School Friend (comics)

Last updated

School Friend
SchoolFriend05121955.jpg
The cover of School Friend dated 5 December 1955, featuring The Silent Three. Art by Evelyn Flinders.
Publication information
Publisher Amalgamated Press
1950 to 1959
Fleetway Publications
1959 to 1965
ScheduleWeekly
Format Ongoing series
Publication date20 May 1950 – 23 January 1965
No. of issues766
Main character(s)Jill Crusoe
The Silent Three
Creative team
Written byHorace Boyten
Stewart Pride
Artist(s) Reginald Ben Davis
E.C. Julien
Robert MacGillivray
Editor(s)Stewart Pride

School Friend (also known as School Friend and Girls' Crystal) was a British weekly girls' comic anthology published by Amalgamated Press and Fleetway Publications from 20 May 1950 to 23 January 1965. [lower-alpha 1] Considered the first British girls' comic and bearing the same name as a popular story paper previously published by Amalgamated Press, School Friend was a huge success and effectively kickstarted the genre in British publishing.

Contents

Creation

While pre-war story papers had produced female-orientated titles such as the original School Friend and Girls' Crystal , in the aftermath of World War II comic books such as Amalgamated Press' Comic Cuts and Knockout or DC Thomson's The Dandy and The Beano were considered unisex titles, and were primarily humorous in content. Meanwhile, paper rationing during the war had seen some of the most famous story papers – including The Magnet and The Gem – succumb to amalgamation with other titles. Even after the war had ended, new titles needed government approval, while a steady stream of American imports came across the Atlantic on merchant ships as comic books made ideal ballast. These included horror titles by the likes of EC Comics, which soon caused moral outrage in both America and Britain. Leading protests in the latter was Reverend Marcus Morris, who decided to mix protesting against the degenerate American publishers by setting up his own comic to save the children of Britain from depravity with the wholesome Eagle with Hulton Press. The comic was an instant smash – but primarily with boys. Operating on a similar logic, Amalgamated Press reasoned there must also be girls not being catered for, and launched School Friend as a girls' comic a month later. [1] [2] [3]

School Friend's original editor was Stewart Pride, who would later go on to be group editor of Amalgamated Press' preschool titles. [4] Pride and Horace Boyten would write the majority of the stories in the title's formative years. [5] Stories were pulled from similar genres to the girls' story papers - school, friendships, mysteries, friendly animals and equestrianism. [4] The initial line-up was composed of five picture strips and three text stories, as well as other prose features [6] The former included a trio of serials - "The Silent Three of St. Kit's" occupied the colour front cover, introducing The Silent Three, based on the popular boarding school genre. [4] The story revolved around three schoolgirls at St. Kit's boarding school — Betty Roland, Joan Derwent and Peggy West — who band together as a secret society against the tyranny of the head prefect, later also fighting crime wearing numbered masks and hooded green robes – a familiar trope from girls' story papers. Evelyn Flinders – a frequent illustrator for AP's pre-war girls' story papers [7] – was the initial artist [8] [9] and would continue to draw the story until her retirement in 1959. [7]

Another stalwart from the debut issue was "Jill Crusoe", featuring a plucky castaway with a young friend who soon gained native, leopard and parrot sidekicks. Like "The Silent Three", Jill would return frequently in adventures drawn by Reginald Ben Davis, who would become one of the title's most prolific artists. [10] The other launch serial was damsel-in-distress swashbuckler "The Gay Cavalier". As well as the serials, the first issue included two other enduring strips – "Terry Brent, Detective" featured a dashing young detective solving minor problems for hapless females; readers were given clues to try to beat Terry to the solve, a device later used on the Lion strips "Bruce Kent, Detective" and – most famously – "Spot the Clue with Zip Nolan". The other was Dilly Dreem, a cheerful but hapless bumbler with oversized spectacles forever resting on the very tip of her nose whose single-page humour strip proclaimed her to be a "loveable duffer". [11]

Publishing history

The cover of the 23 August 1961 edition of School Friend. SchoolFriend589-cover.jpg
The cover of the 23 August 1961 edition of School Friend.

