Today I read that June and Pixie was published fortnightly for a while during 1974. Does anyone know if this is true, and if so: how long this lasted? 1974 is a year from which I don't have many June comics, so I can't check it myself.
I always thought there were 680 June comics. But if it was published fortnightly for a while, this number is lower, of course.
June fortnightly in 1974?
Moderator: AndyB
Re: June fortnightly in 1974?
June never had a strictly fortnightly schedule although it did miss issues in 1974 due to strike action same as most other IPC titles. It also missed issues in 1970 and 1971 for the same reason.
Re: June fortnightly in 1974?
Yes, the gap in 1970-1971 was huge: ten weeks no June!
1970 also had four issues that were slightly different in July and August: printed on a different kind of paper, with more pages and a slightly different size than the regular ones. Perhaps then there was also a strike going on, and they had these issues printed someplace else, to be able to have at least the new issue out each week. Jinty and Tammy had something similar with the issue of 3 February 1979, which had a different size and was printed on better quality paper.
1970 also had four issues that were slightly different in July and August: printed on a different kind of paper, with more pages and a slightly different size than the regular ones. Perhaps then there was also a strike going on, and they had these issues printed someplace else, to be able to have at least the new issue out each week. Jinty and Tammy had something similar with the issue of 3 February 1979, which had a different size and was printed on better quality paper.
Re: June fortnightly in 1974?
From what I've been able to find out myself: 'Moses and me' started in the first week of 1974 (issue of January 5th) and ended in week 20 (issue of May 18th). In the Netherlands, 'Moses and me' had 15 episodes when published in Tina. If this was the same in June, then June would have missed five issues in 1974.
Re: June fortnightly in 1974?
That long strike must have been the one that is thought to have been a bad hit on Sally and gave rise to Tammy.marckie73 wrote:Yes, the gap in 1970-1971 was huge: ten weeks no June!
1970 also had four issues that were slightly different in July and August: printed on a different kind of paper, with more pages and a slightly different size than the regular ones. Perhaps then there was also a strike going on, and they had these issues printed someplace else, to be able to have at least the new issue out each week. Jinty and Tammy had something similar with the issue of 3 February 1979, which had a different size and was printed on better quality paper.
Re: June fortnightly in 1974?
Yes. I don't know if Sally also wasn't published for ten weeks. But since they both returned in the same week, it's very well possible. Soon I hope to find out more about how long Sally was not published, as I am to receive most of the later issues of Sally some time next week.
Re: June fortnightly in 1974?
When Sally came back after the strike her characters were celebrating on the cover. But it is thought her readership declined because of the strike, so she took the unusual step of an older comic merging into a new one - Tammy - and was the first to merge with her.marckie73 wrote:Yes. I don't know if Sally also wasn't published for ten weeks. But since they both returned in the same week, it's very well possible. Soon I hope to find out more about how long Sally was not published, as I am to receive most of the later issues of Sally some time next week.
Re: June fortnightly in 1974?
Apart from the annuals even Christmas was cancelled that year! 
Re: June fortnightly in 1974?
The main reason June got published fortnightly was becasue of something gripping Britain in Feb/March 1974:
The Three Day Week:
This was broguht in by the government, due to oil crisis and a miner's strike (and other strikes too?) to conserve energy supplies people were ordered to work 3 days a week; by February it was looking like 2 days.
This no doubt affected supplies and distribution; I also read somewhere that paper prices were shooting up then and the supplies were also running low. SO perhaps IPC had to prioritise what it could print weekly - and with Tammy the big seller, she got priority.
I remember when buying a lot of 1974 Junes earlier last year being advised it was not published for 5 weeks of 1974, which was due, the seller thoguht, to an IPC strike. DOn't know about that but I mentioned 3 day week had effect.
I checked they were fortnightly - the stories all continue where they left off.
The Three Day Week:
This was broguht in by the government, due to oil crisis and a miner's strike (and other strikes too?) to conserve energy supplies people were ordered to work 3 days a week; by February it was looking like 2 days.
