Who can kick three goals and six opponents in a playtime football game? Who can make the best go-cart in town? Who has the biggest collection of frogs, mice and creepy crawlies outside of the Zoo? … Tomboy! She was an unladylike little girl who always brought disappointment to her parents, particularly her Mother. Every week she would tell Mum she was up to something and Mother would imagine her offspring was finally turning into a lady, only to find out that Tomboy had a completely different thing on her mind. Each story ended with Mum saying That’s my Girl!
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| Tomboy from COR!! dated 12th December, 1970 (No. 28) |
Tomboy enjoyed playing cowboys and Indians, taking part in a girl-on-girl boxing match, watching wrestling on the telly, driving a tank, fighting bulls, taking karate lessons, taking part in motorcycle scrambling or a piano wrecking competition, etc. She even joined Hell’s Angels, wore a Nazi uniform (30th September, 1972, No. 122) and got into jail (10th March, 1973, No. 145). One might think the reason of her outrageous behavior was because a father wasn’t around. It’s true that the vast majority of Tomboy episodes featured her Mother and no Dad. But the truth is that Tomboy did have a Father who appeared quite regularly in the early episodes and occasionally later on in the series (for instance in issues 15th July 1972, 12th August 1972, 21st October 1972, 27th January 1973 (Nos. 111, 115, 125, 139)). My guess is that he got a job out of town soon after the strip was launched and was away from home most of the time...
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| Tomboy from COR!! dated 20th May, 1972 (No. 103) |
The feature did quite well in COR!! readers’ popularity polls. Tomboy ran from the first COR!! issue to the last, survived merger with BUSTER and continued there for another couple of years. The one-pager was in black and white until issue dated 8th April, 1972 (No. 97) and turned colour from 15th April, 1972 (No. 98). Tomboy made a front-page appearance in COR!! issue dated 1st June, 1974 (No. 209).
The illustrator was Brian Lewis. Mike Atwell is also credited with Tomboy artwork in Ray Moore’s Buster index.
