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    1. Can anyone remember girls stories like in paperback form…like an extended comic book story… I remember one about a girl travelling back in time to the Victorian era…same illustrators as in the comics. Threw them all out and am sure my girls would love them!

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      1. If you mean comics that told one story rather than several stories… There were Lucky Charm comics that took a serial from the comic and reprinted in full as one book. https://girlscomicsofyesterday.com/lucky-charm/ Although none of those involved time travel.

        There were also smaller Picture Story library books, a few of those had girls travelling to past such as “Rosie at Thorndale Hall” “The Girl in the Mirror” “Prisoner’s in the Past” or “The Door to Yesterday” https://girlscomicsofyesterday.com/2012/07/the-door-to-yesterday/

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  3. Thanks, I added in your suggestions. I don’t have a full collection of these comics so if there are any other stories that I have missed I’ll be happy to add them 🙂

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    1. Hi, just discovered this fab site. I’m an Aussie who totally loved my girls comics/annuals as a child in the 1970’s, unfortunately through parents divorce & house moves multiple times, have lost most of them. Loved Jinty, June annuals, Diana annuals, Debbie comics etc. Remembered 2 stories I loved but not sure which magazine/annual from. One was a tomboy skateboarder with messy hair, think she may have been an Australian moved with her family to the U.K. The other (& my favourite by far) was a gothic horror comic story with a guy who was lured away from a dark ?carpark by the enticing movement nearby of mysterious ?vampires that he followed & who then ambushed him & he disappeared. His girlfriend Cathy looks for him &, to her horror, encounters her boyfriend as a ?vampire himself with the others. Fabulous graphics (colours of purple & black from memory) , scary story as a child, would love to see it again but unsure where it came from. Maybe Diana? Title may have had something like hill, haunted, tower in it. Any ideas? Thanks so much for any ideas, I’d really love to rediscover it!

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        1. It was definitely in a colour annual with photos. Pretty sure it would have been either June or Diana annual around 1976 – 1978. There may have been a tiny colour photo in the annual of a girl sitting on a rock on a beach with a heading/story called “Just Justin and me”. Thanks for looking back, not 100% sure concrete surfer is right, just thought i’d noticed more references to being an Australian back in my 1970’s comics, however thanks heaps anyway!!

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    2. i have an old comic missing cover torn falling apart tell me about it , the story titles are:
      1) missing title page but features Heidi and Valda
      2)meet trixie dean call me cupid!
      3)rosetta and the house of fear
      4)prince the dog of destiny
      5)guardians of the golden condor (in red ink)
      6)cant help dancing
      7)the legend of the singing sword
      8)jakie flash
      9)patch and the monsters
      10)the secret song of katey darby
      any help in id’ing what i have ,ill send you pics

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      1. Hi Steve, it’s a Mandy comic, first story should be The Truth About Valda, I don’t have an issue that matches exactly the list but it sounds like it would be somewhere around issue #360 (Year: 1973)

        Usually at the bottom of the pages there would be a date (e.g. MDY 1.12.73)
        If you can see that, then I can tell what the issue number is from the date.

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          3. Not sure what you mean? Are you looking to sell it? As it is missing pages it probably won’t be high demand item. Derek has also suggested before that the Media Studies department (Girls section) at Liverpool John Moores University, are happy to receive girls comics.

          4. Just going by your description, Steve, I would bin it. I donated 1100 of my duplicate DCT girls’ story papers to LJMU earlier this week, all complete. They included 259 issues of Judy, 124 of Nikki, 186 of Mandy, and 347 of Bunty, the rest being made up of Debbie, Emma, Spellbound, Tracy, M&J, and Diana. The two delighted lecturers, Val Stevenson and Nickianne Moody are currently planning how to incorporate them into their courses this academic year.

        2. thankyou wasn’t thinking of selling just curing a 25 year curiosity.
          I know it wouldn’t be worth anything $ wise in this condition but was thinking if it maybe of any preservation and presentation value to anyone including this dedicated web site, the artwork is truly appreciable .

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  4. I have an 8 year old daughter and so wish the comics of my childhood were around for her generation – ones with proper stories to absorb the reader, not just plastic gifts to make you buy them and little thought given to what’s inside the pages. I’ve stopped buying comics as she loses interest once she’s played with the toy. Instead she’s working her way through the Asterix books (as well as being a free reader at school and reading “proper” books!)
    Also, I would LOOOOVE to get hold of the book “The Sixpence That Changed Into A Swimming Pool” – I read it over and over when I was about 10 and I so want to share it with my daughter. Any idea where I might get one please? I so wish I’d kept my copy – and my Sue Day Annuals, and Princess Tina and Bunty and Judy etc etc! (I longed for hair like Sue Day’s when I was 10 and can still picture whole pages of the annuals in my head!)

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    1. I hung onto my old annuals and picture story books, but I do regret all my weekly issues getting dumped, so I know how you feel! 🙂
      Ebay usually has a good collection of the picture library stories being sold off, if you keep an eye out for stuff. Another good source is 30th Century Comics that sells vintage American and British comics. They don’t appear to have Judy #60 at the moment but if you want to check back with them heres the link: http://www.thirtiethcentury.free-online.co.uk/catalogue/37A_girlspiclibs.htm

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  5. Hi as I said in the previous comment to Debbie, 30th Century Comics specialises in vintage comics and they are located in London, (18 Lower Richmond Road, SW15 1JP London). I don’t live near London so I don’t if there are any other shops that also sell these comics, but hope that helps 🙂

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  6. Thanks for all your help with filling out the list of stories that appeared in these comics 🙂 I will add M&J as a separate listing, my collection and information on M&J stories is a bit limited at the moment but I will add what stories I know of in the next day or so.

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  9. I’m so excited to have found this site! I love old girls’ comics, especially Bunty, Mandy and School Friend, and it’s so hard to find good stuff about them online! I’m looking forward to having a good long browse.

    I also have a question – as a teenager I gave away a lot of my comics and annuals before coming to my senses later on and finding many of them again in second-hand shops or on eBay, but there’s one story that I loved that I’ve been unable to find.

    I’m pretty sure it was called something like ‘The Secret of the Acorn’ and it dealt with secret inheritances, hidden rooms, and a girl who came to a house as a servant and couldn’t understand why everyone was mean to her. She also fell in the weir at one point. If you don’t recognise the story, do you have any suggestions as to where I might look for it? eBay is great for finding annuals but I wish they’d list the titles of the stories inside!

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      1. I have been trying to find out for years which magazine published this story! Thank you so much. As an 8 year old I was totally hooked on The Sign of the Acorn

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  10. Can anyone remember the name of the photo story that ran in Bunty in early 1999 that was about a girl who had a French foreign exchange student (named Lois) staying with her?

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    1. As far as I know the “Fabulous Four” appeared under the different name of “Supercats” but not in any Diana weekly issues, instead they were in the short lived comic Spellbound.

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    1. I’m afraid other than knowing that it was drawn by Spanish artist Enrique Romero, I’m not familiar with that series.

      Like Muffin, I would advise you to try comicsuk forums, there are lots of really helpful people there.

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  15. Most of the original Tina/Princess Tina covers were drawn by the well known British illustrator Walter Lambert (drew the cover for the British Leyland calendar for over 30 years as well as stuff for OXO and other large companies) the covers produced by the great Spanish female comic artist Purita Campos that began in 1970 were far more lively.

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  16. BTW, the header picture at the top of your blog was drawn by Ken Houghton.
    We worked together on a few stories for Bunty and Judy and other comics by DC Thomson in the early 80s, including the serial The Secret Of Penny Farthing in Bunty. I pencilled this story and Ken saved it with his inks. I was around 16 when I drew that, and I’m still drawing comics over 30 years later, almost exclusively for American publishers nowadays.

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    1. I really liked The Secret of Penny Farthing, both you and Ken Houghton are very talented. You’ve had an impressive career, I’ve also seen your work in Criminal which is amazing.
      When I was choosing a banner for the site I thought that image seemed a good choice both for its art quality and that it had a girl travelling into the past! Its great to learn more about the creators behind these comics.

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  17. It can vary, I’ve seen people buy a big mix collection, but you may want to split them into title groups as some people only collect certain titles and don’t want the extras.

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  18. They may be more popular in UK, but postal costs will be a lot more as well. You could still advertise on Ebay giving the options of both NZ sales and shipping to England.

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  20. Here’s a great big clue to get you started!

    Susan Brewer’s “The History of Girls’ Comics” happens to reproduce a Judy cover with Freckles and Her Frog on it. It is Judy #1030, 6 October 1979. The caption reads “Ferdy [the frog] is a big hit on a TV show and receives lots of fan mail. But there’s a surprise for Freckles in one of the letters!” This suggests that this could be the first episode of the serial.

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    1. Also on another forum it says “Freckles and her Frog” was in Bunty issues; 244-263 which would have been around 1962. The artist was George Ramsbottom. It’s possible that it was the same story reprinted in Judy.

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      1. No way it could have been the same story – Bunty would not have let another title reprint her material unless she had merged with it. It must be two serials with the same title.

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      2. This 1962/63 story, the first appearance of Freckles Wilson and her frog Ferdy, was in text format. The reason for the excitement, envy, and covetousness that drive the plot is that Ferdy is capable of taking on, and beating, all challengers in jumping contests.

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        1. The picture serial Freckles And Her Frog that appears in Judy 1014 (Jun. 16 1979) – 1033 (Oct. 27 1979) is a pictorial version of the text serial with the same title that appeared in Bunty 244 (Sep. 15 1962) -263 (Jan. 26 1963). It even has the same number of instalments.

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  21. No idea. I’ve never seen either serial. The 1979 Judy story has the frog as a TV star with lots of fan mail but that’s about all I know about it.

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  22. There was weekly Bunty issues, with several stories, like the ones on ebay with the white borders. Doeth’s Picture Library shows the covers of the monthly Picture Story Libraries, these were complete stories in small digest form, that were around 64pages.

    Also assuming issues 244-263 are right for the story the corresponding dates should be 15/09/62 -26/01/63.

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  23. No the monthly titles were new complete stories separate from the weekly issues. Sometimes they would have characters from the comics e.g. The Four Marys, but they weren’t reprints of the issues just new stories. So you should be looking for the weekly issues. Having never read the story myself I’m not sure if her second name is Wilson

    This site lists known stories for the comics but it isn’t a complete list, I usually just update the list when I find new stories in my own collection or when other people let me know of stories. So I will up date the Bunty list to include Freckles. It can be a slow process to find out the name of every story in a 40 year run of a comic!

    It was actually another forum at http://www.comicsuk.co.uk/index.php that mentioned “Freckles and her Frog” being in Bunty. Its a really helpful site if you want to check it out as well.

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    1. It is funny that Bunty and Judy both had a serial called “Freckles and Her Frog.” Something like “Double Trouble” (Bunty, M&J and I think, Judy as well, all had a serial with that name) or “Blind Ballerina” I can understand, but a title like “Freckles and Her Frog” does surprise me a bit.

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  24. I doubt Bunty would have allowed Judy to reprint one of her serials, so I still say it is two serials with the same title. Perhaps it is the same writer.

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  26. Hi, I was wondering if anybody could help.
    Back in the 80s I drew a few covers and Judy & Co stories for Judy comic. I’ve got copies of a couple of them, but I’m still looking for the rest.
    http://surebeatsworking.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=judy
    I did the covers and Judy & Co stories for #1471 and #1472, and about five or six more. I’ve got the first two comics, but I haven’t seen the rest since I drew them in 1987. I’m missing the Judy comics from #1542- 1550 and upwards of #1631. If any of my covers appeared in these issues and if anybody has these for sale or could even just let me borrow them to make scans I would be very grateful. I’ve got a book coming out about my career in the summer and although it does contain a few examples of my girls comics, I’d like to include more if possible.

    Thanks,
    Sean

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  27. These are separate publications. The Bunty comics and the Picture story library are different. I am no expert, I only bought and read the Picture Story Library.

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  28. Yes, check on ebay. I am selling mine – but I’m not sure this site is the right forum for selling. I don’t want to annoy the admin!
    I have 340 Picture story Library and several annuals, which I will be listing over the next few weeks.

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  32. Danger Doll! (or Danger Doll) was a weekly story in the Bunty comic which my Mum, my sister and I followed avidly. The problem was that the newsagent did not deliver the issue in which the very last intallment of DD was published and we never found out what happened.

    Danger Doll! (or Danger Doll) was an evil toy which caused mayhem and destruction and seemingly nothing could stop it. If memory serves it began life as a child’s toy, but very soon changed to something malevolent. In the last installment we read DD was surrounded by tanks and armed soldiers and was on the brink of being destroyed, but we never found out what happened next.

    Was it a dream? Was DD the product of a mad professor? Did it come from outer space and have technology yet unkown by earthlings?

    If anyone can tell me, I would be eternally grateful. It’s been puzzling us for 40 years!

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    1. How come the newsagent didn’t deliver the Bunty?

      Do you still have the other issues? If you can narrow down it down to the issue number you are looking for it will be a lot easier.

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    2. As I’m replying to the above enquiry over two and a half years after it was posted, I doubt whether Janet Bailey will read it. Nil desperandum! The doll turned out to be an evil poisonous cloud. The doll changed back into its cloud form by reconstructing its molecules, and then sped off from Earth at an enormous speed, after it was affected negatively by the pleasure of the people around it, especially the laughter of some children just having fun, and those watching a Punch and Judy show. Earlier Jemma Johnson reminded some Army and Police authorities that its name was Estrella, the Spanish word for star, and therefore presumably it had arrived from outer space. Jemma has saved the Earth!

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  33. The comic was delivered to my Grandmother’s house and we would read it when we went for a weekly visit. That particular week the comic was not delivered on time ( I have no idea why) and I suppose we thought it would eventually be delivered and we would have two comics to read the following week.

    Sadly they did not send it and my Grandmother did not pursue the matter. She obviously had no idea how interested we were in the missing issue! By the time we realised what had happened, it was too late and all the unsold comics and magazines of that week had been returned to the distributor.

    I have no idea which issue we are talking about. Although comics were kept for a while, they were eventually discarded when we took them to school and were kept in the “rainy day” cupboard for use during wet days when playtimes were inside rather than out.

    Looking back, I think we might be talking about +/- 1973, but I cannot be more precise. Sorry 🙁

    It isn’t really a matter of life and death, but on occasion we do wonder just what happened to Danger Doll!

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    1. I am missing the last issue of Danger Doll as well, the issues I have of the story are from 1981 (possibly a reprint if you remember it from 1973). In issue 1209, Danger Doll has set a town on fire, and Jemma thinks she has destroyed the doll by dropping it in a hole that is about to be blasted. Superintendent says he will guard the spot where she is buried and that they are close to solving the mystery.

      I don’t have the next issues, but I’m guessing the story probably finished in issue 1211?

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  34. Hi, when I was a girl I had a letter published in Judy and won £2 and a hairdryer! I would love to get hold of a copy of this comic for old times sake but all I know is that it was some time in the mid 70s and the letter was about growing a plant from an apple pip. Needle in a haystack I know but its on my bucket list if anyone can help…

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    1. I’ve looked through my 70s Judy collection, but can’t see anything matching that. Although I do mostly have early 70s issues rather than mid 70s. Can you remember any other details? Like maybe what stories were being printed around the time you sent the letter in or was it a time when the cover printed popstars or stories from inside?

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  35. It would be a good idea to have all the DC Thomson comics listed. Spellbound is the one comic I know least about, but I have got some Nikkis recently so I can make a start with those!

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  36. I’ll do lists for the other D.C. Thomson titles, its hard to find information on some of the shorter running comics like Suzy and Emma, so any contributions you have would be great thanks!

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  37. Great reminder of my childhood, thank you!! Have you come across a story in any of your comics from 70s or 80s about a young girl, I think brought up by gypsies, it might have been called Little miss no name, I loved that story when I was young and I never got to read the last story, always wondered how it ended! would love to find out.

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    1. The story sounds familiar, though that may be because a lot of stories revolved around girls brought up by gypsies. By the title Little Miss No-Name I’m guessing she didn’t know who she really was?

      I don’t think I’ve come across a story by that title though I know of another story called Little Miss Feather Feet which sounds similar. The girl is being raised by fairground gypsies but she doesn’t know who her parents are, or even her exact age and she has aspirations to become a gymnast.

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      1. There was a Jinty story called “Miss No-Name”, about an athlete who loses her memory. An unscrupulous junkyard owner and her daughter take advantage to turn the girl into their slave. They are not portrayed as gypsies per se, but there is some hint of gypsy origin.

        There was another one in Princess (series 2) about a girl who is kidnapped by gypsies. I can’t quite remember the title and will have to dig it out. But I don’t think it had “Miss No-Name” in it.

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    2. There was Wendy who was kidnapped by gypsies, lost her memory and who was always on the verge of remembering her previous life! Can’t remember what happened in the end but would bet my house she remembered everything and was rescued!

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    1. Oh I’m so pleased! I was on the point of throwing them out! Would £10 plus postage be ok? If so how can I contact you? I’m on facebook (Sally Such) if you want to send a message there. Cheerio!

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        1. Only very rarely are comics or story papers offered for sale on this site. You would be better advised to look on line at the current stock for sale at 30th Century Comics in Putney, London. If you are then interested in anything ring them on 0208 788 2052 between 10.30 am and 6pm. They are closed on Sundays.

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  41. I am a collector of comics. Do you know what girls comic / annual (from 60’s, 70’s) had a cartoon strip called “Raining Cats and Dogs”? I have been looking for this for years. Many thanks for any help, Andy.

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    1. The very helpful “Tammyfan” on the comicsuk forum thinks it could have been in a School Friend annual 1970s.

      From what she remembers there was a story with that name and she thinks it was about an old lady who likes cats and dogs. A girl is intolerant towards her and calls her a witch. Then there is a flooding and the girl acquires a whole new understanding about the old lady and her cats and dogs.

      Does that sound right?

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      1. I checked through my Tammy index again and found there was a complete story called “Raining Cats and Dogs” that was published in Tammy on 10 March 1984. I’ve put scans of the story up on the comicsuk forum.

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  42. I do welcome this site .I am looking for S.P.L s of days gone by – Sue Day, Shool stories, Lucky`s Living Doll., but it isn`t very easy to get even a glimpse of these! What lovely books they were.

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  43. Hi from Australia, I am hoping somebody can help me by remembering a story from a girls annual, possibly 1970-72 not sure if it was a Jackie or Diana or what!
    But the story was about two girls I think sisters, called Maggie and Kate, they were very bad mannered and rude and they had a teacher I think called Carol Lawson. The two girls were fighting over ties. I remember the story so well, but would love to know what book it was from I really want it!
    Thanks 🙂

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  44. Thanks Muffin, I think the story must have been about in 1984/ 1985 I think the girl was actually called Tuesday if anybody remembers I would be grateful, sure I didn’t imagine it

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    1. There was a story called “Tuesday’s Child” ( who was full of grace hence being a gymnast!). I don’t have any of the issues though I do know it was a reprint and had originally appeared in Bunty in 1968. Sorry I’ve no exact dates!

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      2. Tuesday’s Child ran in Bunty 504 (Sep. 9 1967) – 523 (Jan. 20 1968). Thirteen-year-old Avril Delman is expelled from the Regal Ballet School when her vindictive tutor, one-time star ballerina Marta Nicova, tells Madame Fontana, the school’s principal, that Avril is an athlete rather than a ballet dancer.

        That very evening, while watching a gymnastics competition on television with her father, Avril realises that many of the movements in the gymnastic exercises are similar to the ones she has already perfected in her ballet classes. She comments on the similarity to her father, who promptly takes her to watch members of the Territorial Army doing their gymnastic training in the local Drill Hall.

