Girls' Crystal
Girls' Crystal was a British weekly story paper and then a comic book published by Amalgamated Press (AP) that ran from 1935 to 1963. Along with "School Friend" and "Girl", it was one of the first British girls' comics. Publication history. The publication launched on 28 October 1935 as "The Crystal", a play off the popular AP boys' story paper "The Gem". With issue #10, the publication changed title to "The Girls' Crystal". In 1940, the fellow AP story paper "The Schoolgirl" merged into "Girls' Crystal" (ironically, "The Schoolgirl" was a continuation of the story paper "School Friend ; many years later, the Girls' Crystal" comic merged into the "School Friend" comic). Stories from "Girls' Crystal" were reprinted in "Schoolgirls' Own Library" and the "Girls' Crystal Annual". With the 21 March 1953 issue (issue #909), "Girls' Crystal" converted from story paper to comic book, continuing the numbering. Amalgamated Press was acquired in 1959, and the publication of "Girls' Crystal" was taken over by Fleetway Publications, continuing until April 1963 when the comic was merged into "School Friend". Story paper. "Girls' Crystal" featured 4-5 rotating storylines, one of the most notable being Daphne Grayson's "Merrymakers" series. Another popular  feature was about a detective named Noel Raymond and his niece/assistant June Gaynor. Written by Ronald Fleming as "Peter Langley," the serial was unusual in a girls' magazine that both the main character and the writer pseudonym were male.. These stories lasted until May 1951. Controversy. Author Horace E. Boyten wrote some stories under the pseudonym "Enid Boyten." In 1953, lawyers for the popular children's writer Enid Blyton complained to "Girls' Crystal" editor Reg Eves that the names were similar enough that the publication was trying to cash in on Blyton's fame. Eves denied the charge, but  from then on, Boyten wrote under the name "Hilda Boyten" (later changing it again to "Helen Crawford"). Some years later, text serialization of the Enid Blyton books "The Famous Five", The Secret Seven, and "The Mystery of Banshee Towers" appeared in the Amalgamated Press comics "Princess", "School Friend", and "June". Comic book. The content of the "Girls' Crystal" comic was a mix of school stories, girl-next-door stories, romance, mystery, and travel adventure. Skating and ballet were common subjects, as were animals and the circus. A regular text feature was "Trixie's Diary". The "Sally and Dave the Gay  Adventurers" text feature appeared in issues at the end of the run. Another text feature was "Carol of the Circus". Many of the text features were written by Elise Probyn. Illustrators for the comic strips included John M. Burns, Luis Bermejo, Tom Kerr, and John Armstrong.