The comic was published every Wednesday, initially priced at 3d, and the first issue featured a free 'Album of Radio Stars' to tempt buyers. [11] Sales swiftly reached one million, even more than Eagle, [3] and would stay at around that level for several years. [12] School Friend's success saw Hulton produce Girl in response in 1951, while AP overhauled the long-running Girls' Crystal in 1953, turning it into a picture comic between weekly editions. [4] Some of John M. Burns' earliest work in comics was for School Friend. [13] Cecil Langley Doughty, [14] Harry Hargreaves, [11] and Tom Kerr [15] were also contributing artists. Illustrators were recruited via such art agencies as Dick and Jack Wall, Danny and Pat Kelleher's Temple Art Agency, Barry Coker's Bardon Art Associates by, and Luis Llorente's Creaciones Ilustradas.[ citation needed ] Frank Redpath, later to become known as a poet, wrote scripts for the strip "Lucky's Living Doll" (later continued in June as "Lucky and Tina"). [16]

While many of the stories revolved around similar premises – secret societies, wrongly accused heroines, plucky girls getting caught up in some passing intrigue, Alpine skiing schools, romantic history tales – the comic did occasionally stray into supernatural-tinged adventures on occasion, such as with "Phantom Ballerina" and "Jane and the Ghostly Hound", which owed a debt to the Gothic romance. [17] Another feature along these lines was "The Strangest Stories Ever Told", an anthology strip featuring the mysterious Storyteller relating twist-in-the-tale stories with supernatural overtones. [18]

A takeover by the Mirror Group saw AP renamed Fleetway Publications in 1959, but School Friend would survive another six years. From 1960, the back cover joined the front in being in colour. [11] From 1962 it was joined by School Friend Picture Library – twice-monthly 64-page digest-sized stories edited by Jack Hunt, and featuring similar subject matter to the weekly – though ironically most of School Friend's regulars such as the Silent Three had already been appearing in a different digest, Schoolgirls Picture Library, which had been established in 1957. [11] By 1962 circulation was 414,000 and still one of Fleetway's strongest sellers. [19]

In 1963 Girl's Crystal was folded into School Friend, which was then known as School Friend and Girl's Crystal. The strip "My Friend Sara" — 'as told by Wendy Lee' — took over the cover of School Friend and Girl's Crystal in the same year, while Bessie Bunter – star of the original School Friend – was brought out of retirement for a one-page humour strip in an attempt to repeat the success her more famous brother Billy was experiencing after his revival in Knockout and Valiant . [20] These changes stayed in place until the publication's merger with June in 1965 as it was overtaken by a wave of newer titles, and showing its age. [18] [4] "Bessie Bunter", "Mam'selle X", and "The Strangest Stories Ever Told" continued on in the merged title.

The name continued in Picture Library format, with Schoolgirl Picture Library renamed June and School Friend Picture Library from 1965, beginning with #328. [21] As with many Fleetway titles, annuals also continued to be issued in the School Friend name long after the comic had disappeared from newsagents; the last School Friend Annual was dated 1972. [6]

Since 2018, School Friend has been owned by Rebellion Publishing. [22] [23]

Stories

Titles

Spin-offs

Reception

It has been argued that some of School Friend's proactive teenage heroines could be interpreted as proto-feminists. [6] While the comic was primarily read by working class girls, School Friend featured many so-called 'aspirational' stories depicting upper class activities; [24] few of those reading would ever experience boarding schools, holidays in Switzerland or even horse-riding personally but stories revolving around such activities were wildly popular. [4]

Notes

  1. ↑ British comics of the time featured their off sale date on the cover
  2. ↑ British annuals were typically issued in the autumn of the year preceding that on the cover

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billy Bunter</span> Fictional schoolboy created by Frank Richards

William George Bunter is a fictional schoolboy created by Charles Hamilton using the pen name Frank Richards. He features in stories set at Greyfriars School, a fictional English public school in Kent, originally published in the boys' weekly story paper The Magnet from 1908 to 1940. The character has appeared in novels, on television, in stage plays and in comic strips.

The Amalgamated Press (AP) was a British newspaper and magazine publishing company founded by journalist and entrepreneur Alfred Harmsworth (1865–1922) in 1901, gathering his many publishing ventures together under one banner. At one point the largest publishing company in the world, AP employed writers such as Arthur Mee, John Alexander Hammerton, Edwy Searles Brooks, and Charles Hamilton. Its subsidiary, the Educational Book Company, published The Harmsworth Self-Educator, The Children's Encyclopædia, and Harmsworth's Universal Encyclopaedia. The company's newspapers included the Daily Mail, the Daily Mirror, The Evening News, The Observer, and The Times. At its height, AP published over 70 magazines and operated three large printing works and paper mills in South London.

