Comics UK

If we had a list of 100 greatest serials in girls' comics in girls' comics, what do you think they should be? To make it easier, there will be no ranking; everything will be listed alphabetically.

To start:

Angel (Mandy)
Bella (Tammy)
Bobby Dazzler (Judy)
Catch the Cat (Bunty)
Land of No Tears (Jinty)
Lucky's Living Doll (June)
Olympia Jones (Tammy)
The Four Marys (Bunty)
Valda (Mandy)
Winner Loses All! (Misty)
Worlds Apart (Jinty)

Here are five titles from 'Girl' comic, that I'm sure any reader of 'Girl' would like included, they are:

Belle of the Ballet,
Belle and Mamie,
Calling nurse Abbott!,
Susan of St Bride's,
Wendy and Jinx,

Good time to show off some more Gerald Haylock covers of 'Belle and Mamie' which were on the front cover in 63/64, this title then carried on in 'Princess'.

Excellent idea Tammy - and it's great to see those lovely Haylock covers Matrix (though to be honest I think I'd class all Belle's adventures - with or without Mamie - as part of the same series). Maybe we should do the same thing for humorous series, boys' adventure strips and nursery series?

Oddly enough I picked up an old Girl Novel featuring Belle from a local Oxfam shop just yesterday (Belle of the Ballet's Country Holiday, donated from the 'Form III Library of Goudhurst College'!). It's written by series creator George Beardmore and, while the dustjacket has been lost over time, here's the uncredited frontispiece:



...Poor old Larry!

- Phil Rushton

Another series that certainly qualifies is 'The Happy Days' from Princess (seen here in a piece of original art by regular artist Andrew Wilson) - one of the few girls' strips to last over 10 years of continuous publication, as well as spinning off to it's own annual and alternate issues of the Princess Picture Library.



- Phil R.

I would also like to include serials from lesser known titles such as Suzy and Penny. The Comp (Nikki) would have to be one.

There are so many to choose from, but here's a few more suggestions:

Patty's World (Princess Tina/Pink/Mates/Girl)
The Honourable SJ (Judy)
The Balloon Of Doom (Bunty)
The Four Faces Of Eve (Misty)
Down With St Desmond's! (Bunty)
Wendy At War (Debbie)
The Face Of Romany Fortune (Spellbound)
Come Home Kathleen (Bunty)
The Human Zoo (Jinty)
Hetty In The House Of Secrets (Spellbound)

And of course, how could I have forgotten The Happy Days!
Also just remembered The Quest Of Katie Courage which I read in Suzy, but it may well have appeared else where before.

The Silent Three will have to be in. What was their title again? Oh yes, School Friend.
The Supercats (Spellbound), Wee Slavey and Cinderella Jones (Judy) and The Girls from Noodles (Diana) are musts.

Possibles:
The Seeker (Bunty)
Force of Evil (Suzy)
Tansy of Jubilee Street (Penny)
Lorna Drake (Bunty)
Hannah in the House of Dolls (Bunty)
The Pink Peril (Diana)
Be Nice to Nancy (Judy)

I'm beginning to wonder we should make this 200 of the greatest serials in girls' comics. The 100 slots are starting to fill up fast and competition looks fierce.

Yes I think you could easily make it to 200! Most of my top picks have already been mentioned but here are some other possibilities:

School's Out! (Bunty)
The Flights of Flopear (Bunty)
The Secrets of Charlie Chatterbox (Bunty)
Penny's Place (M&J)
The Sentinels (Misty)
Junior Nanny (Judy)
Sandra of the Secret Ballet (Judy)
Climbing Rose (Judy)
The Girl Who Couldn't Cry (Mandy)
The Jealousy of Jemma (Mandy)
Starr of Wonderland (Diana)

Trixie's Treasure Chest (Debbie) could be another. Anyone think Molly Mills from Tammy as well? Slaves of War Orphan Farm (Tammy)? Bessie Bunter? Wee Sue?

Cuckoo in the Nest from Tammy will have to be in. The only story in girls's comics where the protagonist is not only a boy, but he has to pose as a girl!

Perhaps the best idea would be to accept all nominations to begin with, then vote on the best 100 when they've been incorporated into a single list.

Tammyfan wrote:Cuckoo in the Nest from Tammy will have to be in. The only story in girls's comics where the protagonist is not only a boy, but he has to pose as a girl!

Gosh, I don't remember that: when did it appear? Of course I doubt if he really wanted to pose as a girl - but if Pat Mills' new girls' comic ever materializes I reckon the time might be right to feature a genuinely transsexual character - a bit like the football-mad 'tomboy' in TV's Waterloo Road.

- Phil R.

philcom55 wrote:Perhaps the best idea would be to accept all nominations to begin with, then vote on the best 100 when they've been incorporated into a single list.

Tammyfan wrote:Cuckoo in the Nest from Tammy will have to be in. The only story in girls's comics where the protagonist is not only a boy, but he has to pose as a girl!

Gosh, I don't remember that: when did it appear? Of course I doubt if he really wanted to pose as a girl - but if Pat Mills' new girls' comic ever materializes I reckon the time might be right to feature a genuinely transsexual character - a bit like the football-mad 'tomboy' in TV's Waterloo Road.

- Phil R.

Cuckoo in the Nest was in 1983. No, he didn't want to pose as a girl. It was to cover for his uncle spending the money a great aunt had sent on treats instead of the school she wanted. Plus the aunt thought he was a girl as his name was Leslie, which she thought was Lesley. It was written by Ian Mennell and drawn by Tony Coleman.

Okay, maybe we should stick to 100 for now. We can always have a list of honourable mentions.

Tammyfan wrote:Cuckoo in the Nest from Tammy will have to be in. The only story in girls's comics where the protagonist is not only a boy, but he has to pose as a girl!

It is not the only serial in which the protagonist is a boy. The serial Charley Boy! ran in MANDY 313 (Jan. 13 1973) - 324 (Mar. 31 1973). Thirteen-year-old Sara Kane is a pupil at Clifftops, a boarding school for young ladies. She and her nine-year-old brother Charley are alone in England because their parents live abroad, where their father works for an oil company. When Charley's school burns to the ground, Miss Talbot, Sara's headmistress, offers Charley a home at Clifftops until other arrangements can be made. He is an extremely mischievous boy, and causes mayhem.

Phoenix wrote:

Tammyfan wrote:Cuckoo in the Nest from Tammy will have to be in. The only story in girls's comics where the protagonist is not only a boy, but he has to pose as a girl!

It is not the only serial in which the protagonist is a boy. The serial Charley Boy! ran in MANDY 313 (Jan. 13 1973) - 324 (Mar. 31 1973). Thirteen-year-old Sara Kane is a pupil at Clifftops, a boarding school for young ladies. She and her nine-year-old brother Charley are alone in England because their parents live abroad, where their father works for an oil company. When Charley's school burns to the ground, Miss Talbot, Sara's headmistress, offers Charley a home at Clifftops until other arrangements can be made. He is an extremely mischievous boy, and causes mayhem.

I bet that story was popular, having a male protagonist! But Cuckoo in the Nest has to be the only serial where a boy cross-dresses.