Australian Women's Weekly

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The Australian Women's Weekly
Issues with Mandrake
First: December 1, 1934
Last: n/a
Country: Australia
Website: n/a


The Australian Women's Weekly is an Australian monthly women's magazine published by ACP Magazines, a division of PBL Media based in Sydney. Audited circulation in 2009 exceeded 500,000 copies monthly, making it the largest magazine in Australia.

History

The magazine was started in 1933 by Frank Packer as a weekly publication. In 1982, publication frequency was reduced from weekly to monthly.

It became responsible for introducing Mandrake to Australian audiences, when it unveiled their new comic strip character on December 1, 1934. Mandrake quickly became one of the Weekly's most popular features - a feat no doubt helped by the magazine's policy of replacing any mentions of American place names and idioms with their Australian equivalents, thus persuading readers that Mandrake was, in fact, an Australian character.

 It seemed that almost from the day he decided to introduce "Mandrake the Magician" to the pages of the "Women’s Weekly" in December 1934, Packer was aware that comics would attract buyers. His involvement with "Fatty Finn"’s Weekly was undertaken at a time when no other newspaper proprietor would have given a second thought to the project. Throughout his publishing career, Packer was firmly committed to the use of comics in his papers and even named two of his dogs, "Mandrake" and "Henry", after comic strip characters. [1])

Mandrake's peak of popularity coincided with World War Two. When the Weekly was forced to reduce its page count as a wartime paper rationing measure, Mandrake was dropped from the magazine for a week - before readers' protests prompted the Weekly to bring him back in the next issue!

In the 40s the publisher of the Weekly, Consolidated Press, did produced some large black & white Mandrake the Magician comic books.

Daily

Original story title Start End Comments
"The Cobra" #1/12-1934 #18/5-1935 edited
"The Hawk (Mandrake Meets Narda)" #25/5-1935 #20/7-1935 edited
"The Monster of Tanov Pass" #27/7-1935 #12/10-1935 edited
"Saki, the Clay Camel" #19/10-1935 #21/3-1936 edited
"The Werewolf" #28/3-1936 #8/8-1936 edited
"The Return of the Clay Camel" #15/8-1936 #23/1-1937 edited
"The Slave Traders of Tygandi" #30/1-1937 #3/7-1937 edited
"Mandrake in the Lost World" #10/7-1937 #18/12-1937 edited
"In the Cobra's Grip" #25/12-1937 #11/6-1938 edited
"Mandrake in America" #18/06-1938 #26/11-1938 edited
"Mandrake in Hollywood" #26/11-1938 #11/2-1939 edited
"Sonny the Child Movie Star" #11/2-1938 #1/4-1939 edited
"Mandrake and the Haunted House" #1/4-1939 #3/6-1939 edited
"Blozz the Champion" #3/6-1939 #18/8-1939 edited
"Mandrake in Love" #18/8-1939 #25/11-1939 edited
"Visitors from Space" #25/11-1939 #10/2-1940 edited
"The Deep South" #10/2-1940 #1/6-1940 edited
"Mandrake in Cockaigne" #1/6-1940 #19/10-1940 edited
"Mandrake in North Africa" #19/10-1940 #5/4-1941 edited
"The Mountain Bandits" #5/4-1941 #17/5-1941 edited
"The Museum Mystery" #17/5-1941 #11710-1941 edited
"The Octopus Ring" #18/10-1941 #19/9-1942 edited
"Dr Griff's Invention" #26/9-1942 #27/2-1943 edited
"The Mystery of the Striped Orchid" #6/3-1943 #5/5-1943 edited
"The Great Grando" #12/6-1943 #11/12-1943 edited
"Lothar the Champ" #18/12-1943 #25/11-1944 edited
"The Rumor Factory" #25/11-1944 #25/11-1944 only first strip
"Baron Kord" #25/11-1944 #29/9-1945 edited