        Dad is all for going in to the Regal School the following morning to complain to Madame Fontana about the expulsion, but Avril has seen the light, and tells her father not to bother as she has decided that she will go to a normal school, and take up gymnastics instead of ballet.

        After eventually winning the British Junior Championship, Avril is chosen for special coaching for the next Olympic Games.

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    1. I’m afraid I got there first, but if there was particular issues or story you were looking for I would be happy to pass it along to you?

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  46. Hi there! Lovely site. I’m sorry to bring yet another ‘Do you remember this story…’ question to the party…

    It was around 1979-80, and about a girl who, when she looked in a mirror, saw not her own reflection but that of a hideous old hag called Magda. She started seeing it in other reflective surfaces like shop windows, and eventually I think Magda came to physical life. I always thought it was a Misty strip but my local Misty expert says not. This story scared the hell out of me I’ve been looking for it for ages. I’m starting to believe I’m going mad and it never existed…

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      1. Oh my God!! Yes. Her smashing the mirror does not lead to anything good, as I recall. Thank you SOOO much. I hadn’t realised I was so young when I read it. I was traumatised by that evil bat in the mirror. Now I’m going to have to try and get hold of those issues! Thanks again.

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        1. The evil bat was actually the girl’s own evil. Her evil personality kept reflecting in the mirror and it’s appearance worsened as her conduct did. And the girl’s name was Magda, not the reflection.

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  47. I know plenty of annuals with stories about models but that specific scene doesn’t stick out in memory. Any other details you know, like around what year you would have read it? Or whether it was likely to be Bunty, Mandy, Tammy, Girl etc..

    You can also check this link: http://ukgirlscomics.com/comics/
    There are some (though not all) annual contents listed, which might help jog your memory.

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  49. Unfortunately there isn’t one site that sells these issues. As they are all second hand, mostly it is just luck if you are able to find a particular issue you are looking for. Mostly I look out for issues on ebay. 30th century comics is a good resource and the site seems to be working fine now, so you may want to try there again.

    Also, Amazon while it doesn’t seem to stock single issues, it has a collection of Bunty/Mandy/Judy Annuals and picture story libraries.

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  50. What a fantastic idea I have a few old annuals and love the comics of yesteryear! I have been looking for a story from an annual I had when I was young. I have been searching for this story for years in every old bookshop I have been in.
    It was a story about a girl who was sitting beside a village pond and either she fell asleep or went into a trance and saw a vision of the life of a young girl called Evelyn who had been drowned in the pond when tried as a young witch on a ducking stool. It was a very sad story but I loved it.

    That is all I remember but it has stuck with me for about 40 years and I always wanted to find that story again and which annual it was from. I have searched all the lists but no story title sounds anything like it. Does anyone remember the story?

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    1. The first story sounds really familiar, but I can’t place it at the moment.

      The second is possibly “Polly’s Perfect Mom” from Mandy early 1980s? Polly persuades her mother to enter a “Perfect Mum” contest, but when she wins life is made difficult for the rest of the family as Mrs Gordon tries to make them into a perfect family.

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      1. The kind people over at Comics Uk had a few suggestions to what the Victorian story could be “Honor Among Thieves” (Mandy 55 – 66 [1968]) reprinted as “The Courage Of Honor Bright” (Mandy 424-435 [1975] and again in 1985)
        or “Who is Sad Sally?”

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  52. It’s not Hard Times for Helen. That one is about a girl who is having a bad time because too many demands are made on her mother after she wins the Superworker award.

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  53. I’d recommend splitting them into titles first i.e. Buntys, Judys etc. as a lot of people just collect certain titles. Misty and Spellbound are two comics that usually go for good prices.

    The most common place to sell is on ebay, or another website you might like to try is preloved.co.uk. London based 30th Century Comics also buy in comics. Alternatively there are car boot sales.

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    1. I am very keen to purchase jinty comics and tammy comics from the ‘ 70 ‘ s.
      Obviously postage to Australia would be high so I am interested mostly in collections of comics.
      Always looking for these comics. … so whatever the date is, this is a long term request. 😉
      Thankyou
      Halle

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      1. Hi Halle
        I have 57 tammy comics from
        77-79. Was considering posting on eBay aus but haven’t got to it yet. I’m in aust. Let me know if interested
        Regards
        Stephanie

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        1. Hi Stephanie – did you sell your Tammy Comics? I am always looking to fill gaps in my collection. I tried starting a Facebook group hoping people would join and trade, but no-one has found it yet! I am in Australia too…

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  55. Hi everyone.

    A story has stuck in my head for over 30 years now. I’m sure it was from the Bunty Annual, the exact year unknown but early 80’s. It centres around Moira and a girl she befriends at a river. The story ends with Moira being told the little girl drowned years earlier and had a twin Sister.

    Any ideas? I would love to be able to read that story once again.

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    1. Sounds like the story “The Bond” from Judy Annual 1983. Elaine moves to a new town and finds a blonde girl crying at the river, named Moira. They become friends and when she brings her a birthday present to her house, the mother tells her Moira was the twin that drowned years ago.

      Heres a list of contents of the annual: Judy 1983

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  56. Yes, I am planning to post about two big Judy characters; Wee Slavey and Bobby Dazzler in the next few months. Also slowly working on “The Comp” post but that has so much to cover that it will probably be next year!

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  57. A story from the 1960s, probably in Mandy, about an orphan called Evelyn, who has all sorts of clues to find her true identity. Something about Polly meaning Polyphemus? It’s a long time ago. Any help?

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    1. Doesn’t sound familiar to me. Although there are plenty of stories about girls looking for their identity. Do you have any more details such as was it set in the present or past (like Victorian times)? Where did the girl get the clues?

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    1. It’s not a comic I ever collected so I don’t know much about it. It was a short lived comic published by IPC – 1981-1982. It merged with Girl. I think it did release a few annuals after the merge.

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  62. My grandmother created the story from Judy titled Vicky the Evacuee. It’s based off of her own experience being evacuated from London into the countryside during WWII, as many children were at the time due to the frequent bombings in the city.

    I was very pleasantly surprised to google it and find it referenced on your site lorrsadmin. I’m trying to find it, or copies of the comics it was in, and am having a difficult time. If anyone has access to copies or has copies and can scan the story for me, or knows a way for me to get a hold of the story in any way or format, I would appreciate it so much.

    Thank you lorrsadmin for including the story on your site.

    Reply

    1. That’s very interesting, did your grandmother create any other stories? Vicky the evacuee started in Judy #574 (9/01/71) I’m not sure when it ended but it was reprinted in 1984. I don’t have the complete story but I can certainly send you scans of what I have at the weekend. You can try ebay and 30thcenturycomics.co.uk for issues too.

      Reply

      1. I believe I know the “Vicky Watson” (randomly) sketched on a train in early 1971 as it turned out for the story “Vicky the Evacuee”. Trying to find out for her the name of the man who drew the sketch. He showed Vicky the sketch after he had done it, asked her her name and said that he planned to use it in an upcoming series – just wondering if the name of the artist is known?

        Managed to find “Vicky the Evacuee” stories, except for one in number 584 (or what I assume would be issue 1282 in 1984 reprint) with story ‘Johnson’s corn cure’. Tried all obvious selling points such as ebay, 30th Century Comics and border bookshop. Mildly frustrating but not the end of the world!

        FYI, the original series “Vicky the Evacuee” runs from issue 574 to 592.

        Reply

    2. These are the exact issue numbers and dates that contain the serial Vicky The Evacuee. The original was in Judy 574 (Jan. 9 1971) – 592 (May 15 1971). The repeat in the same story paper ran in 1266 (Apr. 14 1984) – 1284 (Aug. 18 1984). Currently 30th Century Comics in Putney do not have any of these issues on their For Sale list. This is an excellent shop for secondhand comics and story papers but they never accept orders for specific items that are not on their For Sale list. I would consequently ring them on 0208 788 2052 and ask them to add you to the list of people to whom they email their weekly update, which is usually every Saturday.

      Reply

  63. I too was a fan of these wonderful picture stories, I read every issue I could lay my hands on, but my favourites were June and Schoolfriend. I was and still am crazy for Mimi the girl Mesmerist, there were a couple of titles for Mimi. And then there was Vanessa from Venus. I would love to buy these, I would even pay for a photocopy and of course the postage, I live in India.

    Thank you very much

    Sonia

    Reply

  64. Hi I remember reading a story in the 1980’s which featured a girl who went on stage for the first time and at the end was granted a wish, which was to have that hour repeated again, but because she was still within the hour it repeated again forever. She may have been a dancer or a ballerina, I think it was in an annual, and I also remember a girl with green skin in an attic but whether or not it was the same story I am not sure.

    Reply

  65. The first story I believe is “Her Finest Hour” from the Judy 1982 Annual, it was a piano recital. I think the second story sounds like “Trapped” from Judy 1981 Annual, a story where a badly behaved girl goes up to an attic and is confronted by a woman and ends up trapped in a painting

    Reply

  66. Thank you so much for the help, I have ordered them from eBay, so will be able to read them again, funny how some stories stick in the mind!

    Reply

  67. Hi Lorrsadmin, I just wondered if you could email me your real name. I have referred to one of your articles about The Four Marys in my thesis. It would look better on the bibliography if I had a proper name for you.
    Thanks and best wishes
    Louisa Parker

    Reply

  68. Mel Gibson’s new book on girls comics says Benita Brown wrote Cathy’s Friend from Yesterday and Hateful Heather. Both were listed as Mandy stories but aren’t in the index. Brown also wrote Blind Bettina, but it hasn’t been traced. Could it be The Dark Secret of Blind Bettina aka The Lying Eyes of Linda Lee from Mandy?

    Reply

    1. Blind Bettina could be The Dark Secret of Blind Bettina, maybe it was titled as such on a reprint or an issue. This happened with The Secret Life of Hateful Hattie, the first part was just called Hateful Hattie.

      There must be a lot of interesting information in Mel Gibson’s book, I am planning to get it, but it is quite expensive so will have to wait until I have some spare money.

      Reply

    1. That’s pretty rare for people to have such early issues, I agree it’s great nostalgia reading, it must be nice to have the very first Four Marys adventure. 🙂

      Reply

  70. please could you help me. Princess comic ran a competition for a Halloween Poem and the prize was a necklace{ A long chain with an orb and small chains falling from it}. It was round about 1965-66. I won the competition but when I married my comic and Annual were thrown out.
    I am now a grandmother whose grandchildren love Halloween. I love cross stitch and would love to embroider my original Halloween poem as a keep sake for them. The poem started;

    October the 31st is the date when revelry takes place ……..

    the rest of the poem included;

    Witches on their broomsticks fast ………
    riding past ……..
    Ghosts and Goblins ride the range ……….

    Unfortunately I can’t remember the rest and wondered if anyone could help me. My name was Jill Phillips and I remember the poem being published in the Christmas Annual [ black cover with a ballerina on the front}.

    It would be amazing if someone out there could point me in the right direction or even know where I could purchase the relevant comic or Annual.

    Reply

    1. I don’t have any Princess Annuals but I will post the question to the Comics Uk forum and hopefully someone there will be able to help out.

      Reply

      1. Philcom55 on the ComicsUk forum has helpfully tracked the poem down to a Princess issue dated Saturday June 11 (most likely 1966)

        “HALLOWE’EN
        October the thirty-first is the date
        When revelry takes place,
        When turnips into faces change,
        And ghostly figures ride the range.
        When witches ride on broomsticks fast
        With ghosts and goblins gliding past.
        At least that’s what folks used to think.
        Nowadays though, an excuse for high jinks:
        With apples in some water floating,
        Which children bite and risk a soaking;
        When guests to parties arrive in masks,
        To guess who’s who! What a task!
        When tea leaves in a cup are left,
        Whose fortune is to be the next?
        What is this celebration called?
        Why Hallowe’en, of course!
        Jill Phillips, aged 12”

        Reply

  71. Hi. Lorraine,

    I can’t thank you and Philcom 55 enough for this amazing find.

    I have been trying to track this poem down for the last 41 years. I am so grateful. I was devastated when I found my mum had thrown it out.

    Your have made one grandmother of two very happy indeed. I am now going to cross stitch a Halloween keepsake sampler for them.

    Thank you both once again for your help.

    jill

    Reply

    1. You’re very welcome. Another forum member Phoenix also has also tracked down where you can get the actual issue “30th Century Comics have that issue in stock, in Good condition for £3. They open for business at 10.30 every day, except Sunday when they are closed. Their phone number is 0208 788 2052 website: http://30thcenturycomics.co.uk/“

      Reply

  72. Hi
    This is great website, lovely to see these comics being celebrated.
    Can anyone remember the name of a comic strip in either the Bunty or Mandy ? late 60s about a poor girl who wants to swim and finds a private pool and sneaks in and is then caught, but the owner, with a dark veil, trains her to be a champion?
    Thanks
    Chris

    Reply

    2. One possibility is The Whispering Shadow in Mandy 196 (Oct. 17 1970) – 213 (Feb. 13 1971). Sheila Hall is being trained at the dilapidated Dolphin Swimming Club in Clifford, which will soon be closed down, by Ethel Smyth, a qualified British coach, the whole session being secretly watched by Jean Holt, who considers Ethel’s coaching to be inadequate. She tells Sheila that from now on she will be coaching her properly, and she has to follow her advice to the letter. Jean wears an all-over black thermal swimming costume with a built-in mask, and trains Sheila to the European title, and the record to boot.

      The story is a picture version of a text story with the same title that appeared in The Rover 1135 (May 11 1946) – 1146 (Oct. 12 1946), the characters obviously being female in Mandy.

      Reply

  73. It turns out that a lady who recently died, wrote many stories for Bunty and some other publications. Her name was P.M.Wild The P stands for Pat. Is there anyway of finding out which numbers her stories appeared in?

    Reply

    1. I will make some enquiries. It’s unfortunate that these comics went uncredited, making it is hard to track down creators, particularly writers. Usually have to rely on people’s memories, which is made more difficult when the person in question is no longer around. I would be interested in finding out what she wrote as it’s always nice to know where the stories come from.

      Is there any other details you know of, like when she would have wrote them or anything else you can think of?

      Reply

  74. Hi, I am trying to get the year of a Bunty Annual in the 1960’s that had a calender of ballerinas. Would like to get a copy, but don’t know which year.

    Reply

  75. It was great to find this website! I’m here because I am trying to find a story I read as a child. I wasn’t really into girls comics or annuals, I was more into the boys comics, (having brothers!) , but my mum would sometimes buy me girls comics and annuals in the hope I would become more girly :-). So I have no idea where this story comes from, I am guessing it was Bunty or Mandy or Judy as they are the only ones I remember. I also had a Twinkle but I think the story would have been too scary for Twinkle. I am guessing it would be from 1970 onwards as I don’t think I could read before then. It was about a girl who found herself in another land, but I think it was normal human beings, not aliens, and she wanted to get home but couldn’t find her way back. I think she got upset and someone helped her get back to her world. From what I remember, she managed to leave in a hot air balloon which I think took her through a hole in the sky, back to her own world. I can remember looking and looking at the pictures. It completely freaked me out at the time, to the point where it gave me nightmares that she couldn’t get back home, but I would love to find the story again, if only to see it wasn’t that scary after all 😉 Sorry it’s a bit vague but do you have any ideas? Thanks!

    Reply

      1. There was The Secret of the Red Balloons from Bunty, where balloons inflate to the point where they take kids away, but I’m not sure that fits.

        Reply

  76. When I was about 9 years old (1964) I submitted a poem I had written, to the Bunty Magazine, called “He’s Just a Tramp To You and Me”. The poem was published and I cut it out of the magazine, but overtime I have lost the cutting. I wonder, does anyone recall reading this poem, and perhaps by chance may have the actual edition in which it appeared. I can remember most of the poem but would love to have it in it’s entirety. Any help greatly appreciated. Thank you, Linda

    Reply

  77. Hello everyone at girlscomicsofyesterday,

    I’m currently looking at stories in girls comics which were set in World War Two for my degree, and I’m trying to find an archive where I would be able to look at particular stories in Judy from 1960 onward which were set in the war. (Stories like Starr of the Wrens, Ballet in the Blitz, and Vicky the Evacuee for example)

    Although the British Library is a fountain of knowledge and stocks many girls comic titles, it doesn’t stock the Judy comics themselves in its archives, only the Annuals and picture story library comics that I know of. Would anybody know somewhere else where I could try and get access to copies of Judy to look at? Unfortunately DC Thompson’s archives in Dundee are not really accessible as they aren’t set up for research purposes, otherwise I’d literally be living in there right now!

    By the way, this site is an absolute gem for getting me started on this, I can’t thank you enough!

    Reply

    2. You are completely wrong, Lockser, to claim that The British Library ‘doesn’t stock the Judy comics themselves in its archives.’ Earlier this year I consulted many of their volumes of Judy to look at all the issues I don’t own. Furthermore, they are held at St Pancras, as are their volumes of Bunty and Mandy. All Thomsons’ other titles for girls, such as Diana, Nikki, Tracy etcetera, can be ordered as well but as they are in the library’s storage facility in Boston Spa in Yorkshire you will need to order them three days in advance. To help you in your search of their catalogue, the shelf number for Judy is pp5991.id. Good luck with your degree.

      Reply

      1. I’m trying to look at all Girls comics, not just Judy, so long as it was set in World War Two and aimed at girls, I’m interested!
        As I get further into my research, I may well need help from the forum. It depends how far I can get with the sources I am acquiring.
        I have searched again and you are very much correct, Derek! The precise tag that I needed hadn’t come up in any of my searches before, and I had ended up with things that were close, but not quite the comic. I was also told by the library staff that they didn’t have it, although they only came to the conclusion after a few quick searches, too. So I came to the conclusion that it simply wasn’t stocked. Thank you very much for putting me right!

        Reply

        1. Here are the first dozen WW2 serials in Bunty to get you started, Lockser.

          Lonesome Lucy 37 (Sep. 27 1958) – 54 (Jan. 24 1959)
          The Trail Of The Laughing Dolls 98 (Nov. 29 1959) – 109 (Feb. 13 1960)
          Leap-Along Lesley 138 (Sep. 3 1960) – 154 (Dec. 24 1960)
          The Blue Tulip 159 (Jan. 28 1961) – 176 (May 27 1961)
          Another Nest For The Sparrows 190 (Sep. 2 1961) – 213 (Feb. 10 1962)
          War Nurse Vickie [text] 200 (Nov. 11 1961) – 205 (Dec. 16 1961)
          Girls Of The Pony Patrol 259 (Dec. 29 1962) – 270 (Mar. 16 1963)
          Front-Line Fiona 282 (Jun. 8 1963) – 299 (Oct. 5 1963)
          Soldier Sally 306 (Nov. 23 1963) – 314 (Jan. 18 1964)
          Friend Of The Falcons 330 (May 9 1964) – 338 (Jul. 4 1964)
          The Blitz Kids 403 (Oct. 2 1965) – 411 (Nov. 27 1965)
          The Mission Bell 412 (Dec. 4 1965) – 428 (Mar. 26 1966)

          Reply

          1. Another Nest For The Sparrows should read A New Nest For The Sparrows. Sorry, Lockser. I did the list quickly this morning because when I did it more slowly yesterday it wouldn’t post because I had been timed out, and I wasn’t best pleased, as you can imagine.

          2. Thank you very much for the list, Derek! It’s amazing to think how many WW2 stories there actually are!
            I have also come across Soldier Sally in Bunty, but from a text story from 10 (Mar. 22 1958) to 24 (Jun. 28 1958), which I think (although I may be mistaken) was Bunty’s first text-based story of any kind. Is the Soldier Sally you refer to from 306-314 a text story or a comic?

          4. Lyn Raymond – Air Stewardess was the first text serial to appear in Bunty. It started in issue 1 (Jan. 18 1958) and ran until issue 9 (March 15 1958).

