Trying to find two Alison Christie stories

[Tammyfan]

There was a recent interview with girls comics writer Alison Christie, which you can find at https://jintycomic.wordpress.com/2015/0 ... interview/.

Two of Alison's serials in the list are eluding us:

“Second Fiddle to Sorcha” (musical story), published in one of the DCT titles (if the information is correct). Unfortunately it is not listed in the UK index of DCT serials.

“My Name is Nobody” (orphaned child in London Blitz who couldn’t remember her name) written in 1971. Thought to have been for June & Schoolfriend when Mavis Miller was the editor of that title. But I myself won't rule out Sandie or Sally as they were both around in 1971.

Can anyone provide information on these serials? Thanks for any help.

[Phoenix]

“Second Fiddle to Sorcha” (musical story), published in one of the DCT titles (if the information is correct). Unfortunately it is not listed in the UK index of DCT serials.

Second Fiddle To Sorcha ran in Mandy 880 (Nov. 26 1983) - 887 (Jan. 14 1984). Schoolgirl Maxine Winters is an excellent but conceited violinist, winning first prizes in local and county music festivals. However, she gets her nose pushed out of joint when it is obvious to all, including Maxine, that Sorcha, a mysterious gipsy girl, whose playing is moving, and conveys emotion, is clearly the better musician. The jealous Maxine is only stopped from throwing Sorcha's violin into the village pond by the gipsy girl's sister. They both end up at the same academy where Maxine is quite literally second fiddle to Sorcha in the school orchestra. The school's violin teacher knows that Maxine will never be as good as Sorcha, whose festival solo has the whole school spellbound. After Sorcha wins first place at the County Music Festival, Maxine, who inevitably is second, generously kisses her and tells Sorcha to her face that she has deserved to win because she is the better player, and tells her own father that she hadn't gone to the Festival to win but to be beaten gracefully, and henceforth will not mind being second fiddle. The eye-opener had come earlier when Maxine tried to throw Sorcha's violin into her burning caravan but got trapped in the flames. Sorcha was the one to pull her out and save her life.

[Tammyfan]

Thank you, Phoenix! And Comixminx appreciated your help too. I have now included Sorcha in the UK comics index as well, using the information you provided.

[Phoenix]

Who is Comixminx, Tammyfan?

[Tammyfan]

Who is Comixminx, Tammyfan?

The lady in charge of the Jinty resource site.

[helsbels]

There was a recent interview with girls comics writer Alison Christie, which you can find at https://jintycomic.wordpress.com/2015/0 ... interview/.

Two of Alison's serials in the list are eluding us:

“Second Fiddle to Sorcha” (musical story), published in one of the DCT titles (if the information is correct). Unfortunately it is not listed in the UK index of DCT serials.

“My Name is Nobody” (orphaned child in London Blitz who couldn’t remember her name) written in 1971. Thought to have been for June & Schoolfriend when Mavis Miller was the editor of that title. But I myself won't rule out Sandie or Sally as they were both around in 1971.

Can anyone provide information on these serials? Thanks for any help.

Hi Tammyfan! I read the interview with Alison Christie last night - an excellent read! I can help you with "My Name Is Nobody" - it was indeed a June & Schoolfriend story, illustrated by Carlos Freixas. I have many (if not all) of the episodes - I will have a look later and get back to you with start and finish dates. Hope this helps.

[RuthB]

I think I have that story too in a Spanish magazine reprint, though I can think of a few about amnesic girls. But Carlos Freixas is a referent. I definetley remember the story

[DavidKW]

I think Nobody Knows My Name started in the 20/11/1971 edition of June.

I have the final edition as June and Schoolfriend from the previous week, and NKMN is among the new strips advertised in the rebranded "new look June".

The next edition of June I do have in my collection (so far?) isn't until May 1972 (frustratingly!), and NKMN is still running in it.

Not sure exactly when it ended but I'll have a trawl when I can find 5 -10 minutes.

[DavidKW]

My Name Is Nobody ended in a September 1972 edition on June - don't know which one as I have none from that period so far in collection.

I have 26/08/72 June which MNIN is still on another cliffhanger - by next one I have - 14/10/72 - MNIN has finished and another story on similar lines called She Couldn't Remember-drawn by Jon Armstrong - is already up and running.

[marckie73]

The final episode of 'My name is nobody' was published in June of 16th September 1972. So 44 episodes and a total of 132 pages. That's quite a lot, I think. Was this common for June?

[DavidKW]

June would have quite a few stories that were on 3 pages that ran for about 5-6 months over its years.

In 1973 it had an ace story called The Boss Of Beadle Street that ran a few months.

I think it had another great sotry called The Haunting Of Harriet that ran for am few months until its penulitimate edition in 1974.

I noticed the period between MNIN ending and Beadle Street starting was when the quality of June took a fatal hit; when Beadle Street started it strted it improve (coinciding with Rob MacGillivray getting his dolly back - ie being reinstated to Lucky's Living Doll after 5 months of John Richardson's awful version of the street).

[Tammyfan]

June would have quite a few stories that were on 3 pages that ran for about 5-6 months over its years.

In 1973 it had an ace story called The Boss Of Beadle Street that ran a few months.

I think it had another great sotry called The Haunting Of Harriet that ran for am few months until its penulitimate edition in 1974.

I noticed the period between MNIN ending and Beadle Street starting was when the quality of June took a fatal hit; when Beadle Street started it strted it improve (coinciding with Rob MacGillivray getting his dolly back - ie being reinstated to Lucky's Living Doll after 5 months of John Richardson's awful version of the street).

I think Judy also had a story called The Haunting of Harriet, drawn by Oliver Passingham, and was reprinted in M&J.

[DavidKW]

Strange how a story shares the same titles from different publishers (IPC & DCT).

June's Haunting of Harriet was really spooky and ran March-June 74 - just showed it was still producing great running serials to its end (and could've done for longer, but IPC politics say otherwise. The quality of June (and Pixie) - should've taken that P word off title head by now - at its end was high).

[marckie73]

You're so right. I like all June comics, but to me the best period was from about 1972 onwards.

About Pixie: I think the name of that comic was all wrong in the first place, and perhaps that is why it failed. Sure, there were some stories aimed at very young girls, like 'Milly-Molly-Mandy' and 'Mini Ha-Ha', but others seem to be a bit too scary or cruel for the very young. In the first episode of Marion of Sherwood, Marion learns her guardians are planning to kill her to get hold of her fortune. A great deal of 'The Mikado' is about the potential beheading of young men, one of them being the protagonist. In 'Tutankhamun and I' the protagonist is sentenced to death, because she discovered a commander and a priest are planning to kill the Pharao. Of course the girl escapes, but nevertheless it's not stuff that seems to be what very young girls would like to read about.

[terenc magee]

Í wrote Mini-Ha-Ha when I was a sub-editor on June & School Friend in the late sixties. Ha-Ha, I remember now, it was a short funny strip of a small
native American Indian girl(Is that woke?), only 6 frames. Also wrote a short funny strip about a girl witch, but can't remember the title, something like
Hocus-Pocus.