Tammy 26 August 1972

Belinda Black-Sheep (artist Mario Capaldi) – first episode

Miss High-an’-Mighty (artist Julio Bosch?)

The Lame Ballerina (artist P. Montero, writer Gerry Finley-Day?)

Lulu (cartoon)

The Uxdale Urchins (artist Eduardo Feito)

Swim for Your Life, Sari (artist Juan Garcia Quiros, writer Gerry Finley-Day?)

Skivers’ School (artist J. Badesa)

Dog Paddle Doris (artist Carlos Prunes, writer Maureen Spurgeon)

The Greek Girl (artist John Armstrong, writer Bill Harrington?) – first episode

Here Comes Trouble (artist Luis Bermejo)

Lonely Romy (artists Luis Bermejo and Miguel Quesada (inks))

No Tears for Molly (artist Tony Thewenetti, writer Maureen Spurgeon)

A Special Tammy Portrait – Don McLean

We come to 1972 in our Tammy August month round, and in this issue, two new stories start: “Belinda Black-Sheep” and “The Greek Girl”. Mario Capaldi, who went on to become one of the longest-standing stalwarts on the Tammy team, starts his first story for Tammy, “Belinda Black-Sheep”. Belinda McRea and her father become outcasts in their fishing village after Dad commits a seeming act of cowardice that led the deaths of his fellow fishermen in a storm. But did he really? Or did he lose his mind in some way and was not responsible for his actions? Or did something else happen? He seems to recall saving them, but he’s become so addled we don’t even know what to think, much know where to start working out what happened. 

In the second new story, “The Greek Girl”, Rose Banks has no confidence in herself, and it shows in her appearance (scruffy) and schoolwork (“appalling”). She wishes upon the statue of Penelope, the Greek goddess of confidence, to become more confident. (Incidentally, there really is a Greek goddess of confidence, but her name is Flaunta, and she is the second cousin of Aphrodite.) Soon after, a girl and a cat who are dead ringers for the goddess and her cat come into Rose’s life. Oops, is it the old “be careful what you wish for” again? Incidentally, this was one of the John Armstrong Tammy stories chosen for reprint in the Misty annuals, and a number of them were written by Bill Harrington.

Miss High-an’-Mighty, a spoiled, arrogant Victorian girl named Ursula Thorndike, has to be the hardest nut of all to crack in redemption stories. Bill Fletcher, a convict made good, is taking her on a tour to see how the other half live in the hopes it will change her. Ursula’s had to agree, as it is the only way to save her family from bankruptcy, but so far none of it is making any impression or improvement on her. 

Molly’s in a really complicated fix. She’s taken in an amnesic girl named Lorna, and then a Lady Lancton claims Lorna stole jewellery from her. Lorna is indeed scared shitless of Lady Lancton, but is it for that reason? Molly’s attempt to get Lorna’s side of things is soon putting her in danger.

In “Lonely Romy”, another Cinderella story, Romy hits the road after her spiteful stepsister frames her for stealing a watch. The truth is discovered later, but by this time Romy’s found a new venue for her paintings.

In “Here Comes Trouble”, the trouble for Mitzi Trouble comes from spiteful Katy Dennison. First Katy dopes her horse, and now she’s started a grass fire that’s raged out of control, just to get Mitzi into trouble, but it’s put lives in danger.

Girls’ comics often had some bizarre premises, and “Dog Paddle Doris” is one. Doris Farrell is making her name as…the best dog paddle swimmer around. Although it’s the only stroke she can do, she’s joined a swimming club and is competing in races, against girls who are doing freestyle. She even wins a freestyle event, but she was doing dog paddle, not freestyle. Aren’t there any grounds for disqualification here? 

“Swim for Your Life, Sari” is another swimming story, about a long-distance relay swimming race for Sari Marsh and her team. But Sari soon finds there is more danger than just the risks of the race – something sinister is afoot, and it looks suspiciously like the relay race is a setup for it.

Jill Hudson discovers Louisa “The Lame Ballerina” isn’t that lame, but thinks there’s a medical problem and wants to be friends. The truth is, Louisa is faking lameness to avoid the ballet she’s being pushed into, and now she sees a glorious opportunity to take advantage of Jill.

“Skivers’ School” looks like it’s riding on the success of “School for Snobs”. But instead of teaching snobs a lesson, the special school teaches ill-mannered girls to behave. Flo and Ethel Binns have been sent to it to learn how to be ladies. The hijinks have their skivvying backfiring on them and being foiled by the headmistress Miss Meake. We’re always left wondering as to whether Miss Meake does this without realising it or not, which is probably a running gag.

The Uxdale Urchins win the semi-finals despite problems along the way, but now there’s a real hurdle – the finals are in London, and they can’t afford a horse box.

