Main Menu

Tammy and Jinty

Started by IndigoPrime, 21 June, 2019, 07:40:03 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

IndigoPrime

Well, that was a nice surprise. I'm not sure what I was expecting from this special, and I have no experience of the original strips some of these stories were based on. But this was a breezy, well written and well illustrated comic. Although a number of strips were lightning fast origins, they worked as standalones – often moreso than those in the other specials. Surprisingly, I think this is my favourite of the specials so far this year.

Tomwe

Smashing cover, not read it yet.

Leigh S

Yeah it's a great package - will try it out on my 10 year old daughter.  the only thing I thought was a bit of a misstep was the plot resolution of two stories being basically the same - bullying a bully makes you a bully.

Mardroid

This arrived in the post recently. It seems I ordered it along with a bunch of other specials early this year.

I confess, this is probably the only way I would have ordered this. Misty, I can find appealing, due to the spooky horror nature of the comic, but I confess I associated Tammy and Jinty with soap operish romantic... well... girly stuff.

I'm glad I was proven wrong. Well, it IS girly stuff in the sense that it's a girls' comic, with female protagonists largely (but not exclusively) written/drawn by female creators, but that's not a bad thing* and it's actually rather good. And it has fun, scifi and adventure and a bit of spooky stuff too, not unlike certain other comics we all love.

Curiously the spookiest story I found the most predictable and unsatisfying, nice art aside,(but it wasn't bad for all that) and the one with romance was probably one of my favourites, although not so much because of the romance but it's juxtaposition to something else.

There was still a strong feeling overall, that it's not quite for me (and as a middle aged man, it largely isn't) but it was decent, and enjoyable.

And kudos for featuring a football story where the message is '[spoiler]being a striker isn't the only important position'. I don't really like football, mostly as I find watching and playing most sports very boring, but I appreciate the idea of it, and I've often felt it irritated by how idolised the goal scorers are, compared to other team-mates who are fundamental parts of the team. Always struck me as rather unfair.
[/spoiler]
*With the large caveat, that I'm not really a fan of comics being aimed at specific genders. I'm of the view a good story is a good story and it's quite possible to empathize with characters of the opposite sex, if they are well written. On the other hand, if this gets more young ladies reading and creating  comics that's no bad thing.

Bolt-01

I really enjoyed that. Some cracking strips and well done to the editorial team for pulling together such a solid set of strips.  Nice to see Jim trying several lettering styles and a welcome to Karl Stock on the letters too.

Bad City Blue

Justine - Not bad, with nice art from PJ Holden
Rocky Race - Very good, best in the mag
Affirmative Action - Awful, like the worst of the original Future Shocks.
In The Cold Dark - unoriginal and rather pointless, another tired idea but nice art
Maisie's Magic Eye - An old strip that holds up well as an idea. Fun.
Speed Demons - great idea to use roller derby and a good strip, although a straight story would have been better
Duckface - A real gem this one. Understated, well written and drawn and relevant to girls of today
The Enigma Variation - looks and reads like something out of an old 2000AD annual. Okay but nothing special.
Bella At The Bar - A decent reworking of the old strip, though the art is a bit to cartoony for me.
Writer of SENTINEL, the best little indie out there

SmallBlueThing(Reborn)

Absolutely zero copies of this in my home town. Four newsagents checked around the town centre, including WHSMITHS. 
This, after last week's Sci-Fi Special debacle, where there were a grand total of 2 copies in WHS, both of which I bought, and then had to travel 4 miles to find a single lonely copy in another newsie- which I then also bought for Locusts, formally of this parish now ensconced back in the States. 

