Wednesday, December 18, 2024

HI-SCHOOL ROMANCE "Baby-Sitter's Blues"

From the title, you wouldn't think this was a Yuletide story...
...but it most definitely is!
Does this story (by unknown writers, artists, or a writer-artist) from Harvey's Hi-School Romance #3 (1950) give you the "warm and fuzzy" feeling such holiday tales are supposed to provide?
Merry Christmas!!!

Wednesday, December 11, 2024

BARBIE "See You Later, Christmas Gator" Part 2: Special Delivery & Part 3: The Present

 ...on Christmas Eve, Santa Claus runs into trouble when he's forced down over Florida by a tropical storm!
Luckily, Barbie is nearby...
Normally, we'd run Part 3 next week, but the chapters are so short, we're going to present it now...

Written by Angelo DeCesare, penciled by Mario Capaldi, and inked by John Lucas, this never-reprinted tale from Marvel's Barbie #50 (1995) was typical of the kool flights of fancy the series specialized in.
Barbie, and its' sister title Barbie Fashion, were two secret success stories for Marvel in the 1990s.
Because they weren't superhero titles, the hardcore (mostly male) fans never even noticed them, but the two books ran an impressive 63 and 53 issues respectively at a time when many titles lasted 12 issues...or less!
Next Week:
We're Not Sure Which Yultide Tale We'll Present!
But We Do Guarantee...
You'll Cry Your Eyes Out If You Miss It!
And now a word from our sponsor...
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True Love Comics Tales!
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Wednesday, December 4, 2024

BARBIE "See You Later, Christmas Gator" Part 1: the Journey Begins

Ah, a world where Santa Claus is real...
...that's my kind of place!
Written by Angelo DeCesare, penciled by Mario Capaldi, and inked by John Lucas, this never-reprinted tale from Marvel's Barbie #50 (1995) was typical of the kool flights of fancy the series specialized in.
Barbie, and its' sister title Barbie Fashion, were two secret success stories for Marvel in the 1990s.
Because they weren't superhero titles, hardcore, mostly male, fans never even noticed them, but the two books ran an impressive 63 and 53 issues respectively at a time when many titles lasted 12 issues or less!
Next Week:
The Poignant Conclusion to this Yuletide Tale!
You'll Cry Your Eyes Out If You Miss It!
And now a word from our sponsor...
Support True Love Comics Tales!

Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Amourous Education HI-SCHOOL ROMANCE "A Kiss to Remember"

We Conclude Amourous Education for 2024 with...
...a tale which practically defines "wholesome"!
Not like that "Teen-Age Sex Club" tale we ran a couple of weeks ago!
With the names of both the writers and illustrators lost to the mists of time, this story from Harvey's Hi-School Romance #4 (1950) seems like a "new direction" during a period when romance comics were more oriented to older teens and even young women who followed romance magazines and radio soap operas!
Next Week:
We Haven't Decided What We'll Present...Yet!
But We Can Guarantee...
You'll Cry Your Eyes Out if You Miss It!

And now a word from our sponsor..
Support True Love Comics Tales!
Visit Amazon and Order...

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

Amourous Education SPARKLING LOVE "Written in the Stars"

Normally, Our Amourous Education Stories Involve Students or Teachers...
...but in this case, it's a school office worker who hangs with students in her spare time!
Illustrated by Sid Lazarus and scripted by an unknown writer, this story from Avon's Sparkling Love #1 (1950) appeared elsewhere that same month!
The contents for the entire comic were also bound in Avon's newest romance pulp magazine...
...Sparkling Love Stories as "32 pages of romance stories illustrated in full color" to go with the prose love tales with spot illustrations in black and white.
(Luckily for them, pulp magazines and comic books were the same size!)
Next Week:
More High School/College Hi-Jinks!
You'll Cry Your Eyes Out if You Miss It!

And now a word from out sponsor..
Support True Love Comics Tales!
Visit Amazon and Order...

Wednesday, November 13, 2024

Amorous Education FIRST LOVE ILLUSTRATED "I Joined a Teen-Age Sex Club"

If that title doesn't get your attention, nothing will...
...and it wasn't even the cover-featured story in that issue of Harvey's First Love Illustrated!
Surprisingly,  this story from First Love Illustrated #13 (1951) wasn't one of the tales mentioned in Fredric Wertham's anti-comics screed Seduction of the Innocent (1954)!
Tales of scandalous "sex clubs" pop up every so often during periods of sexual repression such as the 1950s usually in local media looking for a sensationalistic story.
You'll note the tale is presented from scans of the original artwork, not the printed comic.
Unfortunately, every copy of the comic we could find is "slabbed" (encased in plastic) to increase it's resale value to the owner.
The fact it renders the comic unreadable is, sadly, secondary to most people.
(The concept of "slabbing" was developed for trading cards which don't have interiors.
The "collector mentality" of dealers adapted the idea to comics and magazines which do have readable interiors that, after being encased in plastic, are no longer accessible!
And removing the comic from the casing lowers the resale value!)
Illustrated by noted good-girl artist Bob Powell (who also did a number of heroine strips including Cave Girl), the writer of this torrid tale is unknown.
Next Week:
More High School/College Hi-Jinks!
You'll Cry Your Eyes Out if You Miss It!

And now a word from out sponsor..
Please Support True Love Comics Tales!
Visit Amazon and Order...

Wednesday, November 6, 2024

Amorous Education CAMPUS ROMANCES "What College Failed to Teach Me"

The Older Man/Younger Woman Trope Gets an Added Boost...
...with a never-reprinted story that involves (potentially) incest!
Can you tell this is a pre-Comics Code Authority story?
Illustrated by Ed Waldman and scripted by an unknown writer, this tale from Avon's Campus Romances #2 (1949) is meant for an older audience (late teen/early adult) audience than romance comics from the mid-1950s onward!
Next Week:
We're Not Sure Yet Exactly What We'll Present!
But...
You'll Cry Your Eyes Out if You Miss It!

And now a word from out sponsor..
Please Support True Love Comics Tales!
Visit Amazon and Order...