Tammy 2 June 1973

The Cat’s Eye on Katy (artist Douglas Perry) – first episode

School for Snobs (artist J. Badesa, writers Pat Mills/John Wagner)

Trina Drop-Out (artist Ana Rodriguez) – final episode

The Sea Spirit – (artist Juan Escandell Torres) – first episode

The Stranger in My Shoes (artist Miguel Quesada)

The Lonely Dancer (artist Candido Ruiz Pueyo)

Simple Simona

Get Shirty! (Competition)

The Girl in the Window (artist John Armstrong)

Dara into Danger (artist Juan Garcia Quiros)

No Tears for Molly (artist Tony Thewenetti, writer Maureen Spurgeon)

For the 1973 instalment of our Tammy June month round, we look at an issue that starts some new stories. They both have supernatural themes, one malicious and the other beneficial. In the former, an evil witch doctor bewitches a cat to get revenge on the policeman who imprisoned him. But his curse is not striking at the policeman directly – it’s striking at his daughter Katy miles away in England, with the cat doing the old “evil influence” gig on her. One has to wonder why the silly old witch doctor doesn’t use his powers to break out of prison instead – he’s got the superstitious prison guards scared enough of him for that, surely. But no, he’s just going to sit in prison and let the cat do its thing. In the latter, Sheena Barrett is a brilliant swimmer, but her fear of diving is a handicap. Then she meets Marina, a sea spirit who gives her the confidence to dive. 

There is also a third supernatural story, “The Girl in the Window”, where Dale befriends a shop dummy that can come to life. This is making for a lot of interesting moments, some awkward, some surprising, and some hilarious. Hilarity is also running high in a “School for Snobs” sequel and “Simple Simona”. 

Ballet stories have been the staple in Tammy from the first issue and cropped up frequently in her earlier years. This time it’s “The Lonely Dancer”, about a promising ballerina who is trying to find her missing mother.

As we now have a higher proportion of humour and the supernatural in Tammy, plus the ballet staple, there is less room for the dark tales laden with cruelty, misery and tortured heroines that the early Tammy was noted for. They are still going, but they are now balanced with more lightweight fare, which makes for a more varied mix in the comic. One, “Trina Drop-Out”, finishes this week, and the other is “Dara into Danger”, where a whole ski team is kidnapped and taken to the Antarctic. All except our protagonist Dara have been brainwashed by the mysterious Madame Jensen, but for what exactly hasn’t been established yet. And of course we still have Molly Mills to carry on the Tammy streak of cruelly used heroines.

Meanwhile, “The Stranger in My Shoes” features a heroine who is being tortured another way – her identity is forcibly switched with a delinquent and she is sent to borstal in the delinquent’s place. Is the story going to go with her suffering miseries at the borstal à la “Merry at Misery House” or go another route as she battles to prove her identity?

Aside from Molly Mills, Tammy was still not into “regular” strips to serve as her core. However, the return of “School for Snobs” and, pretty soon, “Aunt Aggie”, showed that semi-regulars were developing. 

Tammy & Sandie 10 November 1973

Cover artist: John Richardson

• Two-Faced Teesha (artist Jose Casanovas)
• Jeannie and Her Uncle Meanie (artist Robert MacGillivray)
• The Chain Gang Champions (artist Juan Garcia Quiros? writer Gerry Finley-Day?) – first episode
• A New Leaf for Nancy (artist John Armstrong)
• Back-Stab Ballerina (artist Miguel Quesada)
• School for Snobs (artist J. Badesa, writer Pat Mills)
• Wee Sue (artist Mario Capaldi)
• Granny’s Town (artist Douglas Perry, writer Pat Mills)
• No Tears for Molly (artist Tony Thewenetti, writer Maureen Spurgeon)

 

It’s part 3 of our Tammy round robin, and 10 November 1973 has been selected for 1973. It is three weeks into the Sandie merger. The happy, pretty girl covers Tammy had since her first issue have gone. In their place are the start of the humorous Cover Girl covers that would remain on the cover until late 1980. At the moment we only seem to have one Cover Girl. The cover gives the impression the Cover Girls are still in the early days compared to how they ran later on, but the cover is still funny with the joke of getting splashed by a dry cleaning company car.

Wee Sue was one of the stories to come over from Sandie. It is a surprising choice because the original Sue story finished a long time ago and no sequel appeared in Sandie. Moreover, Sue has had a complete overhaul, shifting from a posh academy as a scholarship girl to a comprehensive in an industrial town, Milltown. Bully teacher Miss Bigger is another change from the original, in which she didn’t appear at all.