Sundays

Original story title Start End Comments
"Prince Paulo the Tyrant" #6/10-1945 #26/01-1946 edited
"The Treasure Hunt" #2/02-1946 #6/07-1946 edited
"The Lunar Trip" #13/07-1946 #14/12-1946 edited
"The Haunted Range" #21/12-1946 #15/02-1947 edited
"The Ghost Bear of Glass Mountain" #22/02-1947 #24/05-1947 edited, some extra panels added by unknown artist
"The Theatre Mysteries" #31/05-1947 #26/07-1947 edited, one extra panel added by unknown artist
"The Flame Pearls Pt.1: Attempted Assassination" #2/08-1947 #6/09-1947 edited
"The Flame Pearls Pt.2: Magnetic Island" #6/09-1947 #18/10-1947 edited, missing the strips of June 30 and July 7, 1940
"The Flame Pearls Pt.3: The Three Cows" #25/10-1947 #29/11-1947 edited
"The Swordfish (filler page)" #29/11-1947 #6/12-1947
"The Flame Pearls Pt.4: The Amazons" #13/12-1947 #14/02-1948 edited
"The Flame Pearls Pt.5: The Ghost Ship" #14/02-1948 #22/05-1948 edited
"The Flame Pearls Pt.6: The Witch of Tago" #22/05-1948 #10/07-1948 edited
"The Flame Pearls Pt.7: Land of the Giants" #10/07-1948 #23/10-1948 edited
"The Flame Pearls Pt.8: The Hungry Isles" #30/10-1948 #19/03-1949 edited
"The Singing Devils" #26/03-1949 #16/07-1949
"The Atalan Deep" #23/07-1949 #29/10-1949
"The Twins of Karana" #5/11-1949 #28/01-1950
"Roc Island" #4/02-1950 #29/04-1950
"Kingdom of Marvel" #6/05-1950 #2/12-1950
"The Blue Bandit" #9/12-1950 #24/03-1951
"The Prince Who Never Smiled" #31/03-1951 #5/05-1951
"City of Jewels Pt.1: The Polar Bear Pirates" #12/05-1951 #27/06-1951
"City of Jewels Pt.2: The Ice Demons" #4/07-1951 #22/08-1951
"City of Jewels Pt.3: Conclusion" #29/08-1951 #10/10-1951
"The Raft People" #17/10-1951 #28/11-1951
"Fear Island" #5/12-1951 #6/02-1952
"The Mystery of the Big Trees" #13/02-1952 #16/04-1952
"Jungle Adventure" #23/04-1952 #19/11-1952 in color from #2/07-1952
"The Ghost Whale" #26/11-1952 #14/01-1953
"The Department Store Mystery" #21/01-1953 #25/02-1953
"Curse of the Kavrun Emerald" #4/03-1953 #29/04-1953
"The Venus Flytrap" #6/05-1953 #10/06-1953
"The Spaceship to Venus" #17/06-1953 #9/09-1953
"Mystery of the Vanishing Homes" #16/09-1953 #21/10-1953
"The Caribbean Mystery" #28/10-1953 #18/11-1953
"The Jungle Fullback" #25/11-1953 #23/12-1953
"Taboo Land" #30/12-1953 #24/03-1954
"The Doorway to Z" #31/03-1954 #23/06-1954
"The Hide-out" #30/06-1954 #4/08-1954
"The Visitors" #11/08-1954 #3/11-1954
"The Water Champs" #10/11-1954 #24/11-1954
"Mandrake's Magic House" #1/12-1954 #19/01-1955
"Mandrake Plays Cupid" #26/01-1955 #2/03-1955
"Rex (The Living Fossil)" #9/03-1955 #25/05-1955
"The Mountain that Walked" #1/06-1955 #29/06-1955
"The Tomb" #6/07-1955 #3/08-1955
"The Ocean Wind" #10/08-1955 #9/11-1955
"The Sleeping Forest" #16/11-1955 #21/12-1955
"Isle of the Giant" #28/11-1955 #29/02-1956
"Universal Love" #7/03-1956 #18/04-1956
"Magnetic Island" #25/04-1956 #4/07-1956
"The Castaway" #11/07-1956 #5/09-1956
"City in the Deep" #12/09-1956 #28/11-1956
"Witchman's Peak" #5/12-1956 #8/05-1957
"The Miss Galaxy Beauty Contest" #15/05-1957 #27/11-1957
"The Casino" #4/12-1957 #22/01-1958
"The Place Called X" #29/01-1958 #25/06-1958
"The Invaders" #2/07-1958 #15/10-1958
"The Mesa" #22/10-1958 #31/12-1958
"The Birthday Party" #7/01-1959 #27/05-1959 b/w from February 25, 1959
"The Invisible Thief" #3/06-1959 #9/09-1959
"The Watcher" #16/09-1959 #30/12-1959
"The Horse Thief" #6/01-1960 #16/03-1960
"The Abominable Snowman" #23/03-1960 #31/08-1960
"The Demon Photographer" #7/09-1960 #23/11-1960 landscape layout from September 28, 1960
"The Radio Telescope" #30/11-1960 #7/12-1960
"The Water Pirates" #14/12-1960 #5/04-1961
"Sky Raid" #12/04-1961 #7/06-1961
"The Summit Conference" #14/06-1961 #27/09-1961 portrait layout from August 16, 1961
"The Space Thing" #4/10-1961 #24/01-1962
"The Diversion" #31/01-1962 #11/04-1962
"The Collector" #18/04-1962 #29/08-1962
"Task Test" #5/09-1962 #9/01-1963
"The Trade Commission (The Blue Planet)" #16/01-1963 #3/07-1963
"The Ghost Lover" #10/07-1963 #25/12-1963
"The Double" #01/01-1964 #13/05-1964
"The Castaway" #20/05-1964 #18/11-1964
"The Mole" #25/11-1964 #23/06-1965

