On this day, 29 March 1980: Tammy and Misty — GREAT NEWS FOR ALL READERS!

Mar 29

Mar 29 On this day, 29 March 1980: Tammy and Misty

On this day, 29 March 1980 … Roughly two and a half months since the brilliant Misty was merged into Tammy, it still retains its place in the comic’s masthead but the horror or supernatural elements in brings to the mix are not really apparent until one reaches the end of the comic. This week’s Strange Story from the Mists is the dark tale ‘Pools of Death’, in which schoolgirl Penny Cain becomes a ghostly presence looking over her own life, ultimately to realise she is some sort of vapour-spirit born to destory and replace the corporeal-world Penny. This is followed by the final episode of A Girl Called Midnight, about a girl called, er, Midnight who has been searching in an entranced state for the grave of the mother she never knew, tragically killed in a flash flood when she was a child. All good Misty-esque fare, and it appears that the mystery aspect of the comic will continue next week with the beginning of two new stories, The Stone Curse and The Sea Witches.

Elsewhere in this issue there is the regular episode of Bella, who seems to have some mild form of attention deficict hyperactivity disorder as she just can’t seem to stop gymnasticising even when just talking to her friends, and my partner Sharon will be delighted to see another instalment of one of her favourite characters, Wee Sue. Sour Grapes for Sophie is a good story about a girl whose friendships never seem to last because of her dad’s ever-relocating job. Donna Ducks Out is a fun one about a girl who learns to swim with the help of a rubber duck that she ‘borrows’ from a babysitting job. And the opening episode of My Shining Sister tells of an astronomer’s daughter who discovers a eerily-glowing girl on the night of a heavy meteorite shower.

It’s a good strong issue for those who like a mix of more traditional girls’ comic stories with just a dash of Misty seasoning, and I do like the John Richardson cover featuring Tammy and June, which seems appropriate for the time of year following yesterday’s storms. It also reminds me of the cover of Tintin and the Land of Black Gold. To be precise, Tintin au Pays de l’Or Noir: