Tag Archives: Giorgio Giorgetti

Rebellion Specials 2020 – Part 3: Tammy & Jinty

As this site is about girls comics clearly Tammy & Jinty special is one I’ve been eagerly awaiting. I was pleased with last year’s issue and this year takes a different approach but is still a joy to read.

This  year there are just 2 new complete stories and  1 reprint of the first episode of Ping-Pong Paula (compared to last year’s 9 short stories). This approach certainly has the advantage of giving the stories more time to breathe, although I was little disappointed not to see some returns from last year like Justice of Justine or Bella of the Bar. Personal preference would maybe have split the difference and have 3-4 new stories, so could still have longer stories but bit more variety. Still the stories here are a great read and I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing more retro strips occasionally too. Starting off we have Boarding School (by Rachael Smith and Yishan Li) where a girl, Tabatha and her brother, Richard are the only students at a mysterious boarding school with 4 governesses. While they all fawn over Richard, Tabatha is pretty much ignored, because of this while exploring she meets a girl from outside the school and after talking with her, Tabatha begins to question the motives of the governesses and what are they hiding. I won’t give too much away, but this was an intriguing mystery story, with strong sibling bond and a good villain.

In Cat Girl Returns (by Ramzee and Elkys Nova) we meet the original Cat Girl, Cathy, all grown up and still tracking down bad guys though now as police officer, not as a costumed hero. Meanwhile her daughter Claire is trying to find a costume for a party and comes across her mother’s old cat girl outfit. While at the party Claire begins to notice some strange things, like she now has enhanced senses, and when a social media star gets taken by some criminal she is on hand to help. I like that we get to see Cathy work her case and how it connects to Claire’s heroics. While I’ve liked Rebellions update on characters, it was very fun to see continuation of the Cat Girl story rather than a straightforward reboot. DCT digital Spellbound reprint (which unfortunately was only available for short period before being pulled) had a similar idea where after reprint of  I Don’t want to Be a Witch” there was a short story focusing on Celia’s daughter. It is nice to see these legacy characters as we get a new updated character but also get to see what the older character grew up to become. It probably wouldn’t work for every story but it fits Cat Girl just right.

The other story we get is the first episode of Ping-Pong Paula,this comes after an interview with Alison Fitt (nee Christie) and is fitting example of her work. I wonder if the story is set for a reprint, which would be another reason to print the first episode here to entice readers in, I would be happy to see a volume of this. The other feature we get is a piece on Giorgio Giorgetti, I had not realised he’d died young, so it was nice to read his son’s memories of his fathers work.

An excellent addition to Rebellion’s specials collection and I must also mention a gorgeous cover by Marguerite Sauvage.

Flower Stories

Plot

Complete stories from the Flower Story Series. Including:

The Lady of the Daisies

Flower: Daisy

The Queen of Belrovia is a harsh ruler and banishes a girl called Delza for making a daisy chain, which the Queen deems a form of idleness. A witch punishes the Queen with a curse that causes nothing but daisies to grow in summer, but even this does not move the Queen to change her mind about Delza. But then the daisies come in useful when enemies invade. They mistake the daisies for snow in summer and retreat, fearing the land is bewitched.  The Queen finally relents and gives Delza the title of Lady of the Daisies.

Daisy 2

Five Flowers for Fleur

Flower: Dandelion. The pansy, rose, orchid (imitation) and unknown tropical flower (possibly stinking corpse lily) that gives off a terrible stench when it opens also feature.

Four princes claim the hand of Princess Fleur. To decide her groom, she tells them to bring a flower they think is worthy of her and she will cherish. All four fail the test because their choices reflect how unsuitable they are. But then there is a surprise fifth gift of flowers for Fleur, from Hugo-of-the-Great-City. Not realising she is a princess, he offers her a bouquet of dandelions, which he says matches her hair. Fleur realises that it is not so much the flower but the thought behind it and comes to cherish the “humble dandelion as a symbol of love and compassion, and virtues of a true and noble prince and worthy lord for his princess.” Hugo and Fleur are married, much to the consternation of the four failed princes.

Fleur

The Legend of the Water Lily

Flower: Water lily

In ancient China, Lily-Blossom and her family are devoted to gardening. Lily’s brother Lin is called up for war. Lily is distraught as she has no idea if Lin will return. She consults a fortune-teller, who says that if her brother will live, she will receive a sign. The sign will be a strange lily, unlike any other, that will bloom in the garden Lin made for her. As time goes by, there is no sign of the strange lily, and the family begins to doubt it will appear. Lily keeps weeping by the pool Lin constructed in the garden. But then she is surprised when something starts growing in the pool. It is the water lily, and it is the strange lily in question. Lily’s parents say the lily is an enchanted flower that grew from the tears Lily shed into the pool. Lin returns a year later and gets married beside a pool full of water lilies.

