Comics UK

I was recently chatting with a friend about old girls comics and one strip came up that featured a blind ballerina. Neither of us could remember the title, so I was wondering if anyone here had a clue. The tragedy theme is consistent with Tammy, but it could easily have turned up anywhere in the 70's.

Marionette wrote:I was recently chatting with a friend about old girls comics and one strip came up that featured a blind ballerina. Neither of us could remember the title, so I was wondering if anyone here had a clue.

A serial called The Blind Ballerina appeared in Judy around August 1963. The first instalment I have is 191 (Sep. 7 1963). A serial with the same title appeared in the same paper in February 1975, and another appeared in June 1980. Given Thomsons' habit of repeating serials that had previously been found enjoyable by the particular readership, I am prepared to stick my neck out and state that both are almost certainly repeats of the 1963 original. I could prove it but there is an obstacle course between me and my issues of Judy.

There's another serial called Blind Ballerina, which was in Jinty.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jinty_(comics)

...Let's face it, given the typical content of so many British girls' comics this is a scenario that was bound to turn up more than once. I'm only surprised someone didn't think to include a pony!

- Phil Rushton

Given the hilarious level of sadomasochism we recalled from the strip, I'm guessing it was probably Jinty, but I'm sure it would be fascinating to compare the two (or three) different strips.

I'm sure there was a blind dressage rider too, at one point!

I just had a look through the few Jinty's I have, from 1977/78, but there was nothing about a blind ballerina in them. There was a girl who was cursed to uncontrollably dance to disco music, and also had super-sensitive eyes, though!

Marionette wrote:Given the hilarious level of sadomasochism we recalled from the strip

Had you taken the trouble to include information on such fundamental plot and story elements in your initial post, it would have saved me the trouble and the time I wasted consulting my notes and then replying to you. The word Thanks wouldn't come amiss either.

Phoenix wrote:Had you taken the trouble to include information on such fundamental plot and story elements in your initial post, it would have saved me the trouble and the time I wasted consulting my notes and then replying to you. The word Thanks wouldn't come amiss either.

I appreciate the responses I've received on the topic. If I am remiss in thanking you specifically for the information you supplied I apologise.

I had no plot or story elements to supply, other than the recollection of a scene where the ballerina is tricked by her nasty rival into dancing on a busy motorway, which, to be honest, I wasn't sure whether one of us hadn't made up.

In fact a quick google search finds that we were probably recalling something Alan Moore said on the radio show Chain Reaction about a story written by John Wagner. It doesn't specifically name the comic, and it calls the strip The Blind Ballerina, but Jinty still sounds the most likely.

Marionette wrote:I had no plot or story elements to supply, other than the recollection of a scene where the ballerina is tricked by her nasty rival into dancing on a busy motorway,

Brilliant!!! - this I must see.

felneymike wrote:I'm sure there was a blind dressage rider too, at one point!

I just had a look through the few Jinty's I have, from 1977/78, but there was nothing about a blind ballerina in them. There was a girl who was cursed to uncontrollably dance to disco music, and also had super-sensitive eyes, though!

Apparently it ran in 1975.
http://www.26pigs.com/jinty/characters.html

philcom55 wrote:...Let's face it, given the typical content of so many British girls' comics this is a scenario that was bound to turn up more than once. I'm only surprised someone didn't think to include a pony!

- Phil Rushton

Whoops. I hope I didnt have an influence there with my Princess Tina comment! Its just that Princess Tina has its own ballet, and pony books, and I was surprised that this wasnt the case for the comic.

Back on topic, Marionette, as you are not sure about the details of this strip, there is a strip (although not a ballerina strip) in "June and Pixie" called "Guiding starr" about a blind boy, and his sister, in which on occasions he is tricked to see if he is blind by crossing roads, and railways etc, getting into danger?

Here's an example of Jinty's 'Blind Ballerina' from the issue dated 28th June 1975:



Though the non-stop deluge of humiliations and disasters can be quite hilarious on one level I have to admit that it's almost impossible not to get drawn into the story. The script does read like John Wagner's work, while the art looks a bit like Phil Gascoine to me (though I don't know his style well enough to be very sure).

I guess this sort of strip ought to be quite topical with the Paralympics starting today!

- Phil Rushton

highly impressive level of skill in a lot of these types of comics: it's such a shame so many of these fine artists went abruptly out of work once the photo-strip came in: looking at the photo-strip phenomenon today, they have mostly dated quite badly and can often be embarassing [check out the examples in the 1980s EAGLE for pretty bad examples of this genre-----] --this hand-drawn stuff, in comparison, is still well worth savouring for it's hand-crafted qualities.

...And on the second page of that episode things just go from bad to worse for poor old Barbie as we learn that the one thing worse than a blind ballerina is - a blind ballerina sleeping rough and forced to work as a part-time waitress:



- Phil R.