Humour pages in girl comics..

Discuss all the girls comics that have appeared over the years. Excellent titles like Bunty, Misty, Spellbound, Tammy and June, amongst many others, can all be remembered here.

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Phoenix
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Re: Humour pages in girl comics..

Post by Phoenix »

Just to muddy the waters a little bit, Phil, here is another brief adventure of the tiny squaw, Mini Ha-Ha, this time from the 1972 School Friend annual.
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matrix
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Re: Humour pages in girl comics..

Post by matrix »

peace355 wrote:Matrix, the Polly and her Pram is from issue 610: 18/09/1971.
Interesting how different those two strips are, I wonder if that was just for the annual.

What comic is Mini Ha-Ha from?
Peace, the Mini scan is from "June and Pixie" April 1973. And, as Phil mentioned, was in "Pixie" before the merger. Then along comes Phoenix, to confuse us all, well me anyway! With Mini in a seperate title with a different look and heading. Completely subjective, but could it be that Mini was a filler in the School friend annual, then given a make over for "Pixie"?Or was she in "School Friend" comic before?

In respect to Polly and her pram, the only way to confirm whether she looked like that in the weekly comic as well as the annual, is, if any member has some comic examples from the sixties, although I do not know when she first appeared in Judy? Can anyone help there? I wonder if any other character ever changed that much?
Another thing I find odd about Judy, is that I cannot find any summer specials for her, which seems strange for a 60s onwards comic that ran for so long, quite unique or is it?

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Re: Humour pages in girl comics..

Post by Phoenix »

matrix wrote:quite unique
Just a small point, Matrix, for information not criticism. The expression quite unique is meaningless. A thing is either unique or it isn't. Sorry for being pedantic, but I am known for being so.

Regarding Mini Ha-Ha, I don't have any issues of Pixie, but over the weekend I will dig out my School Friends and Judys and have a look through them. If I find any Mini Ha-Ha strips I will let you know.

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peace355
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Re: Humour pages in girl comics..

Post by peace355 »

I'm afraid that is the only issue I have with Polly and her Pram, so I've no idea when she first appeared.

As for the summer specials for Judy I don't know if there were any just for Judy but at least in the 70s there were combined Bunty and Judy specials:

http://www.comicsuk.co.uk/specials.php?ComicTitleID=33

matrix
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Re: Humour pages in girl comics..

Post by matrix »

Phoenix wrote:
matrix wrote:quite unique
Just a small point, Matrix, for information not criticism. The expression quite unique is meaningless. A thing is either unique or it isn't. Sorry for being pedantic, but I am known for being so.

Regarding Mini Ha-Ha, I don't have any issues of Pixie, but over the weekend I will dig out my School Friends and Judys and have a look through them. If I find any Mini Ha-Ha strips I will let you know.
Thankyou Phoenix, any corrections are gratefully received! As well, any information on the Mini strip.

Peace, thankyou, I had never noticed that Bunty and Judy specials were combined.

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Re: Humour pages in girl comics..

Post by AndyB »

The 1971 Polly and her Pram and the Teaser Twins are both by Gordon Bell.

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philcom55
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Re: Humour pages in girl comics..

Post by philcom55 »

Here's the Mini Ha-Ha strip from Pixie no.2 (July 1st 1972):

Image

A number of strips in this comic gave the impression of being adapted from some kind of TV animation (flat, simplified figures in the foreground set against painted backgrounds). Very unlike IPC. On the other hand there were still some conventionally drawn series such as 'The Happy Days' (probably a reprint), 'The Secret Garden' and 'The Naughtiest Girl in School' - one of Enid Blyton's most memorable creations.

- Phil Rushton
Last edited by philcom55 on 28 Jul 2012, 14:28, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Humour pages in girl comics..

Post by ISPYSHHHGUY »

I completely agree--these last frames look more like painted animation cels overlaid watercolour backgrounds-----a novel, more expensive-looking method than the ben day- 'coloured dots' --type stuff widely seen in this period.

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Re: Humour pages in girl comics..

