Why are men collecting old girls' comics these days?

[DavidKW]

I thought I'd mention the 1st part of what got me collecting girls' comics:

Dates way back to 1985, when as I mentioned earlier, as a teenager, forced to stay in Brecon with paretns, in somebody else's cottage, who had a bookshelf including first 2 June annuals (plus a Beryl The Peryl from 1975). Was very impressed by the art, stories and how it somehow captured a feel for its time.

A few years later I got Dennis Gifford's book; some good ideas there I thoguht on the girls' entries, though collecting not yet inspired.

I read assorted books on comics through years and thoguht some good girls' ideas (esp. one called "Classis British Comics" (Korky the Cat on cover; sorry forgot author's names)- learned about Patty's World and The Happy Days amongst others).

Then a few years ago I entered a book shop called Sweetens in Bolton (sadly since closed), brought the Best of 70s Look In (had wanted this months earlier but was too skint to buy) and saw out corner of my eye The Best Of June and Schoolfriend. I remmebered those earleir annuals so had a flick through; recognised some but was bowled over with toehr things I saw, all new to me.

That was the forst part of when the bug bit.

[DavidKW]

And after a few weeks I couldn't get the annual out my head.

A little later I got all thsoe comic reprints from the Guardian inc. 1970s Bunty and Tammy - but neither inspired collecting - Bunty far too bland for me, Tammy - first issue - just so too depressing.

Eventually I took the plunge and bought my own Best Of June and SF in Manchester (so no work colleague from Bolton might see!).

After reading about the comic's history and sitting down and looking at strips properly - in awe - I knew and wanted to find and read more.

The research on June let to to this site and to find out about Borders Bookshop in Todmorden - so I decided to take the plunge and a trip there.

When I asked the owner - the late Vicotr Collinge - about appointments to their comic room, he asked what I collected - I shyly said the girls' titles, as an ex-girlfriend did. Vicotr smiled and said the men are the main collectors of girls' comics these days. To my surprise he then told me to put my bag behind the counter and gave me the keys to the room.

I broguht more Junes than I'd dared I'd find, and Carol was chuffed to bits when I went to pay (she'd taken over till) - meant Victor could now repair his van at last!

[marckie73]

When I was a young boy, we had some of the Disney comics at home, and once in a while some boys' comics. But I didn't like the boys' comics very much. Most of the stories were either set in space, were about football or the army. Not exactly my cup of tea.
When I was about ten, some girls at school took some Dutch editions of Tina with them. After they had read them, they threw them in the waste paper basket. When school had finished, I took them out, and read them at home. I loved the stories. No football or army stuff, but good stories on a variety of subjects. And I loved the art. Around that time my dad started to work at a library. The library didn't save their weekly comics, but got rid of them after a week or two. So my dad took them home, including Tina.
It was then when I decided to start a collection. In the early years it was rather difficult to find older issues. But a few times I was lucky enough to find a few large collections at markets, which helped me to get most of the Tina comics. And while collecting, I also discovered other Dutch girls' comics, like Anita and Debbie. After internet became more common, it was a lot easier to find the comics that were missing from my collection, and by now I have, but two, every girls' comic that was ever published in the Netherlands between 1967 and 2004.

By then I had found out that many stories published over here originally came from British girls' comics. So, I then started to buy the odd British comic on Ebay, and some of the annuals. I soon found out the annuals were not for me: I prefer the longer serials, instead of the often shorter stories that were published in the annuals. Also I discovered there was a difference between the comics published by IPC and the ones from DCT. I decided to go for the ones from IPC. First only Misty, Jinty and Tammy, the most well known titles. Just a couple of months ago I decided to get some of the comics that merged with Jinty and Tammy, and soon found out I liked those even better! My favourite girls' comics now are Sandie and June, but I also like Sally a lot. Penny and Princess are okay, but these are certainly lowest on the list. Only last week I bought a complete run of Pixie, and I must say I was surprised about the stories. They were not at all what I expected in a comic aimed at younger girls. I think Pixie deserves more than just being remembered as being part of one of the worst mergers in girls' comics history.

When I just started collecting, at the age of ten, I didn't care people knew I was collecting girls' comics. But as I got older, I became more shy about it. It's still not something I would tell everybody. But if the subject comes up, it's okay.

I still need hundreds of comics to complete my collection. The three comics I'm most eager to have complete collections off are Jinty (96 issues to go), Sandie (only 15 to go), and June (especially 1972-1974).

[philcom55]

It's great to hear from a Dutch collector Marckie. I must admit that I never liked war or football stories very much when I was a boy either. In my opinion it has always seemed odd that some people consider it strange for males to read girls' comics as nobody would think there's anything wrong in grown men reading Jane Austen or the Bronte sisters!

[marckie73]

I guess it has to to with prejudice. Most people who find it strange, don't even know the content of girls' comics.

[Digifiend]

It's great to hear from a Dutch collector Marckie. I must admit that I never liked war or football stories very much when I was a boy either. In my opinion it has always seemed odd that some people consider it strange for males to read girls' comics as nobody would think there's anything wrong in grown men reading Jane Austen or the Bronte sisters!

I'm no fan of war stories either. I've never known a man to voluntarily read something like Wuthering Heights, Pride and Prejudice, or Jane Eyre. Though you often have to read one of them for GCSE or A Level (I had to do Jane Eyre). I suppose most blokes think of those books as boring schoolwork. Naturally that doesn't apply to comics of any sort.

[DavidKW]

Most interesting story Marckie.

I started collecting just for a few samples now its turned to addiction of wanting the whole set of issues.