        2. There was Catch the Cat!, Don’t Cry For Me!, and Come Home Kathleen from Bunty as well.

          June had Mark of the Cat, but I don’t know what else. Tammy had Slaves of War Orphan Farm. Jinty had Somewhere over the Rainbow, Song of the Fir Tree and Daddy’s Darling. Misty had The Sentinels, the only serial I know to feature an alternate reality where Hitler won WW2.

          Reply

          1. These were the first eight WW2 titles in Judy.

            Starr Of The Wrens 41-75
            Marisa And The Doves 74-89
            Rose Of The Sea 94-106
            Ballet In The Blitz 102-118
            The Whispering Cave 226-234
            Wings For Wendy 268-277
            Air-Raid Annie 307-313
            The Courage Of Belle Britton 312-324

        3. Judy Picture Library #287 also has a WW2 theme, and actually touches on the subject of the Holocaust with the title “The Death Camps Shall Not Have Them!” For the most part, the Holocaust was delicately avoided in WW2 serials. Jinty’s Song of the Fir Tree was very bold to feature them.

          Bunty’s Detestable Della had a Tenko theme, as did another serial in Suzy, whose title I don’t remember. But again, the Tenko theme was very rare in girls comics.

          Reply

    3. Two picture libraries with WWII settings, “The Cat on the Trail of the Flying German Bomb” and “Eve All Alone”, have just had entries posted on this blog. A third, “Ma Budge’s Drudge!”, will be coming soon.

      Reply

  78. Can anyone remember a story either in Judy or Bunty in the 1960’s, about a girl who inherited a four poster bed that she had to take from Lands End to John O’Groats. It was called Fred The Bed.

    Reply

      1. Try hingeandtweezer on ebay. Usually has many Comics on sale i.e. Emma, Judy, Mandy, Buster ETC. Most from late 1970s early 1980s. All top quality at £1 each.

        Reply

    2. There are two shops that I know of that have large stocks of old magazines for sale. The most reasonable in terms of cost is Tilleys Vintage Magazines, 21 Derby Road, CHESTERFIELD, S40 2EF (Tel. 01246 455133). The other, more expensive, one is The Vintage Magazine Shop, Brewer Street, Soho, LONDON, W1F 9UD (Tel. 0207 439 8525).

      Reply

  80. Hi! I’ve no idea what prompted me to search and find this fab website! I was “Olive” in the series “The Secret of Saint Sinister’s’ in the short-lived Suzy comic back in about 1982. I saw Suzy was mentioned briefly. II still have a couple of the issues I was in!!

    Reply

    1. That’s interesting,I unfortunately only have a few Suzy issues so I’m not familiar with that story. What was it about? How did you get involved? Were you part of any other stories?

      Reply

    2. The photo story The Secret Of St. Sinister’s, not Saint Sinister’s by the way, Liz, ran in Suzy 116 (November 24 1984) – 122 (January 5 1985).

      Reply

        1. Kay Bryman, a tomboy at Milltown High School, wins the Skaler Prize for Maths and Science, and is subsequently offered a scholarship by St. Sinister’s Boarding School For Girls, an institution specialising in Maths and Science, and catering for the best brains in Britain. She takes it up very reluctantly. She has an argument in the train with Sandra Drummond from Lady Jane’s School For Young Ladies, who had come second in the Skaler, but they then become good friends, especially after having to bang on their dormitory door together when they realise they are being locked in for their first night.

          The school is in a turreted, castle-like building. Miss Sloan, the Headmistress, and her staff seem normal to all intents and purposes, but the pupils often seem preoccupied, with a blank gaze, although Olive Mendle, who is designated to look after them, and has a dormitory close by, seems normal. At a school disco the girls’ movements are jerky and wooden, but in class they are far faster at solving problems than Kay and Sandra, who catch some abusive flack from the teachers.

          At night a loud high-pitched whine disturbs the pair, who are told that it is a generator powering down, as it does every night.

          They write letters home and then go for medical checks. A day or so later Sandra decides she doesn’t like the school so she writes to her father to ask him to come and take her away, and posts it in the school’s post box. Miss Sloan removes it. When the girls next see Olive she has a fixed stare, and she has been moved from her dormitory.

          By now Kay is starting to suspect that the pupils might have doppelgangers, and she begins to think about the generator, which curiously hasn’t been heard for a night or two. She sneaks out to give it the once-over. With its many leather straps, it looks like a contraption for holding people down. She decides there and then to run away but she is stopped by a guard and his dog before she gets anywhere near the school gates.

          Unfortunately I don’t have the last instalment so I don’t yet know how Kay and Sandra escape. A further visit to the British Library in January should resolve the matter!!

          Reply

  83. I am trying to find a story of Beauty and The Beast (in poem form) published in
    Diana Annual, all those years ago!! I’m now 60. but remember this with such fondness and would love to read it again. Not sure which year it was but have an idea it may have been 1966.
    Please can you help?
    regards
    Karen

    Reply

    1. I have checked every Diana For Girls annual between 1965 (the first one) and 1980, Karen, by which time I guess you will have been about 25. There are no references in any of them to Beauty and the Beast, let alone a poem, so unless the poem you mention is on either side of a missing page between Gallery Girl and Be Clever With Colour in my 1967 Diana annual, it must be in an annual for a different girls’ story paper.

      Reply

  84. Yes that would fine. Obviously the page has got longer since it was first set up, so it can be more difficult to find answers in the middle of the page!

    Reply

  85. I have posted on this site before but I cannot find my previous posts which are related to my question today. I was looking at the picture story book list on wikipedia yesterday and i found “Maid to be a Lady” and “Hannah and Herbie”. Then i looked at this site for more info and it sounds like they both may be like the story i am looking for (especially the first one) they may even be remakes of a story set in an earlier period (Elizabethan? Victorian?) but not sure. Anyway, I’ve been looking for this story for ages and have not found it. What i remember about the story that I’m looking for is a story where this girl had amnesia and ended up working as a maid in a manor house and slowly things come back to her like she remembers what chocolate pudding looks like/london mud. The hairstyle and clothing i remember is different from that in the titles i have named above, probably from an earlier time. It is hinted in the story that she may have a sister who lives in the house (or is visiting). It is also hinted that she may have been a resident of the manor house before she lost her memory. I think it was published in Mandy but may have been Bunty. I kow all this sounds a little vague but it is all i remember.

    Reply

    1. Is it possibly the Mandy Picture Story Library #152 “The Secret of Hardwick Hall”
      If I remember right the girl’s name was Cassie and she came to work in the house and discovered things like a hidden room, and a painting of a woman slashed. It turns out she and her mother were in a boating accident and the mother drowned, the father thought she was dead too and never told the younger sister about her.
      Cover image here: http://i1011.photobucket.com/albums/af240/Lnolan_01/Secret%20of%20Hardwick%20Hall.jpg?t=1451596464

      Reply

  87. Hi

    I am looking for a particular image of a ballerina holding a bouquet of roses with a black rose in the middle. I think it is from a Bunty annual from the 70’s. Could you point me in the right direction?

    Thank you
    Leanette

    Reply

    1. The image you are seeking, Leanette, is on the first page of a four-page story with the title Sandra And The Black Rose. The story is in the Judy Annual for 1972. A copy should be relatively easy to find on eBay at a modest price.

      Reply

      1. I’ve just checked eBay for you, Leanette. There are two individual 1972 Judy annuals being offered. One has no dustwrapper, and the seller is asking for £7.09 (reduced from £8.80) on a Buy-It-Now basis with free postage and packing, but he will not accept offers.

        The other has a dustwrapper, slightly torn at the top of the spinal edge, and is being offered for £6.99, also on a Buy-It-Now basis, and also with free p&p. This seller on the other hand is inviting offers. If I wanted this annual I would offer him £5, on the grounds that it would almost certainly be enough to persuade him to part with it. Give it a go. Best of luck.

        Reply

  88. Hi Derek

    Thank you so much for the prompt and informative reply. I am not looking to obtain the publication, but merely wanted to look at the particular image at the end where the ballerina hold the bouquet of flowers. You have been most helpful.

    Reply

    1. When you get a chance to access the annual, Leanette, you will see that the bouquet that is presented to Tania Karlova is only completely in her hands in one panel on the first page of the story, not at the end of it. When she sees the black rose she faints. By the middle of the second page she has taken the black rose and disappeared, having discarded the rest of the bouquet. Later Tania explains the meaning of the black rose to Sandra, and the plot, such as it is, is resolved in the final page and a half.

      Reply

      1. Thank you, once again you have been very informative, since my memory of the plot is very sketchy and my own collection of the vintage publications long gone.

        Reply

  89. Hello there. What an exhaustive resource this is, well done!

    I’m trying to find out ANYTHING on the artist John Woods – I don’t suppose you can point me in the right direction? I know he was active between 1930 and around 1983, therefore he was a very prolific artist, so there must be some information to be found somewhere…

    Hope to hear from you.

    Reply

      1. Thanks Mistyfan, but I think I’ve exhausted everything Google has to offer. I’m thinking if I could contact any artists contemporary to him, or Bunty (or any of the other publications he worked on) editors who are still around, who helmed the comic up to 1983, they might be able to help. If I knew when and where he was born, or had any of his home addresses, it would be relatively straightforward to track down family members. Can anyone help with any fellow artists / editors leads? I would be ridiculously grateful… 🙂

        Reply

        1. Your best chance would be joining up to the comicsuk forum, there are a lot of knowledgable and helpful people there. http://comicsuk.co.uk/forum/index.php

          An old thread discusses John Woods and one user Kashgar said:
          “his longest running strip was Radio Fun’s ‘Andy and Sandy’ about a boy runaway and his dog. This he drew continuously from May 1956 until the comics demise in Feb 1961 and then on till Sept 1962 in the pages of Buster with which Radio Fun had merged at its close.
          His first strip for Bunty appeared later in the same year ‘The Lost Concerto’ about a girl who goes in search of the manuscript of a piece of music composed by her father. As well as Bunty he also drew extensively for Bunty’s sister paper Debbie, particularly several series featuring the mysterious Welsh mountain girl ‘Marsalla of the Mists’”

          Reply

  90. I found that, thanks. But you’re right, I’ll go on there and ask specifically about John. I just thought here would be the place to find out about his editors and fellow artists at the end of his career.

    Reply

    1. Unfortunately I don’t have a lot of information on the background of who worked for the publishers, artists, editing and such but best of luck with your search and if I do come across anything useful I will let you know.

      Reply

  91. This site has recently been recommended to me and what a treat it is. I’m a Bunty fan of old and adored my weekly fix. Thank you for all your information here.

    Reply

  92. Hi

    I love this site! What a great idea. I used to read Bunty in the late 80s/ early 90s and was obsessed with it.

    One storyline I remember that sticks out, that I never got to finish was this. I finally found it!
    https://girlscomicsofyesterday.com/2013/10/in-paulas-place/

    I’m unable to find a copy of this comic, would you at some point be able to put up the story? Or would you be able to tell me how it ended haha! Thanks.

    Reply

    1. In Paula’s Place is a story that I’d love to have the ending to too! Unfortunately I have a gap in my collection at that point. I do have the first couple of episodes. I will see if anyone else can help with the ending.
      Update – Derek has kindly summarised ending on the In Paula’s Place post.

      Reply

  93. Hello,
    I was wondering if anyone had Judy Picture Story Library # 363 Wee Slavey Shipwrecked. I would love to purchase a copy of it. I am looking for Judy Picture Library Wee Slavey.

    Reply

      1. Hello,
        I have already looked at 30th Century Comic and Ebay and have had no luck, but I can keep checking back. Thanks for the suggestions.

        Reply

  94. Yes unfortunately need a lot of time and patience to track down some stories!

    I actually had “Wee Slavey Shipwrecked” when I was younger. It was a fun story and Wee Slavey was one of my favourite characters so it was really annoying when I lent it to a friend and she lost it!

    Reply

  95. Having unearthed my old June and Jinty comics yesterday and given them to my 10 year old daughter to read – much to her delight – I started googling and found this site. How wonderful.
    I’m convinced there is a gap in the market and find it slightly sad that girls’ comics today seem to be about make-up and boys and cost around £3.
    What do others think? Are these comics no longer in existence due to lack of interest or are they perhaps too expensive to produce?

    Reply

    1. Well look on the bright side, Lily. There may not be anything currently being produced along the lines of June or Jinty, Bunty or Judy etcetera but as your 10-year-old daughter is delighted by your old copies she will surely be just as entranced by more when she has completed her reading of your recently-unearthed collection. The most obvious place to locate them is 30th Century Comics in Putney, the best comic shop in England, whose entire stock is advertised on line. Just Google them. Their comics/story papers for girls are very reasonably priced. Neither of you will ever again need to go to W H Smiths only to be disappointed.

      Reply

      1. Maybe one day they will put everything online or in a format so everyone can read them without having to go hunt for them. It will be interesting to see what happens when the old comics move into the public domain and what people will do with them then.

        Reply

        1. That will never happen where D. C. Thomsons’ output is concerned. They will simply extend their copyright at the appropriate times. When I was preparing my most recent book This Was The Wizard for publication, I rang Martin Lindsay, Thomsons’ licensing manager for consumer products, to ask how I should present the copyright statement. Despite our both knowing that all of the issues of The Wizard prior to late 1944 would have been out of copyright had the company not renewed it, he nevertheless asked me to write:-

          The Wizard (the ‘c’ in a circle copyright sign) D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd. 2014
          Associated text, characters & artwork (the ‘c’ in a circle copyright sign) D. C. Thomson & Co. Ltd 2014.

          Reply

          1. How do they extend their copyright? The same way Disney keeps extending copyright on Mickey Mouse by lobbying for legislation enabling him to do so?

  96. I’ve never discussed that issue with Martin but I assume that copyright-wise the company can do as it pleases with its own product.

    Reply

  97. Interesting. What I was getting at was whether a modern day version would be viable; is there still enough interest, why did all the comics fold in the first place, are production costs too high?

    Reply

    1. The question of why the comics folded is still a matter of debate and research. I personally think inflation was a factor. Others think factors were changes in readership, failure to meet falls in sales, mistakes in editorship, or the Slough of Despond as Pat Mills calls it. Mills is the only one left from the girls comics and he has been trying to get something going, but no luck yet. Meanwhile, The Phoenix is doing well, and Beano and 2000AD are still going.

      Reply

    2. There has been some debate about why the comics folded, more competition for entertainment being one! But there are people that believe there is a market out there for these comics if it was done right. Certainly I see some American comics aimed at younger readers doing well enough. Also British comic The Phoenix seems to be going well with over 200 issues now. https://www.thephoenixcomic.co.uk/

      Pat Mills who was involved in creating Misty has been a long advocator of girls comics and believing they could still be around today:
      “I’ve always regretted not creating Misty the way I created 2000AD. I’ve little doubt if I had, it would still be around today and it could have changed the British comics landscape for the better.”
      Full article here: https://patmills.wordpress.com/2012/10/18/misty-the-female-2000ad/

      Also there was a site that talked about reviving the comics https://bringbackbunty.wordpress.com/ although it hasn’t been updated in some time, their facebook page is still active though.

      Reply

    3. The only comic being produced in England today, Lily, that is in any way similar to the kind of picture story comics that boys and girls used to enjoy, is The Phoenix. I believe it is available in some stores but I suspect that most people order it direct from the company. I think I’m right in saying that they will send you a sample issue on request. Just Google the title to find out more. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that there is a Wikipedia entry for it.

      Reply

    1. It is a very colourful, beautifully produced story-based comic for children, Lily. I’m not Mistyfan by the way. Wrong name, wrong gender.

      Reply

  101. Hi
    First post. I’m looking for a gift idea for my wife to remind her of her childhood. One comic story she often mentions when we are walking in the lake district is of a girl (Mary?) who lives in a tree and collects wool from hedges. Is this enough info for someone to identify the character and comic? I hope someone can help.

    Reply

    1. Hmm, there was “The Guardian Tree” from Mandy, where three children live in a cave under a tree. Collecting wool from hedges is one way they make their living, among other things. There is an entry on the story in the Mandy section.

      Reply

    2. The only serial that comes immediately to mind which has a main character who actually lives in a tree is A Girl Called Squirrel in Mandy in 1975. However, I have checked all the instalments this morning, and there is no reference to her collecting wool. Her main aims in life are to educate herself, to which end she reads and rereads one volume of a set of encyclopedias, purely in order to win a scholarship to Highgrove Private School For Girls, where she will be able to indulge her obsession of playing table tennis, against proper opponents rather than just a wall, and stay out of the clutches of her local park keeper, the school attendance officer, the police and all other do-gooders. I will look further into your query, Gavin, later this afternoon. If, in the meantime, you could offer us more information about the story, it might be very helpful.

      Reply

      1. Two bits of information that would narrow the search zone for us, Gavin, would be knowing the five-year span when your wife would have been reading comics/story papers, usually between the ages of 8 and 13. Without spilling any beans to her if the present is to be a surprise, we could also do with knowing which comics she was in the habit of reading during those years.

        Reply

  102. I am looking for the story of The Girl with The Golden voice – I missed the last episode and always wanted to know its ending

    Reply

    1. The Girl With The Golden Voice ran in Bunty 22 (Jun. 14 1958) – 37 (Sep. 27 1958). At the beginning of the final instalment Carole Chatton’s father Frank has arrived home after a year away as first officer on board the City of Mancaster and discovers that Kaye, his flashily-dressed, cheap-looking second wife, is going out for the night despite knowing that Frank was getting home that day. Worse news was that his beloved fourteen-year-old daughter Carole has run away from home.

      He goes next door to see Flossie Henson, a neighbour with a heart of gold, who is immediately really angry with him, blaming him for Carole’s decision to leave home. It transpires that Kaye has sent a cable to Frank in Gibraltar that read ”Hear you are being relieved in Gibraltar. Suggest you fly home-stop-Surprise Carole-stop-Please arrange it-stop-Promise you will come straight home-stop-Kaye.” What the vindictive shrew told Carole she had sent was ”Unable to live with Carole anymore-stop-Suggest she be boarded out or sent to school in Scotland-stop-Promise you will not see her during your leave-stop-Kaye.” Frank’s reply to the actual cable sent by Kaye was ”Wonderful idea-stop-Will arrange it-stop-I promise-stop-.” [It is clear that without the reader getting tangled up in some verbal gymnastics, the replies in Frank’s cable don’t quite match the cable that Kaye tells Carole that she sent to him, but the girl will have become so distraught when reading it that she won’t have matched them up properly anyway.]

      A postcard that Carole has sent to Flossie from Brindlesea proves to be the only clue Frank and Flossie need to go and find her. She is working as a maid in a boarding house, the only job she had been able to get as she couldn’t prove she was fifteen – not too surprising as she was only fourteen. The night Flossie and Frank get to Brindlesea Carole has agreed to sing in the lounge of the boarding house as part of a more-or-less impromptu show for the customers who would be going home the following day. Frank and Flossie are in a nearby street, having spent much of the day tramping fruitlessly round the entertainment venues when they hear Carole’s unmistakable voice singing The Last Rose Of Summer. They rush into the boarding house and joy is immediately unconfined.

      N.B. It is worth noting that prior to Frank and Flossie’s departure, when Kaye and her American agent had returned to inform Frank that she was leaving, immediately she came through the door Frank had told her to pack and get out. Earlier he had asked Flossie if she would move in as the family’s housekeeper.

      Reply

  103. Thank you so much Mistyfan and Derek for taking the time to help me. I believe it is The Guardian Tree that my wife is describing. The dates fit and Rose rings a bell – also a big thank you to this excellent site, which will help immensely as I track down a copy.

