''Girl'' was the name of two weekly
comics magazines for girls published by
IPC Magazines
TI Media (formerly International Publishing Company, IPC Magazines Ltd, IPC Media and Time Inc. UK) was a consumer magazine and digital publisher in the United Kingdom, with a portfolio selling over 350 million copies each year. Most of its tit ...
in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
.
The first and more well-known volume was published from 1951 to 1964. It was launched by
Hulton Press
Sir Edward George Warris Hulton (29 November 1906 – 8 October 1988) was a British magazine publisher and writer.
Early life
Hulton was born to Sir Edward Hulton, 1st Baronet, a newspaper publisher and racehorse owner originally from Mancheste ...
on 2 November 1951 as a sister paper to the ''
Eagle
Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...
'', and lasted through Hultons' acquisition by
Odhams Press
Odhams Press was a British publishing company, operating from 1920 to 1968. Originally a magazine publisher, Odhams later expanded into book publishing and then children's comics. The company was acquired by Fleetway Publications in 1961 and th ...
in 1959 and Odhams' merger into
IPC in 1963. Its final issue was dated 3 October 1964, after which it was merged into ''
Princess
Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince.
Princess as a subst ...
''. ''Girl'' was very much an ''educational'' magazine whose heroines, including those who got into scrapes, became involved in tales that had a moral substance. A considerable number of pages were also dedicated to real-life tales of heroic women in various fields.
A second volume of the series was published by IPC from 1981 to 1990, during which time ''
Dreamer'' and ''
Tammy'' were merged into it.
Original series
Like the ''Eagle'', ''Girl'' was founded by the Rev.
Marcus Morris, with the close participation of Morris' fellow clergyman
Chad Varah
Edward Chad Varah (12 November 1911 – 8 November 2007) was a British Anglican priest and social activist from England. In 1953, he founded the Samaritans, the world's first crisis hotline, to provide telephone support to those contemplati ...
. The lead strip was originally ''
Kitty Hawke and her All-Girl Air Crew'', drawn in full colour by
Ray Bailey, about a group of women running a charter airline. The strip was not very popular — it was apparently felt to be too masculine — and it was moved to the black-and-white interior pages, replaced on the cover by the schoolgirl strip ''
Wendy and Jinx'', written by
Michael
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...
and
Valerie Hastings and drawn by Bailey.
Other strips included:
*''
Angela Air Hostess'', written by
Betty Roland and drawn by
Dudley Pout Edward Dudley Pout (1908–1991) was a British illustrator.
Pout was born in November 1908, one of six children of E. J. Pout (1850-1930), who farmed 2,000 acres, on Frogs Island Farm, Herne, Kent.
Pout designed and illustrated the posters for sev ...
(1958-1961)
[Steve Holland]
Betty Roland
Bear Alley, 8 September 2006
*''
At Work With Janet — Fashion Artist
AT or at may refer to:
Geography Austria
* Austria (ISO 2-letter country code)
* .at, Internet country code top-level domain
United States
* Atchison County, Kansas (county code)
* The Appalachian Trail (A.T.), a 2,180+ mile long mountaino ...
'', drawn by
Marjorie Slade
Marjorie is a female given name derived from Margaret, which means pearl. It can also be spelled as Margery or Marjory. Marjorie is a medieval variant of Margery, influenced by the name of the herb marjoram. It came into English from the Old Fren ...
*''
Belle of the Ballet
Belle may refer to:
* Belle (''Beauty and the Beast'')
* Belle (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Belle (surname), a list of people
Brands and enterprises
* Belle Air, a former airline with headquarters in Tirana, Albania
...
'' by
George Beardmore
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd Preside ...
and
Stanley Houghton
William Stanley Houghton (22 February 1881 – 11 December 1913) was an English playwright. He was a prominent member, together with Allan Monkhouse and Harold Brighouse, of a group known as the Manchester School of dramatists. His best know ...
*''
Captain Starling
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
'' by
George Beardmore
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd Preside ...
and
Paddy Nevin
Paddy may refer to:
People
*Paddy (given name), a list of people with the given name or nickname
*An ethnic slur for an Irishman
Birds
*Paddy (pigeon), a Second World War carrier pigeon
*Snowy sheathbill or paddy, a bird species
*Black-faced sh ...
[Steve Hollan]
Pat Nevin
Bear Alley, 1 May 2008
*''
Claudia of the Circus Claudia may refer to:
People Ancient Romans
*Any woman from the Roman Claudia gens
*Claudia (vestal), a Vestal Virgin who protected her father Appius Claudius Pulcher in 143 BC
*Claudia Augusta (63–63 AD), infant daughter of Nero by his second ...
