I could be wrong, but I have a suspicion "Jake Adams" might be Malcolm Shaw. One reason pseudonyms were used was not to give the impression the same writer was writing so much in the comic at one time. Malcolm Shaw was strong on science fiction; he wrote "The Robot That Cried" and "The Human Zoo" for Jinty, so there is a good chance he wrote "ET Estate" under the name Jake Adams. He also proved he could write emotional stories when he wrote one of the most intensely emotional Bella Barlow stories, one where Bella loses her memory and then goes through a mental breakdown where she loses her confidence for gymnastics completely. (That one was one of my favourite Bella stories.) So it is possible he wrote Shirley Grey and maybe "Waves of Fear". Alison Christie is also possible for Shirley Grey, but she hasn't claimed authorship. She has already informed me she did not write "Waves of Fear".
Maybe someone will do a reprint volume with Diane Gabbot stories. You never know.
Diane Gabbott: List of her artwork
Moderator: AndyB
Re: Diane Gabbott: List of her artwork
Yes, I noticed the use of the past tense “I blamed”, but didn’t read this as necessarily meaning “I blamed myself but don’t now” as this would imply a pretty abrupt change of heart at this point. It could be so, however. The problem is that, having brought the consequences of the accident to a resolution through Trisha’s recovery, the writer gives little more attention to Shirley’s sense of responsibility for it. I think the most we can say is that her feelings of guilt are just allowed to fade away.
These stories certainly did produce some prize examples of horrendous parenting! Regarding the Greys, though, I think it shows the strength of the writing that although their behaviour to Shirley is awful, their reasons for it are plausible. The sense of degradation they feel about where they live, and their longing for more money to escape it, absorb them so much that this blinds them to the seriousness of Shirley’s state of mind, and causes them to overreact to anything which threatens the escape. Mr Grey’s attitude is also sharpened by what was clearly a very difficult and humiliating interview with his boss - Mrs Wilks’ indiarubber husband having dished out her retribution according to instructions.
The problem I have with what I’ve read of “Waves of Fear” is that I simply can’t relate to their thinking in the same way. It would be quite possible to rewrite this story so that Clare would be on the receiving end of any amount of anger and contempt, but on more or less rational grounds, and with some genuine curiosity as to why she should be acting so out of character. However the writer has chosen instead to base the general response on the supposition that Clare is a “coward”. As applied here, this goes well beyond blaming her for the failure to help Rachel. It makes her an untouchable, a moral outcast. You can see at once that the other girls’ response is not a routine sending to Coventry – “we’re going to act… as if you died out there yesterday”. As a branded “coward” she is treated as a moral degenerate capable of any disgraceful act. The girl who was a credit to the school only a few days before is now an “animal”, “delinquent”, “chicken”, “wicked”. After being nearly drowned by her classmates, she gets a lot of the blame for being too slow in letting people know she’s not dead. Naturally, this could have nothing to do with the trauma of a near-death experience – it is her desire for “revenge”. After the ruckus in the school assembly, her father goes the whole hog, regresses about 150 years and comes out with the Victorian gem “we don’t have a daughter any more”! Just as well perhaps that there wasn’t a snowstorm handy to push Clare out into. Possibly this kind of thing would have seemed plausible in a story written at the beginning of the 20th century, when many people believed that “cowards” should be treated this way. Reading it today, in a story written in 1979, it seems to me to be simply crazy, and undermines an otherwise thought-provoking story.
It’s a very interesting idea that Jake Adams might be Malcolm Shaw. I don’t know the credited stories well enough to comment, but I would certainly say that “Shirley Grey “ has the quality and imaginative power to be his work. I don’t know that Bella story, but it sounds as if there may be some similarities with “Shirley”. I understand that his wife has already given the Jinty website what information she has about his stories, so I suppose we’ll never know now, unless there’s a reprint.
These stories certainly did produce some prize examples of horrendous parenting! Regarding the Greys, though, I think it shows the strength of the writing that although their behaviour to Shirley is awful, their reasons for it are plausible. The sense of degradation they feel about where they live, and their longing for more money to escape it, absorb them so much that this blinds them to the seriousness of Shirley’s state of mind, and causes them to overreact to anything which threatens the escape. Mr Grey’s attitude is also sharpened by what was clearly a very difficult and humiliating interview with his boss - Mrs Wilks’ indiarubber husband having dished out her retribution according to instructions.