    Reply

  104. To track down copies, Gavin, whether just a few or the entire run, click on Stories at the top of this page, then scroll down to Mandy, then scroll down to The Guardian Tree. The serials are presented in alphabetical order so you will easily be able to determine the dates of the story paper when your wife will have been reading it. I’m sure that 30th Century Comics in Putney, London will be able to put a few copies together for you at a very reasonable cost. Their number is 0208 788 2052. They are open every day from 10.30 except Sundays when they are closed. Good luck. The Guardian Tree is a fine story and it’s no wonder your wife feels such affection for it.

    Reply

    1. Yes, “The Guardian Tree” was one of Mandy’s most popular stories, wasn’t it? M&J called it “this mega-popular story” when announcing it was starting.

      Reply

  105. Hi, Gavin here – I thought I’d give an update on my quest to get a copy of ‘The Guardian Tree’ that mistyfan identified as the story my wife remembers fondly. As Derek says, this site gives the issues the story appeared in, so I ordered these from 30th century at a few pounds each. Issue # 1178 has the added bonus of referring to collecting wool which was one of my wife’s memories. I am going to frame this as a gift. I am quite happy with this. The copy is a later reprint and not the year my wife would have read it (not available). Are reprints exact copies or does the art work change? It looks as if they wait a few years so the readers are different and re-run the story – I suppose an historical story like this shouldn’t date. Thanks again for letting me into your world. It has been fascinating.

    Reply

    1. Glad you’ve had success tracking it down!

      Sometimes artists would change in reprints, but The Guardian Tree was a straight reprint, Hugh Thornton-Jones was the artist.

      Reply

  106. Hi, I’m wondering if you can help. I’m searching for a story that my mum told be about and would most likely have been in a Christmas annual the 60’s. It was about a group of orphans who weren’t going to get anything for Christmas, so they drew everything they wanted on a big sheet of paper and in the morning it had all become real. I’ve been searching for a while and can’t find anything at all, I know it’s not much to go on so any help would be greatly appreciated!

    Reply

  108. What a surprise to find this amazing website. I idly googled the name of a story I wrote many years ago for JUDY – “Nothing Ever Goes Right” and there it was! It was actually the story I least enjoyed writing because of its unrelentingly depressing theme, but that was what the editor wanted – and he did comment afterwards ( the only crumb of praise that was ever tossed to me in 30 odd years of writing picture scripts for DCT) that it must be one of the best stories they had ever published. I did feel very guilty about inflicting such a tragic life on my poor heroine although the only time I was reduced to tears while writing a story was in the final part of “The Sad Spells of Fay Martin” Anyone remember that one?

    Reply

    1. Yes. The Sad Spells Of Fay Martin ran in Mandy 329 (May 5 1973) – 346 (Sep. 1 1973). It has been one of my favourite girls’ serials for many years. Well done for writing it, Maureen.

      Reply

    3. Great to hear from you. A small poll on comicsuk forum listed both “Nothing Ever Goes Right” and “The Sad Spells of Fay Martin” in the top 100 serials in girls comics. I’ve sent you on an email hoping you will be able to tell us any other stories you wrote.

      Reply

  109. If you can find the time, Maureen, could you please list all the other serials that you wrote for Thomsons’ story papers for girls. I’m sure that most of us would be delighted to know which they were. Don’t worry if you can’t recall which title printed them as we will certainly be able to tell you that.

    Reply

    1. Thank you for your message, Derek. Gratifying to know that the stories are still read and enjoyed after all these years. It’s a long time since I was writing but I will try to remember what I can of the stories I wrote for DCT and let you have the titles if you think it will interest your website readers.

      Reply

      1. Believe you me, Maureen, that list of titles will be of enormous interest to many of us here on Girls’ Comics Of Yesterday.

        Reply

  110. Hi there,

    Sadly my Bunty annuals were sent to charity shops whilst I was at university. I am trying to find the 2 that had ballet dancers and ice skaters inside the front and back covers. Would you happen to know the year? Many thanks

    Reply

    1. The ballet dancers were in the 1964 annual. It is the last of the undated annuals, and on the front cover is a picture of a girl in a red top and yellow trousers riding a galloping horse, essentially from left to right. A dog is running slightly to the left of the horse and the scottie dog is dropping out of the bottom of the frame.

      Reply

  111. There are no Bunty annuals with ice skaters inside the front and rear covers. The nearest equivalent is the 1972 annual, the inner rear covers of which present a winter scene with two girls skating. There is also a double-page spread across pages 4 and 5 of girls skating on a lake in the 1970 annual, and the 1962 annual has the seven-page skating story Poor Kate – She’s Always Late, which is probably not relevant to your quest, Tara.

    Reply

  112. I’m so glad I found this website! I’m wondering if anyone remembers The Taming of the Tearaway from the Bunty? I read it in either 1986 or 1987 but it seems to have been around longer than that. There doesn’t seem to be a section about it here. It was one of my favourite stories and I always looked forward to reading the next installment.

    Reply

  113. I can’t currently access my notes on the serials in BUNTY but the serial certainly appeared as a 64-page complete in LUCKY CHARM 26, which was published in 1983.

    Reply

  114. I have all the material I would need, Mistyfan, but not the time unfortunately. However, I do have just enough of the latter to tell you that The Taming Of The Tearaway appeared in Bunty 981 (Oct. 30 1976) – 1004 (Apr. 9 1977), and was repeated in Bunty 1521 (Mar. 7 1987) – 1544 (Aug. 15 1987).

    Reply

  115. Thanks for confirming the dates – March 1987 sounds about right. Wow, I feel old!
    I would love to discuss it with anyone else who read it.

    Reply

  117. Thanks! I’ve already left a post over at the Taming of the Tearaway section but if it’s ok to discuss it here that’s fine too.
    Even at the time, I remember being a bit unnerved by some aspects of it. I can’t remember the first episode but I think Nellie’s dad “sold” her to some stranger with a big house and her own gymnasium, and the stranger spoke to her via an intercom of some kind. That was creepy enough, but the woman, who I think was called Madame Helga something-or-other, was also spying on her…

    Also Madame Helga was harsh with her at first and really pushed her to train as a gymnast. It turned out that she had lost her daughter Lucy in a car crash a few years previously and had been crippled in the same accident (although she could sleepwalk, which was a bit odd…). I feel like she was trying to turn Nellie into something she wasn’t, even correcting her speech, and perhaps trying to replace Lucy. They developed a close bond in the end, although there were still misunderstandings between them, and looking back it just feels a bit weird that Nellie should become fond of someone who essentially imprisoned her.
    Does anyone else feel that way or am I reading too much into it?

    Reply

  118. The tearaway was called Nellie Brooks. Madame Helga Zorputt had once been the world gymnastic champion but is now crippled and needs a wheelchair to get about. Madame’s last gymnastic student had been her own daughter, who was called Suzy. Madame Helga was definitely unhinged due to feeling guilty over Suzy’s death, which occurred when a tyre burst while Madame was driving her quickly to hospital. In that crash Madame got a long permanent scar on her right cheek, which explains her need of a veil, and became crippled as well. Madame’s housekeeper, Olga, tells Nellie that Madame’s sane moments are now few and far between, but she is still a great coach.

    Initially the agreement between Madame and Nellie’s shiftless father is that she will pay him £20 a week, but later, when Madame is certain that Nellie will become a great gymnast, and a replacement for Suzy, she tells him that she will give him all her silver items in exchange for Nellie so long as he never interferes in her life again. Nellie is staggered that he would agree, or even consider such a deal.

    For me the main creepy element is the fact that the spread laid out on the table for Suzy’s birthday is not only still there with all the cakes hard as rocks and covered in mildew but that she hears Madame asking Suzy to pass the cakes round to her party guests. Later Madame invites Nellie to Suzy’s birthday tea. Olga has to persuade Nellie to pretend to eat the food. When Nellie sees Madame actually walking she is told by Olga that Madame only walks while she is asleep. When awake she believes she has lost the ability to walk.

    Madame gives Suzy’s watch to Nellie but her father steals it and then pawns it. Madame sees it in the pawnshop window, and thinks Olga was right when she said that Madame’s friendship meant nothing to the child. Eventually all is resolved. Nellie gets the prize for the most promising newcomer in a gymnastic competition and is delighted to accept Madame’s offer to adopt her.

    Reply

  119. Feel free, Lorraine, to use the above summary of The Taming Of The Tearaway as your entry for it on your Girls’ Comics Of Yesterday site.

    Reply

  120. I’d forgotten about that creepy birthday party! Yes, Madame was certainly bonkers, wasn’t she? I was almost sure the daughter’s name was Lucy but maybe they changed it in the 1987 reprint?
    I also remember Nellie falling off the beam, or maybe pretending to fall and Madame tried to get her to hospital (the car was covered in dust by this stage) as though she was re-living her daughter’s final moments.
    I remember Madame giving Nellie the watch too, but it was stolen from her at school. I think her father tried to steal it from her when she went to visit him but she managed to escape him.
    Thanks for the great summary – it’s brought back a lot of memories!

    Reply

  121. I’ve just checked the 1987 version, Sarah, and you are quite correct. Suzy in the original did become Lucy in the reprint. I have to admit that I can’t see the point of that name change.

    Reply

  122. Me neither, although they probably made minor changes to other reprinted stories – updating clothes or cultural references for example. It’s still a great story, although I remain convinced that Nellie had some form of Stockholm Syndrome!

    Reply

  123. It could be argued that Madame Helga was also a hostage. She and Nellie were essentially both very needy, albeit in different ways, but they eventually found each other. Despite the difficulties caused by anger and frustration on both sides, the development towards the mutual empathy that underpins the ending is carefully and persuasively delivered.

    Reply

  124. I agree they were both very needy in different ways, so maybe they complemented each other, in that they both had what the other needed? I would love to read the story again to see how their friendship developed – it’s been so long since I read it!

    Reply

  125. 30th Century Comics have seventeen of the twenty-four issues that contain an instalment of this serial on their current sales list, all at modest prices, including the first and last issues.

    Reply

  127. Hello,

    I used to get the Diana and Judy comics when I was a kid. I’m looking for pictures of a character who used to swim with and on dolphins – my dream when a kid and still is – was it Diana? Where can I find some pictures from this comic story?

    Reply

    1. Some possibilities could be:
      The Golden Dolphin (Diana)
      https://girlscomicsofyesterday.com/2013/09/the-golden-dolphin/

      Dolf (Judy)
      https://girlscomicsofyesterday.com/2014/11/dolf/

      And some from other comics:
      Marinda Mystery Girl of the Sea (Bunty)
      https://girlscomicsofyesterday.com/2013/10/marinda-mystery-girl-of-the-sea/

      The Girl from the Sea (Debbie)
      https://girlscomicsofyesterday.com/2013/10/marinda-mystery-girl-of-the-sea/

      Do you have an idea of when you would be reading these comics or any other details that would narrow the search?

      Reply

  128. Just found this great website – and my name listed as author of Suzy Plays A Trick, The Bunty Annual 2009. Yes, I am the same Tracy J Holroyd as wrote the Children’s History of Manchester and Children’s History of Lancashire. I’ve written extensively for DC Thomson in the past and published stories in quite a few of their annuals, as well as kids’/teen magazines. Stopped writing for the younger audience to work with my brother on The Perfect Pair Dolphin Trilogy. The final book in this award-winning series only came out in February 2016, so I’m now working on writing for magazines again. Just out of interest, four of my uncles worked for DC Thomson as cartoonists/artists: Bill Holroyd, Albert Holroyd, George Holroyd and Ken Reid. Hope your readers find this of interest. Best wishes.

    Reply

      1. I wrote dozens of short stories, articles and puzzle pages. I covered The Bunty and The Mandy Annuals (the latter years), and Shout Magazine, Cool Girl and Animals and You. My uncles worked extensively as cartoonists on comics for D C Thomson and Odhams Press, but I started writing for Thomson’s long after they’d all retired. If you contact me via email, I can give you a full list of the work I’ve done. Unfortunately, most of my stories in the annuals did not carry my name, as author and artist acknowledgments was something that D C Thomson didn’t do. However, I did press them to start publishing my name, which – in the end – they did.

        Reply

  129. Hi everyone,

    I’m wondering if anyone can tell me anything about a copy of Judy that i have, Number 862, it was released July 1976 and features Marc Bolan on the front, i cant seem to find any other examples of it on the net, anywhere?! closest is a Bowie one, released the following month.
    Any info on it would be greatly appreciated, is it rare or worth any money?!

    Reply

  130. I’ve looked at my copy, Bill, and apart from the fact that a new Big Spender serial starts in that issue, I can’t see anything that would make it more valuable than any other issue. Presumably the reason why there are no copies currently for sale on the net is because at the moment nobody is trying to sell one there. I’ve got more than one copy of it myself because when I was putting my collection together I often bought issues that I already had simply because they happened to be in an auction lot that contained a large number that I didn’t have. There are a few story papers for girls that are valuable but Judy 862 isn’t one of them.

    Reply

  131. I’ve been searching for some stories in old comics from the early 80’s. I think it was Suzy magazine. I have contacted DC Thomson but they have suggested I visit their archive and search through. That is in Edinburgh and I am in Manchester so that is not going to happen anytime soon.

    I used to get Suzy and Girl sometime between 1982 and 1986, and the so I think the stories I am seeking are in there.

    ‘Lucy On The Long Road Home’ was a long-running story about a girl, set during WW2, who was trying to find her way back home with her dog.

    Another story (name I can’t remember), about a girl who finds a baby on her doorstep, the mother takes the baby in and within a day, the baby has become a toddler. The mother refers to her as her daughter’s sister. Within a few days the new sister has grown some more and is now the twin sister of the girl, much to her disbelief. All her friend in the neighbourhood have new twins. These twins are aliens trying to take over the human race… or something like that.

    ‘The Talisman Of Terror’ was a photo story and involved a girl who every time she put on her necklace (with a talisman) she would see something evil in the mirror.

    I hope you can help…

    Reply

  132. Lucy On The Long Road Home ran in Suzy 89 (May 19 1984) – 98 (July 21 1984).
    Sister Of Hate ran in 106 (September 15 1984) – 115 (November 17 1984). Mistyfan identified this serial correctly, Clare, as the one you were seeking.
    The Talisman Of Terror ran in 88 (May 12 1984) – 89 (May 19 1984). It was described in advance as ‘a two-part thriller’.

    Reply

    1. Wow – all great answers. Now all I have to do is try and find them on ebay unless you have any other ideas of where i can get hold of the stories! Was Talisman of terror in Suzy?? Thank you

      Reply

  134. Yes, from issue 74 (Feb. 4 1984) definitely, to 105 (Sep. 8 1984) in all probability. I don’t actually have issue 105 but in issue 104 readers are asked to send their letters, and their votes coupons to Suzy/Tops. The title Suzy takes over again with issue 106.

    Reply

    1. I focus on comic published by DCT which is what I grew up with, Misty was published by IPC. There are a few posts about Misty on this site though, including most recently talking about the Rebellion reprint of Misty stories.

      Reply

  136. Hi Jenni

    I wanted to drop you a line to thank you for passing on my query about Alan Davidson’s writing for Misty to Pat Davidson, who got in touch with me. And also to thank you for this wonderful website, which is fantastic and a very valuable resource to me.

    I was wondering if you might be free to chat a bit about the writers of girls’ comics sometime? – I’m writing a book on Misty and would be very grateful for anything you might know about who wrote for this and other titles of the time.

    Along with the book, I’m also producing a searchable online resource of all the Misty stories (so those interested can search by content, artist, writer, title, etc to find the story that they remember) which is very nearly complete – except a very empty writers column! – so any information would be useful… It would also just be nice to chat about girls’ comics generally!

    Hope to hear from you, and sending very best wishes,
    Julia

    Reply

    1. Hi Julia, I think you are trying to contact me via the wrong website! This is Lorrbot’s excellent DCT site (with contributions by the prolific Mistyfan / Tammyfan) whereas the site you were probably meaning to write to me on is the also-excellent Jinty site (with even more contributions by the prolific Mistyfan / Tammyfan)! I will email you separately.

      Reply

        1. Ah I have indeed got my sites mixed up! – apologies Lorraine (and thanks for sending on my query to Pat Davidson) – and thanks Jenni for contacting me.

          The Misty database I’ve been putting together is at http://www.juliaround.com/misty – it’s currently still a work in progress, especially when it comes to writers’ names! – any information very welcome here and once it’s properly live all v welcome to link to it…

          cheers all, Julia

          Reply

    3. I am currently doing a story index for Misty. It is based on the old one from misty comic.co.uk, which is no longer available on the site.

      Reply

  137. Hi all,

    I’m so thrilled to find this site. I’ve left some comments under some of the stories. My all-time favourite was ‘The Taming Of Teresa’ which was first out in 1969/70. I have only just learned that it was reprinted in 1979. But I loved it. I tried to recreate it in an old exercise book complete with childish drawings which I’ve still got! I think that must be because we had to throw out our old comics each week, I imagine (or after a few weeks). Anyway, in 1985, at the age of 26, I wanted to read it again so I wrote to Bunty and they sent me a copy as it was one of their Lucky Charm collection – and I still have it to this day! I must read it again sometime, although I had in fact committed large parts of it to memory, and decades later it was the inspiration for one of my novels which also mentions this story!

    Another favourite was Princess Of Sorrow. My sister sent off for it for my 40th birthday and some kind soul photocopied it all for me! So I was able to read that in its entirety again too.

    Another favourites were Ann All Alone. Plus Secondhand Sue (I don’t think that’s mentioned in the list) and Too Many Cookes (not the one mentioned in the list here) this was in the 1960s and featured a girl and her young siblings, one of them a baby in a pram, wandering around in poverty and their house had been condemned. It was probably quite radical for its time!

    Anyway, I’ve recently started a Bunty board on Pinterest and another for The Taming Of Teresa and also written a blog about this story as it inspired a novel of mine

    http://bubbitybooks.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/the-taming-of-teresa-how-bunty-story.html

    Happy memories, folks, and thanks for this site!

    Reply

  138. Have just spent a happy couple of hours exploring this site…was a HUGE fan of most of these comics and annuals in the 80’s and 90’s. I have fond memories of lots of the stories but would particularly like to find a haunting one that I THINK was from a Mandy or Judy comic or annual..it was a bit futuristic and apocalyptic, there was some sort of war or crisis going on and people were hiding in an abandoned zoo and other abandoned places throughout a city (London, I believe…seem to recall the underground). There might have been (bald?) characters and people called ‘freedom fighters’ but I’m possibly getting that mixed up with another story. It was extremely weird and spooky but I’d love to read it again as I think it was brilliant.

    Reply

  139. There was a story in a Mandy annual, I think, in which a girl comes home to an empty house. She smells flowers (rhododendrons?) But as the story goes on, it becomes clear that the girl was killed, and she is a ghost. The story ends with her parents coming home, and they detect the faint aroma of rhododendrons! Any idea? I’d like to try and get the annual it was in!

    Reply

    1. Sounds familiar, I can think of a few stories where it turns out the girl is a ghost, but I don’t remember one specifically with flowers, I’ll check my Mandy annuals over the weekend.

      Reply

      1. Looking through the annuals I had on hand, I came across a few ghost stories, but none quite match your description. Would you be able to narrow down the search by around what years would you have been reading these? Also was it a picture story or a text story?

        Reply

  140. Hi, I’m looking for a serial story that I remember reading as a teenager. it would have been early to mid seventies and I’m fairly certain it was ‘Diana’ that I used to read. I remember that the story really gripped me and I couldn’t wait for next weeks comic to come out and I was really disappointed when it finished.

    It was a WWII story and it took place in Holland. The main character was a young lady who worked with the resistance. She used to get around by skating the frozen canals. I believe she got injured/shot in one issue as well.

