Comics UK

Some time ago I put a scan of an unnumbered and undated School Friend on here. This time I have an unnumbered and undated Girls' Crystal. It is printed as Issue A and the bottom of each page says likewise. I never did find out why these issues were printed without dates. Someone has written the number and date in ink at the top of the cover and as i have the next issue i can confrm it is correct.

Yes - there was a major printing strike in July and August 1959 at a time when AP (soon to become Fleetway) was already undergoing major changes following its acquisition by the Mirror Group in the previous year. As was the case with Sally and Tammy over a decade later there were a number of titles like Sun and Comet which folded within weeks of the strike's end.

- Phil Rushton

I presume they had no idea when the publications would be back in the shops so erased any reference to the date.

Look-In being reduced to fortnightly was understandasble in 1979 - this was when the very long & bitter ITV strke took place, with only little Channel television in the Channel Islands operating.

And with no ITV shows to promote and no what's on the regions page to show (only a "sorry no service" testcard everywhere else)...

Was just noticing on IPC comics affected by strikes:
During the 1975 "ban", they had a pre-school comic called "Bonnie" during then, which had started a few months before and got merged into "Playhour" a few months later (where its strips "Sally & Jake" & "The Dolly Girls" went to - the Dolly Girls for a long residency).
This strike must've affected this, making its intended readership of under 5-girls go over & hand victory to rival "Twinkle".