If we had a list of the 100 greatest serials in girls comics

[Tammyfan]

Now for The Fairground of Fear from Tammy
Publication: 14/02/76-24/4/76
Reprint: Tammy annual 1983
Artist: Diane Gabbot
Writer: Unknown

Plot: Julie Whitland was adopted as a baby by Sir Edgar Whitland, landowner of Baychurch. But her home life is miserable because Sir Edgar is a dreadful snob who keeps himself aloof from the villagers (who call him the snob on the hill) and expects Julie to do the same. She feels a virtual prisoner in her own home where she is never allowed any freedom or mix with people that Sir Edgar considers too lowly for Whitlands. Whenever she tries, Sir Edgar always drags her off, so she does a lot of going behind his back. He is always telling her that she is a Whitland and must live up to her name by keeping aloof from common people. Also, Julie has always wondered who her natural parents were. But whenever she asks questions, she is always told to leave well alone.

Fraser's Fairground arrives in Baychurch. It looks a golden opportunity for Julie to have some fun. The clown puts on a special display for her. A brief encounter with the fairgound owner's daughter Carla looks like another chance for friendship. But as usual, Sir Edgar pulls Julie away. In addition to the usual admonishings about being expected to be a Whitland, Sir Edgar shows her a picture of his late daughter (watch this). He tells Julie that she was adopted when the daughter, and a baby she had, both died. When Julie asks about the fate of the husband, Sir Edgar snaps that he is dead and forgotten. Hmm, did Julie hit a nerve there?

Of course she has. As we shall see, the husband is neither dead nor forgotten.

That night Julie sneaks off to the fair, only now it looks sinister. She goes into the Hall of Memories ("The past will come alive before your very eyes") and the woman from the photo appears to her in a huge crystal ball. The woman warns Julie to leave well alone, and that the fairground is evil. Then the clown comes up from behind. But this time he looks evil and frightening - and he seems to hypnotise Julie. Julie blacks out and when she recovers she has no memory of what happened (but later remembers when she sees the House of Memories again).

The fairground is soon in full swing and the whole village seems to have gone crazy about it - even the adults. Julie sneaks off to enjoy it as well. But the fairground is soon showing a sinister side; for example some people on the ghost train seem to go crazy and start attacking each other and the clown seems to be enjoying it. Carla explains that the ride does not use props but technical gadgets that produce holographic ghosts. A malfunction must have caused the people to see each other as ghosts and monsters. Then the machine malfunctions again, causing Julie to have an accident. Sir Edgar is furious and determined to shut the fairground down. He sends a magistrate to do the job. But the clown imprisons the magistrate in a weird holographic trap in the Hall of Mirrors. Sir Edgar is annoyed when the magistrate is reported missing, because this means he cannot close down the fairground.

Julie recovers enough from the accident to sneak off to the House of Memories for more clues about her past. She learns that the only people who know the truth are Sir Edgar, Dr Pearson the village doctor, and Miss Edna Grey, his former nurse. Then she gets a message: "You must find the fairground's secret to find yourself." On the way back, Julie overhears Mr Fraser and the clown talking and it sounds like the clown has a hold over Mr Fraser. The clown says they have a busy day, "a grey day" tomorrow. She races back home against the tigers the clown has ordered to be set loose as watchdogs.

Next day, Miss Grey is arrested for pickpocketing at the fair. After speaking with Miss Grey's sister, Julie realises what the clown meant by a "grey day" - he used a hypnotist performance to hypnotise Miss Grey into stealing. When she tries to tell Carla what her father is helping the clown to do, Carla gets angry and throws Julie out. The clown takes advantage by luring Julie back into the fairground with a holographic image of Carla, and hypnotises her once more. While in a trance, she leads Sir Edgar to the unconscious magistrate and there is a note: "Don't try to get rid of me again, Sir Edgar. We've a score to settle. There's just you and the doctor left." The signature is a clown's head.

This note prompts a lengthy discussion between Sir Edgar and the doctor, but Julie cannot hear what they are saying. Afterwards the doctor tells Julie that Sir Edgar is a hard man who means to destroy the fairground. He gives her a key to his house and says that if anything happens to him she must retrieve a file from his desk and give it to the newspapers.

Sir Edgar tries a petition against the fairground; the clown responds by hypnotising the villagers into attacking his home, and Sir Edgar has extra security installed. The doctor is summoned to the fairground because Carla has fallen sick. When the doctor tries to leave, the clown strikes with more holograms and then terrors in the Crazy House. He causes the doctor to have an accident. Following the doctor's instructions, Julie heads to his house to retrieve the file.

