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Misty
publisher: Fleetway
start date:
4th Feb 1978
end date:
12th Jan 1980
101
issues
"Filled
with chills from the midnight world!'
"Dare you read it alone!"
Misty glided on to UK newsstands in February
1978. It was a Fleetway mystery
comic for girls filled with creepy kids, sinister
schoolteachers, mysterious artifacts
threatening strangers, cloaked Victorian gentlemen,
and ghostly goings-on.
Its pages offered readers a good strong dose of old-fashioned
frights, thrills,
and chills. Nothing too squeamish was on show, the
Misty artists always
panned away at the terrible denouement, but that
just made it all the more
tantalizing...
MISTY,where the unusual is usual,
where the unexpected is expected,
where every thrill's a chill. Enjoy your
journey through these pages... and
the strange lands and people
you'll meet.
Your friend,
Misty
The comic was introduced by the title starlet, a seductive dark-haired femme
fatale in the Hammer Film mold, who evidently relished the chilling tales she
was about to unleash upon her readers. And what great tales they were!
We had "The Moodstone" with Cathy Salmon, "Cult of The Cat" which
wove a tale around the mystery of Egyptian cat worship, "The Sentinels"
concerned two crumbling tower blocks in a city suburb called Birdwood,
and "The Body Snatchers" and "The Frankenstein Papers" and so many
more. Yep. There were some terrific titles on offer during Misty's short run:
Hush, Hush Sweet Rachel
The Doorway To Evil
The Girl Who Knew The Fairies
The Rise And Fall Of Anne Hughes
The Salamander Girl
The Secret Of Lan-Shi
Each issue, an individual horror story like the ones above would be presented
to us as a the weekly Nightmare. Light relief from all this creepiness came in
the form of Miss T a regular toon strip about a useless witch and her minions,
drawn by CJ.
Sadly, "Misty" ran for just 101 issues. With her second birthday in her grasp she
glided off into the mist from whence she came, merging with stablemate
Tammy. But her legacy lived on through to 1986 in the form of a regular
Fleetway Annual and a short run of 'Best-Of' monthly reprints..
At the time, Misty was aimed primarily at young girls, but it now clearly has a
male fanbase as well. Why? - Well, come on, girls in peril, schoolgirls in
flimsy nightdresses, or school uniform being pursued by ghouls and ghosts
and more? - You get the picture! - The covers were frequently fabulous, and
featured shrieking heroines shying away from flailing hands, ghastly shadows
and leering beasties. And then there were the Annuals, with those splendid
covers featuring Ms Misty herself (The exception being the inaugural 1979
edition which simply depicted a young girl in peril). Add these factors to
Misty's comparatively short run and, as a consequence, the secondary market
value for this title is rising dramatically.
Fleetway/IPC delved into the horror market again, of course, with the
bloodcurdling delights of Scream! But, personally, if I had to choose, Misty
is the more successful. Scream! is a hoot, it thrusts its blood-soaked panels
under your nose, keen to show you its gruesome horrors in all their inky glory.
But Misty holds something back, teases you, and casts you adrift in the fog.
And in the end your own imagination is more frightening by far...
The mists part...
So here we are in the noughties, and would you believe the midnight
mists have parted once more... revealing... a Misty revival, thanks to the
ongoing efforts of Mistycomic.co.uk. This fab fan site put together an
all-new Misty special back in 2006 (you'll find it here). And such has
been its popularity that another is on the way. But beter still, the
site has now been recognised by the current rights olders, Egmont,
and it's now billed as the "official" home for all things Misty-related...
Misty's Free Gifts
#1 - Lucky Charm Bracelet
#2 - Lucky Black Cat Ring
#3 - Wheel Of Fortune Booklet
Best Ofs
Feb-Sept 1986 / 8 editions
Annuals
1979-1986 / 8 editions
Specials
1978-1980 / 3 editions
On
the web
Misty
Comic
An unofficial fan-site that's now
been made official!...
26pigs
26pigs
features more of Misty..
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