Tina

Tina was a British weekly girls' comic anthology published by Fleetway Publications from 25 February to 16 September 1967. The title was created specifically to be syndicated by a consortium of European publishers, and was particularly successful in the Netherlands. However, it struggled to make a mark in the British domestic market, and after 40 issues was merged with Princess to create successor title Princess Tina. Creation One of Fleetway's biggest boom areas by the 1960s was selling material from their many comics overseas. As creators were only paid their initial page rate, foreign sales were hugely profitable for the company, especially in Europe there were many publishers looking to fill out weekly anthologies. By 1967, a pattern was developing with purchases whereby adventure strips were selling better than many of the genre's staples, especially those more heavily steeped in British tropes - such as school stories - and foreign publishers were pressing for more action-orientated stories. As a result, Fleetway devised Tina as a more action-themed comic with an eye on making material for export. Tina would be published simultaneously by Fleetway in the UK and a consortium of European publishers, including Dutch company Spaarnestad, based in Haarlem. Partners were also found in France (Publications Georges Ventillard), Germany (Buch- und Pressedienst), Italy, Austria, Luxembourg and Sweden. John Sanders, responsible for the successful Look and Learn and the less successful Ranger, was assigned as editor as Director of Juvenile Publications Leonard Matthews felt he was best equipped to deal with the unprecedented nature of the job. The comic itself proudly announced the worldwide nature in the editorial column 'written' by pigtailed young girl Tina. The wide range of licensees - in addition to Fleetway's traditional overseas markets of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa - allowed the comic to proclaim it was "The Most Popular Girls' Paper in the World". To further aid the project, many stories were set in international locations. Perhaps the most famous was "Jane Bond - Secret Agent", officially no relation to Ian Fleming's James Bond and inspired by the television action girl boom initiated by the likes of The Avengers (which was hugely popular on continental Europe). The name also drew a connection with the famed newspaper strip Jane, on which artist Mike Hubbard had cut his teeth as assistant and then successor to Norman Pett.