Tomboy
   
                             
    Tomboy was a girl who behaved just like a boy. How
    outrageous is that?!

    Well, it upset her mother, that's for sure. Every time she
    waved her child goodbye from the front door, she'd dream
    of her angel doing girly things, like dressing up and playing
    with dolls. Truly, she'd take Tomboy's words at their face
    and female value...

    ...Only, Tomboy wasn't behaving girly at all. She was causing
    fights, digging up trouble, taking on dangerous stunts and
    exercises, getting dirty, bashed and bruised, and generally
    behaving not just like a boy, but like the very worst kind
    of hooligan. She'd destroy gardens, ruin roadworks,
    plough through fences and worse. Those first Cor!! strips
    even went so far as to get her tangled up with dinosaurs
    and fire-breathing dragons!

    This wayward lass had an on/off pal in the form of Spike.
    He was a bruising boy who looked like he had stepped
    straight out of borstal, and he'd meet up with Tomboy from
    time to time to double up on the mayhem.

    As for Mum, well, she obviously coped through denial.
    Time and again her daughter would throw herself into the
    worst kind of trouble. And time and again Mum would wave
    her away at the start of the next strip, as if butter wouldn't
    melt in her cherubic daughter's mouth.

    Tomboy really needed a father figure, but alas, there
    wasn't one hanging around. Many readers even thought
    she didn't have one at all. But the opening of a Cor!! strip,
    dated 19th January 1974, reveals that Tomboy did indeed
    have a father. He was simply out of sight. Presumably,
    keeping his head down as his wiley daughter was let
    loose once more:

     
    
    When ever Mum imagines what her daughter is up to, we
    always see her thought bubbles. In this particular strip,
    Tomboy has asked Mum for some pictures of the family.
    Mum duly imagines the set-up above, and offers to get
    "Dad" so they can smarted up for the photo. Once more,
    she's oblivious to Tomboy's real plans (Tomboy wants
    to sell them!).

    "Dad" actually shows up again three years later in the
    1977 Cor!! Annual. There's a strip therein which opens with
    Tomboy and family around the dinner table, at Christmas.
    Father is present and correct, but he still doesn't speak,
    and this time, he's not even referenced by Tomboy or
    her Mother...

    Aw, bless 'er. Mum's stupidity and Tomboy's persistance
    gave us a popular strip which started in the very first
    issue of Cor!! and continued into the pages of Buster,
    after the two titles merged. Mum waving adieu to her
    daughter is a truly memorable Fleetway image...