In the Wee Sue episode, Sue has lost the freckles she had when she first debuted in the merger. Her spiky bob is starting to loosen a bit, but makes her look like an unmade bed. In the story, Miss Bigger thinks Wee Sue is encouraging the girls into hunger strike over school dinners and tries to stop it by force-feeding Sue! Then Sue runs amok in the canteen, smashing the dinners. What the heck’s gotten into her? Her nose has told her that there is an outbreak of food poisoning afoot, and the school is full of praises for Sue saving everyone. Well, nearly everyone. Miss Bigger ate some of the tainted food and now she’s in bed, and Sue besting her again is making her even sicker.

Jeannie and Her Uncle Meanie also came over from Sandie. Uncle Meanie still has his original nose from Sandie and has not yet acquired the bulbous nose that Robert MacGillivray will later give to Miss Bigger when he takes over the Wee Sue strip. Uncle Meanie now has a wife, Jeannie’s Aunt Martha, who really has to put up with his meanness. And in the story this week? Hoots! Uncle Meanie has been knocked off his perch as Britain’s Number 1 meanie! The title has been awarded to a Miss Pincher. When the family meet Miss Pincher, they are forced to admit she outstrips even Uncle Meanie for meanness. Uncle Meanie is not having that. He’s in shock and deeply jealous, but why is he all nice and gentlemanly to Miss Pincher? Is he taking it better than the family think – or is he plotting something to reclaim his title?

We have a new story this week, “The Chain Gang Champions”. Rella Aston is a promising athlete like her father before he was crippled. They haven’t the money for proper training or an operation to cure her father. A woman named Stein has overheard, and goes to “The Duchess”, who offers Rella the chance to join a group of British champions. Rella thinks it is a miracle, but from the looks of Stein and what she’s thinking, Rella should have remembered the old adage: “If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.”

“Granny’s Town”, “Two-Faced Teesha”, “Back-Stab Ballerina” and “A New Leaf for Nancy” (reprinted Misty annual 1980) are new stories that began with the merger.

Two-faced Teesha is a devious, spiteful girl. She has just moved to the country. She surprises her father when she opts for the country school over a snob school, the type of school she used to attend in the past. Her reason? She has met some of the girls and thinks it will be easy to stir up trouble for them.

Nancy’s family have made a depressing move to a rundown house after Dad loses his job, but Nancy discovers a tree in the garden that has powers to make things better for her. The trouble is, its power does not seem to be reliable and sometimes makes things worse.

The “Back-Stab Ballerina” is Rita Radley, who secretly makes trouble for her old friend June Day when they go to ballet school. This week Rita gets June into trouble with the other girls because they have started sticking up for her.

In “Granny’s Town”, grannies rule and anyone who crosses them is soon forced to leave quickly. This week it’s the turn of the donkey man who won’t allow the grannies to enjoy themselves on the beach. Their response is to stake him out on the croquet lawn and leave him to roast under the sun. Jen Young, the only one who refuses to be intimidated, rescues him, but later gets a nasty warning from the grannies to back off. The blurb for next week warns she will have to watch out even more.

“School for Snobs” and “No Tears for Molly” are the Tammy stories that have continued into the merger. In the Molly story, something or someone is putting the wind up bully butler Pickering. He’s convinced it’s a ghost and he’s running scared. He even faints in the cellar!

“School for Snobs” is a special school designed to cure girls of snobbery. This week it is curing a snob who drives off servants with her bullying. After being served by Hermione Snoot, the headmistress of the school, the snob is wishing she hadn’t driven those servants off.

Jinty and Penny 25 April 1981

• Pam of Pond Hill (writer Jay Over, artist Bob Harvey)
• Diving Belle (artist Phil Gascoine)
• A Lot to Sing About – text story (artist Mario Capaldi)
• The Missing Link – Gypsy Rose story (artist Juan Garcia Quiros)
• Just the Job – Feature
• Gaye’s Gloomy Ghost (artist Hugh Thornton-Jones)
• Worlds Apart – first episode (artist Guy Peeters)
• Tansy of Jubilee Street (artist Peter Wilkes)
• Fancy Free! – (artist Phil Townsend)
• Easter Parade – Feature
• Horses in History – feature
• Angela’s Angels (artist Leo Davy)

This is Jinty’s Easter issue for 1981. Tansy and Gaye both have stories where they enter Easter parades. And Jinty has a feature on how to make things for Easter.

The letter column prints one letter that yields interesting information on Pam’s Poll. The reader and her sister want Jinty to reprint “Stefa’s Heart of Stone”. The editor replied that Stefa was one of their most popular stories and in Pam’s Poll lots of readers voted for it to be repeated. Yet the editor still asks if other readers would like to see it reprinted and please write in if they do. Now why does the editor need to ask this? Surely there has been demand enough already.

