May | 2020 | A Resource on Jinty: Artists, Writers, Stories

In our previous blog entry we listed 25 Things You May (or May Not) Have Noticed in Girls’ Comics. You know, the one that went:

“We have all noticed certain things in girls’ serials. Things about plot, character and setting that always seem to crop up and we comment on them a lot. Then again, there are other things about plot, character and setting that always crop up as well, but we hardly even notice them. At least, not until someone else points them out.”

But it doesn’t end at 25. Oh no, you wouldn’t expect that, would you? No, of course not! Now we present:

25 Things You May (or May Not) Have Noticed in Girls’ Comics: Volume 2

1: Parents fail to stand up for themselves at the worst moments… and with the worst consequences.

Down with St Desmonds 1 — Image credit: “Down with St Desmond’s!”, Bunty 1977-78.

2: The lengths overprotective parents go to to protect their offspring are so ridiculous they’re laughable – yet the consequences are not.

Image credit: “Namby Pamby”, Tammy 1983.

3: If all else fails, bring in a deus ex machina to redeem the mess the protagonist is in.

Down with St Desmonds 2 — Image credit: “Down with St Desmond’s”, Bunty 1977-78.

4: Protagonists making claims of harassment often turn out to be faking the whole thing…

Pam of Pond Hill 3 — Image credit: “Pam of Pond Hill”, Tammy & Princess 1984.

5: … yet real harassment/ bullying often seems to go unnoticed by those in authority.

Tears of a Clown 1 — Image credit: “Tears of a Clown”, Jinty 1980.

6: We are surprised if the school tries to sort out a bullying situation before the end of the story…

Image credit: “They Call Me a Coward!”, June 1971.

7: … but we aren’t at all surprised if they sort it out at the end of the story.

Pam of Pond Hill 2 — Image credit: “Pam of Pond Hill”, Tammy 1983.

8: Schemers plotting to get rid of someone keep failing to do so, no matter how much they discredit them (except when they are required to temporarily succeed before being found out).

Image credit: “That Bad Bettina!”, Mandy 1985.

9: Parents never listen to warnings that something weird’s about to strike the family.

The Sentinels 1 — Image credit: “The Sentinels”, Misty 1978.

10: Guess who cops the worst of it.

The Sentinels 2 — Image credit: “The Sentinels” Misty 1978.

11: We get lots of serials about World War II and fighting the Nazis – but it’s rare to see Hitler in any size, shape or form.

Worlds Apart 3 — Image credit: “Worlds Apart”, Jinty 1981.

12: Bodging could have some pretty funny results.

Sharon's Shadow — Image credit: “Sharon’s Shadow”, Tammy annual 1983.

13: For some reason we always know when parents have put the wrong person in charge of their daughter while they are away – yet the parent never realises it themselves before they put that person in charge.

Tina's Telly Mum 1 — Image credit: “Tina’s Telly Mum”, Tammy & Misty 1980.

14: Witches with pointy hats and broomsticks often seem to be played sympathetically or for humour…

Worlds Apart 4 — Image credit: “Worlds Apart”, Jinty 1981.

15: … while witches who look like crones or beautiful but sinister women are played for the chills.

painting6 — Image credit: “The Painting”, Bunty 1989-90.

16: Ordinary antagonists aren’t killed off much.

Katie on Thin Ice 1 — Image credit: “Katie on Thin Ice”, Tammy 1977.

17: Supernatural/ SF ones are.

electra-of-the-evil-eye-4 — Image credit: “Electra of the Evil Eye”, Bunty 1980.

18: We are very surprised if a parent problem is resolved by the daughter making her parent(s) simply see sense.

Ill-Never-Forgive-You-4 — Image credit: “I’ll Never Forgive You!”, Bunty 1989.

19: We are not surprised when the parent(s) see sense after the daughter runs off or gets run over.

B&W World of Shirley Grey 2 — Image credit: “The Black and White World of Shirley Grey”, Tammy 1981.

