Comics UK

Over at the Jinty forum we have had a request to find an IPC story that was translated into Dutch. Details are as follows:

Marc has sent in a question. “It would be interesting to find out the original publication of 33, ‘Het gebeurde in Parkzicht’. That is one of the best stories I’ve ever read in Tina. It’s a hospital/nurse story, in which several storylines were going on at the same time. It lasted for 15 episodes (45 pages) in early 1977. But I think the original might have lasted even longer, because the end we got offered is satisfactory, but you feel there could have been more after it.

"It is not quite clear where it might have been published. The Dutch Tina most of the time used stories from IPC, but it’s not from Jinty, Lindy, Tammy, Sally or Sandie. I doubt it’s from (Princess) Tina. It might be June, but I also doubt that. But there are not many other options if it is IPC, are there?

"Here is a scan from the Dutch translation – the first page of the story, taken from Catawiki. Does anyone have any ideas on what the original might have been? NB the Dutch story title translates literally to 'It Happened In Parkview'".

Can anyone help Marc? If he's right about where it did not appear, I think Diana and School Friend are the only possibilities left - unless someone can suggest something else. One of the photo story titles, perhaps? Thank you in advance for any help.

I don't think this information is going to shed much light on the matter, Tammyfan, but I can tell you that if It Happened In Parkview was a fifteen-instalment serial or longer it certainly couldn't have appeared in Diana in 1976 as my only longish gap in that year is ten between 707 and 716. In 1975 my longest gap is thirteen so it isn't in there either, and as Diana turned up her toes with issue 720 (Dec. 4 1976) the serial obviously couldn't have been there in 1977.

Perhaps it's not a British strip at all. In panel four, note that the lorry is left-hand drive. (I draw for an American publication, so I try to get the road sides correct.)

suebutcher wrote:Perhaps it's not a British strip at all. In panel four, note that the lorry is left-hand drive. (I draw for an American publication, so I try to get the road sides correct.)

No, Britain is left hand driving, isn't it?

Phoenix wrote:I don't think this information is going to shed much light on the matter, Tammyfan, but I can tell you that if It Happened In Parkview was a fifteen-instalment serial or longer it certainly couldn't have appeared in Diana in 1976 as my only longish gap in that year is ten between 707 and 716. In 1975 my longest gap is thirteen so it isn't in there either, and as Diana turned up her toes with issue 720 (Dec. 4 1976) the serial obviously couldn't have been there in 1977.

Thanks, Phoenix. So now we can rule out Diana, I wonder what could be left. Hmm, what about Girl, first series? Or School Friend?

Maybe the story originated in s picture paper title for a slightly more mature age group like Romeo or Jackie.

Tammyfan wrote:

suebutcher wrote:Perhaps it's not a British strip at all. In panel four, note that the lorry is left-hand drive. (I draw for an American publication, so I try to get the road sides correct.)

No, Britain is left hand driving, isn't it?

We drive on the left in Britain, but our vehicles are right hand drive because the controls are on the right. Right enough, that lorry is definitely left hand drive (controls on the left to drive in Europe or America)

suebutcher wrote:Perhaps it's not a British strip at all. In panel four, note that the lorry is left-hand drive.

Yes, but the driver is on the right hand side in panel one, so I'm not sure that's conclusive. The construction of panel four is very odd anyway. If the driver's head and shoulders are on the driver's seat where is the rest of him? Did his lower body somehow get thrown by the impact leaving his head where he was sitting? It's very confusing.

Marionette wrote:

suebutcher wrote:Perhaps it's not a British strip at all. In panel four, note that the lorry is left-hand drive.

Yes, but the driver is on the right hand side in panel one, so I'm not sure that's conclusive. The construction of panel four is very odd anyway. If the driver's head and shoulders are on the driver's seat where is the rest of him? Did his lower body somehow get thrown by the impact leaving his head where he was sitting? It's very confusing.

Oh, I just had a thought - suppose the original was in a British comic, but was redrawn for Tina? That happened with The Goose Girl from Jinty.

Kashgar wrote:Maybe the story originated in s picture paper title for a slightly more mature age group like Romeo or Jackie.

I think it depends on whether It Happened In Parkview is a love story or not. As far as I'm aware, Romeo was inundated with them, and if I can describe as representative two issues from 1976 (657 : Aug. 7), and (662 : Sep. 11), and one from 1977 (680 : Jan. 15), Jackie was definitely travelling in the same direction. The picture stories in 657 are the serial Lara's Search For Love (3 sides) and the complete You Can't Argue With Love (3 sides). The remaining thirty pages are essentially a magazine. In 662 Just An Old Fashioned Girl (3 sides) is a complete, and For The Sake Of Love... (3 sides) looks like another but could be the last instalment of a serial. In 680 I Won't Forget You... is a complete (3 sides), and Remember Love... is another (3 sides).

Phoenix wrote:

Kashgar wrote:Maybe the story originated in s picture paper title for a slightly more mature age group like Romeo or Jackie.

I think it depends on whether It Happened In Parkview is a love story or not. As far as I'm aware, Romeo was inundated with them, and if I can describe as representative two issues from 1976 (657 : Aug. 7), and (662 : Sep. 11), and one from 1977 (680 : Jan. 15), Jackie was definitely travelling in the same direction. The picture stories in 657 are the serial Lara's Search For Love (3 sides) and the complete You Can't Argue With Love (3 sides). The remaining thirty pages are essentially a magazine. In 662 Just An Old Fashioned Girl (3 sides) is a complete, and For The Sake Of Love... (3 sides) looks like another but could be the last instalment of a serial. In 680 I Won't Forget You... is a complete (3 sides), and Remember Love... is another (3 sides).

Marc made no hint of romance in the story. From the sound of it, it's a soap opera sort of thing set in a hospital. So I myself rule out the romance titles. But I did wonder about Jackie too.

Well, what are our options? School Friend? Jackie? Girl 1st series? One of the photo story titles like Blue Jeans or Patches? Something we haven't thought of? Or could it be June or Princess Tina after all?

Looks like we haven't found anything so far. Oh well, something may turn up later.