Water Lily

The Happiness Plant

Flower: unknown, but is dubbed “the Happiness Plant”

In the year 1900, Maggy Mayce becomes intrigued by the devotion Miss Bird gives to her plant, although she does not know its proper name. They strike a friendship, with Maggy calling in on her way to work to see Mrs Bird and her plant. But then Miss Bird’s nephew takes her away and Maggy has no address to follow up. Miss Bird has left Maggy the plant, which Maggy cherishes by the window, as Miss Bird had done. Then Maggy loses her job and cannot find another. She is just about at the end of the line when Miss Bird arrives. She had tracked Maggy down through the plant. Realising Maggy’s plight, Miss Bird offers her a job as a companion, and Maggy is happy to accept. She dubs the unknown plant “the Happiness Plant”.

Happiness Plant

Notes

  • Various Artists
  • There were several series of these complete stories
  • Each story had an individual title.
  • Flower of Freedom (Debbie #211)Reprinted and translated to Dutch as “Bloem van de vrijheid ” – Debbie (Holco Publications, 1976 series) #2 (“Debbie’s groot verhalenboek”).

Appeared

  • Flower Stories –  Debbie: #155 (31 January 1975)  – #170 (15 May 1976)
  • Flower Stories –  Debbie: #183 (14 August 1976) – #185 (28 August 1976)
  • Flower Stories –  Debbie: #203 (1 January 1977) – #223 (21 May 1977)
  • Flower Stories – Debbie: #248 (12 November 1977) – #253 (17 December 1977)
  • Flower Stories – Debbie: #483 (15 May 1982)

List of Stories

  • The Lady of the Daisies –  Debbie: #155 [Art: David Matysiak]
  • Five Flowers for Fleur –  Debbie: #156 [Art: Jesus Redondo]
  • Flowers in the Rain – Debbie: #157
  • Rosemary for Remembrance –  Debbie: #158
  • The Tell-Tale Blossoms – Debbie: #159
  • Tiny-Tell-Me-True – Debbie: #160 [Art: Jesus Redondo]
  • The Legend of the Water Lily –  Debbie: #161  [Art: Giorgio Giorgetti ]
  • Angie and the Red Rose –  Debbie: #162
  • The Flowers of Hope – Debbie: #163 [Art: Terry Aspin]
  • The Mystery of the Vanishing Flowers
  • The Happiness Plant – Debbie: #166 [Art: Maria Barrera ]
  • Snowdrop Rock – Debbie: #167
  • Who Says Flowers are Useless? – Debbie: #168
  • The First Flight Of The “Marigold” – Debbie: #169
  • A Posy To Remember – Debbie: #170
  • Lily of the Valley –  Debbie: #183  [Art: George Martin]
  • The Flower That Saved A Life – Debbie: #184
  • Little Lilac Wedding Bells – Debbie: #185 [Art: George Martin]
  • The Blue Flower of Truth – Debbie: #203
  • Flowers of War – Debbie: #204
  • The Sweet Scent of Honeysuckle – Debbie: #205
  • The Songs of the Forest – Debbie: #206
  • The Curse of the Orchid – Debbie: #207
  • The Flowers of Hope – Debbie: #208
  • The Magic Blooms – Debbie: #209
  • Queen for a Day – Debbie: #210
  • Flower of Freedom – Debbie: #211
  • The Rose of Happiness – Debbie: #212
  • The Princess and the Dragon – Debbie: #213
  • Poppies of Pompeii – Debbie: #214
  • The Flower of Light – Debbie: #215
  • Outcasts in the Snow – Debbie: #216 [Art: George Martin]
  • The Mountain Rose – Debbie: #217[Art: George Martin]
  • The Waif without a Name – Debbie: #218 [Art: George Martin]
  • The Mystery of Oak Lodge – Debbie: #219
  • The Tree Sprite – Debbie: #220
  • Lavender Blue – Debbie: #221 [Art: Norman Lee]
  • The Blooms of Hope – Debbie: #222
  • The Sweet Blooms of Summer – Debbie: #223
  • The Shoemaker’s Gentians– Debbie: #248
  • The Prize Winner – Debbie: #249
  • The Bride’s Posy – Debbie: #250
  • Daisy Chain – Debbie: #251
  • Precious Almond Blossom – Debbie: #252
  • Bad-Tempered Daisy – Debbie: #253
  • The Girl Who Hated Flowers – Debbie: #483