On this day, 17 July 1982: Tammy
On this day, 17 July 1982 … IPC rationalised and reduced the number of its comics during the 1980s and the process appears to have begun earlier in the girls’ division than in boys’ or the humour comics department. By 1982, the likes of Jinty, Misty and Penny (via Jinty) had all folded into Tammy, which existed for a while as one of only two girls’ comic titles (with the exception of the very short-lived Dreamer) – the other being Girl, which ran from 1981 to 1990. Until this week’s edition, Tammy had shared its masthead with Jinty (after their merger in November 1981) but this was the issue in which it abandoned all references to the past and re-launched with several new stories and a sharp new look.
Old favourites Bella, Pam of Pond Hill and young nanny Nanny Young are the only serials to cross over from the previous week. The new adventures are a strong line-up, both in storyline and artwork, and I’m grateful to discover that this issue also sees the introduction of writer and artist credits on most of the strips – this first time that this happened in a girls’ comic, I believe. Saving Grace, written by Ian Mennell and drawn by Juliana Buch, tells the story of two old primary school friends reunited at secondary school, only for one to discover the other has become cold and distant. A Gran for the Gregorys, written by Alison Christie and drawn by Phil Townsend, looks like a bit of a heart-tugger, as two kids hunt for an old lady to replace their beloved grandmother, who died on page two of the story. Come Back Bindi, written by Jenny McDade and drawn by Mario Capaldi, sees a rescue pup run away from her new owners after thinking she caused her owner to fall off her horse. And Slave of the Clock, written by Jay Over and drawn by Barrera Gesali, is a dark ballet tale in which a promising young dancer is trained using hypnotism by a harsh new teacher.
Cat ‘n’ Mouse: Joe Collins (artist)
Saving Grace: Ian Mennell (writer), Juliana Buch (artist)
Saving Grace: Ian Mennell (writer), Juliana Buch (artist)
Moonlight Prowler: John Richardson (artist)
Moonlight Prowler: John Richardson (artist)
Pam of Pond Hill: Jay Over (writer), Bob Harvey (artist)
A Gran for the Gregorys: Alison Christie (writer), Phil Townsend (writer)
A Gran for the Gregorys: Alison Christie (writer), Phil Townsend (writer)
Come Back Bindi: Jenny McDade (writer), Mario Capaldi (artist)
Bella: Malcolm Shaw (writer), John Armstrong (artist)
Nanny Young: Maureen Spurgeon (writer), Phil Gascoine (artist)
Slave of the Clock: Jay Over (writer), Barrera Gesali (artist)