Post by Phoenix »

Phoenix wrote:Regarding Mini Ha-Ha, I don't have any issues of Pixie, but over the weekend I will dig out my School Friends and Judys and have a look through them. If I find any Mini Ha-Ha strips I will let you know.
I've got as far as the June and School Friend issues. I have concentrated on 1970 to 1972 but have not found Mini Ha-Ha anywhere. In fairness, I don't feel that this comic is a particularly appropriate location for Mini. Bessie Bunter waddles her way through as the comic relief in her inimitable manner, and there doesn't seem to be anything else until the first issue of June (Nov. 20 1971), that being the first week after School Friend was dropped from the title, when the one-page cartoon strip Souper Cat made its debut. It couldn't have been particularly popular with readers as it disappeared on April 1 1972. It may be of interest that the last issue I possess (Jun. 24 1972) has a 4-page pullout advertising the first issue of Pixie, on sale that same week. Scans below. I still intend to look into Judy, as promised.
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Re: Humour pages in girl comics..

Post by Phoenix »

I have looked through my collection of issues of Judy for 1970, 1971 and 1972. I do have most of them but, although there are cartoon strips present, Mini Ha-Ha isn't one of them. However, as there was a query recently on a different thread about Bobby Dazzler, and because there is currently quite a focus on gymnastics at the Olympics, it occurred to me that, before I put all the issues back in their cupboard, I could scan this two-page episode from January 1970, as it might amuse you and go some way towards making up for your disappointment.
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DavidKW
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Re: Humour pages in girl comics..

Post by DavidKW »

I think "June & SF" humour, was for a long time, alongside "Bessie Bunter", one line of frames called "Blossom" &/or 2 lines of frames called "Jenny". I think these both were mere "space fillers" appearing on various pages.

I glanced through the first Pixie annual (found hidden in a bric a brac shop) & see it has a Mini Ha-Ha like the ones shown; it has a few comedy strips including some called "Gilda The Girl Guide".

I noticed a "The Happy Days" strip included Gloria fretting about winning tickets to meet idol David Cassidy - not sure if strip was new idea or reprint with different words. (I read somwhere in that in Pixie, it was Sue remembering her younger schooldays in reprints). Either way, I think Sue Day should've gone over to "June" following the merger - would've fitted in, might've saved the title, never know.

I'm curious - what was "Souper Cat" in "June"?

Can't understand why Mini Ha-Ha got into June following the merger - doesn't really belong or fit in (many have said that the merger with Pixie was a fatal move for the future of "June" (a name like Pixie did sound a bit babyish & off-putting to June's target age group).

In fact, is a little surprising Bessie Bunter made the move over to "Tammy", as I think it had the odd humour strip - must've needed more comedy given Tammy's pereference for misery stories! (I read the reprint of the first & flicked through annuals and though good artwork - it's so depressing!)

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philcom55
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Re: Humour pages in girl comics..

Post by philcom55 »

Upon reflection I've decided that the Sue Day strips in Pixie might have been original after all (though Denis Gifford says they were reprints). The title looks as though it was IPC's attempt to recapture the young female niche that Princess had originally occupied (and Bunty still did) as Princess Tina began to aim for the older readership of magazines such as Jackie. Like a number of new comics launched at that time Pixie had a remarkably short run (just 30 issues) - which is a shame as it featured some excellent material, including a colour adaptation of 'The Secret Garden' by Michael Hubbard. Maybe it fell foul of one of the crippling printing strikes that afflicted the industry during the early 1970s?

- Phil Rushton

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Re: Humour pages in girl comics..

Post by DavidKW »

Just remembered there was "Milly The Merry Meramid" in Princess Tina.

Is bugging me a bit - can't get the words "Souper Cat" from "June" out of my head. I mean was this a cat with an adiction to soup?

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Re: Humour pages in girl comics..

Post by philcom55 »

For anyone who's interested I just noticed this George Martin strip in my sole copy of DC Thomson's Emma:

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Re: Humour pages in girl comics..

Post by Tristan »

There was a humour one-pager series called Minnie Ha-Ha (later Minnie Ha-Ha and Her Talking Raven) in Sparky from issue 1 (23.01.1965) to at least #22 (19.06.1965). Below is a sample. The art is by renowned French artist Pierre Lacroix (who is most famous in France for drawing Bibi Fricotin and some stories of Les Pieds Nickelés).

Image

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