The file reveals that fourteen years earlier the doctor had sent the clown (whose name is now revealed as Alan Barker) to prison on a false charge. Sir Edgar arrives and tells Julie that the doctor was acting on his instructions. Barker was the man who married Sir Edgar's daughter. The trouble was, the snobby Sir Edgar considered Barker too low for a fit son-in-law: "I couldn't stand to have that nobody part of the great Whitland family." So he set out to destroy the marriage by framing Barker, and now Barker has returned for revenge. Sir Edgar then burns the file to prevent Barker's name being cleared - for if it is, the great name of Whitland will be destroyed and Sir Edgar is not having that. But an image of the clown appears in the flames. Julie realises that Barker knows what Sir Edgar just did and now things are going to get a whole lot worse.

Knowing the clown is planning something against the village, Julie bravely confronts him. For the first time, she sees him without his makeup, and is really surprised. Up until now the clown had never been seen without his makeup, which made him so terrifying. Without the makeup, Julie is not frightened. She tries to plead with him but fails. The clown says that Sir Edgar can stop it by clearing his name, but Julie knows Sir Edgar will never do that. On the way out she speaks with Carla and learns that the clown is the virtual owner of the fairground by buying out her father's bills. He is powerless against the clown.

Next day, Miss Grey appears in court for pickpocketing, and Sir Edgar and Julie attend the trial. Julie now realises that Miss Grey knew about the clown's frameup and this was his revenge on her. The charge is unexpectedly thrown out when the clown strikes again with one of his machines that causes the working age men to act like children. The judge and barristers start playing leap frog, bus drivers play football, the local police play cops and robbers, engineers play cowboys and Indians, and Sir Edgar's cook reads comics. Of course, the men all end up on the rides at the fairground. The romping men have cut the outside phone wires, and when Sir Edgar drives out to seek help he is blocked by a force field. The clown has cut Baychurch off from the outside world.

The village is in chaos and cut off. Nonetheless, Sir Edgar is unmoved. "That clown can't beat a Whitland!" And he still refuses to clear the clown's name, because it would mean destroying the name of Whitland. He heads out the fairground to tell the clown that “nothing he can do to this village will make me give in!” Julie now realises that Sir Edgar is an utterly selfish, ruthless man, and there is nothing or nobody that he will not destroy in the name of Whitland.

Then the doctor arrives and tells Julie that she is the only one who can stop the clown. He explains that she is the baby from the ill-fated marriage and the clown is her true father. It had only been the mother who died; Sir Edgar faked the baby's death to prevent Barker from claiming her. Julie heads out to the fairground to tell the clown.

There she finds Sir Edgar confronting Barker, and telling him that nothing he will do will make him confess. Barker makes one last desperate attempt to make Whitland confess. He starts the merry-go-round at high speed while Julie is standing on it. He shouts to Whitland that the merry-go-round will go faster and faster, putting Julie in ever more danger, until Sir Edgar confesses. But Sir Edgar just says, "I can’t destroy the name of Whitland. I’ve nothing to say!” He stalks off, without lifting a finger to save Julie or waiting to see what happens to her. Barker, finding the machine has jammed, risks his life to save Julie.

Upon learning that Julie is the daughter he thought was dead, Barker becomes a changed man. He stops his revenge, uses his machines to make the villagers forget what happened, and returns the fairground to Mr Fraser. Julie decides to leave Sir Edgar forever - his conduct at the merry go round showed her just how much he really cares for her. She is going with her father and the fairground. Barker promises Julie that he will now use his scientific expertise to help people.

[Tammyfan]

The Fairground of Fear was the first serial Diane Gabbot drew for Tammy. Gabbot was a regular Tammy artist for five years, ending her run with Rosie at the Royalty in 1981. Other serials Gabbot drew for Tammy included The Black and White World of Shirley Grey, Selena Sitting Pretty, Donna Ducks Out and Circus of the Damned. The last also featured a clown who, like Barker, seems to be evil and sinister and is never seen without his makeup, but is not the monster he appears to be.

[Phoenix]

Funny - I thought I already put the first two on. Did I overlook something?

I had overlooked their inclusion, Tammyfan. Sorry, just put it down to tiredness. Only three more decisions and then we'll all be able to relax.

[Tammyfan]

Funny - I thought I already put the first two on. Did I overlook something?

I had overlooked their inclusion, Tammyfan. Sorry, just put it down to tiredness. Only three more decisions and then we'll all be able to relax.