The problem I have with what I’ve read of “Waves of Fear” is that I simply can’t relate to their thinking in the same way. It would be quite possible to rewrite this story so that Clare would be on the receiving end of any amount of anger and contempt, but on more or less rational grounds, and with some genuine curiosity as to why she should be acting so out of character. However the writer has chosen instead to base the general response on the supposition that Clare is a “coward”. As applied here, this goes well beyond blaming her for the failure to help Rachel. It makes her an untouchable, a moral outcast. You can see at once that the other girls’ response is not a routine sending to Coventry – “we’re going to act… as if you died out there yesterday”. As a branded “coward” she is treated as a moral degenerate capable of any disgraceful act. The girl who was a credit to the school only a few days before is now an “animal”, “delinquent”, “chicken”, “wicked”. After being nearly drowned by her classmates, she gets a lot of the blame for being too slow in letting people know she’s not dead. Naturally, this could have nothing to do with the trauma of a near-death experience – it is her desire for “revenge”. After the ruckus in the school assembly, her father goes the whole hog, regresses about 150 years and comes out with the Victorian gem “we don’t have a daughter any more”! Just as well perhaps that there wasn’t a snowstorm handy to push Clare out into. Possibly this kind of thing would have seemed plausible in a story written at the beginning of the 20th century, when many people believed that “cowards” should be treated this way. Reading it today, in a story written in 1979, it seems to me to be simply crazy, and undermines an otherwise thought-provoking story.
It’s a very interesting idea that Jake Adams might be Malcolm Shaw. I don’t know the credited stories well enough to comment, but I would certainly say that “Shirley Grey “ has the quality and imaginative power to be his work. I don’t know that Bella story, but it sounds as if there may be some similarities with “Shirley”. I understand that his wife has already given the Jinty website what information she has about his stories, so I suppose we’ll never know now, unless there’s a reprint.
Re: Diane Gabbott: List of her artwork
It is hard to say he was indiarubber and acting on instructions as we don't know exactly what passed between the couple. It could be he was so angry at what happened that he overreacted too and got really angry. Mr Grey did say his boss "told him off good and proper". Mind you, Shirley was the first to come out and tell Mrs Wilks that her wardrobe was hideous. Mr Wilks must have known it too but clearly never said so. It doesn't sound like he responded to his wife with, "So, someone has finally said it, then?"Goof wrote: ↑22 Aug 2021, 22:18
These stories certainly did produce some prize examples of horrendous parenting! Regarding the Greys, though, I think it shows the strength of the writing that although their behaviour to Shirley is awful, their reasons for it are plausible. The sense of degradation they feel about where they live, and their longing for more money to escape it, absorb them so much that this blinds them to the seriousness of Shirley’s state of mind, and causes them to overreact to anything which threatens the escape. Mr Grey’s attitude is also sharpened by what was clearly a very difficult and humiliating interview with his boss - Mrs Wilks’ indiarubber husband having dished out her retribution according to instructions.
We have a lot of stories where parents overreacted so badly they were fit for the loony bin. One is the squire in Bunty's "The Courage of Crippled Clare". When he discovers Mary Jordan is giving his crippled daughter Clare rides on her pony, he turns into a raving lunatic and his reactions are one of the most extreme ever in girls' comics. He deliberately turns the whole community against Mary and makes her a target of bullying, harassment and violence; he forces Mary's father to sell her pony and later evicts the Jordan family; he turns the police on Mary, making her a target of a manhunt; he and his wife accuse Mary of bewitching Clare; and he even tries to shoot Mary's pony with his own hands!
Re: Diane Gabbott: List of her artwork
The only one thinking this way was Miss Heath, who tells Clare there must have been a reason for acting so out of character, and she is the only one who can see Clare needs help. Perhaps the story was making a statement that attitudes like the Harvey parents have no place in enlightened times and we should approach things more like Miss Heath. Maybe you would like scans of the full story so you can see how Miss Heath's approach contrasts with everyone else's?Goof wrote: ↑22 Aug 2021, 22:18
The problem I have with what I’ve read of “Waves of Fear” is that I simply can’t relate to their thinking in the same way. It would be quite possible to rewrite this story so that Clare would be on the receiving end of any amount of anger and contempt, but on more or less rational grounds, and with some genuine curiosity as to why she should be acting so out of character ... Reading it today, in a story written in 1979, it seems to me to be simply crazy, and undermines an otherwise thought-provoking story.
Re: Diane Gabbott: List of her artwork
Yes, there was a hint in part 2 that the Greys had come down in the world at some point and were reduced to living on the estate. Not so bad, but now this gang of troublemakers has moved in, causing nothing but trouble, but nothing appears to have been done about them. It's clearly made the parents desperate to escape the estate and are counting on the promotion, but it's clouded their judgement in how they handle Shirley.Goof wrote: ↑22 Aug 2021, 22:18
These stories certainly did produce some prize examples of horrendous parenting! Regarding the Greys, though, I think it shows the strength of the writing that although their behaviour to Shirley is awful, their reasons for it are plausible. The sense of degradation they feel about where they live, and their longing for more money to escape it, absorb them so much that this blinds them to the seriousness of Shirley’s state of mind, and causes them to overreact to anything which threatens the escape. Mr Grey’s attitude is also sharpened by what was clearly a very difficult and humiliating interview with his boss - Mrs Wilks’ indiarubber husband having dished out her retribution according to instructions.