In this issue is the first episode of the serial that was Jinty’s jewel in the crown for 1981: “Worlds Apart”. Greed, sports mania, vanity, delinquency, intellectualism and fearfulness are exemplified in six girls who get knocked out by gas from a tanker that crashes into their school. When they wake up they are in hospital, but there is something odd about it – everyone in sight is grotesquely fat, and by their standards the girls are emaciated. The hospital treatment they are about to get is designed to forcibly turn them into fatties!

This week’s text story is a bit improbable. Violet is a dreadful singer (but tell her that!). When she starts singing in the street, people give old stuff just to get rid of her. It’s put to good use for a jumble sale – but come on, would people really give old stuff to get rid of horrible singing? Throw it, yes – but give it?

Pam reveals her two big dislikes about Pond Hill: school sago pud and Jill Cook. Now she dislikes Jill more than ever as Jill has become a bad influence for her boyfriend Goofy Boyle.

In “Fancy Free!”, Fancy’s in a huff when Ben tries to press his own rules on her. It culminates in a row at home, where Mum says she had the same trouble with Fancy’s mysteriously absent father.

Angela’s Angels are having a hard time learning the ins and outs of nursing. And Sister Angela looks a nervous wreck herself after a day of instructing them. Student Nurse Helen is put on night duty – but falls asleep on the job and now she’s in trouble!

This week’s Gypsy Rose story is another recycled Strange Story. Stacy Fletcher’s hobby in making jewellery leads to a strange time travel story where she drops a piece of jewellery in the past after unwittingly foiling a crime. This gives rise to a legend that a ghost left it.

In “Diving Belle” Betty’s coming up with all sorts of inventive ways to get Belle diving again. This week it it’s breaking into school to use the pool. When the caretaker finds them, it’s an improvised diving board on the cliffs. And Betty says time is pressing as there is only a day or two left. Day or two left before what?

 

Jinty 5 September 1981

• Dracula’s Daughter (artist Mario Capaldi)
• Holiday Hideaway (artist Phil Gascoine)
• Daisy, Daisy… – text story (artist Mario Capaldi)
• … Tiger Burning Bright – Gypsy Rose story (artist Juan Garcia Quiros)
• Gaye’s Gloomy Ghost (artist Hugh Thornton-Jones)
• Do Your Own Thing! Jinty Leisure Directory Part 4
• Tansy of Jubilee Street (artist Peter Wilkes)
• Worlds Apart (artist Guy Peeters)
• The Sweet and Sour Rivals (artist Carlos Cruz)
• Angela’s Angels (artist Leo Davy)

In this issue, “Dracula’s Daughter” takes a turning point, and it is an extraordinary one! Mr Graves, the authoritarian headmaster who has believed fun and play belong in the home and not in school, surprises the girls when he allows them to have some fun with comedy videos in gratitude for impressing the governors and saving him from the sack. So Mr Graves is finally learning to not to be so rigid in his views about how to run a school? Will the story actually end with him becoming human and a popular headmaster at the school? Maybe – we’ll have to see how it pans out. On the other hand, Miss Snape has turned nasty towards his daughter Lydia because Lydia spoiled her obsequious tactics to become deputy head. So Lydia’s hopes that her problems are over are going to be dashed in the next episode.

It’s now the fifth world in Worlds Apart. It’s the turn of brainy Clare, and her world is one where intellectualism rules and the rest of the girls are sub-humans who are treated as lab rats. But there are people in this world who don’t like this sort of thing. They have rescued the girls and turned them loose in the wild. Unfortunately the wild is not looking friendly, so will the girls survive?

The Sweet and Sour Rivals take a break from rivalry over their restaurants. In this issue the sour rivals pull dirty tricks on the sweet ones during a cross-country run. But as usual, things turn sour for the sour rivals in the end.

Angela’s Angels are having problems with a patient who’s all bitter after being left paralysed. And a jealous tea-girl is causing trouble for Jo because she is jealous of her.

Pam of Pond Hill is currently not running, but her strip ended with an open invitation for readers to ask for her back. She appears on the back cover to introduce us to the lineup of 1982 annuals, which probably raised the hopes of readers who wanted her to return.

Hattie is still lumbered with doing all the donkey work in covering up for her family who would rather hide in the house than admit they could not afford their holiday. This time it’s delivering phoney postcards. And then the secret is in danger again when girl guides do window-cleaning on their house.

