Rebellion have one heck of an impressive back catalogue to dive into, now that they own a sizeable chunk of the British comic industry's most treasured IP.

From the mighty world of 2000AD and beyond, and into the realms of amazing comics put out by IPC and other publishers in the 1970s and 80s, Rebellion aren't just sitting on those properties, they're letting some of the most amazingly talented comic authors and artists loose with modern interpretations of some of the best loved characters in those comics.

Though "Tammy" and "Jinty" were technically "Girls Comics" (as was Misty) I remember pinching my sister's copies whenever she bought comics instead of Sindy stuff with her pocket money, and was always surprised to find some real gems in amongst the usual 'girly' stuff (bear in mind at the time I was probably neck deep in 2000AD and completely obsessed with another mighty comic heroine, Halo Jones.

"Tammy and Jinty Special 2019" is like a glorious summer special brought bang up to date with well loved characters from both comics, given a serious splash of colour and a complete makeover at the hands of awesome comic folk like Rob Williams, Rachael Ball and the like.

Find Rocky of the Rovers (bang on trend for some amazing footie action going on in the Women's World Cup), Bella at the Bar (a story series that was a secret read and fave back as a kid), Justine, Maisie's Magic Eye and several other great strips revived and brought into the 21st century proper.

I heartily approve of this, and C devoured this collection with glee. But then asked in a timid voice "What were the original comics like? Can you still get them?" so I spent a lot of time showing her some of the existing pics and strips you can find online.

Alas she much preferred the modern makeovers, I guess 70s and 80s comic panels and lettering were a hell of a lot busier than she's used to with modern comics, but I reckon I'll convert her yet. Where's that Misty Anthology...

Sum this collection up in a sentence: A truly brilliantly concieved modern makeover for some of the greatest comic characters in 70s and 80s 'girl' comics, reimagined for a new audience brilliantly.

"Tammy and Jinty Special 2019" is available now from Rebellion Publishing (kindly supplied in digital ARC format). 

Our Second Book of the Week to kick off January with a flying start is a real "OH MY GOSH!" book...

There have been many attempts to jazz up classic fairy tales, and turning them into comic strips isn't a particularly 'new' idea. But in this anthology simply titled "Fairy Tale Comics", well loved classics are turned into jazzy stories full of energy, pizazz and more than a dose of cheekiness.

The big draw here (if you'll pardon the pun) is seeing work by comic folk we already know and love. Luke Pearson (who is the utter genius behind the fabulous "Hilda" comics) puts his substantial talents towards a fabulous retelling of "The Boy Who Drew Cats" - which is based on a traditional Chinese folk tale. Elsewhere you've got an utterly wondrous version of "Snow White" by Jaime Hernandez and even one of our favourite fairy tales of all time, drawn and told beautifully here - "The 12 Dancing Princesses".

You already know we often champion comics as a way to engage reluctant readers, a way to present fabulous stories in a format that children take to like a duck takes to water, and the way comics are still as vibrant and exciting as we remember them as kids.

Your children might be a little bit fed up with constant reinventions of fairy tales but here everything feels vital and fresh, and it's a great little compendium to dip into over the space of a few nights for bed-time reads. Obviously comics aren't always a natural choice for reading aloud but we love them, tapping each speech bubble to follow the story together.

There's another volume in a similar vein from FirstSecond called "Nursery Rhyme Comics" - so we'll definitely be looking out for that.


Charlotte's best bit: The Twelve Dancing Princesses. A great story and really beautifully retold.

Daddy's Favourite bit: Gotta love Luke Pearson's amazing "The Boy Who Drew Cats" - basically the guy can do no wrong!

(Kindly sent to us through NetGalley by FirstSecond Publishing)