    I’m sorry it’s not a lot to go on, my memory isn’t what it used to be! Seriously though if anyone can help I’d be very grateful. BTW this is a great website.

    Reply

  142. And that would also need to be ‘Thank you very much’ to Derek Marsden, who supplied Mistyfan with the starting and finishing numbers and their dates for The Black Nightingale. Members really ought to be assiduous in acknowledging their sources. It’s just courtesy when all is said and done.

    Reply

  143. I remember a story named “Lynn Last of the Osbornes”, as one of the titles in the School Girls’ Library series.
    Also there were some stories in them of the “Silent Three” about 3 girls who used to don cloaks with hoods and seek out the “scandals” of those days in school, and deal with girls like Irma Cope, and remedy them. Then there were the “Grey Ghosts” a similar trio or was it a quartet of girls who indulged in similar exploits.
    Any PDFed archives that we can read from? And what happened to Fleetway House on Farringdon Street? Was it sold off and converted to some other business and not continue in it’s worthy mission of printing and distributing schoolgirl stories for the benefit of nostalgic ladies like us?

    Reply

    1. School Friend was originally published by Amalgamated Press,which was then taken over by Fleetway and IPC. Recently Rebellion bought Egmont comic archive, there has been mention of girls comics; Tammy, Misty and Sally and they did release a Misty collection. So in future there will probably be more collections. More details here: http://downthetubes.net/?p=33481

      I don’t think School Friend was included in the above deal but there are some School Friend available online:
      http://comicbookplus.com/?cid=2431

      Reply

  144. I’ve been trying to track down a story I remember reading in my sisters comic back in the early 80s. Problem is, I don’t remember which comic it was, nor the title of the story, only bits of detail of the story.

    The story surrounds a necklace that starts out with having ten sapphires (or they may have been diamonds) As time passes and the necklace is handed down across the generations, one by one each stone is either lost, or had to be given up or sold, until it reaches the present day with one single stone left. Logic suggests that the story was ten episodes long, each episode recounting what happened to a particular stone. One of the stones was lost on the Titanic, that much does stick in my mind.

    That’s all I really remember, so if anyone could point me in the right direction, I’d be much obliged.

    Reply

  145. Mistyfan has identified perfectly the serial that you are seeking, Mike. The Darke Diamonds ran in SUZY 159 (Sep. 21 1985) – 175 (Jan. 11 1986). I only have issues 166 and 167 so unfortunately I’m not really in a position to comment on the plot.

    Reply

    1. Thanks for answering a question thats bugged me for 30 years.

      Shame that the story isn’t available to read again, and I understand copies of Suzy aren’t the easiest to come by.

      Thanks for the answer all the same.

      Reply

      1. Well that rather depends on your understanding of ‘available’, Mike, because the full run is certainly available to consult in the British Library. You would need a membership card because otherwise you can’t get into any of the reading rooms, and furthermore you would need one anyway to order up the bound volumes, very necessary in the case of SUZY because I think they are held in the library’s storage facility at Boston Spa in Yorkshire, in which case you would also need to give the library three days notice. Well worth it in the end though.

        Reply

  146. Unfortunately Briony I can’t read your comments on The Darke Diamonds because you haven’t highlighted the title in the list of SUZY stories.

    Reply

  149. my sister is in her seventies now and would like to buy old girl comic such as bunty and other magazines I tried to buy comics on ebay but the usual password wont work
    to buy comics also I see annuals on your site but no prices, do you sell annuals or not.

    Reply

    2. my sister is in her seventies now and would like to buy old girl comic such as bunty and other magazines I tried to buy comics on ebay but the usual password wont work
      to buy comics also I see annuals on your site but no prices, do you sell annuals or not.

      Reply
    3.  

    5.  

    6. Hi Anne,
      I write for the Sunday Post. Working on a nostalgia piece about Girls Comics that ties into the exhibition at Dundee University and a nice story we have about pen pals who met through Debbie that were recently reunited. It would be great to get a comment from you about the girls comics of that time and the mergers that went on.
      Let me know the best way to get in touch!
      Many thanks,
      Laura

      Reply
    7.  

      1. I have gotten in touch with Louise, it seems she had already been in contact with Anne and accidentally addressed her comment here to Anne instead of me.

        Reply
    9.  

    11.  

    12. Just a query, Lorraine. I’ve been sorting through some papers in the last few minutes and I’ve come across one with the dates for The Taming Of The Tearaway in both 1976/77 and 1987. Underneath that information is a comment I’ve written that says, ‘As of tonight (July 9 2016) there are 257 thoughts on Contact’. However, there are only 10 today. Can you tell me please where the other 247 are hiding and when did they go off and look for the hiding place?

      Reply

      1. Hi Derek, as there were so many comments, it was getting harder to find newer ones and sometimes the same question was being asked, so I moved older comments on to 2nd page, they can still be read. I did this during the summer and at top of this page I’ve mentioned this, though it easy to miss, if you’re a regular visitor like yourself, perhaps I should have put it in different colour to make it stand out. Anyway if you just press two should take you to older comments

        Reply
    13.  

    14. I have a Bunty annual with no jacket. It is a palish orange and shows a darker coloued rosette with 1ST in the centre, Bunty for girls across the centre of the cover through the rosette and the dog to the right centre. The front and back pages are of “The pond in summer” and “The pond in winter”. No publication date. Does anyone know what year it is?

      Reply
    15.  

    16. Hello

      Just come across your website and about to list on ebay my 150 + Tracy comics and Mandy comics from the 1970’s and 1980’s. I notice that Tracy isn’t mentioned on your site. Just wondered if you are interested in them at all. I have the first edition of Tracy and and only a few gaps. I think I have approx. 170 Mandys from 1975 with a few gaps again.

      Reply

        1. It’s very interesting to discover that you don’t have issue 52 of Tracy, Mistyfan. I only need thirteen issues for the full run and number 52 is one of them.

          Reply

      2. There are a few Tracy posts on the site. I’m currently trying to keep comic collection to minimum, other wise I’d be tempted! But good luck selling on ebay.

        Reply
    17.  

    18. Hi Lorraine – can I ask when you set up this site? I think 2011 from the archive but want to be sure – am citing it as a great resource in my book on Misty so would love to say more about how you set it up and why…
      Thanks, Julia

      Reply

      1. Hi Julia – Yes I set it up in 2011 (how the time flies!). I always had good memories of these comics from when I was younger and when I was looking around the internet for information about stories and such, I couldn’t find too much, there didn’t seem to be a site dedicated to just girl comics. So I decided to set up my own and learned more as I built my own collection and got in contact with other fans!

        I had at one point 2 sites, one which was more for quick reference (short posts with publication dates of stories) and this one where I did longer posts but then I merged them into one site. Since then there are a lot more places to find out about girls comics, which is great!

        Reply
    19.  

    20. Hi There, I am trying to identify which Bunty annual contains the following story , “Legend of the bells”. the heroine in the story is Sheena Wallace. I think it may be around 1960-63?

      Thank you so much for your help

      Reply
    21.  

    22. The Legend Of The Bells was in the 1962 annual. The cover illustration is of a schoolgirls’ Fashion Display, with a girl wearing a blue hat, and a blue jacket over a red dress as she advances along a walkway, with other pupils playing the role of potential buyers.

      Reply
    23.  

    24. Hi. I’ve just found your website and it is amazing! I was a Misty fan myself but also received hand me down bundles of other comics from neighbours older daughters in the early 80s. I was wondering if this story would be familiar to anyone.
      13 identical girls with long straight dark hair lived with different adoptive families (unknown to each other) and when they turned 13 they were all collected by a mysterious couple with a van. The girls were all dressed in white robes and all then morphed into one alien supreme being who looked like a more grown up version of themselves. . And it ended with the supreme beings image appearing in her adopted sisters mirror to reassure her she was ok.
      I have googled so many keywords and looked through your story list and have drawn a complete blank. Just would love to see if again. Thanks very much

      Reply
    25.  

    26. Hi. Unfortunately not as I would have been only around 11 or 12 and it may have been 1984/85 at the latest.I knew it was a long shot but I know how I still have my Misty comics and would recognise the stories and was hoping it might make sense to someone. Just a little needle in huuuuuge haystack.

      Reply

      1. This is very much a longshot, and also assumes that the story appeared in a D. C. Thomson title, but it could be one of the stories by The Man In Black in DIANA, or by Damian Darke in SPELLBOUND. Also in SPELLBOUND there was a Strange Legends series.

        Reply

        1. It does sound like the sort of thing that would appear in Spellbound anyway. And if the 1984-85 mark is correct, that would rule out Diana. It wasn’t in Tammy, Misty or Jinty either.

          Reply
    27.  

    28. Yes, flagging up DIANA was careless. Sorry. I wouldn’t mind but I’ve spent the bulk of the last three days listing all the serials in DIANA that will feature in my next book so I knew exactly when she bit the dust.

      Reply

      1. Another possibility is that it was a Supercats story. This story has an SF feel to it, which Damian Darke wasn’t really into, and it would not fit the Strange Legends feature either.

        Or maybe it was not in Spellbound after all. It might be Judy, Mandy or whatever.

        Reply

      2. I think if it was Spellbound it was either a Supercats story or a serial, but after perusing through my Spellbound scans I am beginning to think it was not in Spellbound. Doesn’t sound like it’s ringing any bells with Derek so far, and he is our DCT girls’ comics authority, so maybe it was not DCT at all.

        Could it have been in Girl 2 or Dreamer? They were photostory comics but also had picture stories. They were IPC, as Misty and Tammy were.

        Reply

        1. I don’t have any issues of DREAMER so I can’t help there, and I only have seventeen issues of GIRL 2, none of which have a story featuring thirteen identical girls. To save people double-checking, the issues I have are 165 : 168-170 : 176-183 : 190 : 194-196 : 198. Somewhere between 184 and 190 GIRL consumed TAMMY.

          Reply
    29.  

    30. Sorry I just assumed it was one of the Tammy/Jinty type comics judging by the girl who gave me the pile of comics as she was a little older and not really into Misty type stories. Maybe that’s why the story stands out with me so much as it seemed more Misty like. Some day I may stumble across it in a charity shop and know I haven’t imagined it completely Thanks very much. x

      Reply
    31.  

    32. It definitely was a serial and was drawn. I will keep googling and let you know if I find it. Thanks very much and apologies for the random request with extremely little info. x

      Reply
    33.  

      1. One would think that a serial story featuring thirteen identical girls, whichever comic contained it, would live long in the memory of those who read it. Not necessarily the comic that contained it though.

        Reply

        1. If the story appeared in a more obscure title like Dreamer or Girl 2, it is not surprising it is not well remembered by many. And let me tell you Girl 2 is not easy to find. I had a hard time tracing a Girl 2 serial before I finally found someone who could help.

          Hmm, if the story was in Girl 2, maybe my friend could help identify it. I’ll ask him.

          Reply
    35.  

          1. Well, my friend says Ruthie’s description is definitely ringing a bell with him somewhere, so we might find it yet. But I’m beginning to think it’s time for another thread of enquiry at Comics UK.

            Reply

        2. No, there weren’t. It was a fairly routine sci-fi story in which the aliens’ hair colour altered to green when they were deprived of sunlight, and in cold weather, even in spring, they quickly lost their strength. The main alien is Meryl and she often stares directly at the sun. They had come to Earth intending to turn our planet into one of their colonies, but had clearly skimped on their homework. An early return to their planet was called for so they whizzed off in their flying saucer, presumably never to return. At no point were there thirteen girls. The serial outlined by Ruthie is a different story entirely, and it isn’t one that rings any bells with me.

          Reply

          1. The above comment is a reply to Mistyfan’s question as to whether there were 13 girls in The Girl With Green Hair. I took a break after starting to write the comment and several others commented in the meantime, making my comment look out of place..

            Reply
    37.  

    38. I did however find a mistake in the Cremond Hall story in issue 67, in the bottom left-hand panel on page 7 to be precise. The carving on the marble seat ‘NOMEN NIHI MORTUUS EST’ is translated as ‘MY NAME IS DEATH’. That would be correct if the word NIHI, which doesn’t exist as far as I am aware, had been MIHI, meaning ‘OF MINE’, giving the literal translation ‘THE NAME OF MINE IS DEATH’.

      Reply
    39.  

    40. Thank you all so much for all your searching and advice. (And sorry for leading you up so many dead end alleys). This is my first time posting on any kind of group and it’s great to find people Who know so much about similar interests. I wish my memory was clearer but it’s been 30ish years. Thanks so much. x

      Reply
    41.  

    43.  

    45.  

    47.  

    48. The episodes I have are in issues 62, 63, 64, 66, 68, 70, 71 and 72.
      The last episode is in issue 72 dated 26th June 1982. I don’t have the first episode, but by the looks of it, it started in issue 61 dated April 10th 1982.

      Reply

      1. 30th Century Comics has both #61 and 72, along with 62, 63, 66, 66, 68 and 71. I know someone who may be able to supply scans from #65 and #69. If Ruthie emails me, I can supply the address.

        Reply
    49.  

      1. Hi…I just wanted to say thanks to you all for your help. Helen has sent me loads of scans and I’m total heaven going a wee trip down memory lane! Happiest girl in Ireland tonight!

        Reply
    51.  

    53.  

    54. Hello. Sorry but I don’the even know if I am in the right place. My friend was telling me about a bunty story about a girl called Anne. She goes to St Marks square in Venice. I would love to track down this comic for her as she is desperately in need of cheering up. Xxxx

      Reply
    55.  

    56. Hi there, my name is Suzanne and I’m researching a feature on girls’ comics of the past. As a huge fan back in the day, I want to write from the perspective of those who used to love these publications. It would be great to have a quote from you if possible? Please let me know how I can get in touch. Thanks in advance, Suzanne

      Reply
    57.  

      2. One girl goes to a square in Venice. Given that there are more than 1300 serials in BUNTY over a period of marginally over forty years, I suspect that the search for this story will be a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack. I hope that Tim has a fair amount of patience because I think he’s going to need it, especially if it turns out that the story was actually in one of BUNTY’s companion papers. It would certainly be helpful if we could be given the approximate years during which Tim’s friend was a regular reader of BUNTY, as per lorrsadmin’s request below (24 January at 9.57). Over to you, Tim.

        Reply
    59.  

    60. Good morning! I was hoping take make this a surprise. So, I need tae try and bring the subject up as subtly as possible. My friend went tae the square in Venice because of this story. She promptly burst into tears, it was just as if she could be the girl in the story and the girl she actually was reading bunty in her bedroom again. My friend was probably reading bunty
      between 1963 and 1969. She is about 63. She runs a home care company and does so very much for other people it would be amazing tae dae something for her. Oh, sorry but my name is Krista. I don’the have email so I am using my partners. He is getting interested in my search too now!

      Reply
    61.  

    62. If we assume that the lady is roughly 63 now, she will probably have been born in 1954. The earliest point therefore at which she is likely to have read her first BUNTY will have been in 1962, the fifth year of the comic’s life, but as Krista suggests, 1963 is more persuasive. If she read it religiously for the whole five-year period of her obligatory schooling, she will presumably have then moved on to some more age-appropriate reading matter. If we accept Krista’s assumption that she was reading BUNTY between 1963 and 1969, as I think we must, the story about Anne going to St. Mark’s Square in Venice, and bursting into tears on linking her immediate experience with the one she had felt years earlier when reading a story featuring that square in her BUNTY, the story that Krista is seeking must have appeared after 1962 but before 1970. I have spent quite a long time today searching through my BUNTY collection between the beginning of 1962 and the end of 1970 for just such a story. Despite having only 25 issues missing in that run, my search did not unearth such a story. In that 25 there are just six contiguous pairs (221 & 222 : 261 & 262 : 284 & 285 : 301 & 302 304 & 305 : 315 & 316). Unless someone else discovers it before tomorrow morning, I will look into the matter again, including 1961 (2 issues missing) and 1971 (no issues missing) to be on the safe side.

      Reply
    63.  

    64. My great uncle, Bruno Kleinzeller, (known professionally as ‘Peter Kay’) was an illustrator who worked on Mandy, M&J and many other girl comics for many years. Bruno was from Czechoslovakia where he worked painting movie posters and magazine illustration but left in the 1930s as Nazism gained power. He moved to England in the late 30s, settled down in Queens Club Gardens, London (near Charing Cross Hospital). I only have a few samples of his work, but it’s my understanding he did a lot of work for the companies which produced those girl’s comics.

      Reply
    65.  

    66. Insights can come upon one unexpectedly, in my case this evening drinking a glass of red wine while gazing into space. ‘Check the annuals’ was the unspoken message from heaven knows where. The story that Krista is seeking is ‘The Little Gondolier’, which can be found on pages 6 – 11 of BUNTY – THE BOOK FOR GIRLS for 1967. The girl’s name is Maria by the way, not Anne. It goes without saying that I am delighted to have been of help to Krista’s friend.

      Reply
    67.  

    68. A fortnight has gone by, I notice, since I posted the information that Tim Williams was requesting on behalf of Krista about the square in Venice story, without any thanks from him being received so far. As a consequence I will regrettably have to force myself to ignore all future time-consuming requests of a similar nature from anyone I don’t know. I do have a personal life to lead when all is said and done.

      Reply
    69.  

    70. Hi there,

      Have Googled and searched and though my brother, whose 51st birthday is today, and my older sister, who used to buy Bunty magazine remember it, I can find no reference to a story named “Tara’s Tin Twin. It was about a girl and her evil robot clone who was – yes, you guessed it – made out of tin. It was kind of scary and appeared as a serial, we believe, in Bunty in 1980s we think. Would love to see a cooy so could send to my sister, and make her all nostalgic.

      N.B. I do NOT mean “Tara’s Terrible Twin” which was a Mandy story and nitmthe same one.

      Thanks

      Sheila

      Reply
    71.  

    72. Hi Sheila,
      The story was called Tina’s Tin Twin. Tina Tomkins is by no means a bright schoolgirl despite the fact that her father is a famous scientist. One day Tina is amazed to see an exact copy of herself with her father, a robot capable of learning any subject in a few minutes. It is the robot that is called Tara. The serial ran in BUNTY 1031 (Oct. 15 1977) – 1045 (Jan. 21 1978). I haven’t checked but it should be possible to get at least some of the issues from 30th Century Comics in Putney, London. Their telephone number is 0208-788-2052. Good luck. Regards,
      Derek

      Reply
    73.  

    74. Another fifteen issues of BUNTY arrived this morning from 30th Century Comics. I now only need 135 issues for the full run. Oh, and a couple of issues of DIANA were in the parcel as well.

      Reply
    75.  

    76. I am trying to remember details of a story called “I Don’t Want to be a Model!” I remember it was about a girl who is being forced to be a model by her cruel guardian, who holds her prisoner by hiding her glasses, regardless of how damaging this is to her eyes. It was probably in Tracy or Mandy, and Rodney Sutton was the artist. Can anyone provide more details, including the names of the girl and the villain, publication dates and the title it appeared in, please? Thank you.

      Reply
    77.  

    78. Hello, I’ve always wanted to know more about the artist who drew the Sue Day stories for Princess. I have one of the annuals (1962) and the artwork and stories are fantastic. Anyone know any more about Sue Day?

      Reply
    79.  

    80. Hello GirlsComics,

      I’m trying to track down a story which I think (but maybe I am mistaken) was called Debbie’s Dolphin. I thought it was published in Bunty over several episodes, it I am having no joy tracking it down.

      Any thoughts would be much appreciated.

      Reply
    81.  

    82. I wonder whether anyone remembers a story that appeared in the late 80s or early 90s, possibly in Mandy, about a girl with superpowers (maybe a bionic implant) whose teacher at school turns out to be some kind of villain or spy? I thought it could have been called Super Sue or Super Susie or something like that, but I haven’t found anything of that name on this site.