20: The only time the protagonist gets acquitted at trial is when her pal arrives at the very last minute with the evidence that will clear her.

Olympia Jones 1 — Image credit: “Olympia Jones”, Tammy 1976-1977.

21: In regular strips, brothers are a pain in the ass.

Image credit: “Tansy of Jubilee Street”, Tammy & Jinty, 1982.

22: It’s unusual to have a serial starring a plump/ plain protagonist outside of an “ugly duckling” serial…

willa-will-dance-3 — Image credit: “Willa Will Dance”, Debbie 1974

23: … or a humour strip where the protagonist doesn’t give a s*** about the way she is!

24: People just say the protagonist is not right in the head when she tries to convince them of something…

Image credit: “End of the Line”, Misty 1978.

25: … but when she really is not right in the head they don’t realise it.

Waves of Fear 1 — Image credit: “Waves of Fear”, Jinty 1979

We have all noticed certain things in girls’ serials. Things about plot, character and setting that always seem to crop up and we comment on them a lot. Then again, there are other things about plot, character and setting that always crop up as well, but we hardly even notice them. At least, not until someone else points them out. To give you the idea of what we mean, we present:

25 Things You May (or May Not) Have Noticed in Girls’ Comics

1: The protagonist is always an only child, except when the plot requires her to have siblings.

Pam of Pond Hill 1 — Image credit: “Pam of Pond Hill”, Tammy 1984

2: The protagonist endures even the worst abuse imaginable rather than upset dear old mummy and daddy by telling them what’s going on.

3: Problem parents always make the wrong assumptions about their daughter until the end of the story.

Image credit: “Hard Times for Helen”, Judy 1984-85

4: If the daughter speaks out against it, it’s not until the climax.

Hard Times for Helen 1 — Image credit: “Hard Times for Helen”, Judy 1984-85.

5: Parents sense they have a problem with their daughter – but don’t do anything about it except shout the house down.

6: And then they discover they handled it all wrong – but not before it’s led to something totally preventable.

Waves of Fear 2 — Image credit: “Waves of Fear”, Jinty 1979.

7: The protagonist doesn’t write to a problem page for help although there are plenty of them in girls’ comics.

Write to Kim — Image credit: Problem page, Girl (second series), 1981.

8: The order and favourite story coupons they always tell you to fill out ruin the comic for future collectors because they leave holes in it.

9: (Except when the plot allows it), child welfare’s never around when you really need ’em…

Bella at the Bar 1 — Image credit: “Bella at the Bar”, Tammy 1974.

10: …but alway stick their noses in when you least want ’em.

Bella at the Bar 2 — Image credit: “Bella at the Bar”, Tammy 1974.

11: No boys in girls’ adventures, though men are allowed…

The Human Zoo 3 — Image credit: “The Human Zoo”, Jinty 1978-79.

12: …except very young boys, mostly kid brothers.

Image credit: “Somewhere over the Rainbow”, Jinty 1978-79.

13: A lot of exonerations are contrived because we simply must have happy endings.

B&W World of Shirley Grey — Image credit: “The Black and White World of Shirley Grey”, Tammy 1981

14: Advanced aliens never developed the know-how that could have saved them – but less advanced humans have.

Human Zoo 2 — Image credit: “The Human Zoo”, Jinty, 1978-79.

15: Serials about girls sent to reform / special school are either sent unjustly or only need a little toning down…

Image credit: “Merry at Misery House”, Jinty 1974-75.

16: …never because they’re utter toerags who really deserve it!

Image credit: “Be Nice to Nancy!”, Judy 1989-1990

17: The weather’s always fine, except when the plot demands otherwise.

Human Zoo 1 — Image credit: “The Human Zoo”, Jinty 1978-79.

18: Historical accuracy is not a strong point in girls’ comics.

Image credit: “Sit It Out, Sheri”, Tammy 1976.

19: Protagonists / antagonists don’t do their homework before they embark on an evil campaign – which would have told them it was a complete waste of time.