Tag Archives: super-powers

Wonder Girl!

Mandy, , ,

Plot

Miss Harriet Dene, a renowned woman scientist, has brought up a girl known only as J. Smith on a remote island in the Hebrides in an experiment to make her a perfect specimen, both physically and mentally. Deciding “Jay” is ready, Miss Dene takes her to the mainland to put her to the test with a barrage of practical tests.

Wonder Girlwonder girl M71

Notes

  • Art: “B Jackson”
  • The reprint is three episodes less than the original.
  • 1976 story reprinted as Kim, wonderatlete” (Kim, wonder athlete) – Debbie Parade Album #14 (1981).

Appeared

  • Wonder Girl! – Mandy: #107 (1 February 1969) – #125 (7 June 1969)
    • Reprinted – Mandy:  #479 (20 March 1976) – #494 (03 July 1976)
  • Wonder Girl! in The Caves of Yesterday – Mandy: #127 (21 June 1969) – #142 (4 October 1969)

Other Appearances:

 

Part-Time Supergirl

Judy,

Plot:

When Halley Barnes was struck by lightning, her metal hair-clasp absorbed the electric charge and transmitted it to her as super-energy. But Halley was only a part-time supergirl because she never knew just when her strange powers would switch on, or for how long.

part time supergirl

Notes:

  • Writer: Marion Turner (under pen-name: Fiona Turner)
  • Script submitted had the title Let Your Hair Down, Hailey but was changed to Part-Time Supergirl for publication.

Appeared:

  • Part-Time Supergirl –  Judy: #1234 (03 September 1983) – #1243 (05 November 1983)

Green for Danger

Judy, , ,

Plot:

After an explosion at the Amberwell Research Station, Gilda Holmes, daughter of  one of the scientists, had acquired super-human powers at times, though afterwards she remembered nothing. Dr Sable, who was responsible for the explosion, used Gilda to obtain money for some secret experiments. Gilda’s powers suddenly deserted her as she was stealing a famous art-treasure and Sable, in telepathic contact, urged her furiously to fight to regain them.

green for danger

Notes:

  • Art: Eduardo Feito

Appeared:

  • Green for Danger – Judy:  #915 (23 July 1977) – #928 (22 October 1977)

The Secret Power of Suzy Smith

Debbie, , , , , ,

Plot

Something crashes beyond the town of Greenstead. When Joe Smith and Bill Bows investigate the site they find a baby with a strange star mark on her forehead. The baby is unclaimed, so the Smiths adopt her and name her Suzy. Twelve years later, Suzy investigates the site and finds a strange glowing ball that begins to have strange effects on her, including giving her powers but also controlling her mind.

Meanwhile, the planet Zair is receiving signals from their ship that crashed on Earth twelve years ago, and the Zairians realise there is a survivor. They soon track Suzy down and start using her for invasion plans of Earth because their sun is set to explode.

Suzy

Notes:

  • Artist: Ernesto Garcia Seijas

Appeared

  • The Secret Power of Suzy Smith –  Debbie: #186 (4 September 1976) – #195 (6 November 1976)

Superbabe

Judy, , ,

Plot

Masterbrain Laboratories develop Superbabe, a baby with super-strength. But they forget that when Superbabe’s strength is combined with his tantrums, this makes for trouble. Sue West, the laboratory assistant, is the only one who can keep Superbabe under control.

Superbabe

Notes

  • Artist: Giorgio Letteri

Appeared

  • Superbabe – Judy:  #1087 (8 November 1980) – #1101 (14 February 1981)

Other Appearances

  • Superbabe – Judy Annual 1983

The Cat of Crosby Road

Judy,

Plot:

Ali, a cat with extraordinary  powers, had made his home with Jean Bell, after she had saved his life. Jean attended Crosby Road Secondary Modern School and Ali took a keen interest in all that went on there.

cat of crosby

Notes:

Appeared:

  • The Cat of Crosby Road  – Judy:  #733 (26 January 1974) – #754 (22 June 1974)
  • The Cat of Crosby Road  – Judy: #782 (4 January 1975) – #788 (15 February 1975)

Other Appearances:

  • The Cat of Crosby Road  – Judy Annual 1976

The Fish Twins

Judy, , , , ,

Plot

As babies, twins Marris and Merri had been washed onto the shore at the Welsh village of Porwen and found by Daniel Hughes, a fisherman.  Around the babies’ necks had been fine, unbreakable chains. As the girls grew, so, mysteriously, did the chains. Apart from this they seemed normal girls. Nobody knew that they could swim underwater for miles or that they could communicate with the sea creatures. There was a problem in the village as for weeks the fishermen had returned to harbour each day, without a catch.

The twins return several times, like when sea creatures  in the waters by Porwen,  mutated into monsters and attacked the villagers. Merri and Morris, the strange sea-children with remarkable powers, returned to help their adopted village. When Morris was trapped by a giant oyster, Merri called to the far-off Wise Ones of the Deep for help as she struggled to free herself from mutated seaweed.

