Make Misty for Me

This chapter examines Misty ’s letters page. Few critics have analyzed comics letters pages in any depth, and this chapter discusses what self-image the ‘Write to Misty’ page constructs and whether this is consistent with (1) dominant discourses of the horror genre, (2) the reputation and readership of British girls’ comics, and (3) comics letters pages more generally. It analyzes the entire run of “Write to Misty,” demonstrating that reader response to the comic is based around the following six categories: creativity, curiosity, connection, community and conversation, comment and criticism, and compass. It frames these findings with scholarship on female audiences and their periodical publications. The analysis shows that Misty ’screative, critical and collegiate reader response is well-suited to its genre and audience, as much of the appeal of horror and Gothic literature comes from its challenge to our bravery and imaginations; its innate conservatism and morality; and (paradoxically) its challenge to social norms and notions of acceptability.