If we had a list of the 100 greatest serials in girls comics

[Tammyfan]

Okay, I can't resist showing you the episode where the snobs tackle an army assault course in ballet gear. Enjoy!

[Tammyfan]

I'm beginning to think we should have a list of honourable mentions in addition to the 100 best list. We've had so many worthy contenders here and tough choices. Katie Courage, for example, looks a good contender, but competition for the last six spots is fierce.

[philcom55]

...I'm intrigued by this Surprise Corner. Can you tell us more about it?

Though I didn't nominate this series, and to be honest I'm unsure whether the storylines were original enough to qualify for the top 100, I do think that its unusual format deserves some kind of honourable mention. Throughout it's run in Poppet Surprise Corner took up an astonishing 12 pages in every issue broken into 6 separate chapters (plus occasional covers!). Here's just the first half of a self-contained episode from January 1964:















...And just for good measure here's the opening of a three page episode of Black Velvet from the same issue of Poppet:



In my opinion Poppet was a nice experiment that deserved a much longer run. However, one thing I'm still unsure about is the extent to which Surprise Corner and Black Velvet 'borrowed' elements from earlier Fleetway series such as Diana's Diary and Dick Turpin.

(Also, does anyone else agree with me that there seems to be something a little bit 'daring' about the relationship between Velvet and her companion Pearl Damask? )

- Phil Rushton

[matrix]

'Poppet' looks to have had a few different artists, the scan below is from November 1963, 'Black velvet' also.

It did seem a good match with 'June' though, did any of these stories carry on in 'June'? What about 'Simon Crane' how long did that run for?

[helsbels]

I'm not sure, but isn't that Surprise Corner posted by Matrix an early example of Mario Capaldi's artwork?

[Tammyfan]

I'm not sure, but isn't that Surprise Corner posted by Matrix an early example of Mario Capaldi's artwork?

No, looks nothing like Capaldi to me.

[Tammyfan]

'Poppet' looks to have had a few different artists, the scan below is from November 1963, 'Black velvet' also.

It did seem a good match with 'June' though, did any of these stories carry on in 'June'? What about 'Simon Crane' how long did that run for?

Poppet does look a better match than Pixie.

[philcom55]

'Poppet' looks to have had a few different artists, the scan below is from November 1963, 'Black velvet' also.

It did seem a good match with 'June' though, did any of these stories carry on in 'June'? What about 'Simon Crane' how long did that run for?

Very few artists would be able to manage twelve pages every week so I guess they had no choice but to rotate them. Having said that, Colin Merritt seems to have drawn quite a lot of the episodes I've seen. Surprise Corner was the only Poppet series to continue for any length of time after the merger with June, lasting until 1967 at least - albeit with a greatly reduced number of pages. Incidentally, it's interesting to see that footnote about 'Jenny Burton' in the page Matrix posted: given the obvious similarities with The Happy Days in Princess I can't help wondering if this could be a variation of the name of Sue Day's creator Jenny Butterworth - her maiden name perhaps?

- Phil R.

[Tammyfan]

Does anyone have further thoughts on what will fill the last six spots out of the ones we've discussed?

[matrix]

Does anyone have further thoughts on what will fill the last six spots out of the ones we've discussed?

Well I think 'Surprise corner' should make the list. That's if the story content stayed strong into 'June' as well, can anyone add to that.

[Phoenix]

Out of the selection where instalments have been posted for us, I feel that The Dancing Donnellys is sufficiently original to be advanced. The Quest Of Katy Courage is rather more ordinary, but has merit because in its own way it is also a struggle against hostility and the expectations of others. It's the historical context that persuades me, as Katy's kind heart and generous nature had a great deal more antagonism to overcome then than they would face in the present day.

[Tammyfan]

Glad you approve of The Dancing Donnellys. If I take all three, that leaves just three spots.

When I get the chance I'd like to show you The
Fairground of a Fear from Tammy. I'm not sure whether to nominate this for the 1000 or honourable mention, but I'd like to show you this one.

[Phoenix]

I'm not sure whether to nominate this for the 1000 or honourable mention

Now that the Top 100 has become the Top 1000 I feel extremely confident that The Face Of Romany Fortune and The Chair That Rocked St. Claire's! will make it into the list. And Time After Time must be a shoo-in!

[Tammyfan]

I'm not sure whether to nominate this for the 1000 or honourable mention

Now that the Top 100 has become the Top 1000 I feel extremely confident that The Face Of Romany Fortune and The Chair That Rocked St. Claire's! will make it into the list. And Time After Time must be a shoo-in!

Funny - I thought I already put the first two on. Did I overlook something?

Sorry, the 1000 was a typo. It is still top 100.

[Tammyfan]

The list now. Only three spots left. And if yours doesn't make it, remember there is going to be a list of honourable mentions.