This no doubt affected supplies and distribution; I also read somewhere that paper prices were shooting up then and the supplies were also running low. SO perhaps IPC had to prioritise what it could print weekly - and with Tammy the big seller, she got priority.
I remember when buying a lot of 1974 Junes earlier last year being advised it was not published for 5 weeks of 1974, which was due, the seller thoguht, to an IPC strike. DOn't know about that but I mentioned 3 day week had effect.
I checked they were fortnightly - the stories all continue where they left off.
Re: June fortnightly in 1974?
Hi David,
I stand by my original post that, in 1974, June was never on a strictly fortnightly schedule even if it appeared that that was so. I also think that the reason for the missed issues was down to internal problems within the main IPC printing works rather than anything to do with the effect of the three day week. Of course, I'm willing to be proved wrong on this.
I stand by my original post that, in 1974, June was never on a strictly fortnightly schedule even if it appeared that that was so. I also think that the reason for the missed issues was down to internal problems within the main IPC printing works rather than anything to do with the effect of the three day week. Of course, I'm willing to be proved wrong on this.
Re: June fortnightly in 1974?
Hi Kashgar
I'm not doubting your original post (sorry if it appeared like that).
It was just a theory and spotting of it coinciding with 3 day week.
The vendor I was buying off did mention IPC was experiencing industrial action and that the Lion comic also suffered ie didn't get published some weeks (was it fortnightly too I wonder?) then it folded soon after things returned to normal (I think Lion ended a few weeks before June did).
One thing I have learned through Comics UK website: IPC suffered a lot of strikes, internal problems and industrial actions, resulting in a few Comic title casualties many times.
I'm not doubting your original post (sorry if it appeared like that).
It was just a theory and spotting of it coinciding with 3 day week.
The vendor I was buying off did mention IPC was experiencing industrial action and that the Lion comic also suffered ie didn't get published some weeks (was it fortnightly too I wonder?) then it folded soon after things returned to normal (I think Lion ended a few weeks before June did).
One thing I have learned through Comics UK website: IPC suffered a lot of strikes, internal problems and industrial actions, resulting in a few Comic title casualties many times.
Re: June fortnightly in 1974?
That's a very interesting theory, about the 3-day week.
Re: June fortnightly in 1974?
Hi David,
I've had a check and it is me who should apologise. My collection of 1974 June's is tucked away in the attic somewhere and beyond reach at the moment but I have checked other IPC titles in 1974 and it does seem that they were being published on alternate weeks during Jan/Mar of that year. For example Buster failed to appear on
19/1, 2/2, 16/2, 2/3, 16/3 and 30/3 while Lion failed to appear on the intervening dates in the same period from 26/1 to 23/3. So apologies to you for not checking rather than just relying on my, obviously faulty, memory. This, of course, also gives more credence to your three day week theory as a reason for this disruption, which was ongoing in the same period, rather than it having been an internal industrial dispute.
I've had a check and it is me who should apologise. My collection of 1974 June's is tucked away in the attic somewhere and beyond reach at the moment but I have checked other IPC titles in 1974 and it does seem that they were being published on alternate weeks during Jan/Mar of that year. For example Buster failed to appear on
19/1, 2/2, 16/2, 2/3, 16/3 and 30/3 while Lion failed to appear on the intervening dates in the same period from 26/1 to 23/3. So apologies to you for not checking rather than just relying on my, obviously faulty, memory. This, of course, also gives more credence to your three day week theory as a reason for this disruption, which was ongoing in the same period, rather than it having been an internal industrial dispute.
Re: June fortnightly in 1974?
No worries, Kashgar.
I've just been wondering if DC Thomson's publications got affected by the 3 day week too?
Or did IPC suffer both the 3 day week and internal problems too?
I've just been wondering if DC Thomson's publications got affected by the 3 day week too?
Or did IPC suffer both the 3 day week and internal problems too?
Re: June fortnightly in 1974?
You're theory was correct, David. I found the following announcement in June of 2nd February 1974, which I received today.
- Attachments
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