A story paper is a periodical publication similar to a literary magazine, but featuring illustrations and text stories, and aimed towards children and teenagers. Also known in Britain as "boys' weeklies", story papers were phenomenally popular before the outbreak of the Second World War.

<i>Valiant</i> (comics) British weekly comic

Valiant was a weekly British comics periodical published by Fleetway Publications and later IPC Magazines from 4 October 1962 to 16 October 1976. A boys' adventure comic, it debuted numerous memorable characters, including Captain Hurricane, The Steel Claw and Mytek the Mighty. Valiant lasted for 712 issues before being merged with stablemate Battle Picture Weekly.

<i>The Comet</i> (British comics) British weekly comic

The Comet was a weekly British comics periodical published by J.B. Allen and later Amalgamated Press and Fleetway Publications from 20 September 1946 to 17 October 1959. Initially a children's newspaper, The Comet was transformed into a boys' adventure comic in May 1949 by editor Edward Holmes when J.B. Allen were purchased by Amalgamated Press. Also known as Comet Comic, The Comet Adventure Weekly, Comet Weekly and simply Comet as various points the title continued until October 1959, reaching 580 issues before being merged with another AP boys' comic, Tiger.

<i>Wham!</i> (comics) Former British comics magazine

Wham! was a weekly British comics magazine published by Odhams Press. It ran for 187 issues from 20 June 1964 to 13 January 1968, when it merged into its sister title Pow!

Elizabeth Gertrude Bunter, better known as Bessie Bunter, is a fictional character created by Charles Hamilton, who also created her more famous brother Billy Bunter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C. H. Chapman</span>

Charles Henry Chapman (1879–1972), who signed his work as C. H. Chapman, was a British illustrator and cartoonist best known for his work in boys' story papers such as The Magnet where the character Billy Bunter appeared. He later illustrated Bunter cartoon strips and several Bunter books published in the 1950s and 1960s.

Leonard James Matthews was a British editor, publisher, writer and illustrator of comics and children's magazines, best known as the founder of the educational magazine Look and Learn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Minnitt</span>

Frank John Minnitt was a British illustrator and cartoonist who drew for over 100 comic papers from the 1920s to the 1950s. He is perhaps best known for his depictions of Billy Bunter in the comic Knockout between 1939 and 1958.

<i>Princess Tina</i> British weekly girls comic

Princess Tina was a British weekly girls' comic anthology published by Fleetway Publications and IPC Magazines from 23 September 1967 to 12 January 1974. The comic was created by combining two underperforming Fleetway titles — Princess and Tina — into a third, new comic. Notable strips included the long-running family drama "The Happy Days" and "Patty's World". The latter would outlive Princess Tina, continuing after the comic was merged into Pink.

<i>Knockout</i> (British comics) British weekly comic

Knockout was a weekly British comics periodical published by Amalgamated Press and later Fleetway Publications and IPC Magazines from 4 March 1939 to 16 February 1963. A boys' adventure comic, the title ran for 1227 issues before being merged with Valiant.

British girls' comics flourished in the United Kingdom from the 1950s through the 1970s, before beginning to decline in popularity in the 1980s and 1990s. Publishers known for their girls' comics included DC Thomson and Fleetway/IPC. Most titles appeared weekly, with the content primarily in picture-story format. The majority of the stories were serialized, with two or three pages per issue, over eight to twelve issues. They were marketed toward young teen girls.

<i>Girls Crystal</i> British weekly girls story paper, and later comic

Girls' Crystal was a British weekly fictional anthology publication aimed at girls. Published by Amalgamated Press and later Fleetway Publications from 26 October 1935 to 18 May 1963. Uniquely for an Amalgamated Press title, Girls' Crystal began as a story paper before transforming into a picture comic between editions, with the new format debuting on 21 March 1953. It ran for a combined total of 1432 issues before merging with School Friend in 1963.

<i>Princess</i> (comics) British weekly girls publication

Princess was a British weekly girls' comic anthology published by Fleetway Publications and, later, IPC Magazines. The first version was published between 30 January 1960 and 16 September 1967, and featured a mix of comic strips, text stories and a large proportion of features; it was merged with Tina to form a new title - Princess Tina - after 399 issues.

<i>June</i> (comics) British weekly girls comic

June was a British weekly girls' comic anthology published by Fleetway Publications and IPC Magazines from 18 March 1961 to 15 June 1974. Designed as a response to DC Thomson's hit Bunty, June never quite eclipsed its Scottish rival but was nevertheless a success on its own terms, reaching 631 issues before being merged into Tammy in 1974.