'', written by
Geoffrey Bond Geoffrey, Geoffroy, Geoff, etc., may refer to:
People
* Geoffrey (name), including a list of people with the name
* Geoffroy (surname), including a list of people with the name
* Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. 1095–c. 1155), clergyman and one of the ...
and drawn by
T. S. La Fontaine[Eagle writers - Geoffrey Bond (1920 - 2009) aka Alan Jason](_blank)
Eagle Times, 31 December 2009
*''
A Cosy Christmas'', drawn by Gerald Haylock
*''
Emergency Ward 10
''Emergency Ward 10'' is a British medical soap opera series shown on ITV between 1957 and 1967. Like ''The Grove Family'', a series shown by the BBC between 1954 and 1957, ''Emergency Ward 10'' is considered to be one of British television's fi ...
'', based on the TV series, drawn by
Eric Dadswell
*''
Flying Cloud'', a western strip, written by
Charles Chilton
Charles Chilton MBE (15 June 1917 – 2 January 2013) was a British presenter, writer and producer who worked on BBC Radio. He created the 1950s radio serials ''Riders of the Range'' and ''Journey into Space'', and also inspired the stage ...
*''
Judy and Pat'', illustrated by
Harry Winslade
Harry may refer to:
TV shows
* ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin
* ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons
* ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...
*''
Laura and the Legend of Hadley House'' by
Betty Roland and
Dudley Pout Edward Dudley Pout (1908–1991) was a British illustrator.
Pout was born in November 1908, one of six children of E. J. Pout (1850-1930), who farmed 2,000 acres, on Frogs Island Farm, Herne, Kent.
Pout designed and illustrated the posters for sev ...
(1954)
*''
Lettice Leefe Lettice is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include:
Given name
*Lettice Boyle, wife of George Goring, Lord Goring
*Lettice Bryan (1805–1877), American author
*Lettice Cooper (1897–1994), English writer
*Lettice C ...
'' — the greenest girl in the school, by
John Ryan
*''
Lindy Love'' by
Ruth Adam
Ruth Augusta Adam, née King (14 December 1907 – 3 February 1977), was an English journalist and writer of novels, comics and non-fiction feminist literature.
Early life
She was born on 14 December 1907 in Arnold, Nottinghamshire, daughter of ...
and
Peter Kay
Peter John Kay (born 2 July 1973) is an English actor, comedy writer and stand-up comedian. He has written, produced and acted in several television and film projects, and has written three books.
Born and brought up in Bolton, Kay studied ...
(1954–55)
*''
Pat of Paradise Isle'' by
Betty Roland and
Dudley Pout Edward Dudley Pout (1908–1991) was a British illustrator.
Pout was born in November 1908, one of six children of E. J. Pout (1850-1930), who farmed 2,000 acres, on Frogs Island Farm, Herne, Kent.
Pout designed and illustrated the posters for sev ...
(1953-1954)
*''
Penny Starr'', written by
Peter Ling
Peter may refer to:
People
* List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Peter (given name)
** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church
* Peter (surname), a su ...
and
Sheilah Ward (1957)
[Steve Holland]
Peter Ling (1926-2006)
Bear Alley, 21 September 2006
* ''Penny Wise'' by
Norman Pett
Norman Pett (12 April 1891, Kings Norton, Worcestershire – 16 February 1960, Sussex) was an English artist who, in 1932, created the famous cartoon character ''Jane'' for the ''Daily Mirror''.
Early life
Pett was born on 12 April 1891 in Kin ...
* ''The Pilgrim Sisters'' by George Beardmore and Hardee
*''
Prince of the Pampas
A prince is a Monarch, male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary title, hereditary, in s ...
'', drawn by
Dudley Pout Edward Dudley Pout (1908–1991) was a British illustrator.
Pout was born in November 1908, one of six children of E. J. Pout (1850-1930), who farmed 2,000 acres, on Frogs Island Farm, Herne, Kent.
Pout designed and illustrated the posters for sev ...
(1961)
[Steve Holland]
Dudley Pout
Bear Alley, 31 January 2007
*''
The Rajah's Secret'' by
Betty Roland and
Charles Paine
Charles Paine (April 15, 1799 – July 6, 1853) was an American Whig politician, woolen mill owner, merchant, railroad builder, and the 15th governor of Vermont.