Incidentally, Shirley is still wearing the outgrown blazer in the final episode after Evie ruined her other one. You'd think with Dad's promotion they would be able to afford a replacement. And Mum's reaction to hearing vicious girls burned Shirley's blazer for telling on them is another example of her outrageous conduct: moaning about no end to all this and no money to replace the blazer. Not an ounce of horror about what those girls did.
Last edited by Tammyfan on 24 Aug 2021, 00:16, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Diane Gabbott: List of her artwork
Thank you for offering to send me scans of “Waves of Fear”. To be honest though, I’m very reluctant to put you to all that trouble for a story that I don’t think I could ever relate to. We know that girls’ comic stories feed off extremes of injustice inflicted on heroines - this was what readers wanted. However there is a limit to the lengths to which a writer can go without losing all credibility. The perception of this limit is subjective, but for me this story goes too far in the way it uses the stigma of cowardice to persecute the heroine, and all the more so because there is no exceptional psychological justification for it. Clare’s persecution seems to me particularly demented because it comes from ordinary schoolkids, responsible teachers, supposedly loving parents.
This is a shame when the story is otherwise interesting, and no doubt it reads a little better when the Miss Heath episode is there to introduce a balancing bit of sanity, but I don’t know that I could ever like it - except for Phil Gascoine’s brilliant artwork.
Yes, this story isn’t the only one of its kind by any means, and “The Courage of Crippled Clare” certainly sounds like another example. What is the point of taking the squire’s reaction to such ridiculous extremes that nobody can sensibly believe that anyone could actually behave that way? Nobody expects total realism from these stories, but there has to be enough connection with what could conceivably happen for the reader to be able to suspend disbelief.
After all, it’s perfectly possible to produce stories of extreme behaviour without losing this basic credibility. To mention only a couple of the Diane Gabbott stories, some of Yablonsky’s antics in “Circus of the Damned” would seem utterly bizarre, if they were not made plausible by his psychology - a monumental ego unbearably humiliated by failure and determined to take revenge on the whole circus profession. Similarly, in “Fairground of Fear”, when Sir Edgar’s obsession with the family name leads him to abandon his granddaughter to be killed, we can understand it because we know the mental and emotional background. When his daughter died, his adoption of Julie was a product of his outrage at his daughter’s marriage (he wanted to keep her away from Barker) and his obsessive family pride (she was “part Whitland”). He valued her as a part of the family assets and had little or no love for her personally, and when it came to the crunch, the family reputation was worth more to him than her life.
This is a shame when the story is otherwise interesting, and no doubt it reads a little better when the Miss Heath episode is there to introduce a balancing bit of sanity, but I don’t know that I could ever like it - except for Phil Gascoine’s brilliant artwork.
Yes, this story isn’t the only one of its kind by any means, and “The Courage of Crippled Clare” certainly sounds like another example. What is the point of taking the squire’s reaction to such ridiculous extremes that nobody can sensibly believe that anyone could actually behave that way? Nobody expects total realism from these stories, but there has to be enough connection with what could conceivably happen for the reader to be able to suspend disbelief.
After all, it’s perfectly possible to produce stories of extreme behaviour without losing this basic credibility. To mention only a couple of the Diane Gabbott stories, some of Yablonsky’s antics in “Circus of the Damned” would seem utterly bizarre, if they were not made plausible by his psychology - a monumental ego unbearably humiliated by failure and determined to take revenge on the whole circus profession. Similarly, in “Fairground of Fear”, when Sir Edgar’s obsession with the family name leads him to abandon his granddaughter to be killed, we can understand it because we know the mental and emotional background. When his daughter died, his adoption of Julie was a product of his outrage at his daughter’s marriage (he wanted to keep her away from Barker) and his obsessive family pride (she was “part Whitland”). He valued her as a part of the family assets and had little or no love for her personally, and when it came to the crunch, the family reputation was worth more to him than her life.
Re: Diane Gabbott: List of her artwork
A new Diane Gabbot entry is up at the Jinty site. https://jintycomic.wordpress.com/2021/1 ... 1976-1977/
Last edited by Tammyfan on 03 Oct 2021, 20:34, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Diane Gabbott: List of her artwork
Thanks for the link, Tammyfan. However, wasn't "Only Time Will Tell" her first piece for Tammy? Or have I got that wrong on the list? I don't have that issue of Tammy to check.
Re: Diane Gabbott: List of her artwork
Oh, thanks for the correction, Goof. Time Will Tell appeared Tammy 8 November 1975.
Re: Diane Gabbott: List of her artwork
I've updated the list to include a story from Mates that features in David Roach's book on the British romance comics "A Very British Affair". There are no further details about her work for the romance/teen titles, so I have no idea how far work for this genre might add to the list. The timing of this story doesn't fill any gaps - in fact, it falls during her busiest period working for Tammy.
