Romance on the Range COWGIRL ROMANCES "Men Died for My Kisses!"

It's been a while since we've run a Western romance comic...

...so we looked for the most sensational story title we could find!

This 1950 one-shot from Atlas Comics is either #1 (if you go by the cover numbering) or #28 (if you go by the indicia on the inside cover).

The #28 indicates it's a continuation of Jeanie Comics, a teen humor title which ended two months earlier with #27.

As for why it's a one-shot, it seems rival Fiction House released their own Cowgirl Romances simultaneously...or just before...Atlas.\d

Fiction House's title continued for 11 more issues while Atlas' book disappeared after this one appearance.

Penciled by Pierce Rice and inked by Christopher Rule.
The scripter is unknown!

Fun fact: Atlas released six different Western romance titles in 1949-50, more than any other comics company...

Cowgirl Romances (1 issue)

Cowboy Romances (3 issues)

Love Trails (1 issue)

Rangeland Love (2 issues)

Romances of the West (3 issues)

Western Life Romances (3 issues)

You gotta give them credit.

When Atlas saw a hot trend, they jumped on it whole-heartedly!

Next week:

We haven't decided yet which Western Romance Story it'll be, but we can guarantee that...

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

(Oh, you've heard that, eh?)

And now a word from out sponsor...
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The Cowboy
Western Romance Graphic Novel
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Amourous Education TEEN-AGE ROMANCE "We Can't Marry Yet"

Though "Instant Gratification" is a Way of Life Today...

...it wasn't always so, as this never-reprinted story from Atlas' Teen-Age Romance #70 (1961) proves!

Edited/plotted by Stan Lee, scripted by Larry Lieber, penciled by Dick Giordano, and inked by Vince Colletta, this well-told tale of gratification deferred benefits from an especially-good coloring job by a (sadly) unknown colorist who was obviously "feeling" the material!

Next Week:

We're Not Yet Sure What We'll Present!

But We Can Guarantee That...

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

Halloween HeartBreak WORLD OF FANTASY "Strange Wife of Henry Johnson!"

Welcome to our final Countdown to Halloween 2024 tale...

...as we look at the never-reprinted tale behind this incredibly-misleading (but atmospheric), never-reprinted Bill Everett cover!

That means no one has seen this story from Atlas' World of Fantasy #4 (1956)...except you...for almost seven decades!

So she's not a witch...but an alien!

I have the feeling the cover was done before the Comics Code Authority began its' stranglehold on what was left of the comic book industry, but frugal editor Stan Lee didn't want it to go to waste, so he had an unknown writer along with artist John Forte take the basic plot and drop the supernatural element, replacing it with sci-fi!
It's still a nice tale of "love conquers all", eh?

Next Week:

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

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...

Gothic Tales of Haunted Love
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John Buscema Tales COWBOY ROMANCES "Cowgirls Don't Cry!"

Then-fledgling (now-legendary) artist John Buscema entered the comics field in 1949...

...and this tale, combining romance with a contemporary Western setting, was among the stories he illustrated that year!

This never-reprinted story from Atlas' Cowboy Romances #1(1949) was one of nine romance tales John illustrated that year.

Six of them were for Western romance comics!

(It was a very popular sub-genre at that point!)
BTW, John followed the established format for Atlas Comics' romance stories.
No full-page "splash" pages!
Six-panels to a page (except for the first page).
Lots of medium (from the waist up) and close-up panels.
When Buscema began working for other publishers, those restrictions no longer applied, and the artist we've come to know and admire burst forth...

Next Week, a 1950s story from John Buscema!

Witness his artistic evolution decade by decade!

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

And now a Word from Our Sponsor...

Please Support True Love Comics Tales

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Big John Buscema

Comics and Drawings

A combination of complete checklist of Buscema's comic and magazine work and a heavily-illustrated catalog of a 2009 Italian museum exhibition of his work!

Halloween HeartBreak ASTONISHING "Unknown Ones!"

The story's title has a double meaning to graphic literature aficionados...

...since it also covers the fact this story hasn't been seen in color since 1957!

It was reprinted (in b/w) in Dark Horse's Al Williamson: Hidden Lands TPB (2004), but that now-OOP tome had a very limited print run.

Written by Carl Wessler, this Williamson-penciled and Roy Krenkel-inked tale from Atlas' Astonishing #57 (1957) was done after the horror comics purge of the mid-1950s reduced EC Comics to just MAD Magazine, and the majority of their now-unemployed artists were scrambling around for work.

Besides Atlas, Williamson freelanced for ACG and Harvey, doing full pencils and inks, inking others like Jack Kirby and Matt Baker, or, as in this case, penciling for others (usually fellow Fleagle Gang members*) to ink.

*The "Fleagles" were a group of artists including Williamson, Roy Krenkel, Frank Frazetta, Wally Wood, Angelo Torres, and George Woodbridge who would help each other on tight deadlines by doing a "jam" with individuals penciling and inking different pages...even different panels on a single page...producing some absolutely amazing visuals...and always meeting the deadline!

Next week:

Another Tale of ♥True Love♥...with a Halloween Twist!

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

(Oh, you've heard that, eh?)

And now a word from out sponsor...

Please Support True Love Comics Tales

Visit Amazon and Order...

Gothic Tales of Haunted Love

Anything BUT Archie / Wedding Bliss WENDY PARKER "Getting Married!"

For over the past half-century, when you think "teen/young adult humor" in comics...you think Archie!

But, before the early 1960s, there was a lot more to the genre, as we'll show you, beginning with this never-reprinted tale from Atlas' Wendy Parker #1 (1953)!

Wendy Parker first appeared in Atlas' Miss America #53 (1953), which already featured Patsy Walker and Hedy Wolfe (who had their own comics as well).

Wendy was a rational, logical, young woman, unlike the ditzes who tended to populate the genre.

As you've seen in this tale, it was literally everybody else in the strip who were...well...ditzes!
Wendy was immediately given her own book, which lasted only eight issues, but she continued to appear as a backup feature in other titles for another year, before finally disappearing.
And I do mean "disappearing"!
None of her stories has ever been reprinted!

Next Week:

Another Example of Humor That Doesn't Look Like Archie!

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

And now a word from out sponsor..

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Archie's Rivals in Teen Comics

1940s-1970s

An Illustrated History

Wedding Bliss STORIES OF ROMANCE "A Man to Marry"

They look like the perfect couple, don't they?

Wait until the end of this never-reprinted tale from Atlas' Stories of Romance #12 (1957), dear reader!

Didn't see that one coming, did you?
The scripter is unknown, the inker is Vince Colletta, and the unknown ghost-penciler appears to be Joe Sinnott!

Next Week...

We Do Know What We'll Present!

And, We Can Guarantee That...

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

(Read the ad below and you'll see what it is!)

And Now a Word from Our Sponsor...

Please Support True Love Comics Tales
Visit Amazon and Order...

Agonizing Love
The Golden Age of Romance Comics
(Next week, we're presenting the comic cover that illustration is taken from!)

JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY "Man Who Changed!"

Here's a decidedly-different (and very sweet) take on Valentine's Day...

...with an ending you won't see coming!

Illustrated by Penciler Jay Scott Pike and inker Christopher Rule, this story from Atlas' Journey into Mystery #27 (1955) isn't a typical romance.

But sometimes we need to be reminded that "love" takes many forms from passionately-romantic to simply caring about someone else...and that everybody deserves to be loved!

Since we're posting today, there won't be a post on Wednesday, February 16th, but we will be back on February 23rd!

💕Happy Valentine's Day!💘