise with the protagonist in this story, because it’s her own stupid choice.

The antagonist Andrea isn’t likeable but she’s just taking advantage of the situation. She laughs about how gullible Gail is, but turns out she’s not too bright herself. When she meets Gail’s cousin and falls for him she agrees to become Gail’s slave for a month and a day.

slave to love

Seems Gail has a bit of a malicious streak in her as well and is enjoying taking her revenge on Andrea.  As for Andrea… really what does she expect the outcome to be she was just in this situation with her brother, does she really see this ending with Gail’s cousin as her boyfriend!

The Hand of Fear

Mandy,

Plot

Jane Allander’s paralysed right hand is cured by the insertion of a tiny electronic device. Unknown to anyone, Dr Krull, an enemy of its inventor, is controlling it, causing Jane a lot of unhappiness. Because her parents sell their house to pay for the operation, Jane doesn’t tell them about the problems she is having.

Notes

  • Writer: Marion Turner (under pen-name: Fiona Turner)

Appeared

  • The Hand of Fear  – Mandy: #748 (16 May 1981) – #759 (01 August 1981)

Families at War! [1981]

Mandy,

Plot

Orphans, Valerie Dean and Teresa Jones,  are determined to remain great friends for ever. But when they are fostered, they discover that their families are bitter enemies. Val and  Terry, are sent to separate schools, and when both are picked for the athletic teams, they are determined not to compete against each other.

Notes

Appeared

  • Families at War!  – Mandy: #747 (9 May 1981) – #756 (11 July 1981)

Ten Green Bottles [1970]

Mandy

Plot

The Barret family were  “going up in the world.” First Mr Barret gained promotion at work —then Mrs Barret decided that they should take a larger house the country, as the next step up the ladder. Seventeen-year-old Laura Barret was all in favour of the change, but twelve-year-old Una wasn’t so happy. In their new house she found ten bottles hidden away, each time she opened one it caused whoever was exposed to the perfume to behave in strange ways…


(Ten Green Bottles – 1970)

 


(Ten Green Bottles – 1977, art: Guy Peeters)

Notes

  • Artist: Guy Peeters (1977)

Appeared

  • Ten Green Bottles – Mandy: #166 (21 March 1970) – #175 (23 May 1970)
  • Reprinted (with new art) – Mandy: #543 (11 June 1977) – #552 (13 August 1977)

Starr of the Court

Mandy

Plot

Young Diane Starr was brought up on a small island off the Scottish mainland by a cold, mysterious guardian whom she knew only as Zara. Although Zara’s eye-sight was very poor, she trained Diane to be a brilliant tennis player. When she felt Diane could learn no more from her, Zara took the young girl to the mainland to compete in the West of Scotland Senior Championships.

Notes

Appeared

  • Starr of the Court – Mandy: circa #127 (21 June 1969) – (?)

The Reluctant Beauty

Mandy

Plot

Sandra Peach was tricked by Kaye, her younger sister, into entering a beauty contest which, much to her surprise. she won! Sandra agreed somewhat reluctantly to enter more contests, but only on condition that her university studies didn’t suffer.

Notes

Appeared

  • The Reluctant Beauty – Mandy: (?) – #127 (21 June 1969)

Pam of Pigtail Corner

Mandy,

Plot

When fifteen-year-old Pam Potter’s mother had an accident, Pam was left to run their hairdressing business, “Pigtail Corner”, single-handed. It was vital that Pam should make the shop a success, as she and her mother had spent all their savings on starting it.

Notes

  • Art: Richard Neillands

Appeared

  • Pam of Pigtail Corner – Mandy: circa #114 (22 March 1969) – (?)
  • Reprinted – Mandy: #751 (6 June 1981)

Babyface Bobbie

Mandy,

Plot

Roberta Shaw was a policewoman who looked so young she could pass for a schoolgirl – and she was known as “Babyface Bobbie”. Bobbie became a “pupil” at Rowdown Academy so she could act as a secret bodyguard for Karen Kronor, the spoilt daughter of the President of Translavia.

Notes

Appeared

  • Babyface Bobbie – Mandy: #366 (19 January 1974) – #380 (27 April 1974)