1. A Horse Called September (June/Tammy)
2. Alice in Spaceland (Princess Tina)
3. Alona the Wild One (Princess Tina)
4. Angel; The Diary of Angel (Mandy)
5. Anna, Junior Miss/Girl with the Golden Smile (Judy)
6. Balloon of Doom (Bunty)
7. Bella (Tammy)
8. Belle and Marie; Belle of the Ballet (Girl – first series)
9. Bessie Bunter (School Friend/June/Tammy)
10. Bobby Dazzler (Judy)
11. Catch the Cat (Bunty)
12. Cherry & The Children (Girls Crystal/Schoolfriend/June)
13. Cinderella Jones (Judy)
14. Cinderella Spiteful (Tammy)
15. Cuckoo in the Nest (Tammy)
16. Cult of the Cat (Misty)
17. Down with St Desmonds! (Bunty)
18. Dracula's Daughter (Jinty)
19. Ella on Easy Street (Tammy)
20. Force of Evil (Suzy)
21. Fran’ll Fix It! (Jinty)
22. Fran of the Floods (Jinty)
23. Glenda’s Glossy Pages (Tammy)
24. Hannah in the House of Dolls (Bunty)
25. I Hate Janey! (Judy & Tracy)
26. Jane Bond (Princess Tina)
27. Jill Crusoe (School Friend)
28. Junior Nanny (Judy)
29. Lady Penelope (Lady Penelope)
30. Land of No Tears (Jinty)
31. Lettice Leefe: The Greenest Girl in School (Girl – first series/Princess Tina)
32. Lisa the Lonely Ballerina (Debbie)
33. Lorna Drake (Bunty)
34. Lucky’s Living Doll (June)
35. Luv Lisa (Bunty)
36. Maisie’s Magic Eye (Sally/Tammy)
37. Mam’selle X (Girls’ Crystal/School Friend/June)
38. Moira, Slave Girl of Rome (Princess Tina)
39. Molly Mills (Tammy)
40. Moonchild (Misty)
41. My Schoolfriend Sara/My Friend Sara (School Friend/June)
42. Nothing Ever Goes Right! (Judy)
43. Olympia Jones (Tammy)
44. Pam of Pond Hill (Jinty/Tammy)
45. Patsy on the Warpath (June)
46. Patty’s World (Princess Tina/Pink/Mates/Girl – second series)
47. Penny’s Place (M&J/Bunty)
48. Sandra of the Secret Ballet (Judy)
49. Secret of the Skulls (Tammy)
50. Skinflint School (Judy)
51. Slaves of War Orphan Farm (Tammy)
52. Starr of Wonderland (Diana)
53. Sue Spiker (Emma)
54. Sugar Jones (Pink)
55. Surprise Corner (Poppet/June)
56. Susan of St Bride's (Girl – first series)
57. The Blind Ballerina (Judy)
58. The Button Box (Tammy)
59. The Cat Girl (Sally/Tammy)
60. The Chair that Rocked St. Claire's (Judy)
61. The Children’s Champion (Bunty)
62. The Comp (Nikki/Bunty)
63. The Dancing Donnellys (Bunty)
64. The Double Life of Sad Sarah (Mandy)
65. The Daughter of Lorna Doone (Princess – first series)
66. The Face of Romany Fortune (Spellbound)
67. The Flights of Flopear (Bunty)
68. The Four Faces of Eve (Misty)
69. The Four Marys (Bunty)
70. The Frightening Fours (Judy)
71. The Girls from NOODLES (Diana)
72. The Happy Days (Princess Tina)
73. The Honourable S. J. (Judy)
74. The Human Zoo (Jinty)
75. The Jealousy of Jemma (Debbie/Mandy/M&J)
76. The Land of Nowhere (Bunty)
77. The Pink Peril (Diana)
78. The Quest Of Katie Courage (Suzy)
79. The Sad Spells Of Fay Martin (Mandy)
80. The Secrets of Charlie Chatterbox (Bunty)
81. The Seeker (Bunty)
82. The Silent Three (School Friend)
83. The Sentinels (Misty)
84. The Strangest Stories Ever Told (School Friend/June/Tammy)
85. The Supercats (Spellbound/Debbie)
86. Toots (Bunty)
87. Trixie’s Treasure Chest (Debbie)
88. Two-Faced Teesha (Tammy)
89. Valda (Mandy)
90. Vanessa from Venus (June)
91. Wee Slavey (Judy)
92. Wee Sue (Sandie/Tammy)
93. Wendy and Jinx (Girl – first series)
94. Wendy at War (Debbie)
95. Westward the Wagons (Princess Tina)
96. Winner Loses All! (Misty)
97. Worlds Apart (Jinty)