Jinty 23 July 1977

• The Robot Who Cried (artist Rodrigo Comos, writer Malcolm Shaw)
• Sue’s Fantastic Fun-Bag! (artist Hugh Thornton-Jones)
• Sunburst! – Gypsy Rose story (artist Juan Garcia Quiros)
• Fran’ll Fix It! (artist Jim Baikie)
• Rinty ‘n’ Jinty
• The Inside Story – feature
• Curtain of Silence (artist Terry Aspin)
• Jinty’s Holiday Book (feature)
• Alley Cat
• The Darkening Journey (artist José Casanovas)
• Battle of the Wills (artist Trini Tinturé)
• A Boy Like Bobby (artist Phil Townsend)
• A Puppet Pouffe – feature

As you see on the cover, Fran gets some unusual gear on because she’s not confident about being goalie, having never played hockey. It works all right – until Clara takes revenge by rolling Fran downhill and she bounces against a rock. Well, Sal did warn Fran that her scheme might bounce back on her. The Gypsy Rose story that features on the cover is about a ghost horse that comes back to save its descendant from fire.

“The Robot Who Cried” discovers a new emotion – hatred – when some unsavoury people threaten her friend Susan, and she’s about to take a shovel to their heads! And with that super-strength of hers, anything could happen next week.

Madam Kapelski raises Yvonne’s hopes of escape when she takes her back to England. Her plan is to crush Yvonne completely with false hopes and it looks like it’s working by the end of the episode. Yvonne is in tears when she sees her mother and can’t call out to her because she’s still mute. But the blurb for next week about “the mystery woman in black” entering the picture sounds like events are going to take another turn.

“The Darkening Journey” looks even darker right now. Thumper leaves an animal shelter because he senses Julie needs him. But his health is failing and hope is fading.

Gymnast Kate finds ballet Kate has pulled a fast one on her when she tries to break into her home to get the money for her allowance. But she gets the money anyway!

In “A Boy Like Bobby”, Tessa agrees to hide the boys from social welfare because they are scared of being separated. But this means living a lie and risking trouble with the authorities. And to make things more complicated, Tessa’s friend Cathy is suspicious!

 

Jinty 9 July 1977

• The Robot Who Cried (artist Rodrigo Comos, writer Malcolm Shaw)
• Sue’s Fantastic Fun-Bag! (artist Hugh Thornton-Jones)
• “The Winged Spirit” – Gypsy Rose story (artist Juan Garcia Quiros)
• Alley Cat
• Curtain of Silence (artist Terry Aspin)
• Fran’ll Fix It! – first episode (artist Jim Baikie)
• The Darkening Journey (artist José Casanovas)
• A Boy Like Bobby (artist Phil Townsend)
• Battle of the Wills (artist Trini Tinturé)

This issue marks the first appearance of perhaps the zaniest humour strip in Jinty, “Fran’ll Fix It!” Fran’s debut is celebrated with an unusual cover arrangement of three panels from the first episode – rather than the usual single panel – which are arranged in a descending diagonal line. The three panels have curved in edges instead of straight ones, which give them a refreshingly less boxy appearance, and convey an unconventional feel which blends in with our newcomer.

Our perky newcomer, Fran Anderson, likes to style herself as a fixer who can fix anything. But, as the blurb on the cover and the panels indicate, she gets herself into as much trouble as she is in fixing it. The good news is that Fran also has a secret weapon to help her get out of the messes she gets herself into. But we don’t see what it is until the next issue – or how it saves her from being sent to her ghastly aunts if her fixing gets her expelled (again).

In this issue, Jinty has a feature on Charlie’s Angels. It discusses the actresses in the first season (Kate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett-Majors and Kelly Garrett), so we get some insights of what it was like to be married to Lee Majors, who played The Six Million Dollar Man. We also find out the Angels got a lot of fan mail about their clothes and cosmetics (surprise, surprise!).

A few weeks ago, in the 25th Jubilee issue, Jinty asked readers for letters on what present they would give the Queen for her Jubilee. The best letters would receive cash prizes. In this issue they print some of these letters. Gifts readers would give the Queen included a bag of fish ‘n’ chips, light crown jewels for easier wear, a talking parrot, a silver watering can, a portable palace and a guinea pig.

Gypsy Rose’s Tales of Mystery and Magic

Dates: 29/1/1977 – 21/11/1981
Tammy and Jinty: 28/11/1981 – 17/7/1982
Artists: Various, including Terry Aspin, Jim Baikie, Guy Peeters, Phil Townsend, Trini Tinturé, Carlos Freixas, Douglas Perry, Keith Robson, Christine Ellingham, Douglas Perry and Hugo D’Adderio.

