Princess Tina

[matrix]

Continuing with an Australian theme in "Princess Tina" here is a scan of Vicky in Australia, does anyone know how long it ran for?

[philcom55]

I'm pretty sure that 'Vicky' strip is a 1950s reprint from Girl, with art by Dudley Pout. I think Phil Clarke had some surprisingly reasonable pages of those for sale as well.

Love the Koala! It's worth remembering that Tina (and subsequently Princess Tina) was launched as 'the world's first international comic' with simultaneous editions being published throughout the world. To emphasize this point the cover portraits originally featured girls from different countries on a rotating basis - I'll see if I can find any more antipodean examples.

- Phil Rushton

[philcom55]

...Can't find an Australian cover at the moment Matrix (I'm sure there's one with the Sydney Opera House in the background) but here's something that should tie in with your interest in fairground scenes:



- Phil Rushton

[matrix]

Thankyou Phil, that is a bonus. Lovely colours, and a great scene that is captured well, the style seems to have changed from the late sixties? How many artists worked on these covers? Do you know them all Phil, anyone?

The "Happy Days" fairground scan, coincidentally, has the same topic that I posted under the "George Wakefield" post, as a boxer in a fairground.

I love the "Sue Day" introduction, calling her brother's girlfriend "a wet blanket"!

I would just like to add that I feel the "Happy Days" scan is an example of a point I was trying to make on an earlier post, that the title is deceiving, in that you might expect most of the strips to be about ballet, and ponies, which they most certainly are not.

[matrix]

Here as promised jluc, the first "My chum yum yum" from "Tina" comic dated 25th February 1967. Just for the record this was also reprinted in a "June and Pixie" holiday special in 1976.

Edit:The last "My Chum Yum Yum" was printed in "Princess Tina" comic week ending 27th June 1970. I am not sure if "Sidobre" was still the artist then, can anyone add to that? Thanks.

[Shaqui]

Here as promised jluc, the first "My chum yum yum" from "Tina" comic dated 25th February 1967. Just for the record this was also reprinted in a "June and Pixie" holiday special in 1976.

Edit:The last "My Chum Yum Yum" was printed in "Princess Tina" comic week ending 27th June 1970. I am not sure if "Sidobre" was still the artist then, can anyone add to that? Thanks.

I'm fairly certain the artist for that first posted instalment, the duotone above, is Geoff Campion, at least for the strip (I haven't seen much of his painted stuff to compare the opening splash frame but it would be odd if it were not also). If you have the last instalment, I can see if I can identify the artist too.

[matrix]

Thanks Shaqui, I only have a few "Tina" comics from 67 and on closer inspection it looks like there were a few different artists for the 'My Chum' strip, the earliest signed by 'Sidobre' that I have is from the first "Princess Tina". There are a couple of the strips from "Tina" that I have that look like his work the earlist being 19th August 67. Do you have any of the "Tina" comics Shaqui? Does anyone else?

The scan below is the last 'My Chum' as discussed earlier, from 27th June 1970, which looks like his work?

[philcom55]

I have about half of the first twenty issues of Tina and I can confirm that the first five or so episodes of 'My Chum Yum-Yum' were indeed drawn by Geoff Campion (who rarely worked for girls' comics). When he was hastily reassigned to the full-colour 'Space Girls' strip a number of fill-in artists took his place, beginning with Mike Hubbard (who was also drawing Jane Bond for the same comic). Although I can't find any evidence of Jean Sidobre art during that run I agree with Matrix that he seems to have taken over by August 19th (no.26) - unfortunately I don't own no's 21-25 so I can't say for sure whether this was his first. Here's a scan from the issue in question:



As far as I can tell he then went on to draw all the episodes after Tina combined with Princess to become Princess Tina. Here's the second half of that final instalment posted by Matrix, along with Yum-Yum's assurance that "everything work out right in the end" - followed by an editorial confirmation that this was indeed 'The End'.



- Phil Rushton

[matrix]

I also have gaps in my 'Tina' collection but I do have issues 23 and 24. 'My Chum Yum-Yum' in these issues are both by the same artist but not JS, which only leaves issue 25, Aug 12th 1967 as possibly the earliest for his work on this strip.

It is good to see some information on this 'Tina' title as I can find very little anywhere on this interesting comic.

Do you have issue 30 Phil?

[stevezodiac]

Princess Tina wasn't numbered so how come people are quoting issue numbers? I bagged my issues up last night. bagged up my IPC issues of Smash! as well - i have the complete run. Odd that i have had them over 40 years and only just got around to bagging them. All in superb condition.

[helsbels]

Princess Tina wasn't numbered so how come people are quoting issue numbers?

The numbered issues mentioned are Tina comics -there were only 30 issues before the merger with Princess.

[Shaqui]

- Phil Rushton

It's interesting how for this page, some of the artwork resembles that of Tom Kerr... or is it just me?

[stevezodiac]

Tom Kerr's faces are his distinctive signature.

[Robbie Moubert]

It's interesting how for this page, some of the artwork resembles that of Tom Kerr... or is it just me?

Not just you, I see the resemblance too.

[philcom55]

I agree that there are a number of similarities on this page, and elsewhere too. However I doubt if Tom had anything to do with it; possibly the editor gave Jean Sidobre some examples of his artwork as a kind of style guide when he started drawing for Princess? Certainly Tom Kerr did a lot of art for Princess before the merger with Tina, but I don't think he ever worked on Princess Tina.

For comparison here's an earlier example of Kerr's own version of Alona.



- Phil Rushton