I spoke to the magazine guy in WHS today, and suggested that maybe if something completely sells out within five minutes of being put on the shelf,  maybe they should order some more? He acted as though this hadn't occurred to him and said he would see what he could do. This, a week and an hour after the last copy had been purchased.
I also showed him the ad for T&J in this week's prog and asked why it hadn't come in. He again looked confused, took a photo of the ad on his phone, and muttered about "calling Easons" I think. I mentioned that the earlier Cor & Buster special had been fully stocked, and indeed they still had about ten copies on the shelf last week. They've now gone, so I assume they should have been replaced with the T&J, which they weren't. 
All the while they got 10+ copies of this week's prog, and still had six or so Megs left from last week, so it's not like they don't know the brand or the distributor.
Really annoying,  as I now have to trek out to that little newsie again on the off chance. 

SBT

Bolt-01


Jim_Campbell

Quote from: SmallBlueThing(Reborn) on 26 June, 2019, 03:41:46 PM
Really annoying,  as I now have to trek out to that little newsie again on the off chance. 

You realise that if you order it from the site, Rebellion gets to keep more of the cover price and they send it to your house?
Stupidly Busy Letterer: Samples. | Blog
Less-Awesome-Artist: Scribbles.

SmallBlueThing(Reborn)

I do. However, I much prefer actually buying my comics from shops if I can. My reasoning is simply this: if I show an interest in a title, or buy it, they may well be more inclined to stock it in future, usually in greater numbers (you'd think, though today's conversation with WHS man may have knocked my confidence in this). That was there's more chance of a member of the public chancing upon a copy and buying it. That's how I started with comics, and if Mighty World of Marvel, Super Spider-Man And The Titans or indeed 2000AD had been only available direct from the publisher,  I would never have read a single copy. But yeah, if my walk to that shop tomorrow (got to keep my Samsung Health app happy and my step count up) yields no results, I will have to order one.
SBT

Jim_Campbell

Quote from: SmallBlueThing(Reborn) on 26 June, 2019, 04:07:32 PM
But yeah, if my walk to that shop tomorrow (got to keep my Samsung Health app happy and my step count up) yields no results, I will have to order one.

Embrace the Internet laziness!
Stupidly Busy Letterer: Samples. | Blog
Less-Awesome-Artist: Scribbles.

IndigoPrime

Embrace direct support for publishers also. (I do get the 'shop' model, too, and might try that myself if there was a local indie. But we have a half-arsed Smiths and a half-arsed McColls. I don't really care for either, and they don't care for comics.)

SmallBlueThing(Reborn)

We are old, Jim. Old.
We are on a comic website, talking about a revamped version of a girls' comic we probably would not have been seen dead reading back when comics were a thing. And now they aren't a thing, we are tearing out what little hair we have left in deciding how best to support a publisher stoically continuing it's efforts to make them a thing again. And like the old people we are, we start talking about our health. I'll tell you about my knees if you like. Maybe Rebellion should start a monthly health/ moan/ top tips/ puzzle magazine?

Indigo: You can order mags from newsagents, though I understand WHS charge you for the privilege.  Maybe a regular order would inspire them to get more for the shelf? 

SBT

Dark Jimbo

My local McColls is great - (unlike the local Tharg-free Smiths) always a load of progs, three or four Megs, the Ultimate Collection and occasional specials. Best of all it tends to go out on the shelves early, so I get the UC books on the Monday or Tuesday before it's officially released.
@jamesfeistdraws

IndigoPrime

Quote from: SmallBlueThing(Reborn) on 26 June, 2019, 04:44:08 PMIndigo: You can order mags from newsagents, though I understand WHS charge you for the privilege.  Maybe a regular order would inspire them to get more for the shelf?
If the store gave the slightest shit about its customers, I might. This is the kind of store where their machine eats coins and then they claim it's fine (lesson learned: only ever pay using a card). The local McColls is slightly better, assuming you ignore their opening hours for the post office. They're at least nice to my kid when she buys something.

Like I said, if we had a nice local indie, I'd support it. I might even for Smiths or something if they knew their arse from their elbow (when asking about ordering, it's a case of "well, we might get it or we might not"). As it is, I'm happy paying Rebellion and other publishers directly.