MANDY & ME

DEBBIE wasn’t the only comic to entertain and inspire thousands of girls.

Anne Bulcraig fell in love with Mandy when she was 12 and continued to read the comics into her late teens.

“Debbie, Mandy and Tracey were brilliant because they were filled with incredible stories about girls that had real depth and variety,” said the 48-year-old. “Each story was a work of art in itself. There’s nothing quite like them today.” In her early twenties, Anne submitted a story to Mandy editor Bill Moodie. To her amazement, it was published.

She continued writing scripts for several years.

But as sales of certain comics began to wane, merging titles became common practice.

Anne said: “I think those moves upset younger readers.

“As a comic’s popularity faded it merged with another, then another, in an effort to save money and to preserve both titles.”

Like many readers, Anne was devastated when M&J folded and merged with Bunty in the late ’90s.

Bunty’s print run ended in 2001. But fondness for the golden era remains strong, as shown by the popularity of an exhibition at Dundee University featuring iconic DC Thomson favourites.

“There’s definitely a sense of nostalgia around these comics,” added Anne.

“It takes you back to what feels like a simpler era.

“The stories always had a moral but were never preachy.

“They helped me a lot on an emotional level. I was quite shy and they taught me how to interact with people.” She’d love to see comics like Mandy revived for a new generation.

“A lot of magazines now are forcing girls to grow up too quickly.

“I think girls would love those comics if they came back.”