Another time  an unknown element had poisoned  all the shellfish off the coast of Porwen, and several unexplained disappearances had occurred. Merri and Morris,  had discovered aliens living in a transparent dome on the sea-bed. The Twins had made a pact with Zakon, the leader of the aliens, but it seemed as if he had broken it.

fish twins

(The Fish Twins – 1971, Art: John Armstrong)

 

fish twins 2(The Fish Twins – 1979, Art: Carlos Laffond)

 

Fish twins 3

(The Fish Twins – 1981,  Art: Bert Hill)

Notes

  • Art: John Armstrong (1971)
  • Art: Carlos Laffond (1979)
  • Art: Bert Hill (1981)
  • Additionally Norman Lee drew the art for some covers that the Fish Twins appeared; Judy #1032, Judy #1105

Appeared

  • The Fish Twins  – Judy:  #595 (5 June 1971) – #609 (11 September 1971)
    • Reprinted – Judy:  #942 (28 January 1978) –  #956 (6 May 1978)
  • The Fish Twins  – Judy:  #1024 (25 August 1979) – #1033 (27 October 1979)
  • The Fish Twins – Judy:  #1102 (21 February 1981) – #1112 (02 May 1981)

Other Appearances

  • The Fish Twins – Judy Annual 1980

Velocity Val

Judy, ,

Plot:

In the year AD 4069, Velocity Val and her  younger brother, Willie-Shazam, have tumbled through a rent in Time and fallen back two thousand one hundred years. Using the powers of Independent Motion, they get mixed up in an air show one day, and Val demonstrates her superiority over ordinary flying machines.

velocity val

Notes:

Appeared:

  • Velocity Val – Judy:  #480 (22 March 1969) – (?)

Superlamb

Bunty, , ,
  • Superlamb–  Bunty:   #1469 (08 March 1986) – #1485 (28 June 1986)
  • Artist: Matías Alonso

Plot

A girl named Mary, of course, has a pet lamb. Lenny the lamb gets injured and is rebuilt by vet scientists. They have the technology, the capability to build the world’s first bionic lamb. Better than he was before. Better, stronger, faster. Along with being super fast and strong, Lenny has heat powers, x-ray vision and once after being hit by lightning he became super magnetic for a  while. He gets Mary into trouble sometimes but usually everything works out for the best in the end. In one instance he gets trapped in a school oven, he breaks out destroying the oven. Luckily the Home Economics teacher, Miss Dixon, is glad as she can get the school to invest in a new cooker!

superlamb_.01

Lenny gets into trouble again when he gets hold of a hang-glider, Mary grabs hold of him to try and stop him but they are both swept up into the sky. They crash into a tree and Mary is left hanging on for her life. Lenny cuts the tree down and takes the brunt of the tree falling in order to save Mary. She takes him to the vet who says he has exhausted his bionic powers and he’ll just be an ordinary lamb now, though never growing old. But as Mary walks him home, Lenny turns invisible. It seems that he has gained other powers to make up for his lost ones! So the story ends on the possibility of more adventures with Lenny.

superlamb_.05

Thoughts

Making a character, bionic, was a popular way to gain powers. Supergirl (Bunty’s version, not Superman’s cousin!) also had a similar origin. At times Lenny gets to be a hero, he helps capture some burglars and joy-riders.

superlamb_.02

For the most part though Lenny’s powers are not used for super-heroics.  He is often just mischievous. Causing trouble in the first place. It is a fun story and ridiculous (in a good way).  The ending doesn’t really make a lot of sense, as super strength, speed and even x-ray vision seem possible after bionic enhancements, but I’ve never heard of  bionic invisibility! But this is a world where you leave all thoughts of reality behind and just enjoy the fun.  The lamb is cutely drawn, and the art throughout is good.

superlamb_.03

Mary’s main purpose seems to be tying to keep Lenny, and herself, out of trouble and giving exposition on his powers. So she doesn’t get a whole lot of character arc, but she shows how much she cares about Lenny, when she tries to protect him and is concerned when he is sick. She also knows when to use his powers to his advantage, such as helping her carry newspapers and with mowing the lawn.  As well as that she continues the tradition of being a Bunty character, that reads Bunty!

superlamb_.04

List of Appearances

  • Superlamb–  Bunty:  #1469 (08 March 1986) – #1485 (28 June 1986)

Other Appearances

Annual Appearances

  • Superlamb –  Bunty Annual 1987 [Artist: Matias Alonso]

Summer Specials

  • Superlamb –  Bunty Summer Special 1990 [Art: Matias Alonso]

Picture Story Library

  • Superlamb – Debbie Picture Story Library #174

The Trouble with Iris

Mandy, ,

Plot

After being injured in an accident, orphan Jo Ashton was given a new lease of life by Dr Mabe, who placed his invention, the ” Increased Reflex and Intelligence Stimulator “, in her brain. The stimulator. known as ” Iris ”  for short, gave Jo super-human strength and intelligence. When Dr Mabe decided to tell the world about his miracle patient. Jo realised that the Welfare Authorities would discover she was an orphan, and put her in a home—so she ran away.

Notes

Appeared

  • The Trouble with Iris – Mandy: #565 (12 November 1977) – #575 (21 January 1978)