(artwork by Keith Robson)

Spooky storytellers. The storytellers who bring you a spooky tale of mystery, creepiness, paranormal, magic, fantasy and even horror every week. Often there was a moral in it, with girls learning about courage and confidence, paying the price for bad behaviour, or some other lesson or experience they will never forget. Spooky storytellers were extremely popular mainstays in girls comics, and a spooky storyteller was guaranteed to last for years and even decades, as the Storyteller who brought us The Strangest Stories Ever Told proved. The Storyteller went through three comics – School Friend, June and, finally, Tammy. Other spooky storytellers included The Man in Black from Diana and Skeleton Corner from Judy/M&J. And Jinty had Gypsy Rose (no relation to Gipsy Rosa Remembers from Diana). ‘Gypsy Rose’s Tales of Mystery and Magic’ debuted in Jinty on 28 November 1977.

Gypsy Rose, as the name suggests, is a gypsy woman whose Romany understanding of the supernatural, not to mention her wanderings as a gypsy where she can encounter adventures in more distant places, brought an extra advantage to her stories. And from the beginning, Gypsy Rose showed us that she was going to break the conventional mould of the spooky storytellers in several ways. First, while most other storytellers were older people with a parental or creepy look to them, Gypsy Rose was a young woman. Second, Gypsy Rose not only told us the story but was often a story character as well, somewhat like DC’s Madame Xanadu. While she opened some stories with a panel to open the story and then a concluding panel to round it off as other story tellers did, she also took an active role in other stories as a supernatural consultant who has been called in for advice. This was only natural as she was a gypsy, who was expected to not only understood the supernatural but have powers of her own as well. The only one we really see is Rose consulting her crystal ball to answer a client’s query. The other is how, whenever she is called in, she always seems to know the story behind whatever is plaguing the consultant and able to tell them what is going on. How she knows is never revealed, though we do see her doing research in a library occasionally.

As Rose often acted as a supernatural advisor, her stories were set in the present and centred on ghosts, curses, strange happenings, and evil objects, places or people. For example, in ‘The Box of Hate’, one girl comes to Rose saying that she is being blamed for strange activities that are destroying her guardians’ shop. Rose comes along, traces the problem to a box which is inhabited by a poltergeist, and has the box buried. In ‘The Haunted Ballerina’, another client comes to complain of a malevolent force emanating from a mirror that she has just bought. It seems to be out to destroy her dancing career. Rose tells the client that the mirror is haunted by a jealous ballerina who hated to see others dance because she could not do so following an accident. The evil ends up destroying itself. We never see Rose fighting evil with exorcisms, magic charms or spells, though in one story she urges an angry god to stop chasing a girl who took a bracelet from a sacred site.

Whenever Rose was an actor in her stories, it brought one drawback – they had to be set in the present. There could be no period settings (except in flashback or in one case, time travel), science fiction stories, or fantasy stories dealing with mythical beasts and such, as could be done in the Storyteller stories as he merely narrated the story, not acted in it. So story material was limited to supernatural-based themes. Only in stories where Rose was the narrator could there be more diversity in the themes explored.

By 1980, the Gypsy Rose tales were nearly all reprint. Some of them were reprints of her own stories, but others were reprints of old Strange Stories from Tammy and even June, but replacing the Storyteller with Rose. As such, she was now more a narrator than an actor and consultant. This did have the advantage of bringing more diversity to the story material. We began to see more period stories, fantasy and even a bit of science fiction. It also enabled artwork from non-Jinty artists such as Giorgio Giorgetti, John Armstrong and Diane Gabbot to appear in Jinty and give readers a taste of these artists. On the other hand, a fallback on reprints is never a good sign for a comic. All too often it reflects cost-cutting measures and/or that the comic was declining and approaching cancellation. Indeed, Jinty would merge with Tammy the following year.

After the merger, Gypsy Rose was rotated with the Storyteller in the spooky story slot until 17 July 1982, with the launch of a new-look Tammy. Her stories in the merger were new material and not reprints or recycled Strange Stories as they were in Jinty‘s final year. When the new-look Tammy appeared, spooky stories continued but their narrators disappeared – even the long-running Storyteller.

—

Here is the first Gypsy Rose story, “The Ring of Death”, from Jinty and Lindy 29 January 1977; art by Jim Baikie.

