Comics UK

philcom55 wrote: It's interesting how British comics of the past anticipated some of the most popular TV series of the present day.

Not quite present day, but I'd always assumed that Molly Mills in Tammy was inspired by Upstairs Downstairs until I looked it up and found Molly appeared first by about four months. I guess some things just have their time.

Marionette wrote:I'd always assumed that Molly Mills in Tammy was inspired by Upstairs Downstairs until I looked it up and found Molly appeared first by about four months.

I had a deja vu moment when I read this comment, Marionette. Just out of interest, have you made this point in a different thread at any time?

Phoenix wrote:I had a deja vu moment when I read this comment, Marionette. Just out of interest, have you made this point in a different thread at any time?

It's entirely possible. I may well make it again in the future. Not least in my blog entry about Molly Mills.

I wonder what would happen if they brought on a sequel about how the gang gets on at Merton High? What new faces would there be at Merton High, and what enemies and problems would they face? And what would they call the new strip? They can't call it The Comp anymore. Or could they? It was implied that the closure of the Comp may not be permanent, which suggests that they may have been planning to bring it back if there had been enough demand, similar to how Jinty finished Pam of Pond Hill at one point, but with a blurb to say that it could be brought back by popular demand. And it was.

Incidentally, in what issue did the Comp end?

Tammyfan wrote:Incidentally, in what issue did the Comp end?

Phil posted that information earlier in this thread, Tammyfan.

Phoenix wrote:

Tammyfan wrote:Incidentally, in what issue did the Comp end?

Phil posted that information earlier in this thread, Tammyfan.

And what would it have cost you to say it was January 6th 2001?

Marionette wrote:And what would it have cost you to say it was January 6th 2001?

Not much, obviously, as you are clearly aware, which makes me wonder why you chose to ask your question in the first place. I wasn't going to answer Briony's question at first because the answer was already there on the thread, but in the end I decided to remind her of that. Even if she had had to read the whole thread in search of the answer, it wouldn't have taken her that long, the entire thread only covers one and a half pages at best. The only other thing I could have done was to give her the issue number, but that would have involved too much time getting to my Bunty collection, and I am very busy. My post was intended to be helpful, not critical like yours.

A smiley face obviously needed there? This is a good example of how a comment might be made lightly but picked up as a criticism. I presume it was made lightly - confirmation awaited.

Oh dear, did I offend Phoenix?

Marionette wrote:Oh dear, did I offend Phoenix?

Not at all. I was essentially explaining, not complaining. Your two recent posts, however, are deliberately antagonistic. That is not a complaint either, just a statement of fact. Can we please set personalities to one side, and get back to normal posting?

Phoenix, I am saddened that you have taken my words in such a negative spirit.

Marionette wrote:Phoenix, I am saddened that you have taken my words in such a negative spirit.

It wasn't difficult to interpret the inherent spirit of your remarks, so do try not to cry, as being a mere male, I might then abandon logic and start to feel sorry for you. Over and out!

That info didn't include the issue number, but I believe I can work it out....

Ah, so it ended with #2243, only weeks before Bunty herself ended with #2249 on 17 February 2001? All right then. Wonder what they did with the empty Comp slot? Use it to double up episodes in order to finish the stories, run some complete stories, or put in a short filler story?

Tammyfan wrote:Wonder what they did with the empty Comp slot? Use it to double up episodes in order to finish the stories, run some complete stories, or put in a short filler story?

I hope this helps, Tammyfan.

The story content of 2243, apart from The Comp, was The Four Marys (a 7-side Special Complete Story) : Girl Zone (1 side) : Living A Lie (6 sides : ends) : Penny's Place (2 sides in colour, 2 in b/w : continues). The rest of the paper was taken up by Your Stars (1 page) : a double-page spread called Winter Wonderland, comprising a wordsearch on the left and a photo of a puffin? chick on the right : the centre pages, which seem standard, have a calendar from July to December 2001 (January to June was in 2242), a recipe for peanut butter cookies, a page for the girl to fill in, with space for a photograph, snaps of Cat Deeley, Michael Owen and Tina from S Club 7 : another double-page spread introducing a reader, with lots of photos, Your Letters Page is another double-pager, and the rear cover has a full-page photo of Joshua Jackson : total of internal non-picture story pages is 9.

2244 sees the start of a serial about The Four Marys (4 sides) :the start of The Truth About Tanya (7 sides) : Girl Zone (1 side) : the first instalment of Backstreet Hospital (3 sides) : Penny's Place (4 sides : continues) : total of internal non-picture story pages is 12. These include two extra wordsearches and a text page for A Reader's True Story.

2245 is broadly similar to 2244, but with only 11 internal non-picture story pages.

2246 is similar to 2245, but with 13 internal non-picture story pages. To be fair, one of them was used for chapter 1 of a text story called Strange Shadows, described as A Chiller In Two Chapters. No Girl Zone.

2247 is again similar, but with 11 internal non-picture story pages. Strange Shadows concludes. With eight pages Penny's Place takes up the slack. Girl Zone returns.

2248 is similar but with only 9 internal non-picture story pages, only one of which is in the second half of the paper, therefore giving the issue more of a story paper appearance. There is a double-page advert for Cool Magazine, Thomsons' new offering for girls, and a one-page complete under the Strange Shadows banner. No Girl Zone.

2249 is the end of the line. All serials end, The Four Marys (4 pages) : The Truth About Tanya (6 pages) : Girl Zone (a special 3-page complete) : Penny's Place (4 pages) : Backstreet Hospital (3 pages) : a double-page Strange Shadows text tale, and just 9 internal non-picture story pages. Of these, just half a page is allotted to an advert for Bunty Monthly.

I'll leave the extrapolations and analyses to you, but I believe that Bunty just about kept her integrity to the end, although it would be interesting to canvas ex-readers' views on the extent to which they were irritated, or even alienated, by the plethora of full-page photographs of ponies and kittens and gerbils and puppies and cutesy baby birds, when the pages could have been more fruitfully used for another serial, as was more the case in earlier days.

As far as I can tell the main replacements for the Comp were two new serials - "The Truth About Tanya' and 'Backstreet Hospital' (though I'm pretty sure 'Backstreet' was a reprint, and 'Tanya' could well have been as well).

The comic strip content of Bunty no. 2244 breaks down as follows:

The Four Marys - 4 pages
The Truth About Tanya - 6 pages (looks like two separate 3-page episodes)
Girl Zone - 1 page
Backstreet Hospital - 3 pages
Penny's Place - 4 pages

One thing that disappointed me about so many of the later, glossy issues of Bunty was the way their covers tended to use photographic images to resemble a junior version of women's magazines such as Woman's Own. By contrast, when they did illustrate a comic strip with original art the results could be really eye-catching!

- Phil Rushton

(Ooops! I see that Phoenix beat me to it with a far more comprehensive list of contents)