Tales THRICE Told: TEEN-AGE ROMANCE / OUR LOVE STORY "Summer Must End!" & MARVEL ROMANCE REDUX "I Was a Beach Blanket Barbarian!"

For Some People, the End of Summer Can't Come Fast Enough...

Cover art by Jack Kirby and George Klein

...but this torrid tale by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Vince Colletta just screamed to be told as soon as possible (and not for the reason you think)!

PSST!

Wanna know a secret?

This story, which we're presenting from Atlas' Teen-Age Romance #84 (1961) later appeared in Marvel's Our Love Story #9 (1971) in an extremely-modified form!

The art in Our Love Story was retouched by art director John Romita Sr to "update" the hairstyles and some of the fashions, including the swimsuits...

"Why did they do that?" you may ask...

With sales falling on most non-superhero genres in the late 1960s (including Western and war as well as romance), this "updated reprinting" became a common practice on romance comics until the genre all-but died out in the late 1970s.

Publishers would do a new 6-12 page lead story and use retouched reprints to fill out the book.

Editors felt that:

a) the plots were relatively timeless.

b) updating the art was cheaper than totally-redrawing the story. 

c) the artists were better-utilized doing stuff that sold better (like superheroes).

d) the audience for romance comics, unlike superhero comics, totally-changed every 5-6 years anyway, and wouldn't notice the "old" plots.
But this wasn't the last time the story would be modified.
As you'll see, Marvel could modify more than just the art!
Five years after DC did the snarky Truer than True Romance trade paperback...

..which took old romance comics and rewrote them,.Marvel did a mini-series based on the same concept...except it was written entirely by males!

(The DC book was rewritten by a female writer.)

Here's what they did with "Summer Must End"...an interesting combination of both the Jack Kirby/Vince Colletta original and the John Romita Sr-modified/updated version..

Re-written by John Lustig, who had experience doing similar re-writes of Charlton's First Kiss romance comic series as Last Kiss.
You can check that out HERE!

Next Week...

We Don't Yet Know What We'll Present, But We DO Know...

You'll Cry Your Eyes Out If You Miss It!

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Marvel Romance Redux
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Super-Love LOVE AND CAPES "Do You Want to Know a Secret?" Part 1A

We Have Already Seen...

Mild-mannered, slightly-klutzy, glasses-wearing accountant Mark is romantically-involved with bookstore owner Abby. whom he met when he did her financials!

A typical, perhaps even unremarkable, love story...except that Mark is also the multi-powered super-hero known as...The Crusader!
He has just revealed his secret identity to Abby, who after the initial shock wore off, seems to be taking it in stride...until she discovers he was previously-involved with his glamorous, scantily-clad super-teammate...whom he still works with!

It looks like we're off to a good start!

Next Week:

We End This Chapter of Super-Love with the Most Controversial Story about Clark Kent and Lois Lane Ever Published!

(And, It's by a Famous Sci-Fi Author!)

You'll Cry Your Eyes Out if You Miss It!

And Now a Word from Our Sponsor

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Love and Capes

Volume 1

Do You Want to Know a Secret?

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Super-Love LOVE AND CAPES "Do You Want to Know a Secret?" Part 1

While Young Heroes in Love was a super-soap opera...

...this popular series is a super-sitcom, playing off decades-old concepts from both DC and Marvel...but mostly DC!

And on that light-hearted note, we take our leave until

TOMORROW

You'll Cry Your Eyes Out if You Miss It!

Created, written and illustrated by Thom (My Little Pony) Zahler, the series has continued, on and off, from 2006 to the present, detailing Mark and Abby's relationship from dating to...well...what dating and getting serious often leads to...no, not divorce!
Think of the culture clashes of Bob ❤︎ Abishola, but with superbeings!
In fact, reading this tale. with all the major superheroing being "off-camera", I wonder if it was meant to be a TV sitcom!
(Note: I hoped to do a link to a DVD or Blu-Ray collection of Bob ❤︎ Abishola, but there ain't none!
Why???)

And Now a Word from Our Sponsor

Support True Love Comics Tales

Visit Amazon and Buy...

Love and Capes

Volume 1

Do You Want to Know a Secret?

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Super-Love I ❤︎ MARVEL : Ai "Scarlet Witch in 'Meld with You' "

Though the "Ai" in this one-shot's title refers to the translated Japanese word for "love"...

...this non-continuity story features Marvel's most famous Artificial Intelligence, The Vision with The Scarlet Witch!

Written by C B Cebulski and illustrated by Tomoko Taniguchi, this never-reprinted tale was part of a collection of five 2006 one-shots on sale around Valentine's Day, featuring Marvel characters in romantic situations told in various narrative styles.

This particular anthology was done as manga and presented three tales, including the Avengers shown above along with Black Bolt and Medusa as well as Black Widow, Elektra, and Daredevil along with Karen Page)!

Next Week:

Another tale of Super-Love!
You'll Cry Your Eyes Out if You Miss It!

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 I ❤︎ MARVEL

Ai = Love

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