Tammy and June: 17 August 1974
Foul play at the Tammytown Sports Day! Pretty much all the Tammy and June covers of this period portrayed the two girls in the foreground here – generally thought to be named ‘Tammy’ and ‘June’, although there were no storylines featuring them inside the comic. John Richardson (or occasionally someone mimicking his style) was the usual artist.
This reader survey page made me smile. Pint-sized swot Wee Sue is very much not one of my partner Shaz’s favourites (https://www.greatnewsforallreaders.com/blog/2016/3/3/on-this-day-4-march-1972-sandie).
These story polls crop up from time to time in various IPC comics of the era. Editors often talk about them as crucial for maintaining a popular roster of strips.
Other regular stories Tammy readers could vote for from this issue included Bella at the Bar (artist John Armstrong), Bessie Bunter (Arthur Martin), Jeannie and her Uncle Meanie (Robert MacGillivray) and No Tears for Molly (Tony Thewenetti).
For me, the absolute stand-out story in this edition of Tammy and June is the one-off ‘Storyteller’ tale The Third Twin, drawn by John Armstrong. A wise old woman and her cat teach naughty Jay and Gail Carter a lesson. ‘If a third twin came along to play them up, they wouldn’t like it, would they, Blackie?’ ‘Come on, Jan! She’s going ga-ga!’
