I was thinking about graphic novels and mangas recently. I’m surprised I don’t read any as I loved comics and annuals as a child. This got me reminiscing about the girls’ weekly comics which I used to read, such as Bunty, Judy and Mandy. I was especially fond of the Christmas annuals and the so-called Picture Story Libraries. The Picture Story Libraries were feature-length stories which were published separately every other month (I think). I’m sure I still have several lying around somewhere.
Anyway, I googled Bunty and lo and behold D.C. Thompson & Co. have literally just released the following volume:
Here’s the blurb:
Golden Age Classic Stories Bunty: Re-discover the magical delights of your childhood through the pages of this wonderful book. Many of the most popular stories and features are included – Moira Kent, Toots, Lorna Drake, and the unforgettable Bunty’s Cut-Out Wardrobe. Plus, there’s a chance to re-read the very first Four Marys story.
It’ll probably be a load of crap but I was intrigued enough to order a copy. Watch this space…
Did you read comics as a child? If so, which were your favourites?
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I was massively into comics as a kid, funnily enough I still a fan.
First started reading my brothers Phantoms etc, first ones I actively sort out on my own were X-Men.
@Edie As indicated above, I was addicted to girls’ comics, particularly the feature-length ones. Could they be referred to as graphic novels? The terminology of all things comic-related is a bit of a mystery to me. I’d be curious to try some modern comics but I wouldn’t know where to start. I’ve heard good things about Neil Gaiman’s work for example. The problem with comics/graphic novels/whatever-the-heck-they’re-called is that they are rather pricey. I’m more inclined to take a chance on a paperback which only costs a few euros at the most.
I thought I might be a bit off track, but there wasn’t too much girly stuff around me as a kid, lol.
I am no help with terminology I label everything comics.
I buy most of mine second hand from fairs, markets and stores. I am povo.
As to if you are interested in looking at some, why not try some of the free serials (?) that there are online?
I have only just discovered those myself, and I’m having a blast. lol
I was into Superman, my first tall, dark and handsome hero, complete with a lock of hair falling on his forehead. *grin*
I remember haunting the local drugstore, waiting very impatiently for the next issue to be out. My collection disappeared during a move, alas, or I might be a rich woman now!
Didn’t read them as a kid like I do today. Love reading graphic novels. Will do a favorite list. I follow quite a few.
I read a lot of comic books as a child, everything from Casper the Friendly Ghost to Millie the Model. In fact, the Millie the Model comics were my favorites — in addition to the linear storyline, they would have single pages with, in effect, paper dolls. I would cut these out and keep them in a box under my bed.
Recently my husband went to some lengths to buy me some of the old Millie the Model comics (alas, not nearly as special as I recalled, but the thought counted BIG time). And just last week I learned that Marvel Comics is reissuing some version of the model-themed comic, this time with Tim Gunn (of Project Runway fame) making a cameo appearance — in an Iron Man suit! (Sorry if these are US-specific references.)
Don’t know if I mentioned it here, but as a child, I purchased comic books in a dark, sleezy shop in my neighborhood run by a truly skeevy man. But in a twist of sensibilities, all the porn (real XXX books and skin mags) was displayed in the front of the shop, and the comics were tucked away in the back where decent folk didn’t have to see them!
@Edie Would you mind posting a couple of links to comics? Thanks!
@Carolyn After looking up Bunty yesterday, I’m kicking myself for not keeping my comic collection when we moved. I still have the annuals. I saw comics on eBay going for ridiculous prices, particularly those published pre-90s, which mine were.
@Keishon I’d love to see your list! Thanks.
@Magdalen Casper & Jasper! When we stayed with one of my mother’s friends in San Francisco, I raided her vintage comic collection. She had tons of Casper and some guy called Richie Rich (sp?). I’m laughing at the idea of your local comic/porn dealer! We didn’t even have Playboy on sale in Ireland until about 15 years ago.
I was seriously addicted to Richie Rich comics when I was a kid. I wanted his Chocolate Gold Mine and his gold-plated swimming pool (which was also filled with chocolate, I think, so there’s a theme of wealth & chocolate running right through my childhood fantasies!). When I visited my Irish cousins in the summer I’d catch up on the Bunty & Judy comics, both the weekly editions and the Christmas ‘annuals’ – I loved all the boarding school stories, which I’m sure were a lot better than actually being incarcerated in one of those places.
Actually, I didn’t, even though I read manga now. Comics just weren’t on my radar at all. *shrug* There’s not a big comic-reading culture around here, so that might have something to do with it.
I didn’t read comics per se, but I did like cartoon strips in newspapers, like Garfield for instance. Only Brits will know what I mean, but I always had a fondness for George and Lynne, they were a couple of cartoon strip characters in The Sun newspaper. I think the stories were aimed at adults as George and Lynne were always having sex. *g*
@Trish No, I suspect The Four Marys version of boarding school is much like Enid Blyton’s: a myth.
@heidenkind Which mangas would you recommend?
@Karen Scott I like Garfield. I also enjoyed some of my mother’s Doonesbury collections, although I’m sure I didn’t “get” half the jokes as a kid. Another cartoon/comic series I loved was The Far Side.
How could I have forgotten The Far Side??? Apologies to Gary Larson. I still read Doonesbury though it’s past its prime. And I don’t know if any of your readers will remember Bloom County by Berkeley Breathed, with Opus the penguin and Bill the cat?
Don’t forget Archie!! I was always pulling for Betty, lol
@Trish I have a vague recollection of Opus.
@Carolyn I never read Archie. Yet another one to Google!