      It was one of those stories with what sounded like a pretty silly premise but was surprisingly exciting, and I think the confrontation with the teacher, who was the sort of young, pretty teacher who young girls might tend to hero-worship, also ended up being quite moving.

      I’m now wondering whether this was indeed a real story or whether I am imagining this…

      Reply

      1. There’s a story that ran in Bunty that was called Supergirl, from the late 70s that followed a girl Susan who got bionic implants. I’m not sure if it involved a spy teacher. Supergirl appeared in Bunty annuals and also one of the Picture story library books with the title Super Sue.

        It’s not a story I’ve covered on this site yet, but it did come up in discussion here: http://downthetubescomics.blogspot.com/2011/10/webfinds-girls-comics-of-yesterday.html

        Reply

        1. The two bionic series definitely made their mark in girls comics. I can recall several instances in Tammy where protagonists made references to the bionic woman. But there were no bionic imitators in Tammy as far as I know.

          Reply

        2. Oh, I think that’s it – thank you!

          Although it isn’t mentioned in the article, I think a story featuring this character must have appeared in some shape or form in the late 80s or early 90s because I do seem to recall following it week-by-week (rather than in an annual or picture story library). However, I could be wrong, of course – it’s rather a long time ago now.

          Reply
    83.  

    84. I have a memory of a fantastic story in Bunty called The Mysterious Medallion which probably lead me down the fantasy story path in my adult life afterwards. I’d love to be able to read it again…

      Reply
    85.  

    86. Hi,
      I live in Australia and have about 60 Tammy comics (1982-1984) from my childhood that I would like to sell. They are old but in relatively good condition. Are there any enthusiasts that would be interested in buying them?
      Regards
      Vicky

      Reply
    87.  

    88. Do you remember a story called ‘Fran Friend for a Year’? I think it was in Bunty, probably around 1979.

      The plot was that a strange girl turns up and ends up living with a family where there’s another girl her age (13). She wears old fashioned clothes and cleans her teeth with salt and water. At the end of a year the daughter of the family has noticed that Fran has not matured at all in this time.

      Eventually Fran explains that she’s 300 years old and a witch put a curse on her that she would never age. She then tells them she only stays for a year and then moves on. I guess she’s stil 13 to this day!

      Reply

      2. Fran sounds like a Doctor Who character who was born in Viking times, Ashildr (also known as Lady Me), who can’t age after the Doctor used alien technology to save her life. Ashildr found it a curse. Eventually she got a Tardis, which looks like an American diner, and ran away with Clara Oswald.

        Reply
    89.  

    91.  

    92. I’m sure these years are wrong in some cases. It states here that Melos of Venus (from Judy) was in 1985. But my sister read Judy in the nineteen SIXTIES and that’s when Melos of Venus appeared (and came to an end when she returned to Venus).

      Reply

      1. I don’t have a complete list of titles and dates yet, it’s a work in progress. Most likely Melos first appeared in the 60s and was reprinted in the 80s.

        Reply
    93.  

    95.  

    96. Hello,
      You probably know that a lot of french ‘comics’ have been translated from main european producers … And UK might be the first one.
      I have created a no-money no-ad site about 15 years ago to help comics lovers. To day, old production (I mean 2010 and before) is mostly under control with more than 300.000 entries, and I have gone to the task of describing detailed contents (huge amount due to a 49′ french law) which more and more gets me to search in the UK production. I happen to have more details on a number of stories than found. If you’re interested …

      Reply
    97.  

    98. (more) By reading UK forums, I understood that some books are providing many useful information. However, books are written and become obsolete as times are changing (hello Bob). No idea around as building a web site with the whole production ?
      My brain has an absolute opposition of copying UK, italian, spanish and US data in order to properly reference french publications.
      Using HTML links and relational data would be so better !!!
      More by mail if interested … (sorry, my English can be improved … ) lol

      Reply

      1. I am aware that there were reprints in European comics and from them to UK comics, it is an interesting topic, not one I know a whole lot about to be honest. Nice to hear from other people interested in cataloging these comics.

        Reply
    99.  

    100. This is a bit of a long shot, but I was wondering if it is possible to read the entire Catch The Cat series of comics on its own without having to get all of the rest of the Bunty annuals’ content. Would you happen to know if Catch The Cat was ever released in any other format, or if it’s available to read online?

      Reply
    101.  

    103.  

    104. Hi,
      When I was eight years old, I was avidly reading “Children from the Stars” in my Judy comic every week. When we went away on holiday for a fortnight. the village PO failed to keep one of our comics for us and I missed the end of the story! I have never forgotten the frustration and disappointment of this and could not even remember the name of the story until I traced it on your website tonight. Could you advise how I could get hold of a copy of the complete story?
      Many thanks.

      Reply
    105.  

    106. ‘Children From The Stars’ ran in JUDY 1050 (February 23 1980) – 1063 (May 24 1980). The only way you would be able to acquire the complete story, Lois, would be to buy in all the individual issues. You could try Rob or Will at 30th Century Comics in Putney, which is the best comic shop in England, to ask if they have any of the issues containing the serial. Their telephone number is 0208 788 2052, but don’t ring before about half past ten. The proprietors are very reliable but they do like a lie in!!! Failing that, try an eBay search. You may have to buy the issues one at a time. Best of luck!

      Reply
    107.  

    109.  

    110. Hi
      I am looking for a story line about Petra an ice skater. I have googled and found these two below which might be European enough and be in the time frame my sister thinks she read the story, to name my youngest sister. Circa 1964-65.

      Tina and the Touring Ice-Show – Judy: circa 215 (22 February 1964) or
      Vicky’s ice show Judy #158

      Is it possible to find this out? Much Appreciate.

      Reply
    111.  

    112. Some of the information you are seeking, Fionnuala, is set out below.

      ‘Tina And The Touring Ice Show’ ran in JUDY 211 (January 25 1964) – 221 (April 4 1964).

      ‘Vicky’s Ice Show’ ran in JUDY 158 (January 19 1963) – 168 (March 30 1963).

      I’ll give some thought to Petra tomorrow.

      Reply
    113.  

    114. The only serial that I can see in JUDY in 1963 or 1964 that has a main character called Petra, is ‘Petra The Party Maker’, which clearly is not an ice skating story. Are you sure that the story you are seeking was in JUDY?

      Reply
    115.  

    116. I’ve looked without success through the issues of JUDY, BUNTY and DIANA from 1963 to 1966 for any ice skating serial featuring a skater called Petra. Regrettably, I have no more time to spend on this search.

      Reply
    117.  

    118. I’m trying to identify the Judy annual with “Party Girl” in it, about a selfish girl who only cares for parties, especially if her boyfriend Damon is there, and puts parties before her sick grandmother (or great aunt). The lady dies because of her neglect. Then the girl’s punishment fitting the crime begins…with no end, if you get my meaning. It was drawn by the same artist who drew “Don’t Touch My Hair!”. The annual also told us the origins of Wee Slavey, before she worked for her current employees.

      I am also looking for the Jackie annual with a true life story “I was so stupid”, about a girl who can’t say no, and got herself into trouble because of it. Thank you for any help.

      Reply
    119.  

    120. I can’t help, I’m sorry. I did have every annual for BUNTY, JUDY, MANDY, DEBBIE and DIANA, but when I was packing before moving permanently last June from a three-bedroom in Merseyside to a two-bedroom in Cornwall, I hired a skip, which was placed on my front path, into which I dumped everything in the house that I no longer wanted. I more or less filled it with the ‘unwantables’, which included all the annuals for girls. It was an easy decision to make because I already knew back then that I would not be referring to them in my future writing, a process that will begin in earnest the day my grandchildren go back to school, January 6th, I think, and I certainly wasn’t keen to put them back on eBay because it would have been too time consuming. My collection of story papers for girls and boys did of course come down ahead of me and were placed in a storage facility in Penzance. They are now in my house. I will be focused first on the serial stories in the eleven story papers for girls, and secondly, just to keep in touch with the boys’ papers from 1921 onwards, I will list in alphabetical order for my own reference all those that will make the cut. Their synopses can wait. Somehow five BUNTY annuals and just one JUDY annual escaped the skip fate of the remainder. The JUDY annual was the 1962 one, with a girl in a blue jumper and a yellow skirt with red dots, and a bow at the back, cuddling a cat. They will remain in the wardrobe in case I do need them at some point.

      Reply
    121.  

    122. The Party Girl story is in the Judy 1982 annual. Really good story, I was actually thinking about that story at Halloween, there’s quite a few spooky stories in that annual actually.

      I can’t help with the Jackie annual, I don’t have any of those books.

      Reply

        1. Yes it would be a good one, it also includes the story of the girl who wishes to live the last hour of her recital again and gets trapped in that hour forever.

          Reply
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577 thoughts on “Contact”

  1. Hello,
    I live in Canada and every Christmas between 1978-1987 my grandmother would send me and my siblings Beano, Dandy, Twinkle and Beezer annuals. For a couple of years she sent Bunty annuals. I was telling my son and daughter about a creepy story about a girl who is being confused for another girl who looks like her. She ends up running into her at a dance club and is frightened because of the girls red/flashing eyes. The end of the story is creepy because her father picks her up in his car and as she gets into the car she explains to her father what happened and the last panel is of him turning to look at his daughter and he has the red/flashing eyes. I would grateful if you could tell me the name of the story and in which annual it can be found…incidentally I’m not 100% sure it was a Bunty annual, but I’m sure it is between 1980-1985.

    Reply

    1. Hi, I’ve had a check through my Bunty annuals from around that time, I’m missing the 1981 annual but I can definitely rule out the other years. I had thought it was possibly in a Diana annual as there is a “man in black” story with red eyed people but the rest of description doesn’t match. I’ll give a search through my other annuals see if I can find it elsewhere.

      Reply

      1. What is this red-eyed people Man in Black story anyway? Can you give more details? It may be the story in question. Sometimes memory gets confused and people don’t recall things correctly. We’ve had this happen before with enquiries to “Contact”.

        BTW, I don’t have Misty annual 1985, but I can rule out the other Misty annuals for this one. Tammy and Jinty annuals are also out.

        Reply

  3. Could it be a Debbie annual? There was a Man in Black type in those annuals I think (probably after Spellbound merged).

    Reply

  5. I want to say thank-you for everyone’s help so far. I can guarantee that the final panel of the story is a close up of the father’s face turning towards his daughter. He either says “don’t worry” or “tell me all about it”. His eyes look as though they are flashing. I seem to recall it was printed in that monocolour fashion (i.e., black and green and white or black and orange and white). For some reason I could have sworn it was the Bunty annuals, but my grandma did send many different annuals…which I wish I’d taken with me when I moved out of my parents’ house. Anyway, thanks so far.

    Reply

      1. She sent Oor Willie, The Broons, Beano, Dandy, and Twinkle on a regular basis. We would get other ones periodically like Topper, Beezer, Bunty, Cor. My children are positive the story is in a Twinkle annual, but I keep telling them there is no way Twinkle would publish a story like the one I’m looking for.

        Reply

    2. Just found this. It’s from an 80s Mandy annual and the last frame he looks at his daughter in the car and says “Oh but I do believe you Claire”

      Reply

  6. I’m not sure if this helps, but I think there was another creepy story in the same annual. I think it involved a cursed painting and it would trap people inside it. I could be wrong.

    Thanks

    Reply

    1. The closest I have come so far is the Judy 1981 annual. There is a story where a girl is at a disco and the other people at disco’s eyes go funny as they are hypnotized into committing a robbery. The girl is unaffected as she is deaf. In the same annual there is a nasty girl who gets locked in an attic with a painting and when people go looking for her she has disappeared as she is in the painting. I’ve sample pictures here: http://girlscomicsofyesterday.com/2010/01/sample-pictures/

      I’ve also added sample from Diana 1986 annual, the story which first sprung to my mind when red eyes were mentioned, but like I mentioned in previous comment none of the other details match, so doubt it is that.

      Otherwise I can rule out the other Judy annuals. Mandy annuals I’ve checked 1979, 1981-1983, 1986. Diana annuals I’ve checked 1982-1986. I also checked some older Bunty annuals from 1976-1979, no luck.

      So that only leaves a few options for DC Thomson books, I agree it does sound to dark a story for Twinkle, so it must be in an annual that I haven’t got, but we have it narrowed down now!

      Reply

  7. Thanks for the scans, but unfortunately neither are the stories that I remember. I really appreciate the time you and the others have invested.
    My wife has mentioned this is a bit unusual for me, as I usually am spot on with my child hood memories, but this one has me stumped. I guess my 8 year-old brain should have focussed on the title of the annual instead of the story.

    Reply

    1. Well we’ll not give up yet. I’ll post the question on the comicsuk forum to see if they can help with those annuals I don’t have.

      Reply

      1. Ok, success, Goof on the comicsuk forum has identified the story as: Who…? from Mandy Annual 1985. Printed in black, white and orange. Artist Ron Lumsden.

        I’ve asked if it’s possible for him to do a scan of story, I’ll update you if he can.

        Here’s a picture of annual cover: http://comicsuk.co.uk/images/Annuals/Mandy/MandyAnnual_1985.jpegMandy 1985

        Update: Goof has kindly supplied scan of story here http://comicsuk.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=140&t=7736

        Reply

        1. That’s it! Thanks so much! I really do not remember getting a Mandy for Christmas, but this is the story. What’s even funnier is my wife’s name is Amanda and her family calls her Mandy. She teased me that I should have definitely remembered getting this annual, but in my defense her hair is blonde and looks more like Bunty than Mandy. Maybe that’s why I thought it was in Bunty. I’m definitely picking this one up.

          Thanks again for all you’ve done!

          Reply

  9. Hello all,

    I am a Dutch researcher of comics and am researching the Dutch title Tina, which was started at the same time as the British Tina and is still going strong after all these years.

    Many of the stories printed in Tina during the sixties to eighties had reprints from the girl comics in them, and some of them are hard to identify.

    For instance, a story with the translated title “Together through the Darkness” from 1981. The plot: a young girl’s family moves town and their dog accidentally stays behind. The dog befriends a raven (crow?) and they start a long journey to find his family.

    Any help would be appreciated!

    Best,
    Ramon

    Reply

      1. Wow, what a great resource! Most of my research has been done by others already! I’ll be sure to incorporate this work into the Grand Comics Database entries asap.

        Regards,
        Ramon

        Reply

        1. I think you should certainly ask permission first, Ramon. It is, of course, possible that lorrsadmin would be pleased to have her website included in the Grand Comics Database, but it is also equally possible that she wouldn’t. Courtesy costs nothing.

          Reply

          1. Well I have no problem with information on this site being used on the Grand Comic Database, I have used that site myself to check information at times. The list of Dutch translations of course is from the jintyresources site.

  10. I am finding your ‘blue on black’ replacement idea just as difficult to read as the previous one, Lorraine. What I think I asked for was a sky blue blackground. Could you please consider omitting colour altogether because I can easily read black words on a white background. If this is not an acceptable alternative, there will be little point in my logging in at all.

    Reply

    1. Derek, sorry that you are still having trouble reading the colours. It’s not as simple as clicking a button to change the colour of the footer and actually I enlisted help to make last changes, because my css knowledge is pretty basic (css being the style coding language that makes website look how it does). My other option is changing the entire look of the blog, using a different theme, but I’d want to make sure to find a suitable one, that wouldn’t change things too much.

      Either way this is not something I have time to do right now. It could be two months before change is done. I will try to get it done sooner than that, but just to warn you, you may have to be patient for a while.

      Reply

      1. I have been known to be patient, Lorraine, so please don’t worry about the time factor. I know you will get round to it when you have enough time. My ex-wife, Lynne, would certainly understand the need for patience where young children are concerned, given that she had to stay at home for several years with our two while I had to go to work. She sees Russ a couple of times a week now, and is in regular contact with Andrew via Facetime, as am I. My routine is like a well-oiled machine, today having been extra busy because I had to pick Alex up from his primary school in St. Erth first, and then pick Lois up from Tesco’s in Carbis Bay, which saves her waiting outside her school for me, take them down to Lynne’s in St. Ives for tea, and eventually take them home. We all had a Chinese tonight.

        Reply

  11. I can’t find any entries from TRACY in your lists of stories, Lorraine. Is there any particular reason for their absence, or are they hiding in plain sight, and I’m just not seeing them?

    Reply

    1. Hi, not sure if you mean the page which lists Tracy stories? It is there under the stories tab, it’s listed alphabetically so comes after Suzy. You can click on stories to see list of comics or use drop down menu.

      Reply

  12. Hi,
    Wondering if you might be able to help.
    Story inquiry:
    I just can find this anywhere, it was in a girl’s annual 70’s or ’80s?

    There was a girl/woman who ended up in a theatre, the next day she went looking for the theatre because she had lost one of her gloves, she found it, but the theatre was a ruin had been destroyed years ago? possible by fire?
    But she knows she had not imagined her experience as through the mess she could see her lost glove on one of the dusty old seats.

    Any ideas?
    Much appreciated if anyone can help!
    S

    Reply

  13. Hello! I’m looking for an annual from the 1970s and it’s either a Mandy or a Bunty I think. There’s a story about a below-stairs maid on Christmas Day who goes about her duties, taking breakfast in bed to the two daughters of the household who are less than pleased with their gifts…one a locket (“I already have a better locket than this”) and one a choker of pearls (“only a single string of pearls. I did so want a full choker”). At the end of the story the maid is given the last bit of Christmas pudding and almost breaks a tooth on the silver sixpence…she’s happy to have got the lucky sixpence. I haven’t been able to track down which annual this is in.

    Reply

      1. Thank you SO MUCH!! I’ve investigated the annual here on the page and wow! Yes…that’s it! I even began to remember some of the other stories that I’d forgotten all about, looking at the page pics for this annual.
        I can’t tell you How long I’ve been trying to trace this story and the annual it was in! I didn’t even remember that I had a Judy annual So was looking at Completely the wrong annuals! And I’ve seen that I can buy a copy on amazon I’m SO happy! Thank you x

        Reply

        1. I am constantly being surprised by the sheer breadth and depth of knowledge that are revealed on this platform, and on comicsUK, for the benefit of those people who require an answer to their question. The pleasure and gratitude expressed above by Heather Carr, makes searching for, and providing, the answers to such queries, well worth the effort involved.

          Reply

          1. I quite agree, Derek. I’m still a beginner at this, compared to other contributors, but I’ve certainly found it worthwhile. Thank you for your reply, Heather.

          2. Derek, I am indeed So grateful for this information as provided by “Goof”! I am retelling the story of my years’ long search again this evening and how Amazing this one little line of reply has resulted in Such joy and a flood of happy memories. The silly thing is that I had searched on this site a few times before but never actually left a comment and Asked anyone if they knew what I was looking for! Thank goodness I finally did. And to have found a copy on amazon!!! Which I now own and am thrilled to bits. Really still can’t thank everyone here enough

      1. Wonder no longer, Briony. The maid didn’t break her tooth, and she gets to keep the sixpence, so how exactly could she be considered unlucky?

        Reply

  14. Can members please check their collections of DIANA for me, as I need to know the issue number and date of the very first instalment of ‘Mary Brown’s Schooldays’. It will be somewhere around the 200 mark in 1967. I have checked Lorraine’s excellent Girls Comics Of Yesterday site, where she suggests ‘circa 212’, but unfortunately she is clearly guessing. Her two other suggestions would seem to relate to JACKIE after the amalgamation, so they are not of any interest to me. I really hope to avoid having to go up to the British Library again as it’s five purgatorial hours each way on the train between Hayle and Paddington. Then there’s the Tube. Thanks in anticipation to everyone who searches on my behalf.

    Reply

    1. I’ve sent you an email Derek, I haven’t got the information you need at the moment, but I may have time to check it in the library in few months.