Never mind, I goofed too, over the 1000. It was meant to be 100. What do you think of The Fairground of Fear?

[Tammyfan]

We still don't have anything from Tracy yet. One we had thought of was Slave to the Dolls. Does anyone know more about that story or provide scans for us to take a look at? Or does someone have a different nominee from Tracy?

[Phoenix]

The Fairground Of Fear has a pretty routine start but it starts to improve with the circus connection. When the circus turns sinister with its hypnotisms, its holograms, its holographic traps, and its Hall of Memories, I thought it was going to develop along the lines of Charles G. Finney's novel The Circus Of Dr. Lao, but I suppose it was a bit much expecting it to be that good. Nevertheless, it sustains a somewhat convoluted plot very well, and Sir Edgar's decision to abandon his granddaughter to her fate is certainly a surprise. I wouldn't leave either of mine regardless of whatever they may have done to offend me. It is shock really, rather than surprise, especially as at that point Barker doesn't even know that Julie is the daughter he has believed dead, and he seems hell-bent on killing her. I think it's good enough to advance, but don't just take my word for it, Tammyfan, wait for more comments.

[Tammyfan]

I don't think Barker meant to kill Julie; it was that desperation to get his name cleared drove him too far and he wasn't thinking straight.

Well, there are still several others on the list of possibilites that I haven't heard about yet. Would people who nominated these titles please explain why:

1. Climbing Rose (Judy)
2. Come Home Kathleen (Bunty)
3. Dilly Dream (School Friend)
4. Glenda Good & Bad (June)
5. Hetty in the House of Secrets (Spellbound)
6. I'll Never Leave You (June)
7. Jane, Model Miss (Diana)
8. Jeanie & Her Uncle Meanie (Sandie/Tammy)
9. Slave to the Dolls (Tracy)
10. The Bennets of Ballet (Bunty)
11. Tilly Tuffin (Princess Tina)

[Phoenix]

I don't have any episodes of Slave To The Dolls, Tammyfan, so here is a summary of a different serial from Tracy for your consideration.

The Sorrows Of Supergirl : TRACY (1979/80)

Mary Norton is a normal schoolgirl, an excellent athlete who is voted Junior Sports Captain for the year by the girls in her year. Normal that is until she is caught in the light beams under a flying saucer-type spacecraft taking off from some flat land on her cross-country course. What she experiences is like an electric shock, and when she comes round she feels terrific. Her hearing and eyesight have become more acute, and according to the doctor who is summoned by Mary's gym teacher Miss Webster, her pulse is 30 rather than the normal 72 beats per minute. Mary soon discovers that she has enormous strength, and can run at more than 40mph. Hospital tests show that there is a strange surge of energy in her body, possibly from a force field. However, when she gets back to her duties as Sports Captain, she is very disappointed on being told that she will have to resign as Captain and will not be allowed to take part in any school sports.

Mary does not want any publicity, and when a photographer from the local paper arrives she simply holds up her hand and his camera shatters. She is already realising that being a supergirl is not going to be all honey and roses. Her enhanced sense of smell helps her to discover that Anna has stolen a purse from a changing room, but when it is soon found in some bushes everybody is disgusted, thinking Mary has bullied Anna, and they want nothing more to do with her.

Mary finds all her school subjects easy now, and after pointing out an error in the homework set by science teacher Miss Randall, she realises that the flustered teacher is mixing some ingredients wrongly for an experiment, and throws the flask through the window where it explodes. As Miss Randall believes the explosion was due to the flask breaking the window, Mary is sent home. On the way home she saves the life of Carol Darby, a classmate believed drowned in a nearby stream because she could hear an extremely faint heartbeat, and is later criticised by her father for making him look incompetent. She leaves home.

She may now be a girl on her own but she can certainly look after herself. She even has the police looking for her, but when she can get away by leaping over a moving train, there isn't a lot down for them. Petty thieves are no problem, nor is a friendly circus strongman, but when a dog and a couple who only want to take her in out of a storm run away from her she realises just how alone she is because the green glow the energy gives off in the dark makes her look like a freak and has turned her into an outcast. Most people now think she is a monster, and as Madame Laverne thinks Mary is a witch, she stands inside a magic circle uttering incantations to drive the evil entity away. Mary gives herself up to the police who smuggle her out of the police station to avoid the threatening crowds, and take her home. She is nevertheless captured by enemy agents wanting to discover the secret of her power, but she gets away easily enough. She undergoes scientific tests, makes friends with a couple of nice lads, but the first one dumps her, and she ends up taking the second one home rather that it being the other way round.

