Comics UK

philcom55 wrote:Gertrude Williams (aka 'Grappling Gertie')...does have her...secret identity

Not for too much longer though, you would think, given that an increasing number of schoolgirls discover her secret, not to mention the female wrestlers who are drafted in to rescue Creepy Clare Crawley and threaten serious damage to her kidnapper, unscrupulous gambler Sam Roper. The idea of a wrestling schoolteacher, desperate not to be discovered as such, has its source in the amazingly popular series of tales about mild-mannered William Brown of Corneycroft College. His adventures started in Blockbuster Brown M.A. in Adventure 1480 (May 30 1953) - 1513 (Jan. 16 1954). The second serial, ''We've A Fakir In The Fourth!'' started the following week, and there were eight more serials altogether.

Phoenix wrote:

philcom55 wrote:Gertrude Williams (aka 'Grappling Gertie')...does have her...secret identity

Not for too much longer though, you would think, given that an increasing number of schoolgirls discover her secret, not to mention the female wrestlers who are drafted in to rescue Creepy Clare Crawley and threaten serious damage to her kidnapper, unscrupulous gambler Sam Roper. The idea of a wrestling schoolteacher, desperate not to be discovered as such, has its source in the amazingly popular series of tales about mild-mannered William Brown of Corneycroft College. His adventures started in Blockbuster Brown M.A. in Adventure 1480 (May 30 1953) - 1513 (Jan. 16 1954). The second serial, ''We've A Fakir In The Fourth!'' started the following week, and there were eight more serials altogether.

In one of the Bunty annuals there was a story called "The Hungry Head" where a headmistress moonlights in eating competitions to offset her hefty appetite. She uses a masked identity so as not to embarrass the school. I don't have the annual now so I can't provide more details.

philcom55 wrote:Apart from the Cat's appearances in Bunty, Bunty Annual and Lucky Charm I thought people might be interested in this edition of the Bunty Picture Library which I just picked up. Does anyone know if the feline freedom fighter starred in any other issues from that series?



- Phil R.

I just bought my own copy of this! It should arrive in a few days.

A couple of favourite stories of mine were (I think) from Bunty.

'Stella Who?' about a girl who was a first class swimmer and won all the competitions, but who lived alone on a houseboat(?) and who appeared to have no surname.

The other was a pony story called 'Linda and Lovely'. Linda rescues an ugly, shaggy pony that she calls Lovely and they knock spots off the members of a swanky pony club. They both date from the mid 1960s.

The old memory is a bit hazy but if anyone can do a scan (a cheek to ask I know, but I would love to see them again) it would make an old comics fan very happy.

Bunty Girl wrote:A couple of favourite stories of mine were (I think) from Bunty.

'Stella Who?' about a girl who was a first class swimmer and won all the competitions, but who lived alone on a houseboat(?) and who appeared to have no surname.

The other was a pony story called 'Linda and Lovely'. Linda rescues an ugly, shaggy pony that she calls Lovely and they knock spots off the members of a swanky pony club. They both date from the mid 1960s.

The old memory is a bit hazy but if anyone can do a scan (a cheek to ask I know, but I would love to see them again) it would make an old comics fan very happy.

Oh, no, no cheek at all. But I don't think I've got either of those.

I'm afraid I couldn't find any examples of 'Linda and Lovely' Bunty Girl, but here's an episode of 'Stella Who?' from March 1965.





- Phil Rushton

Wonderful, thank you so much Phil. Mrs Thorne is a perfect villain, she looks evil even when she is smiling. Classic Bunty.

helsbels wrote: This must be the same Grappling Gertie who featured in (I think) two Bunty picture story libraries?

Like this one?



I picked this one up after reading about Gertie on this thread and thoroughly enjoyed it. Now I want to read more Gertie! Can anyone give me some issue numbers to look up?

helsbels wrote: This must be the same Grappling Gertie who featured in (I think) two Bunty picture story libraries?

One Bunty and one Mandy, it seems.



Did Gertie ever have a proper series, or was it just the two picture libraries and the annual story?

Grappling Gertie is not listed in the Bunty or Mandy indiceshttp://girlscomicsofyesterday.com/2011/ ... ries-a-h/. But there are still gaps in the lists, so she still could have appeared in either Mandy or Bunty.

This is a link to the lists of picture libraries http://girlscomicsofyesterday.com/pictu ... -library/. Looks like the grappling Gerties you have are the only Gertie picture libraries.

Tammyfan wrote:Grappling Gertie is not listed in the Bunty or Mandy indiceshttp://girlscomicsofyesterday.com/2011/ ... ries-a-h/. But there are still gaps in the lists, so she still could have appeared in either Mandy or Bunty.

Well she's in the 1992 Bunty annual, so she should be listed for that, at least. Or don't the indeces include annuals? It just feels odd that these should be the only appearances. They (particularly Gertie's Schooldays) feel like spin offs to some lost serial.

philcom55 wrote:Sorry Tammyfan, I forgot you'd already mentioned 'Mark of the Cat'. I'm afraid the example I posted is the only episode I own but I'd be very interested to know how the series ended.

- Phil R.

Looks like we are getting close to the ending with this episode, dated 24 June 1972. Assuming Hantz is right, where's your money on who The Cat is?

Come to think of it, why does she call herself The Cat? Her costume does not look very cat-like.

Marionette wrote:

Tammyfan wrote:Grappling Gertie is not listed in the Bunty or Mandy indiceshttp://girlscomicsofyesterday.com/2011/ ... ries-a-h/. But there are still gaps in the lists, so she still could have appeared in either Mandy or Bunty.

Well she's in the 1992 Bunty annual, so she should be listed for that, at least. Or don't the indeces include annuals? It just feels odd that these should be the only appearances. They (particularly Gertie's Schooldays) feel like spin offs to some lost serial.

Sounds like we should have lists for annuals as well on that site.

Tammyfan wrote:Looks like we are getting close to the ending with this episode, dated 24 June 1972. Assuming Hantz is right, where's your money on who The Cat is?

Curiouser and curiouser! It sounds as though the Cat has to be a transvestite, an old woman or Janine herself...or maybe Hantz himself suffered from multiple personality syndrome, with a cross-dressing alter-ego that even he didn't know about!

On the subject of all-black costumes, Diana's Black Nightingale was another early-70s heroine who wore similar attire to fight the nazis in occupied Europe - and while she didn't model herself on any kind of cat she didn't look much like her namesake either:



- Phil Rushton