Jeff lang -the demon king by Purita Campos

[RuthB]

I just bought yesterday two originals of these series that was published in 1972 in Princess tina.
Was wondering if anybody can tell me anything else about it, how many episodes it run to and what was about, please. All I know is he was some designer (fashion designer??) and had spock ears, but why? was he human?
Thanks.
By the way, I looove the thread of the question I posted about throwing away comics, it is very interesting!!

[RuthB]

No one?

[Phoenix]

No one?

Patience, Ruth, patience! It's only been a day. As Eartha Kitt once so memorably sang, An Englishman Needs Time.

[philcom55]

...Ulp! Having had to put my promised Halo Jones article on the back burner for the time being I’m a bit embarrassed to show my face here at the moment. Rest assured you will get it eventually though Ruth. Honestly...!

As far as ‘Jeff’ goes I must admit that I’ve been wondering about him too. Unfortunately I only have a handful of episodes to go by as my consecutive run of Princess Tina comes to an abrupt end in early 1972. All I can say for sure is that the strip certainly didn’t debut before February 19th of that year - nor does it appear in the issue dated May 20th (by which time the comic had reduced in size as well as gaining a new design, though Purita still provided the cover illustration). After that I don’t have any more copies until November 25th when ‘Jeff - They Call Him the Demon King’ was already an established 3-page feature. Oddly enough the same issue also contains the final installment of what seems to be yet another 3-page Campos serial called ‘The Fashion Girl’s New Family’ as well as her regular two pages of ‘Patty’s World’ - which amounts to an astonishing total of eight pages in one week! (though in this case the cover looks like someone else’s work).

Without having read any of his earlier appearances it’s hard to be sure but I get the impression that Jeff Lang was intended to be an ordinary teenage art assistant with dreams of becoming a successful columnist; as far as I can tell the ‘Demon King’ title is a simple nickname deriving from his unusually-shaped ears which don’t seem to have any greater significance beyond that (and in fact the ‘Demon’ label was eventually dropped from the title altogether). While I could be completely wrong about this it occurs to me that Mr Spock’s contemporary status as something of a sex-symbol might well explain why pointed ears would’ve been calculated to appeal to impressionable young girls!

The same storyline continues in the Dec 30th edition (which also has one of Purita’s distinctive Christmas scenes on the cover) after which I don’t have any more copies until August 4th of the following year. By this time the magazine’s title had changed to just Tina (presumably to coincide with IPC’s relaunch of Princess as a separate comic) and the painted covers had been replaced by photographs, though Purita was still represented with two pages of ‘Patty’ and three of ‘Jeff’. However she wasn’t the only person to draw the latter series as by Dec 29th 1973 - the final issue in my collection - Jeff had been taken over by a new artist with a very different style. Soon after this, of course, Tina was discontinued when it merged with the newly-launched Pink.

20th May 1972 - No 'Jeff' inside, but is that Patty on the bike?


25th Nov. 1972 - My first episode of 'Jeff'


Also from 25th Nov. 1972 - The last episode of another Campos serial?


30th Dec. 1972 - Purita's last Christmas cover!


29th Dec. 1973 - Jeff's 'new look'!


Sorry I can’t be more help, but if I do find out anything else I’ll be sure to let you know.

- Phil R.

[RuthB]

Thanks!!!!

I will call Purita today and ask her if she has any recolection about this works (she never mentioned them, but then again, she did loads of stories and she may forget.
Yap. I thin that is patty on the cover certainly and I just miss buying the second magazine just yesteraday, but prices tend to get ridicolous!!
IF SOMEONE WANTS TO SELL THEIS P. TINA, PLEASE LET ME KNOW!! They are soooo difficult to get!!

I phoned Purita yesterday but she was out, so I will try today as yesterday she might have been celebrating, it was her saint's day.

Thanks again!!

[RuthB]

Oh!! Phil, don't worry about the article!! Take your time!

[matrix]

I would just like to add another piece to the "Jeff" puzzle. His last appearence as the Demon King, was in Tina comic dated 6/1/73. As the scans show it finishes with a description of how "Jeff" got his lucky break as a writer.

Like yourself Phil, I have gaps in my collection, he reappears as the new "Jeff" sometime between early August 73 and the beginning of October 73.

He was not in Princess Tina dated 27/5/72 my one and only for that year.

[RuthB]

Thanks!!