List of Gypsy Rose stories in Jinty (incomplete, to be added to as issues are posted)

• 29 January 1977: The Ring of Death (artist Jim Baikie)
• 5 February 1977: The Box of Hate! (Artist Rodrigo Comos)
• 12 February 1977: Dream of Destiny (artist Rodrigo Comos)
• 19 February 1977: Hide and Seek with a Ghost! (artist Maria Barrera)
• …
• 5 March 1977: The Doll’s Dark Secret (artist Terry Aspin)
• 12 March 1977: So Long at the Fair (artist Keith Robson)
• 19 March 1977: The Hound from Hades (artist Terry Aspin)
• ….
• 2 April 1977: The Holy Stones (artist Terry Aspin)
• 9 April 1977: The Bells (artist Christine Ellingham)
• 23 April 1977: The Gemini Girl (artist Maria Barrera)
• 30 April 1977: Cassie and the Cat (artist Terry Aspin)
• 7 May 1977: A Storm of Vengeance (artist Jim Baikie)
• …
• …
• …
• 4 June 1977: The Strawberry Handkerchief (artist Trini Tinturé)
• 25 June 1977: The Lost Locket (artist Phil Townsend)
• 2 July 1977: The Wish on Devil Rock! (artist Trini Tinturé)
• 9 July 1977: The Winged Spirit (artist unknown)
• 16 July 1977: The Magic Tambourine (artist Douglas Perry)
• 23 July 1977: Suburst! (artist unknown)
• ….
• ….
• …
• …
• ….
• 3 September 1977: The Last Rose of Summer (artist Christine Ellingham)
• …
• ….
• ….
• ….
• ….
• 15 October 1977: Lilies for the Bride (artist Christine Ellingham)
• 22 October 1977: The Eternal Flame (artist Richard Neillands; writer Alison Christie)
• …
• 5 November 1977: The Thirteenth Hour (artist Douglas Perry)
• 12 November 1977: The Carnival of Flowers (artist Guy Peeters)
• …
• …
• 3 December 1977: A Picture of the Past (artist and writer Keith Robson)
• …
• …
• 24 December 1977: The Spirits of the Trees (artist Christine Ellingham)
• 31 December 1977: Snowbound! (artist Keith Robson)
• ….
• …
• …
• 29 January 1978: The Eyes of Chang (artist Terry Aspin)
• Jinty Summer Special 1978: The Stone of Courage (artist unknown)
  • The Mirror That Knew The Truth (artist unknown) – reprint
  • 5 May 1979: Captive of the Stars (artist Juan Solé)
• …
• 4 November 1978: Wicked Lady Melissa (artist Shirley Bellwood) – reprinted from June
• Jinty Holiday Special 1979: The Ghost of Charlotte (artist unknown) – reprint
• Jinty Annual 1979: Chain of Destiny (artist Carlos Freixas) – reprint
  • Violetta’s Donkey (artist Richard Neillands) – reprint
  • Midnight Express (artist unknown)
  • Una the Unsinkable (artist Rodrigo Comos) – reprint
• 5 January 1980: Did Taffy Know? (artist unknown)
• …
• 16 February 1980: The Poisoned Rose (artist Trine Tinture)
• 23 February 1980: Oasis of Dreams (artist Phil Townsend)
• 1 March 1980: The Haunted Circus (artist Carlos Freixas) – reprint, source unknown
• …
• …
• 5 April 1980: Bridge of Heart’s Desire (artist Trini Tinturé?) – reprint from June, reprinted in Tammy
• …
• …
• 21/28 June 1980: The Magic Hockey Stick (artist Dudley Wynne) – reprint, source  unknown
• 6 July 1980: Unscheduled Stop (artist John Armstrong) – reprint from Tammy
• 12 July 1980: The Dark Tower (artist unknown) – reprint, original source unknown
• 19 July 1980: A Light for the Loyal (artist Bill Mainwaring) – reprint, source unknown
• 26 July 1980: The Romany’s Reading (artist Jim Baikie)
• 2 August 1980: The Last Leap (artist Giorgio Giorgetti) – reprint from Tammy
• 9 August 1980: The Magic Carpet (artist unknown) – reprint, original print unknown
• …
• 16 August 1980: Pictures of Peril (artist unknown) – reprinted from Tammy
• Jinty Holiday Special 1980: Rock of Destiny (artist Rodrigo Comos) – reprinted from Tammy
  • The White Blackbird (artist John Richardson)
  • Porthole of Panic (artist unknown)
  • The Yellow Dress (artist John Richardson)
  • Laddie (artist Peter Wilkes)
• 23 August 1980: Lure of the Lamp (artist Christine Ellingham)
• 30 August 1980: Black Rory’s Curse (artist John Armstrong) – reprint from Tammy
• …
• …
• 13 September 1980: Phantom of the Fells (artist John Armstrong) – reprint from Tammy
• 20 September 1980: Wheels of Fate (artist John Armstrong) – reprint from Tammy
• 27 September 1980: Pennies for Her Thoughts (artist Douglas Perry) – reprinted from Tammy