A while back I had to chase some Junes that went missing in the post (they were at dodgy neighbour's house; Royal Mail didn't bother putting a card through). I had to change my lunch hour at work to achieve this. A jack the lad work colleague asked what comics they were - I had to lie and say various stuff - including houmor comic "Wham!" (i have a handful of them) and Misty - I said was a girls' horror comic read by men (I have a lot of Misty too) He sounded startld that I had girls comics too.

Collecting them is not always something people understand I fear.

[marckie73]

Ah, the mail! I think everybody must have had bad experiences with mail deliveries at one time or another. I don't know how it is in the UK, but over here they now only work with freelancers and students, so in general not people who are as dedicated to the job as the good old fashioned postman used to be. About a month or two ago, all of a sudden none of the comics I bought arrived anymore. Often I buy from the same sellers, and on Ebay only from sellers with a high feedback rate, so you know it's not because the comics were never mailed. And then suddenly, about two weeks' ago, all my missing orders arrived. Fortunately!
As far as comics are concerned, so far nothing I bought got lost, touch wood.

You're right: people don't always understand collecting. Not that people in fact collect, but also what collecting means. If you say you collect comics, or records, or whatever, they think you collect every comic or every record. I also collect records, and several times people gave me some records they wanted to get rid off, thinking I would be thrilled. But these records contained some of the most horrrible music imaginable! They don't understand that when you collect records, it's because you like a *certain* kind of music and/or artist, not records in general. The same goes for comics.

About Misty: this was the first comic I had a complete run of. I found it in New Zealand, late last year. The shipping cost were rather high of course, but the quality was amazing. No's 1 and 2 even had the free gifts.

[Tammyfan]

Ah, the mail! I think everybody must have had bad experiences with mail deliveries at one time or another. I don't know how it is in the UK, but over here they now only work with freelancers and students, so in general not people who are as dedicated to the job as the good old fashioned postman used to be. About a month or two ago, all of a sudden none of the comics I bought arrived anymore. Often I buy from the same sellers, and on Ebay only from sellers with a high feedback rate, so you know it's not because the comics were never mailed. And then suddenly, about two weeks' ago, all my missing orders arrived. Fortunately!
As far as comics are concerned, so far nothing I bought got lost, touch wood.

You're right: people don't always understand collecting. Not that people in fact collect, but also what collecting means. If you say you collect comics, or records, or whatever, they think you collect every comic or every record. I also collect records, and several times people gave me some records they wanted to get rid off, thinking I would be thrilled. But these records contained some of the most horrrible music imaginable! They don't understand that when you collect records, it's because you like a *certain* kind of music and/or artist, not records in general. The same goes for comics.

About Misty: this was the first comic I had a complete run of. I found it in New Zealand, late last year. The shipping cost were rather high of course, but the quality was amazing. No's 1 and 2 even had the free gifts.

That must have been the Misty auction I saw on Trademe.

[marckie73]

Yes, they were on Trademe. At first I couldn't contact the seller, because to be able to do that you need to be registered with an adress in New Zealand, but I was able to find the seller on another site, using Google.
There was also a large collection of June a while ago on Trademe, but unfortunately I couldn't trace that seller the way I did with the one who was selling the Mistys.

[Tammyfan]

Nice to see where the auction went! Quite a story!

[RuthB]

I have been called "some type of hoarder when I tell them the number of comics I have. I think in their imagination my comics are all over the floor mixed with other things or something...

[marckie73]

I have been called "some type of hoarder when I tell them the number of comics I have. I think in their imagination my comics are all over the floor mixed with other things or something...

That sounds so familiar!

[paw broon]

Over the years I've had lots of different comments when I let on I collected comics, any comics never mind girls' comics. These varied from the insulting and offensive, through the superior, humour him type, to the genuinely interested. But in some places I have had the misfortune to work, I'd have been considered or called a perv if I said I was interested in or collected girls' comics.
My interest in comics for girls started because I'm seriously addicted to superheroes and masked mystery men and by chance had flicked through an old Girls Crystal annual and, lo and behold, there was The Phantom Circle, all robed and hooded to keep their true identities secret. I immediately remembered that there was another team that I had seen years before, The Silent Three, and I set off to track them down. Of course, it's like buses, wait for ages then a pile come along together. So it was and trawling round 2nd hand bookshops and comic shops turned up other female heroines and some groups. How was I to have known there were 3 Supergirls and no relation to the Kryptonian?
Starr of Wonderland turned up as did a photocopy of The Ghost Hunters. Also, being a fan of pocket libraries, I soon realised that there was a range of p l's for girls and a lot of really good stuff in them. Then, then pocket storybooks with text stories of The Silent Three and The Grey Ghosts, which in turn set me oof to search for the comic versions of the male Phantom Circle, as it were. Now, of course, I have discovered the delights of Misty. I'm hooked. It's good to be in a community here where people appreciate comics of all sorts, despite disagreeing from time to time on personal taste.

[RuthB]

I recently had a conversation with a work colleague -thank god I work from home and interact with the office via chat or video conference. anyways, somebody read in my facebook that I was concentrating in writing my second book and she asked me what was about and when had I published the first one. I explained the first one had been published in December 2012 and that due to my moving and change of jobs and not being very inspired, I had only documented myself for six months and should had started the second book years ago. And that it was about comics.
She then proceeded to ask if I write comics so I explained it is theory of comic and that it was about girl's comics.
Next answer on her part was: Oh.
So I suppose that makes me weirder than writing about any other type of comics.