Beattie Beats ‘Em All! (artist John Armstrong) – first episode

“Our Janie” Little Mum (artist Colin Merrett)

My Father – My Enemy!

The Cat Girl (artist Giorgio Giorgetti) – from Sally

Betina at Ballet School

The Secret of Trebaran (artist Giorgio Cambiotti)

The Girls of Liberty Lodge (artist Dudley Pout)

Maisie’s Magic Eye (artist Robert MacGillivray) – from Sally

Slaves of “War Orphan” Farm (artist Desmond Walduck, writer Gerry Finley-Day)

Sara’s Kingdom (artist Bill Mainwaring) – from Sally

Glen a Dog on a Lonely Quest (artist Jim Baikie)

Castaways on Voodoo Island (artist Ken Houghton)

No Tears for Molly (artist Tony Thewenetti, writer Maureen Spurgeon) – new story

Tammy was barely out of the starting gate herself when she absorbed her first title, Sally, on 3 April 1971. It was unusual for a longer-running title (which was itself less than two years old) to be swallowed by a much newer one that hadn’t even finished its first lineup of stories. Usually it was the other way around, so there has been speculation as to what brought this on. 

Sally had gotten off to a promising start, with a high flavour of autonomous heroines and adventure. Some of them were even costumed super-heroines, most notably “The Cat Girl”. Cat Girl is still fondly remembered today and has now spawned her own reprint volume. So, what happened?

Anything is possible, but it has been speculated that the answer may lie in one of IPC’s notorious strikes. It was a long one for Sally, and when she came back her cover actually celebrated her return. However, it is thought that Sally took a hit from the strike and failed to recover, and she was soon approaching cancellation. But if so, why didn’t she merge into June, the longest-running girls IPC title at that stage? Did something prevent another June merger? Or did the editors think that Sally would bring some new elements and readership into the new Tammy? Most certainly, the biggest flaw with the early Tammy was that she was disproportionately high on stories laden with dark and cruel elements, ill-used heroines, and misery guts such as abusive guardians, employers and racketeers. It made Tammy a hot-selling pioneer at the time, but there was very little lightweight material and absolutely no humour to add relief. When Sally was incorporated into Tammy, that changed somewhat. We got some adventure elements, humour and laughs with “Maisie’s Magic Eye” (Tammy’s first humour strip, with the ever-popular Robert MacGillivray artwork to add further delight), a royal adventure with “Sara’s Kingdom”, and Tammy’s first superheroine, Cat Girl, who brought in an enthralling blend of adventure, mystery, excitement, and humour with Giorgio Giorgetti’s eccentric style. So Tammy’s first merger was one that she benefitted highly from. 

Molly has started a new story for the merger. Her mum is taken ill, and that’s just the start of her problems. Bully butler Pickering refuses her permission to go home, but she goes off anyway, leading to her losing her job when he finds out. When she arrives back home, her family’s on the verge of being evicted because they weren’t able to pay the rent. The landlord grants them a brief stay of execution, but Molly’s at a loss as to how to come up with the money. Elsewhere in the issue, the remaining serials from Tammy’s first lineup continue unabated, but Voodoo Island, Secret of Trebaran and Glen give the impression they are approaching their climaxes.

The merger has also brought in a new character, “Beattie Beats ‘Em All!”, which may have been written for Sally. The premise feels like an early forerunner to Bella Barlow. Like Bella, Beattie is a feisty Cockney orphan, a misfit and a free spirit who likes her independence. Unlike Bella (or most Tammy heroines of the period) she isn’t abused. She can’t stay at the orphanage she grew up in any longer, but adoption doesn’t work out. Deciding she’s better off on her own, she runs off and ends up squatting while indulging in her only passions in life: cats and running events. Beattie is Tammy’s first sports story and the first appearance of John Armstrong’s artwork in Tammy.