Short or even complete stories did feature in Jinty every so often: Mistyfan has noted previously that this tended to happen around Christmas and New Year, presumably to fill in gaps and give a seasonal feel. The first story in this issue is a creepy one but, unusually, is not associated with a spooky story-teller: in “Holly anad the Ivy”, prickly protagonist Holly moves into an ivy-covered cottage and finds that the plant has a will of its own.
I am a bit puzzled about the artist on “Sceptre of the Toltecs”. The attribution that I have received on this story is that the artist is the Spaniard Cándido Ruiz Pueyo, and indeed looking at his entry on the Lambiek Comiclopedia this seems very plausible.
The signature on the strip itself, though, clearly says ‘Prieto’, which is a reasonably common surname in Spanish (though on a quick google seems more associated with Mexico than with Spain itself). The handwriting on the signature closely matches Pueyo’s signature, as does small details like the way the shoes are drawn, so I am satisfied this is almost certainly the same person using a pseudonym. But why? (Or of course, why not?)
Update: David Roach has confirmed that this artist is Emilia Prieto – substantiated by a portfolio sample from the time.
It must be said there are greater questions about “Sceptre of the Toltecs” than the attribution of the artist. This is another case where the research underlying this story are what you might call minimal! The mysterious girl from Mexico is called ‘Malincha’ which she claims is a common name ‘where she comes from’ – but in fact any reader who has a connection to Mexico will think of ‘La Malinche‘, which will give more of the impression of treachery and colonialism than anything else.
Stories in this issue:
- Holly and the Ivy (complete story: artist Phil Gascoine)
- Gertie Grit, the Hateful Brit! (artist Paul White)
- Sceptre of the Toltecs (artist
Cándido Ruiz PueyoEmilia Prieto) - Made-Up Mandy (artist Audrey Fawley)
- The Big Cat (artist Ana Rodriguez)
- Alley Cat
- The Mystery of Martine (artist Trini Tinturé)
- Go On, Hate Me! (artist Keith Robson)
- Daisy Drudge and Milady Maud (artist Ken Houghton)
A Resource on Jinty: Artists, Writers, Stories 
Sometimes ignorance and lack of research led to some real howlers in girls’ comics. One such goof appeared twice (maybe more) in Tammy, which stated The Dance of the Dying Swan is in Swan Lake. The Dance of the Dying Swan is not in Swan Lake – it is a separate solo dance altogether. In Tammy’s “Cindy of Swan Lake” this error is glaring because it becomes a key plot point.