- Almost Human (artist Terry Aspin)
- Bizzie Bet and the Easies (artist Richard Neillands)
- Village of Fame (artist Jim Baikie)
- Rinty ‘n’ Jinty
- My Heart Belongs to Buttons (artist Peter Wilkes)
- Combing Her Golden Hair (artist Phil Townsend)
- Miss Make-Believe (unknown artist – Merry)
- Waves of Fear (Phil Gascoine)
- Black Sheep of the Bartons (artist Guy Peeters, writer Alison Christie)
Another of my favourite Jinty covers, drawn by Jim Baikie. The creepiness of the theme is brilliantly induced by the use of complementary colours with the orange and yellow mesmeric circles around Marvo’s head and the blue background, and the cross-hatching on Sue’s face.
It is, of course from Village of Fame. The story now reaches its penultimate episode, with Marvo using mass hypnotism to mesmerise the whole village into believing that Mr Grand’s TV serial is good for them. Worst of all, Sue Parker, the girl who has opposed Grand all along, is falling under the spell as well. Something needs to happen fast in the next episode!
Almost Human is on its penultimate episode as well. Xenia’s mother has been trying to tell her something important but can’t get through. Then it happens with one of the moons of Xenia’s home planet suddenly exploding! Xenia is distraught, but is it all what it seems?
Combing Her Golden Hair is approaching its climax, with Tamsin running off to Redruthan, her birthplace. We know that soon Tamsin is going to discover what Gran has been keeping from her all these years. Waves of Fear is approaching its climax too, what with Clare’s latest bout of panic getting her expelled thanks to nasty Jean. Priscilla Heath, the only adult who has not been judgemental to Clare, now begins to realise Clare needs serious help. The trouble is, nobody else does. As usual, Clare’s parents react with anger and harshness because they are working on the assumption that she is a coward and delinquent. And in Black Sheep of the Bartons, Bev Barton is in more trouble with her parents as well – and on Christmas Day!
I like this cover too, though I think it is the design & colour work that has made it most effective rather than the original art itself: I feel a little like it has been enlarged a bit compared to the interior panel(s) it’s taken from, do you agree?
They usually are enlarged when put on the cover.