Sundays by Fred Fredericks

Original story title Start End Comments
"The Traveller's Tale" #30/06-1965 #1/12-1965
"The Cobra Returns" #18/12-1965 #13/07-1966
"The Underworld vs. Inter-Intel" #20/07-1966 #16/11-1966 color from August 31, 1966
"The Astro Pirates" #23/11-1966 #5/04-1967 b/w from December 28, 1966
"The Blackout Caper" #12/04-1967 #2/08-1967
"The Meeting of Mandrake and Lothar" #9/08-1967 #24/01-1968
"The Game of Chance" #31/01-1968 #22/05-1968
"Invasion of the Babu" #29/05-1968 #30/10-1968
"Second Chance" #6/11-1968 #12/02-1969
"The All or Nothing Hunt" #19/02-1969 #9/07-1969
"The Galactic Rumble" #16/07-1969 #17/12-1969
"The Invaders" #24/12-1969 #22/04-1970
"The 3D Monster" #29/04-1970 #29/07-1970
"The Solar Wind" #5/08-1970 #2/12-1970
"The Mystery" #9/12-1970 #14/04-1971
"The Mystery of Hojo " #21/04-1971 #02/06-1971
"The Shark" #09/06-1971 #01/09-1971
"The College of Magic" #08/09-1971 #08/12-1971
"The Space Pack" #15/12-1971 #01/03-1972
"The Garden of the Inca" #08/03-1972 #24/05-1972 last issue has a double date : 24 and 31/05-1972
"Emile, Emir of Emmo" #07/06-1972 #23/08-1972
"The Blue Thing" #30/08-1972 #06/12-1972
"The Basilisk" #13/12-1972 #11/04-1973
"The Mystery of the Stone Face" #18/04-1973 #18/07-1973
"Lothar's Walk in the Park" #25/07-1973 #12/09-1973
"The Mystery of Inter-Intel" #19/09-1973 #07/11-1973
"Fun with Mandrake" #14/11-1973 #23/01-1974
"The Bank Robbery" #30/01-1974 #08/05-1974
"Return to X" #15/05-1974 #16/10-1974
"Galaxy War" #23/10-1974 #17/09-1975
"The Roadhouse" #24/09-1975 #29/10-1975
"Ghost Town" #05/11-1975 #18/02-1976
"The Plane Hijackers" #25/02-1976 #14/04-1976
"Heavy" #21/04-1976 #30/06-1976
"The Giant Head" #07/07-1976 #29/09-1976
"Moxley University Robbers" #06/10-1976 #01/12-1976
"Prairie Man" #08/12-1976 #23/03-1977
"Mysterious Bigfoot" #30/03-1977 #20/07-1977
"Old Folks" #27/07-1977 #02/11-1977
"The Three Brothers" #09/11-1977 #01/02-1978
"Mr Ttazz" #08/02-1978 #21/06-1978
"Narq's Conquest" #28/06-1978 #10/01-1979
"Mandrake and Ali-Petro" #17/01-1979 #23/05-1979
"The Mysterious Birds" #30/05-1979 #03/10-1979
"The Sky Pirates" #10/10-1979 #05/12-1979
"Lothar's Workout" #12/12-1979 #13/02-1980
"Super Giant" #20/02-1980 #21/05-1980
"Mandrake's Hate Club" #28/05-1980 #08/10-1980
"The Cave Mystery" #15/10-1980 #11/02-1981
"The Rat Men" #18/02-1981 #14/10-1981
"Mandrake's Masquerade - The Xanadu Story" #21/10-1981 #19/05-1982
"Centre Stage Terror" #26/05-1982 #07/07-1982
"Prince Nasdaq" #14/07-1982 #08/12-1982
"El Dorado" #15/12-1982

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