In which there is the Mates annual 1977
Selected contents of the previous Mates annual 1976 with four scans and three more scans.
- Reading, books 2015, 31: 31. Mates annual, 1977.
Mates was a pop and romance comic. The 1977 annual was the second. The girl and boy on the cover are sharing a scarf that matches her gloves and hat. Reading this was like being banished to a 70s dystopia complete with ritualised misogynistic communal self-hatred, but on the plus side LOLZ because LOLZ. A couple of the romance comics have some of the worst art I’ve ever seen in this genre, srsly eye-warpingly bad. None of it’s signed and, frankly, if I was the agency artist who committed these atrocious comics then I wouldn’t own up either. Some of the other comics have notably good art, especially layouts and viewpoints.
Selected contents
"Life with Lindy" is a romance comic, which also had an episode in the previous annual. 8pg. One scan from the days when peppermint choc ices were the height of sophistication.
Alvin Stardust, Roy Wood, Elton John, Barry Blue, Linda Lewis, and David Essex, all reminisce about their schooldays. My favourite Linda Lewis album is probably Lark but her output is wide enough that it’s difficult to compare: It’s the Frame, by Linda Lewis, live, 1972, 2min and Reach for the Truth, by Linda Lewis, 5min, both on Lark (LP & CD). Lewis also inspired Cat Stevens to write Remember the Days of the Old Schoolyard, by Cat Stevens, 3min, and appears in the video although Elkie Brooks sang on Stevens’ released record.
The staffers writing quotidian self-referential anecdotage.
Endless eking out of unremarkable Bay City Rollers triva.
Pin-ups of all the Bay City Rollers indvidually, Kenny (band), Bilbo Baggins (band), Mud (band, on motorbikes), David Essex, Arrows (band), Rod Stewart, Gary Glitter (boo!), Donny & Marie Osmond.
Readers letters, horoscopes, fashion advice, what appears to be short form confessional fiction, puzzles, suggestions for things to do at home, behavioural advice, beauty advice, personality tests, cute animal photos, and one very short prose story.
Olivia Newton-John, Robin Gibb, Derek Longmuir, Cliff Richard, Suzi Quatro, and Alan Williams, reveal their earliest memories.
An unlikely anecdote purporting to be from David Essex.
Can You Pass the Kissing Test? No comment.
"Search Me…" is a romance comic, with a supernatural twist. And bad art. 8pg.
Elton John, Gary Glitter (boo!), Suzi Quatro, Lynsey de Paul, David Bowie, and Ron Mael, reveal how they feel about their appearance (mostly in the form of socially-approved self-deprecation).
A page mildly mocking 1950s pin-ups Lonnie Donnegan, Alma Cogan, and Jess Conrad (who was hot btw).
"Fever Pitch" is a romance comic about football and footballers. 8pg.
"Romance of the Week" is a comic unrealistically pitting a potential celebrity boyfriend against the boy next door type. The art is the worst I’ve ever seen in a mainstream British girls own comic. 8pg. This one deserves it’s own post.
Les McKeown, Suzi Quatro, Noel Edmonds, Les Gray, and David Essex, reveal when else in history they’d like to live. Interestingly, McKeown and Quatro both opt for the future, while Edmonds and Gray both give detailed and relatively knowledgable answers.
That's all folks! :-)
This entry was originally posted at http://spiralsheep.dreamwidth.org/524042.html and has
comments Please comment there using OpenID.
- Reading, books 2015, 31: 31. Mates annual, 1977.
Mates was a pop and romance comic. The 1977 annual was the second. The girl and boy on the cover are sharing a scarf that matches her gloves and hat. Reading this was like being banished to a 70s dystopia complete with ritualised misogynistic communal self-hatred, but on the plus side LOLZ because LOLZ. A couple of the romance comics have some of the worst art I’ve ever seen in this genre, srsly eye-warpingly bad. None of it’s signed and, frankly, if I was the agency artist who committed these atrocious comics then I wouldn’t own up either. Some of the other comics have notably good art, especially layouts and viewpoints.
Selected contents
"Life with Lindy" is a romance comic, which also had an episode in the previous annual. 8pg. One scan from the days when peppermint choc ices were the height of sophistication.
Alvin Stardust, Roy Wood, Elton John, Barry Blue, Linda Lewis, and David Essex, all reminisce about their schooldays. My favourite Linda Lewis album is probably Lark but her output is wide enough that it’s difficult to compare: It’s the Frame, by Linda Lewis, live, 1972, 2min and Reach for the Truth, by Linda Lewis, 5min, both on Lark (LP & CD). Lewis also inspired Cat Stevens to write Remember the Days of the Old Schoolyard, by Cat Stevens, 3min, and appears in the video although Elkie Brooks sang on Stevens’ released record.
The staffers writing quotidian self-referential anecdotage.
Endless eking out of unremarkable Bay City Rollers triva.
Pin-ups of all the Bay City Rollers indvidually, Kenny (band), Bilbo Baggins (band), Mud (band, on motorbikes), David Essex, Arrows (band), Rod Stewart, Gary Glitter (boo!), Donny & Marie Osmond.
Readers letters, horoscopes, fashion advice, what appears to be short form confessional fiction, puzzles, suggestions for things to do at home, behavioural advice, beauty advice, personality tests, cute animal photos, and one very short prose story.
Olivia Newton-John, Robin Gibb, Derek Longmuir, Cliff Richard, Suzi Quatro, and Alan Williams, reveal their earliest memories.
An unlikely anecdote purporting to be from David Essex.
Can You Pass the Kissing Test? No comment.
"Search Me…" is a romance comic, with a supernatural twist. And bad art. 8pg.
Elton John, Gary Glitter (boo!), Suzi Quatro, Lynsey de Paul, David Bowie, and Ron Mael, reveal how they feel about their appearance (mostly in the form of socially-approved self-deprecation).
A page mildly mocking 1950s pin-ups Lonnie Donnegan, Alma Cogan, and Jess Conrad (who was hot btw).
"Fever Pitch" is a romance comic about football and footballers. 8pg.
"Romance of the Week" is a comic unrealistically pitting a potential celebrity boyfriend against the boy next door type. The art is the worst I’ve ever seen in a mainstream British girls own comic. 8pg. This one deserves it’s own post.
Les McKeown, Suzi Quatro, Noel Edmonds, Les Gray, and David Essex, reveal when else in history they’d like to live. Interestingly, McKeown and Quatro both opt for the future, while Edmonds and Gray both give detailed and relatively knowledgable answers.
That's all folks! :-)
This entry was originally posted at http://spiralsheep.dreamwidth.org/524042.html and has
comments Please comment there using OpenID.