Biography
Paine was the son of Elijah Paine and Sarah (Porter) Paine, and was bo ...
*''
Robbie of Red Hall'', drawn by
Roy Newby
*''
Sally of the South Seas'' by
J. H. G. Freeman and
Dudley Pout Edward Dudley Pout (1908–1991) was a British illustrator.
Pout was born in November 1908, one of six children of E. J. Pout (1850-1930), who farmed 2,000 acres, on Frogs Island Farm, Herne, Kent.
Pout designed and illustrated the posters for sev ...
(1961)
*''
Sumuna's South Sea Isle'' by
Terry Standford and
Paddy Nevin
Paddy may refer to:
People
*Paddy (given name), a list of people with the given name or nickname
*An ethnic slur for an Irishman
Birds
*Paddy (pigeon), a Second World War carrier pigeon
*Snowy sheathbill or paddy, a bird species
*Black-faced sh ...
*''
Susan of St. Bride's
Susan is a feminine given name, from Persian "Susan" (lily flower), from Egyptian ''c:Lotus flower (hieroglyph), sšn'' and Coptic ''shoshen'' meaning "lotus flower", from Hebrew ''Shoshana'' meaning "lily" (in modern Hebrew this also means "ros ...
'', series about a student nurse, by
Ruth Adam
Ruth Augusta Adam, née King (14 December 1907 – 3 February 1977), was an English journalist and writer of novels, comics and non-fiction feminist literature.
Early life
She was born on 14 December 1907 in Arnold, Nottinghamshire, daughter of ...
and
Peter Kay
Peter John Kay (born 2 July 1973) is an English actor, comedy writer and stand-up comedian. He has written, produced and acted in several television and film projects, and has written three books.
Born and brought up in Bolton, Kay studied ...
(1954–61)
* ''Susan Marsh'' by
Ruth Adam
Ruth Augusta Adam, née King (14 December 1907 – 3 February 1977), was an English journalist and writer of novels, comics and non-fiction feminist literature.
Early life
She was born on 14 December 1907 in Arnold, Nottinghamshire, daughter of ...
and Peter Kay
*''
Tessa of Television
Tessa is a feminine given name, sometimes a shortened form of Teresa, Theresa. It may refer to: People
* Tessa Albertson (born 1996), American actress
* Tessa Balfour, Countess of Balfour (born 1950), British aristocrat
* Tessa Blanchard (born 19 ...
''
*''
Three Sisters of Haworth'', bio of the Brontë sisters, written by
Pamela Green
Phyllis Pamela Green (28 March 1929 – 7 May 2010) was an English glamour model and actress, best known at the end of the 1950s and early 1960s. She modeled for Zoltán Glass and his brother Stephen, Horace Roye, Jean Straker, Bill Brandt, ...
and
Kenneth Gravett, drawn by
Eric Dadswell
*''
Travel Girl
Travel is the movement of people between distant geographical locations. Travel can be done by foot, bicycle, automobile, train, boat, bus, airplane, ship or other means, with or without luggage, and can be one way or round trip. Travel ...
'' by
Molly Black and
Dudley Pout Edward Dudley Pout (1908–1991) was a British illustrator.
Pout was born in November 1908, one of six children of E. J. Pout (1850-1930), who farmed 2,000 acres, on Frogs Island Farm, Herne, Kent.
Pout designed and illustrated the posters for sev ...
(1952-52)
*''
Two Pairs of Skates'', written by
Peter Ling
Peter may refer to:
People
* List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Peter (given name)
** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church
* Peter (surname), a su ...
and
Sheilah Ward (1956–57)
*''
The Untold Arabian Nights
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' by
Geoffrey Bond Geoffrey, Geoffroy, Geoff, etc., may refer to:
People
* Geoffrey (name), including a list of people with the name
* Geoffroy (surname), including a list of people with the name
* Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. 1095–c. 1155), clergyman and one of the ...
and
Cecil Langley Doughty
Cecil Langley Doughty (7 November 1913 – 26 October 1985) was a Great Britain, British comics artist and illustrator, best known for his work in the comic ''Knockout (UK comics), Knockout'' and the educational weekly ''Look and Learn''.
His hist ...
*''
Vicky
Vicky, Vicko,
Vick, Vickie or Vicki is a feminine given name, often a hypocorism of Victoria. The feminine name Vicky in Greece comes from the name Vasiliki.
Women
* Family nickname of Victoria, Princess Royal (1840–1901), wife of German ...