Mary starts getting angry and decides to act like the monster that others think she is, so two girls end up on top of a high wall with no obvious means of getting down again, she goes to the youth club and ruins a game of table tennis, and when warned not to go off with Ed and Vi because they are bad company, she says, So what? Seems they're the only company I can find!, but they merely want her to help them rob an old woman in the park. She soon sorts them out. But then she makes friends with Gavin Parry, once a local junior cycling champion now in a wheelchair, but on the mend. He treats her as normal, and she responds happily to him. Then she sees that the flying saucer has returned. As it leaves it collides with an electricity pylon. It gets away easily enough but Mary needs to use her strength and agility to support the pylon. When everybody is clear she jumps down but a power cable lands on her, sending thousands of volts of electricity through her. She doesn't die, but she discovers that it has counteracted the energy in her from the spacecraft, and she is overjoyed to discover that she is absolutely normal once more. She and Gavin are going to help each other to start their lives again.

[Tammyfan]

Superpowers not what they're cracked up to be, eh? Yes, I've seen it in other serials, such as one girl's library called Susie Supercop (where a policewoman is granted super-strength but ends up deciding she is better off without it). Okay, our unhappy supergirl can go on the list of possibilities for now.

[Tammyfan]

Here is another from the list of possibilities, Jeannie and her Uncle Meanie. This MacGillivray still gets mentioned. Probably not as much as Lucky's Living Doll, and Uncle Meanie would probably look a bit stereotyped now. Still, what do you think?

[Phoenix]

Well it's not the strongest candidate you've put forward for consideration, Tammyfan, and it isn't from Tracy either. It could be argued that stories are always of their time, and naturally when we are trying to choose a Top 100, all stories should come under the microscope, but the best ones will surely be those that rise above the ordinary wherever and whenever they were written. My judgement is based only on that one episode, but Jeannie And Her Uncle Meanie doesn't seem likely to stand out. Try comparing it with the similar-themed Skinflint School, and I think you will see what I'm getting at.

[Tammyfan]

Well it's not the strongest candidate you've put forward for consideration, Tammyfan, and it isn't from Tracy either. It could be argued that stories are always of their time, and naturally when we are trying to choose a Top 100, all stories should come under the microscope, but the best ones will surely be those that rise above the ordinary wherever and whenever they were written. My judgement is based only on that one episode, but Jeannie And Her Uncle Meanie doesn't seem likely to stand out. Try comparing it with the similar-themed Skinflint School, and I think you will see what I'm getting at.

I wasn't sure if it was that strong either. I just showed it to see what others think. Anyway, everyone here likes to see MacGilivray art.

[Phoenix]

Anyway, everyone here likes to see MacGilivray art.

Not quite everybody, Tammyfan. My minute interest in the artwork in story papers is becoming legendary, but you see, I have to leave space for my major interest, which is the fiction. I'm sure that many people see the stories and the artwork as going hand in glove, but I would actually prefer the stories to be presented in text form, dispensing with the artwork altogether. That way my imagination is not being influenced or directed by someone else's conception of the characters and their various milieux.

[stevezodiac]

I'm the complete opposite my interest in comics is almost wholly based on the art. I've been going through the 200 or so copies of Red Letter, Secrets and Silver Star that my mate Steve sold to me recently and there are some great stories among them, several involving children in danger from criminals/wicked parents. They would be right up your street, Phoenix. I'll scan some title pages here soon.

One story involves a man who burgles his ex wife's home to get back a ring that belonged to his grandmother but he hears whimpering and comes across a little girl who has obviously been beaten. His wife suddenly appears and he finds out she is on drugs and living an immoral life and considers the girl to be a burden so he takes the girl away later finding out its his own daughter born after he'd left his wife. She needed the girl, though, because her father in law was paying her money to look after it - she had told him his son was a thief and womaniser and had deserted her and her daughter, he believed her and disowned his son. I never read the whole serial but it seemed to have many twists and turns like a Hitchcock thriller.

[Lew Stringer]

Anyway, everyone here likes to see MacGilivray art.

Not quite everybody, Tammyfan. My minute interest in the artwork in story papers is becoming legendary, but you see, I have to leave space for my major interest, which is the fiction. I'm sure that many people see the stories and the artwork as going hand in glove, but I would actually prefer the stories to be presented in text form, dispensing with the artwork altogether. That way my imagination is not being influenced or directed by someone else's conception of the characters and their various milieux.

That's not the first time I've heard that reasoning. Several people I know use that as the reason not to read comics. Although oddly enough they prefer TV to radio drama.