• 4 October 1980: A Call for Help (artist Terry Aspin)
• 11 October 1980: Only Time Will Tell (artist Diane Gabbot), reprinted from Tammy
• 18 October 1980: The House of Hate and Happiness (artist Giorgio Giorgetti) – reprint from Tammy
• 25 October 1980: Dawn of a New Era (artist Ken Houghton) – reprinted from Tammy
• 1 November 1980: The Secret of Covent House (artist Peter Wilkes)
• 8 November 1980: The Face of Greed (artist John Armstrong) – reprint from Tammy
• 15 November 1980: A Cross for the Cornish Queen (artist Peter Wilkes)
• 22 November 1980: Wheels of Fortune (artist Phil Gascoine)
• 29 November 1980: The Demon Eye (artist Ken Houghton) – reprinted in a Penny annual
• …
• 20 December 1980: The Friend from Far Beyond (artist Trini Tinturé)
• 27 December 1980: An Ace Up the Sleeve (artist John Armstrong)
• 3 January 1981: no Gypsy Rose story
• 10 January 1981: Correct Error (artist Manuel Benet) – reprint from Tammy
• 17 January 1981: A Gift for Gaynor (artist unknown)
• 24 January 1981: Race against Time (artist unknown) – reprint from Tammy
• 31 January 1981: Gail at Sea (artist unknown) – reprint from Tammy
• 7 February 1981: The Lollipop Man’s Promise (artist Hugh Thornton-Jones) – reprinted from Tammy
• 14 February 1981: Friends for All Time (artist Trini Tinturé)
• 21 February 1981: Zebras of Zendobo (artist Peter Wilkes)
• 28 February 1981: The Golden Touch (artist Peter Wilkes) – reprint from Tammy
• 4 March 1981: Farah’s Three Wishes (artist Hugo D’Adderio) – reprint from Tammy
• 11 March 1981: No Expectations (artist Hugo D’Adderio)
• 21 March 1981: Kathie Come Home! (artist Hugo D’Adderio) – reprint from Tammy
• 28 March 1981: The Queen’s Vengeance! (artist Trini Tinturé) – reprint from June
• 4 April 1981: Arrow of Fate (artist unknown) – reprint, original source unknown
• 11 April 1981: The Puppet That Came to Life! (artist Carlos Freixas) – reprint from June
• 18 April 1981: Whispers In The Wind (artist Antonio Borrell) – reprint from Tammy
• 25 April 1981: The Missing Link – (artist unknown) – reprint from Tammy
• 2 May 1981: The Lost Chord (artist Eduardo Feito) – reprint from Tammy
• 9 May 1981: The Seal People (artist unknown) – reprint, source unknown
• 26 May 1981: Ancient Remedy (artist Hugo D’Adderio)
• 23 May 1981: Shark! (artist unknown) – reprint, source unknown
• 30 May 1981: The Unlucky Rabbit’s Foot (artist Carlos Freixas) – reprint from Tammy
• 6 June 1981: The Dove of Peace (artist Bob Harvey)
• 13 June 1981: The Resting Place (artist Veronica Weir)
• 20 June 1981: Russalka (artist unknown) – reprint from Tammy
• 27 June 1981: The Broomstick Gymnast (artist Veronica Weir) – reprint from Tammy
• 4 July 1981: The Lap of Death (artist John Armstrong) – reprint from Tammy
• 11 July 1981: A Monumental Detective (artist Tony Highmore) – reprinted from Tammy; reprinted in Girl Picture Story Library #19 as “The Crook Catchers”
• 18 July 1981: Call from the Heart (artist Hugo D’Adderio)
• 25 July 1981: The Veiled Threat (artist Tony Highmore) – reprint from Tammy
• 1 August 1981: The Witching Bones (artist Veronica Weir) – reprint from Tammy?
• Jinty Holiday Special 1981: The Bracelet of Love (artist Jim Baikie) – reprint from Tammy
  • They Always Know (artist Robert MacGillivray)
  • When Things Go “Bang” in the Night… (artist unknown) – reprint from Tammy
• …
• …
• 29 August 1981: Money isn’t Everything! (artist Bob Harvey)
• 5 September 1981: Tiger Burning Bright (artist unknown) – reprint, source unknown
• …
• …
• 26 September 1981 Child’s Play (artist Phil Townsend)
• 3 October 1981: The Wish on Devil Rock! (artist Trini Tinturé) – reprint
• 10 October 1981: The Robber Bird (artist Isidre Mones)
• ….
• ….
• 31 October 1981: The Marble Heart (artist Carlos Freixas) – reprint
• 7 November 1981: The Sable Knight (artist Keith Robson)
• 14 November 1981: The Secret World (artist Keith Robson)
• 14 November 1981: The Spirits of the Trees (artist Christine Ellingham) – reprint
• 21 November 1981: A Window on the Past (artist Hugo D’Adderio) – reprint