      Just a correction, Diana did merge with Jackie, but Mary Brown’s Schooldays actually appeared in Debbie after Diana finished.

      Reply

      1. Are you sure that ‘Mary Brown’s Schooldays’ appeared in DEBBIE? I have all the serials in DEBBIE listed, with dates and issue numbers as far as issue 317. My recollection is that the principal school serial in DEBBIE was ‘Jane Green’s Schooldays’, which was successful enough to have further series, but all I really needed to know was when it started in DIANA. If I can’t find that information, rather than go to London to extract the information from a bound volume in the British Library, I will simply leave it out. After all, the subtitle of the book will be ‘The Great Stories’ or ‘Memorable Stories’, so it would be easy for me to argue that ‘Mary Brown’s Schooldays’ wasn’t all that memorable, and certainly not great.

        Reply

        1. Yes I’m certain it appeared in Debbie, though the earliest issue I’ve noted with it, is #349. The story also appeared in several of the Debbie annuals.

          Up-to-Date Kate is another story that appeared in Debbie after Diana ended.

          Reply

          1. It’s a bit late tonight to do a complete check, Lorraine. However, according to my notes I DO have that issue, but unfortunately it isn’t in the pile of issues for that year. I can only assume that it will surface soon. I won’t lose any sleep over it. I didn’t have any responsibility for my grandchildren today so I went on the train to Truro for the day. I bought three new books from Waterstones and three secondhand ones from a fascinating shop in Pydar Mews, which I can certainly recommend to any members planning a holiday in the area.

          4. Peter, I recently saw a biographical article that you wrote about Bill Ritchie that was published on the phil-comics site. Unless I misunderstood it, the caption to one of the photos seemed to suggest that the Up-to-Date Kate artist was Mike Barrett.

            http://www.phil-comics.com/bill.pdf

  15. I have found the relevant issues of DEBBIE. ‘Mary Brown’s Schooldays’ runs between 342 (September 1 1979) and 356 (December 8 1979). As I thought, I do have the full run.

    Reply

    1. Hi, I wonder if anyone can advise me….I’m not interested in buying/collecting, but, as a now pensioner, I would love to reread Jinty and Jinty & Lindy comics from my childhood. Does anyone know how I can achieve this without having to fork out a fortune? Thank you.

      Reply

  16. I remember a story called “Lady Locksley’s Secret”. The second wife of Lord Locksley faked the death of her stepdaughter so that her daughter would inherit. The stepdaughter was taken to an orphanage. Some years later Lady Locksley got the child back to Locksley Hall as a servant to keep an eye on her. I think one of the other servants was suspicious. Lord Locksley was away in the army. I think it ended when Lord Locksley returned and I think Lady Locksley died. I can’t remember the names except the bad Lady was called Bella and her daughter was called Marianne. The story might have been in Judy.

    Reply

        1. It only needed to be as long as the story required it to be. As I can’t recall having read it, I cannot comment further.

          Reply

          1. I do have issue #418 in which a lot of new stories start, so maybe it was finished off quickly to make way for them. Though as Derek says 6 episodes can be long enough to tell a story anyway.

  17. I’ve just extracted issues 412 to 417 from my collection of JUDY for 1967/68. I’ll read them tomorrow afternoon and report back. I would struggle to find time in the morning as I’m collecting Lois at 10.30 from hers to take her up to St Michael’s Hospital for her 11 o’clock appointment for the latest physiotherapy session relating to the arm she broke last summer.

    Even though Alex told me last week that he and Jess were ‘an item’, because Jess’s mother has grounded her for some misdemeanour or other, he will probably play out with Autumn. She’s a really nice girl. Yesterday lunchtime she came down to my house on her own just to ask me if I was feeling better than I had been the day before. I told her I was feeling much better and she went away happy.

    Reply

    1. The other day I made my comments on ‘Lady Locksley’s Secret’, but clearly I didn’t add them to this thread. I don’t have time now to look for the post as I am about to take my grandchildren to the indoor swimming pool in Penzance, so those interested members will need to use their initiative.

      Reply

  18. In the later sixties, I remember a story about a young girl who is visited by a strange orb in her bedroom. It shrinks her to the size of the orb and it turns out to be some kind of craft?

    I would be most grateful if you could trace this for me as it would solve a fifty year old puzzle. Me reading a girl’s comic at Junior School, thinking it was wrong as a boy, but thoroughly enjoying this story with its SCI-FI narrative.

    Reply

    1. Do you remember any more details about the orb story? For example, the title it might have appeared in, or more story information, like what the orb does with the girl once it shrinks her e.g. take her to an alien planet. Was the story humorous or was it adventure/thriller?

      Reply

  19. By the way, must confess, I was in love with Bobby Dazzler-thinking she just had to be based upon someone real. Or was it simply the way she was drawn…?

    Reply

  20. Can any member please tell me the issue number and date of DIANA that contains the first instalment of ‘Mary Brown’s Schooldays’. It is somewhere between 198 (26 November 1966) and 212 (11 March 1967). As I need to include this information in BUNTY AND HER SISTERS, leaving the serial out is really not an option, but I am trying to avoid having to make a five-hour journey from Cornwall to London just to get this information from the British Library.

    Reply

    1. I can’t help with this one, I would have offered to pop to National Library of Scotland, which is close by to me, but have recently discovered they don’t have any of these comics prior to 1972! So if you do need anything after that date I’d be happy to help, in the meantime I hope someone else will be able to help with your current query.

      Reply

  21. Thank you for that lovely thought, Lorraine. I do appreciate it. I have to admit that the matter has been concerning me. I even went down to the Copperhouse this afternoon for a quiet pint, in order to assess my options. It seems that I only have two, leave the three-line summary out altogether, and refer back to the first series when I summarise the second one, or go up by train to the British Library, and of the two, the former does not appeal because I would be missing something out of the book that should be in. It will have to be London, I suspect. I can’t go immediately though as it’s Lois and Alex’s half term this week, and Andrew’s daughters, Aurora and Kelsey’s half term next week. He’s driving down here with them on Saturday to spend a few days with his mother. His taking time off work is more or less unheard of, but obviously very welcome.

    Reply

  23. I hadn’t given them a moment’s thought. I’ve been out most of the afternoon anyway as I had to go to Penzance railway station to renew my annual Railcard, which expires today at midnight. I went and came back by bus as my Merseytravel card allows me to travel free of charge on all official service buses anywhere in the British Isles. It is certainly an effective petrol-saving device, which I appreciate, given that from Monday I will again be picking Lois up from school every day, and transporting her to and from her ballet classes twice a week.

    Reply

    1. I will no longer need to pick Lois up from school from next Monday because since the family moved house, she has been able to catch a bus home. I will still be driving her to her ballet classes, and taking her home though. She is quite excited at the moment because Liz Nolan has asked her to take the leading role in the next production, yet she doesn’t turn 14 until August 4th. Rehearsals will probably start next Monday, and continue weekly on Wednesdays and Thursdays as well. In my opinion she is mature enough to cope with the extra pressure that comes with being a principal. To judge by the energy she expended yesterday and today swimming in the public baths in Penzance, she’ll not lack staying power either.

      Reply

      1. Hope you had a nice Christmas Derek. Your grandaughter is growing up to be fine girl, I’m glad the ballet is going well.

        Reply

        1. Hi Lorraine. Happy New Year to you and your family, and here’s hoping that Father Christmas came down the chimney with lots of lovely presents for Ruby. Christmas Day here was basically spent in the Brewers Arms in Hayle. We had already booked the tables a couple of months earlier, and at the same time we ordered and paid for the two courses. It was just as well as the place was packed. Russ, Rach, Lois, Alex and I were joined by my ex-wife Lynne, her brother Philip and his wife Lynn, Jordan, his partner Kerry, and their daughter Ava, and Kerry’s mum and dad. The beer and wine were flowing as you might expect, but as I was going to drive Lynne home to St Ives, I limited myself to one pint, but bought a bottle of red on the way out. As far as Christmas presents for the children were concerned, lots of us clubbed together to get Alex (10) a pair of boxing gloves and a punch ball on a very heavy base so that no matter how hard he hit it, it would not fall over, although it could hit him on the nose if he wasn’t quick enough to avoid it. We got it on eBay and it arrived in plenty of time. For Lois, we all contributed 40 pounds so that we could pay for a trip to Harry Potter World for her sometime in the late summer. Jordan will drive her down to a hotel that has been booked and paid for. She couldn’t believe her luck, and was nearly in tears.

          As Rach has this week off work, she took Lois to her ballet today (Monday), but I will be taking her on Wednesday, and Rach will take her on Thursday. Next week things will be back to normal so I’ll be taking her three times a week, and have my pint in the Badger while I’m waiting for her to come into the pub.

          Reply

          1. Correction!!!!! Jordan will drive her UP. Driving her DOWN will land the pair of them in the sea at Penzance.

  24. Hello – Glad to find your website. This is an ‘SOS’ (Save Old Stories; comic ones) !!
    I have my girlhood comics probably 200 of them (2 big plastic bags full):- Bunty x 74 comics, Mandy x 53 comics, Jinty & Lindy, Jinty, Tammy, Debbie etc from 1972 – 78.
    I would love them to go to a good home. I am happy to donate them FREE to yourselves or someone else for free on collection. Can you help…? I live in Kent near Dover. Tel: 01304 369799 for anyone interested in becoming the proud new owner of a wonderful vintage archive. I would be very sad to throw them out. They gave me such pleasure. Best Lucia

    Reply

    2. I would be interested but I live bit far away for collection. I’ll pass along to other possible interested people who live closer!

      Reply

  26. Hi there,

    For many years now I have been looking for what I think is a Bunty story that I loved as a child. It was about twins who were made to dress the same. One was happy and pretty but the other felt sad and not as popular as the other. In the end she has her hair cut short and has her own clothes and is much happier. Do you remember this? I have have yet to find it anywhere!

    Reply

      1. Thanks Goof, I have the pages handy and there’s only 5 pages, so to save you the trouble, I’ve added them here:

        http://girlscomicsofyesterday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/J66_PennyPost1.jpg
        http://girlscomicsofyesterday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/J66_PennyPost2.jpg
        http://girlscomicsofyesterday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/J66_PennyPost3.jpg
        http://girlscomicsofyesterday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/J66_PennyPost4.jpg
        http://girlscomicsofyesterday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/J66_PennyPost5.jpg

        Reply

  28. The BUNTY story, Lorraine, is ‘The Winfield Winner’, which ran from 1217 (May 9 1981) to 1230 (August 8 1981). The first of the two pages you posted is identical to the first page of ‘The Winfield Winner’ apart from the fact that the Greek page is in colour where the BUNTY page is in black and white. Can I now finish my cheese, lettuce and tomato baguette from Subway please before the edges of the lettuce leaves start curling upwards? Actually I’m not really too bothered because later on I’m collecting Lois and Alex from their house and taking them to their nan’s (my ex-wife). We’ll have Chinese except for Alex, who will, as usual, have about 20 nuggets, just as he does when I take the children to McDonalds. He can be just plain awkward that child, but it’s best to humour him.

    Reply

    1. Lynne has just told me that Alex is having chicken fried rice tonight as usual. It must just be when he goes out with me that he has nuggets!!!!! Or maybe I’m just less observant than I thought I was!!

      Reply

    1. I did, thank you, Lorraine. I had a King Prawn Chow Mein with boiled rice. As the portion was very generous, I didn’t manage to finish it. The children are staying the night at Lynne’s, and I have to go over at 3 o’clock tomorrow afternoon to pick them up and take them home.

      Reply

  31. I’m trying to remember a story where a girl’s eyes get damaged from contact with aliens. They give her a potion for it but she must not cry for a month while it takes effect. And guess what happens during that month – yep, a whole heap of trouble and misunderstandings caused by her not being able to cry. Artist was the one who drew Mandy’s “Teddy”. I’m pretty sure the story was a Tracy story. Any help appreciated. Thank you.

    Reply

  33. Hi there, I am trying to find the name of a story from an annual I loved when I was a little girl. It would have been between 1978 and 1985. The story was a comic strip one and it was about a girl who was told all her life she was ugly. She wasn’t allowed to look in a mirror. But she runs away and sees herself in some water and realises she has been lied to by the people who kept her at their house. I thought it might be in a Mandy annual as I know I owned three of those. I have one from 1979 and it’s not in that. The only other annuals I had were Jackie, girl and blue jeans but I remember my favourites were Mandy.
    I know it’s a long shot but I thought that if anyone would know you would. Thanks so much, Kate.

    Reply

    2. Hi Kate,
      The story is The Girl in the Mirror from the Mandy 1980 annual. It was a 4 part story.
      http://girlscomicsofyesterday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/M80_Girl-inMirror1.jpg
      http://girlscomicsofyesterday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/M80_Girl-inMirror2.jpg

      I wonder if it inspired the Mandy serial The Girl in the Mask http://girlscomicsofyesterday.com/2017/02/the-girl-in-the-mask-1983-84/
      which had similar premise, even some same plot points like both girls ending up in a Hall of Mirrors at a funfair!

      Edit: Thanks Goof, I see we were replying at same time!

      Reply

        1. Say, why was the old bag fooling our heroine in this way? Jealous of her good looks?

          And thanks for the info about Stanley Houghton.

          Reply

          1. Oddly enough, we’re never really told. Apart from her being a miser and general miseryguts (and no oil painting herself), she isn’t given any definite motive for preventing the heroine meeting other people, other than that she can use her as an unpaid household drudge. The ending implies that she was mentally ill.

            The punchline and main point of the story is that the heroine needn’t have worried about her looks anyway, as people would like her for herself.

      2. Thank-you so, so much Lorrsadmin and Goof, that is it. That’s made my day!
        What a wonderful resource you are running. Reading through some of the posts it is clear how much impact some of these stories had on people’s lives; that they remember them so many years later. I think it is fantastic that you have archived them like this. Thank-you the service you are providing. 🙂

        Reply

  34. A miser, a miseryguts, mentally ill, no beauty and keeping the girl in her power as unpaid help? Ok, good enough for me. Thank you for the info. BTW, what happens to miseryguts in the end?

    Reply

    1. Packed off to “a special home, where they will take good care of her.” Taken out of context, this has a rather Orwellian ring, but as these stories usually let the villains get away with murder, this presumably wasn’t intended. I interpreted it as some kind of mental home.

      Reply

        1. Sadly, no. I wish I did. He/she did quite a lot for Mandy around this time, and is one of several artists that I’m hoping might rate a mention in David Roach’s book.

          Reply

  35. I remember a story in Tracy, “The Prisoner of [something] Manor” or something like that. An artistic girl is held prisoner in the mansion but befriends another girl. Eventually she convinces her parents and art teacher there is a prisoner being held there. They arrive in time to foil a murder plot to burn her alive in the mansion. I think the artist was the one who drew “I’ll Get Rid of Rona!”, also in Tracy. Can anyone shed light on the story, please?

    Reply

    1. It doesn’t seem to be a Tracy story, so must be in another comic, guessing it is around the same time as Tracy’s publication, so early to mid 80s. I will check if anything else matches.

      Reply

      2. Thinking about it, I am sure it was M***** Manor, well, something alliterative to go with manor, perhaps the name of the manor. The story ends with the ex-prisoner returning to the manor, this time happy and becoming a celebrity. Her friend comments that she’s already forgetting she was the prisoner of M**** Manor.

        Reply

    2. One story with a similar title is ‘The Prisoner Of Craven Castle’ in DEBBIE 232 (July 23 1977) – 241 (September 24 1977). It may well be a false trail anyway but I’ll have to leave the search to others as I won’t have time to pull those issues until this coming weekend at the earliest.

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      1. Thank you, Derek. Yes, I know the story you mean. Sorry, definitely not it, and anyway the story was set in modern times. I think Judy and Bunty can be ruled out. If it was not Tracy, it must have been Mandy.

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          1. I suppose it couldn’t be a picture library? I’ve not come across it, but there are several “Manor” PSLs I don’t know:

            Mandy #36 Mystery of the Manor
            Judy #155 The Menace of the Manor
            Bunty #435 Mystery in Manor Park

        2. I’m just wondering, Briony, if the story you are seeking could be a one-off, such as a Damian Darke tale. Alternatively, could it have appeared as a serial, or indeed as a one-off, in TAMMY or JINTY?

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          1. The story we are seeking is indeed ‘The Prisoner Of Misty Manor’. It starts in DEBBIE 473 (March 6 1982), replacing ‘Poor Little Rich Girl’, and ends in 484 (May 22 1982). I don’t have 473 but the preamble prior to the episode in 474 is revelatory. This is what it says:- ‘Kim Foley’s parents had recently left an industrial town to run a smallholding in the country. Out walking, Kim found her way into the overgrown garden of an old manor house, which was full of wildlife. A mysterious girl, who was a brilliant artist, was shut up in one of the rooms. She claimed she was an invalid but it seemed to Kim that Anne-Marie’s illness was an excuse for her two older cousins to keep her a prisoner, especially as local inhabitants claimed that a Mr and Mrs Harrison were the sole occupants of the house they called “Misty Manor”.’

  36. I’m trying to remember the title and annual of a story where a girl visits a village where people still have witch superstitions and think a recently deceased lady was one. They hear horrible noises from her old house and think it’s haunted. The girl investigates and finds it’s trapped Siamese felines. She rescues them and keeps one, naming it Spook. It was drawn by Oliver Passingham and I am pretty sure it was a Judy annual. Can anyone identify, please? Thank you.

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  38. This morning’s post brought me a package from a Lancashire dealer, which contained eight issues of DEBBIE. They were all from 1978, and were numbered 292-298 and 303. The cost was £5.95 plus £2.95 p&p. I only needed 293, 297 and a much more presentable version of 296, but I figured that the total outlay of £8.90, roughly £3 a comic was eminently justifiable. I am also expecting delivery, either on Saturday or Monday, of a free gift from DIANA from 1964, a 16-page booklet called ‘The Rainbow Book Of Stars’. I will be adding it to my collection, many items from which will appear in B&HS.

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  39. ‘The Rainbow Book Of Stars’ duly arrived yesterday morning. Another item that came yesterday was a DVD of songs sung by the American band Lady Antebellum, my granddaughter Lois’s favourite group. I sourced it from a platform called BONANZA. The seller ‘madmusickid’ posted it from Alicante on the coast of Spain. I took it round to hers more or less straightaway, and I won’t be surprised to learn when I next see her that she has been listening to it ever since.

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    1. I’ve just bought issue 51 of DIANA this morning, which gives me virtually the full run from issue 1 to issue 197, although issues 2, 53, 77, 114, 128, and 173 are still hiding from me. It cost £3.99 plus £2.95 p&p, and is slated to arrive here next Wednesday or Thursday. I’ve more or less given up on ever acquiring issues 199 – 224, because they contain episodes of ‘The Avengers’. I do have 213 and 215 but clearly they are a fat lot of use on their own. I suppose I’ll have to go up to the British Library again in late spring/early summer, if only to take notes on the other serials running contiguously. Hopefully I’ll be able to fit in a couple of jars and a gossip with Steve (Zodiac) Mitchell as we did a year or two back, not forgetting a visit to 30th Century where I usually manage to buy something or other from Rob or Will. I’ll take my Wants List with me.

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  40. I’ve just spotted a comment in the notebook where I list all the as yet missing issues of the eleven story titles for girls, which says that I already have issues 214 and 216 scanned on my computer under ‘DIANA STORIES’. I’m pretty sure that they were both sent directly to my computer a year or two back by the same kind person. Regrettably I can’t remember who it was.

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  41. Nice additions to your collection Derek. While I am not buying much comics these days I did get 2 Judy issues that filled some gaps recently, #314 and #329 for just £5.90 in total.

