On this day, 21 June 1975: Lindy — GREAT NEWS FOR ALL READERS!

Jun 21

Jun 21 On this day, 21 June 1975: Lindy

On this day, 21 June 1975 … June was a big month for new comic launches – this is the sixth Number One that I’ve featured this month. Lindy was another short-lived publication, running for less than five months until merging with Jinty in the issue dated 8 November 1975. Rather like Starlord to 2000AD three years later, Lindy appears to be an attempt to reach a slightly more discerning readership than Jinty or Tammy. It’s printed on nicer paper, with full-bleed covers and centre-page poster, and admirably carries the same 6p cover price for the same number of pages (32). It gives more attention to pop stars – with a back-page heart-throbby ‘Pop Spot’ digest and that scary Bay City Rollers poster (oddly – for me – there is nothing in this comic that identifies the poster as the Rollers. I guess everyone just knew back then, but I had to check on Google).

The comic features two ‘real life’ characters who work in the editorial office an each have their own page with a photo by-line. Lindy runs the letters page (featuring letters in this first issue that were submitted to Jinty – a shame for any of those Jinty readers who may have missed seeing their names in print here in this new comic!), and Laurie writes a diary column. Laurie is set up as loveably accident-prone (his pet hamster Harry nibbles the flowers that Lindy brought in to decorate the office) and I suspect the intention here is that there will be a romantic tension between the two.

The comic strip content is similar to what was appearing in other girls comics of Lindy’s day, but more enjoyable to read due to the better print quality. Pavement Patsy and The Tin-mine Ponies are contemporary stories of girls fighting against hard times. Nina Nimble Fingers and Hard Days for Hilda are historical stories of orphan girls, also fighting against hard times. Jane’s Jeannie and Sophie’s Secret Squeezy follow the adventures of schoolgirls who discover a magical device (Jane has a genie in a tennis racquet, and Sophie has a plastic bottle that produces bubbles which give her advice about the future). More intriguing (to me) are The Last Green Valley – in the year 2000 Europe is in the grip of an Ice Age, and a group of friends set out from their village to find a legendary unfrozen valley – and properly spooky haunted house tale The House of Fear.

Thanks to A Resource on Jinty for help with the creator credits below, although I should note that I’ve taken these from their notes on the second issue of Lindy, so I hope they are indeed the same artists in issue one.