'' by
Betty Roland and
Dudley Pout Edward Dudley Pout (1908–1991) was a British illustrator.
Pout was born in November 1908, one of six children of E. J. Pout (1850-1930), who farmed 2,000 acres, on Frogs Island Farm, Herne, Kent.
Pout designed and illustrated the posters for sev ...
(1954-1958)
— reprinted as ''Vicky in Australia'' in ''
Princess Tina
''Princess Tina'' (at times known as ''Princess Tina and Penelope'' and then simply ''Tina'') was a weekly British girls' comic published from autumn 1967 to summer 1973 by the International Publishing Company, initially under the Fleetway Pu ...
''
*''
White Queen of Calabar'', drawn by
Gerald Haylock
Gerald is a male Germanic given name meaning "rule of the spear" from the prefix ''ger-'' ("spear") and suffix ''-wald'' ("rule"). Variants include the English given name Jerrold, the feminine nickname Jeri and the Welsh language Gerallt and Iris ...
*''
Yvette
Yvette is female given name, the French feminine form of Yves, which means yew or archer in some cases.
Name days
*Czech Republic: ''7 June''
*Hungary: ''13 January'', ''6 May'' and ''29 June''
*Poland: ''13 January''
*Slovakia: ''27 May''
...
'' by
Sylvia Little and
Dudley Pout Edward Dudley Pout (1908–1991) was a British illustrator.
Pout was born in November 1908, one of six children of E. J. Pout (1850-1930), who farmed 2,000 acres, on Frogs Island Farm, Herne, Kent.
Pout designed and illustrated the posters for sev ...
(1952)
* ''Your Pets'' by
Barbara Woodhouse and George Howe
1980s series
According to
Jacqueline Rayner
Jacqueline Rayner is a British author, best known for her work with the licensed fiction based on the long-running British science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''.
Biography
Her first professional writing cr ...
, writing about girls' comics in ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', the second volume of ''Girl'' "was a stepping stone between the traditional 'picture-story papers' and . . . teen mags such as ''
Jackie'' and ''Blue Jeans''." It "had photo-stories, boyfriends, pop stars and
problem page
An advice column is a Column (periodical), column in a question and answer format. Typically, a (usually anonymous) reader writes to the media outlet with a problem in the form of a question, and the media outlet provides an answer or response.
...
s, alongside its occasional illustrated story."
The IPC title ''Dreamer'', which debuted on September 19, 1981, merged into ''Girl'' after ''Dreamer''
's May 15, 1982, issue. The merged publication carried the title ''Girl and Dreamer'' in the period 1982–1983 (issues 89 to 110 at least).
The fellow IPC title ''
Tammy'' (launched 1971) was intended to merge with ''Girl'' in the summer of 1984, but, according to the
Grand Comics Database
The Grand Comics Database (GCD) is an Internet-based project to build a database of comic book information through user contributions. The GCD project catalogues information on creator credits, story details, reprints, and other information useful ...
, "a printer's dispute in June 1984 prevented the final issues being published and it was simply canceled. ''Girl'' did carry the ''Tammy'' masthead for several issues from 25th August 1984 but these issues contain no material from ''Tammy''."
In March 1990, ''Girl'' was merged into its fellow IPC title ''
My Guy
"My Guy" is a 1964 hit single by Mary Wells for the Motown label. Written and produced by Smokey Robinson of The Miracles, the song is a woman's rejection of a sexual advance and affirmation of her fidelity to her boyfriend, who is her ideal an ...
'', which became ''My Guy and Girl'' for a period.
[Carroll, Michael Owen]
"Can You Help Me Track Down My Guy?
" ''Rusty Staples Comics Blog'' (June 26, 2018). ''Girl'' volume 2 published 478 issues.
Strips
* ''Diary of a Ballerina''
* ''The Haunting of Uncle Gideon''
* ''Patty's World'' by
Purita Campos — continued from ''
Princess Tina
''Princess Tina'' (at times known as ''Princess Tina and Penelope'' and then simply ''Tina'') was a weekly British girls' comic published from autumn 1967 to summer 1973 by the International Publishing Company, initially under the Fleetway Pu ...
'' and ''
Pink
Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...
''
References
Sources
*
*
{{Buster
British girls' comics
Defunct British comics
Comics magazines published in the United Kingdom
1951 comics debuts
1964 comics endings
Magazines established in 1951
Magazines disestablished in 1964
1981 comics debuts
1990 comics endings
Magazines established in 1981
Magazines disestablished in 1990
Comics about women
Odhams Press titles