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    1. Well done, Lorraine. It’s always very satisfying when you chip away at your Wants List and fill some gaps. Curiously, apart from 304, 329 is the only issue that I don’t have in the first twelve years of JUDY. Any chance of a photocopy?

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  42. Issue 51 of DIANA arrived this morning. I’ve had a good look through it so I will be slotting it into my collection of DIANA when I’ve had some lunch.

    On a different matter, yesterday I couldn’t find my copy of ‘THE ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF GIRLS’ SCHOOL STORIES’ by Sue Sims & Hilary Clare, which I had bought brand new in 2000 for £40, at the same time as I bought the equivalent volume for boys for the same price. Thinking I might well have to buy a replacement, I Googled the title. Result, it is now £400, a figure that I was not prepared to pay. Fortunately, later in the day I went upstairs to the spare bedroom to extract all my novels written for girls, with a view to deciding which of them would deserve a mention in the Introduction to B&HS, and found it in one of the boxes. I’ve never met Sue but several years ago, when she was teaching at Bournemouth Grammar School For Girls, she lent me her copy of ‘The Prize Essay’ by Kathleen Wallace, which is a fascinating imagining of the life of the Bronte sisters. I think I must have advertised for a copy in the WANTS section of BOOK AND MAGAZINE COLLECTOR. I photocopied the whole book at Maghull Library over three or four visits as at that time you were not allowed more than a certain number of copies in any one day, at which point I returned it to her with my grateful thanks and a postal order covering her postage costs, which she may well have donated to a charity. I think I’m recalling that more or less correctly.

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  43. Lorrsadmin, I have done the artists’ names for the rest of the Judy Annuals, but can’t post them on the website as the entries for these years don’t have a “Leave a Reply” box for messages posts. The years in question are:

    1969-1971, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1981–1989 & 1991

    Would you like me to send you the names lists for these years by email? If so, I suggest I put them in a Word document attachment, but I can send them by another means if you would prefer.

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  44. I couldn’t find any entry for “June and Schoolfriend”
    “Schoolfriend” was the biggest-selling girls’ comic throughout the ’50s, followed closely by the slightly more modern “June”, then publishers Fleetway combined the two in the 1960s. Certainly still around in The 1970s not sure when it closed.

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    2. Hi Mark, I concentrate on the DC Thomson comics, although I have dipped into Fleetway/IPC occasionally. For the moment the DC Thomson comics are a big enough project for me, but who knows sometime in the future I may be able to expand out more. The Jinty website has covered some June and other IPC titles before https://jintycomic.wordpress.com/
      Also for an overview of IPC/Fleetway girls comics you can find family tree here:
      https://michaelowencarroll.wordpress.com/2018/06/30/eaglution-of-british-comics-part-3/

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  45. For the benefit of anyone who may be interested, I have decided to expand significantly my book ‘BUNTY AND HER SISTERS – The Great Stories’, which I have been working on for some time now. The expansion will allow me to present a synopsis for all the serial stories (no completes) from DCT’s eleven titles for girls that I consider to be ‘great’, which, apart from the Introduction, was originally to have been the entire content. I will now be adding a synopsis of similar length for every suitable novel in my collection written specifically for girls (about 500 titles as of today). The alphabetical order of titles will be maintained regardless of which story paper they appeared in, the summaries of the novels being integrated at the appropriate points.
    I’m really surprised that it has taken me so long to see the appropriateness of the amalgamation. I’d started to watch an episode of ‘Scott And Bailey’ last night when I realised it was a repeat so I switched the TV off, plonked myself back in my armchair, wondering whether to go to bed or read for half an hour first. During that brief period of meditation it struck me that any instalment of any serial in any copy of MANDY or DIANA or whatever is in essence exactly the same as a chapter in novels such as ‘Air Girls At School’ by Eileen Marsh, ‘The Only Day Girl’ by Dorothea Moore, ‘Well Done, Denehurst! by Gwendoline Courtney or ‘Three New Girls’ by Joanna Lloyd etc. etc.. All I will need to add to the titles and authors will be to state that that title is a book, although the name of the author should be information enough as DCT chose not to acknowledge theirs.

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    1. The expansion sounds a great idea. And you would have plenty of time for your books now we’re in lockdown.

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      1. Apart from one leisurely trundle through my local park, Briony, I’ve been self isolating since I got up on Wednesday March 18th. You are of course correct that I will have plenty of time for writing. Nevertheless from time to time I do take a chair through the conservatory into the paved area at the back of my house and either read a book or try to think a problem through. The weather here in Cornwall is currently sunny by and large, so it seems to encourage me. Hopefully the hot summery weather that you can enjoy in your area of the world is behaving itself. Above all, I just miss seeing my grandchildren, driving them down to the swimming baths in Penzance, and taking Lois to her ballet class on Wednesdays. I really miss our chats in the car. Like everywhere else, such places are closed. I can’t even go down to the local pub at lunchtime because they are closed as well. My ex-wife gave Lois and Alex £40 each because they can’t go over to hers for tea once a week. They used that money really sensibly to buy a trampoline so they can get out of their house, have a lot of fun, and enjoy some much-needed exercise.

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        1. I was interested to see Dorothea Moore’s name among the authors that you will be including in the book, Derek. I know very little about girls’ novels of this period, but I read one of hers and liked her gutsy, down-to-earth style; pithy dialogue that reminded me of Edith Nesbit, and quite witty in places. Personally, I preferred her to the better-known Angela Brazil.

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  46. Five novels by Dorothea Moore will feature in the book, Goof, those being ‘The Only Day Girl’, ‘Judy, Patrol Leader’, ‘Terry The Girl Guide’, ‘Wanted, An English Girl’, and ‘A Rough Night’ which, being about wreckers, is an appropriate historical theme down here in Cornwall. Edith Nesbit will be represented by ‘Five Children And It’, ‘The Phoenix And The Carpet’, and ‘The Wouldbegoods’. Angela Brazil, whose surname, according to her at least, should be pronounced as if it were spelt ‘Brazzle’, rather than the normal pronunciation of the South American country, will supply ‘For The Sake Of The School’, ‘Jean’s Golden Term’, ‘The School At The Turrets’, ‘Jill’s Jolliest School’, ‘The School In The South’ and ‘The New School At Scawdale’. Perhaps surprisingly, you may feel, I am including a selection of novels by Enid Blyton, who would not get into too many people’s list of favourite authors these days, but some of her incredibly large output of books are still being purchased. In the last few days I have reread ‘Five On A Treasure Island’ and ‘Five Go Adventuring Again’, and I’m halfway through ‘Five Run Away Together’, at which point I had got heartily sick of the Stick family, so I went in to get ‘The Island Of Adventure’. When I finish this post, I will take my chair outside as I did yesterday, and because there isn’t a cloud in the sky, I will continue from the beginning of chapter 6 of the latter. As there are 29 chapters, I’ll be out there for a while, sustained this morning at least by cups of coffee.

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    1. I’m not surprised that you’re including Enid Blyton, in fact I’d say this seems quite appropriate. Apart from the continuing popularity of her books, she is as far as I know one of the few well-known writers of girls’ novels who had a direct connection with girls’ comics. I’ve not come across her work in DCT comics, but she wrote some stories for early numbers of “Princess”, and I’ve seen picture story adaptations of her books in “Pixie” and “Penny”.

      I hope you enjoy “The Island of Adventure”. I have a fond memory of this book from when I read it as a young child, on a rather wet holiday in a guest house in North Wales.

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      1. I did enjoy ‘The Island Of Adventure’ yesterday, Goof, and by the time I got weary, I had also read the first four chapters of ‘The Castle Of Adventure’, the second of the eight-book series. I do have the complete set. Today I plan to finish ‘Castle’, and as I am a postponer rather than a quitter, I will engage again at some point with the Stick family in ‘Five Run Away Together’. One thing I did do last night was extract from the relevant cupboard, actually a large wardrobe to be truthful, all my books about Enid, [‘Enid Blyton – A Biography’ by Barbara Stoney, ‘The Blyton Phenomenon’ by Sheila Ray, ‘A Childhood At Green Hedges’ by Imogen Smallwood, one of Enid’s daughters, ‘Enid Blyton And The Mystery Of Children’s Literature’ by David Rudd, ‘The Enid Blyton Story’ by Bob Mullan, and ‘The Story Of My Life’ by Enid Blyton, which only runs for 121 pages. Thinking that was very short, I Googled the title, but the search only threw up ‘Die Geschichte Meines Lebens’ by Erika Klopp Verlag for 9.42 euros (approx. £8.26), those about fiction for girls, [‘A World Of Girls’ by Rosemary Auchmuty and ‘A World Of Women – Growing Up In The Girls’ School Story’ by the same author, and ‘You’re A Brick, Angela!’ by Mary Cadogan and Patricia Craig], plus a couple about girls, a genus I like but have never entirely understood, ‘Just Like A Girl – How Girls Learn To Be Women’ by Sue Sharpe, and ‘Truth, Dare Or Promise – Growing Up In The Fifties’ edited by Liz Heron. I also have a copy of a book called ‘Looking For Enid – The Mysterious And Inventive Life Of Enid Blyton’ by someone called Duncan McLaren, who I had never heard of before parting with my £15.99 plus p&p. Nor since. Nor would I wish to. It’s a hardback with a colourful dustwrapper showing George looking at Kirrin Island through a telescope on what looks like a tripod, with Julian and Anne on her right, and Dick on her left, all three looking at her, and possibly wondering why the telescope is the wrong way round. The rear cover has exactly the same picture, but reversed, with Julian and Anne to the left of George, Dick to her right. More offputting than the dustwrapper is the text, which varies in size even within individual chapters!!!!!!!! In order to better facilitate your search for this title on whatever platform you choose to use, the publisher was Portobello Books.

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      2. My first acquaintance with the works of Enid Blyton, Goof, was her novel ‘Five Go Off To Camp’, which was either a birthday or a Christmas present from my Auntie Ivy and Uncle John, who at the time were living in the house that is right at the end of Washington Lane, Euxton, near Chorley in Lancashire, although later they were to relocate to Brockham, near Betchworth in Surrey. I no longer have that book, but I have bought a replacement. At the end of my first year at the University of Birmingham, they invited me down to Brockham to stay with them for a couple of ‘chilling out’ weeks. I certainly appreciated them. There was a bookcase in my bedroom there in which there was a Penguin book by Marghanita Laski, its title long forgotten, which I read cover to cover during my downtime that week. I’d never heard of her before that day, although I might have done had I been reading English rather than Spanish, Portuguese and French. During most vacations I lived in Lancaster with my father, mother, and younger brother.

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        1. Early memories of books we’ve read and enjoyed can be very powerful. Personally speaking, I wish I had more of them. My reading as a boy was not very discriminating. “The Island of Adventure” was the only Enid Blyton I recall reading as a child, and I first read many of the classics of children’s literature – Ransome, Narnia, Edith Nesbit – as an adult.

          It was the same story with comics. Perhaps because my parents rather disapproved of the genre, I read none beyond a few Dandys and Beanos, and knew the likes of Lion and Eagle only through the occasional annual. I suppose that’s one reason why I’ve been so impressed by the quality of many of the girls’ comics stories, as I’m reading them now for the first time.

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          1. I spent a few bob on eBay today, buying in all five of the first twelve ‘Famous Five’ novels by Enid Blyton that I didn’t already have. I stopped at ‘Five Go Down To The Sea’ (1953) because as a child I never read any after that, and in any case by that time I was seriously into the serial stories in ADVENTURE, The ROVER, The HOTSPUR etcetera.

            I bought most of the novels from different sellers in my quest for examples that dealers would describe as ‘Near Fine’ or Fine’, which in all cases meant a clean, intact dustwrapper as a minimum requirement, a more fundamental one being that all the novels had to have been published by Hodder & Stoughton in order to match the ones already in my collection. Trust me, there are no ‘Mint’ copies to be had, but hopefully the copies I bought can at least be described as ‘pre-loved’. On the scans provided by the sellers, the ones I bought all looked very acceptable.

          2. I wasn’t remotely discriminating, Goof, when I first joined Lancaster Junior Library at the age of 9. I was like a child in a sweetshop. I think my earliest borrowings were about Fuzzypeg and his animal friends, all fully dressed. Eventually I explored the entire content of the library, which led me quite quickly to stories by Enid Blyton, novels by Frank Richards about Billy Bunter, and, more fruitfully, The Hardy Boys, whose stories were apparently written by Franklin W. Dixon. I had moved on to the Senior Library well before I discovered that there was no such person as Franklin W. Dixon, the he was just a name made up by a member of the Stratemeyer Syndicate, who also produced the novels about Nancy Drew, nominally written by Carolyn Keene. The stories by both Dixon and Keene were nevertheless highly involving. Frank and his brother, Joe, were the sons of a detective called Fenton Hardy, and with the help, and occasional hindrance, of their chubby friend, Chet Morton, they regularly helped him solve some of his cases. On the front flap of the dustwrapper to ‘The Secret Panel’, nineteen other Hardy Boys titles are listed. It’s quite easy to imagine the inner workings of the office. The gaffer would come in, turn to a couple of his writers who had finished writing their novels the previous day, and say, “Right Carl, I want a Nancy Drew novel ready for the printers by Friday, and you, Frederick, a Hardy Boys mystery. I need to get that to the printers sometime next week. Oh, and for you, Martha, I really, really need another Dana Girls adventure. So if you can get a bit of a lick on, we won’t have to lay off anybody in the print room.”

  47. Just for clarification, in my book I will not be dealing with Enid’s series as series (St Clare’s / Malory Towers/ Naughtiest Girl), but by title, so for example, ‘Claudine At St Clare’s’ will appear under ‘C’ not under ‘S’.

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  48. Hi I was wondering if you can help me with an old story I read in my sister’s comic as a kid. I am sure it was Misty and a girl is turned into a tree!! It really creeped me out dor some reason

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  50. Hi all, if anyone has either issues 347 to 360 (1973) or 701 to 714 (1980) and is willing to scan the complete story of The Secret Song of Kate Darby it would make my friend very happy. She started reading it in 1973 at a friend’s house but never found out how it finished and says she’s been haunted by it all her life. I’d love to help her lay it to rest, with the help of someone here. I’ve tried tracking down the issues in all the usual places but apart from issue 357, I’ve had no luck. Thanks.

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    1. Hi Sarah,
      Regarding the request you made on 26 April, Sarah, for a copy of ‘The Sacred Song Of Kate Darby’, have you had a satisfactory response from anybody? If not, I have issues 701 – 714, and would be willing to scan them for you.
      Regards,
      Derek Marsden

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  51. Hi all, delighted to find this site.

    I’ve happily kept my girls annuals (albeit incomplete collections) and a few girls comics. Misty annuals and the June book of strange stories are still my favourites.

    Lorrsadmin, I see this site doesn’t have the cover pics/story lists of the following annuals:
    Bunty 1981
    Mandy 1973; 1975; 1985; 1988; 1990; 1991

    Would you like me to prep and send these via e-mail?

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  52. I’m trying to remember a story about a girl called Chloe. She wants to be a runner but her father has banned it for some reason, so she does it in secret. Things get worse when she develops an allergy to sunlight and has to wear a special suit, which makes her the laughingstock of the sports field and a mystery girl to boot. A reporter is determined to unravel the mystery and succeeds in unmasking her, but she becomes a friend. Then the allergy gets worse, and now Chloe reacts to fluorescent light as well as sunlight. I think the story was in Suzy. Can anyone identify it and how it ended please? I never saw how it ended. Thanks for any help.

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    1. I’m not familiar with this story, but I can rule out it being in Suzy, must have been another comic.

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        1. I only own a few issues but have catalogued all the stories after trips to the National Library.

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      2. It may have been another comic. I think it wasn’t printed on the cheap newsprint of, say, Mandy, but a more fancy print.

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  53. O.K. thank you for your reply. As you would seem to have all the details about the issue numbers and dates of SUZY, I am quite certain that I will need to contact you over some of them. My problem this evening though, which has been annoying the hell out of me for several hours today, is that I cannot figure out the starting number and date of the ‘Jane Model Miss’ serial that ended in DIANA 532 (April 28 1973). Any help from you or any other member will be greatly appreciated.

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  54. For those who are interested, the entire concept of BUNTY AND HER SISTERS, the book that I had planned to write on what I consider to be the best serial stories in the eleven titles for girls produced by DCT, has undergone a fundamental revision, a complete makeover you might call it. The title has only been modified slightly to BUNTY AND HER MANY SISTERS, but the content will be much more revolutionary because in addition to the summaries of the best serial stories, I propose to include summaries of novels written specifically for girls, which I have been buying in from eBay sellers for well over a year now. At the last count I had bought in 573 of them, with a handful more due to arrive at my home either tomorrow or Monday. The reasoning behind the above-mentioned decision is that apart from the obvious fact that novels communicate with words whereas the story papers use pictures, they are both presenting stories, and essentially both are in chapters, the only difference being that readers of the story papers had to wait a week to read that next chapter.

    Regarding their presentation, if you recall, my plan was to match the method I used in THIS WAS THE WIZARD, which had a heading in bold type for the title of each story, followed by a three-line synopsis of the story in normal type. What is going to happen now will remove those restrictions. First and foremost, the stories will be presented in alphabetical order, which will naturally remove the need for a glossary at the end of the book. Secondly, the presentation of each story will not be restricted to a specific number of lines, but will therefore allow me to develop the individual summaries to the point where I will have said all that I want to say, which I believe will amount to more or less exactly what the reader would like me to say. This naturally means that the synopses will not necessarily end at the bottom of any page if I have more to add, and will therefore continue at the top of the following page. The only allowance I am making for the novels is to give the name of the author, which would not be relevanf for the fiction in the story papers as DCT never revealed the names of their authors, leaving their readers to wonder whether they had all been written by the same person.

    Because I was more than a smidgen uncertain about the plan expressed above, I rang my friend Ray Moore (Kashgar (guru) on Comics UK) on Saturday to ask his opinion on my proposed book. In fact, we spoke three times over four days. He is very much in favour of my plan. One thing he did ask was how long I thought it would take me to write the book. I told him that I thought I could have it ready for the printers by late November/early December. Well that remains to be seen because I have not yet quite made all my selections from DIANA, and I still have to decide which stories will make the cut from SUZY and from DEBBIE. Any or all reactions from members on any of my above comments are of course welcome.

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  55. Yesterday I completed my list of selected serials from DIANA and SUZY. Just DEBBIE to complete. I had reached issue 20 yesterday evening when weariness overcame me.

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    1. I have now reached issue 202 of DEBBIE with the listing of my selected serials. Onward and upward!!

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  56. A long shot, for sure, but I am searching for a Picture Story Library book (I think) that was about a girl who left her house and there was nothing outside. She was trapped in a place where there was absolutely nothing at all. Obviously a godsend for the artist, as no backgrounds needed to be drawn (!), but this story had a huge impact on me as a child in the early eighties and is the only comic book story that I can remember. The notion of being stuck in a white landscape of nothing and no-one, where there is not even a sky, petrified me as a youngster. I always thought it was from Misty, but in recent days have come to the conclusion that it was more likely in a Picture Story Book.

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    1. I wonder if this might be the short story “Slave of Time..” from Misty (24/2/79).

      A girl steals an old clock from an eccentric recluse, only to find that it controls time itself. Therefore when the clock stops, she finds herself in nothingness – her figure is seen alone in blank white space. She is therefore cursed, as the old man used to be, with the job of constantly tending the clock to keep time going.

      Does this sound like the story? Happy to post a page from it, if this would help.

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  57. There was a recent query about a World War I nursing story, which turned out to be from Diana. A nurse named Anna has trouble handling the job until matron gives her a talking-to. And there was a link to a page of it. What were the links again, please? I need the page for something. Thanks for any help.

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