<i>Sun</i> (comics) British former weekly comic

Sun was a weekly British comics periodical published by J. B. Allen, Amalgamated Press and Fleetway Publications between 11 November 1947 and 17 October 1959. During this time it was also known as Sun Comic, Sun Adventure Weekly, The Cowboy Sun Weekly, The Cowboy Sun, The Sun and Sun Weekly at various points, and ran for 551 issues before merging with Lion.

<i>Serenade</i> (comics) British weekly romance comic

Serenade was a British weekly anthology romance comic published by Fleetway Publications from 22 September 1962 to 9 February 1963. Intended as a companion title to the company's successful Valentine with lavish production values, the comic failed to find an audience and was cancelled after 21 issues.

<i>Poppet</i> (comics) British weekly girls comic

Poppet was a British weekly girls' comic anthology published by Fleetway Publications from 5 October 1963 to 11 July 1964. The title was short-lived, running for 41 issues before being merged into June.

<i>Tina</i> (comics) British weekly girls comic

Tina was a British weekly girls' comic anthology published by Fleetway Publications from 25 February to 16 September 1967. The title was created specifically to be syndicated by a consortium of European publishers, and was particularly successful in the Netherlands. However, it struggled to make a mark in the British domestic market, and after 40 issues was merged with Princess to create successor title Princess Tina.

References

  1. ↑ Gifford, Denis (1971). Discovering Comics. Maund & Irving.
  2. ↑ Roach, David (2004). "The History of British Comic Art". In Khoury, George (ed.). True Brit: A Celebration of the Great Comic Book Artists of the UK. TwoMorrows Publishing. pp. 4–29. ISBN   978-1-893905-33-7.
  3. 1 2 Penny Dreadfuls and Comics: English Periodicals for Children from Victorian Times to the Present Day : A Loan Exhibition from the Library of Oldenburg University, West Germany at the Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood, 2 June-20 October 1983. Victoria and Albert Museum. 1983. ISBN   9780905209470.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mum's Own Annual: Presenting the Comics of Her Girlhood Days. Fleetway Editions Limited. 1993. ISBN   9781853862830.
  5. ↑ Storytime. Simon and Schuster. August 2019. ISBN   9781925384697.
  6. 1 2 3 Remembered Reading: Memory, Comics and Post-War Constructions of British Girlhood. Leuven University Press. 30 June 2015. ISBN   9789462700307.
  7. 1 2 "Evelyn Flinders".
  8. ↑ "Cloud Chamber 106". ansible.uk.
  9. ↑ "Boys and Girls". Comics Britannia. Season 1. Episode 2. 17 September 2007. BBC. BBC Four.
  10. ↑ "Reginald Ben Davis". lambiek.net.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Gifford, Denis. The British Comic Catalogue, 1874-1974. Mansell. ISBN   9789020048957.
  12. ↑ The Palgrave Handbook of Contemporary Gothic. Springer. 10 July 2020. ISBN   9783030331368.
  13. ↑ "John M. Burns". Comiclopedia. Lambiek.
  14. ↑ "Cecil Langley Doughty". lambiek.net.
  15. ↑ "Tom Kerr". lambiek.net.
  16. ↑ "Further thoughts on script conferences". 17 February 2015.
  17. ↑ "'Misty' and the Horrible Hidden History of British Comics (Part 1 of 3) by Julia Round — Pop Junctions". 28 October 2019.
  18. 1 2 Gothic for Girls: Misty and British Comics. Univ. Press of Mississippi. 29 October 2019. ISBN   9781496824493.
  19. ↑ New Society. New Society Limited. 4 October 1963.
  20. ↑ Ashford, David (1997). "The Knockout Comic – an Introduction by David Ashford". Knockout Comic – An Illustrated Guide. CJ Publications.
  21. ↑ Lofts, W.O.G.; Adley, D.J. (December 1969). Old Boys Books – A Complete Catalogue. York: D.J. Adley & W.O.G. Lofts.
  22. ↑ "'Billy Bunter' deal sees Oxford publisher amass huge comic collection". BBC News. 28 September 2018.
  23. ↑ Freeman, John (28 September 2018). "British Comic Heroes under one roof! Rebellion snaps up TI Media's classic comics catalogue". downthetubes.net.
  24. ↑ The Book in Britain: A Historical Introduction. John Wiley & Sons. 11 March 2019. ISBN   9780470654934.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.