Valentine's Week Special YOUNG LOVE "Be My Valentine"

It's Almost Valentine's Day...

...and this never-reprinted tale from Prize's Young Love V4N1-#31 (1952), written and illustrated by the team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, who pioneered the romance comics genre, is all about a Valentine's Day card and it's effect on both sender and receiver!

While Young Love was the second romance comic published (Simon & Kirby's earlier comic, Young Romance in 1947 was the first), it was the last ongoing romance comic book published by a major publisher, ending it's run in 1977!
(Though Prize's comic book line had gone out of business in 1963, DC bought out the publisher's inventory, including unused material, and kept both Young Love & Young Romance going until the '70s!)
BTW, you may have noticed the handsome guy in the cover photo looked sort of familiar!
He's Robert Redford, and the photo was taken during his "photographer's male model" period in the early 1950s!

Next Week: We Return to the Swinging '60s for Another Torrid Tale of Mod Love !
You''ll Cry Your Eyes Out if You Miss It!
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Young Romance

Best of Simon & Kirby's Romance Comics

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Yuletide Tidings PEP COMICS "Archie in 'Christmas Cheers' "

It's comics' all-American boy...as most of you don't know him...

...a buck-toothed, layabout, closer to Reggie (who doesn't appear in this tale), than the wholesome teen of today!
(BTW, for an explanation of War Bonds, and why Archie's dad invested part of his son's $50 check, go HERE!)

Written by Harry Sahle and Ed Goggin, penciled by Sahle and inked by "Ginger" (Virginia Drury), this story from MLJ's Pep Comics #46 (1944) is notable for the debut of two characters; Pop Tate, owner of "Pop's Chocklit Shop" (Called "Tate's" in this tale), and Gabby, a short-lived character who screwed-up other people's lives by continually blabbing things others were not meant to know!

As you can see, the original Bob Montana character designs (which Sahle and Drury matched almost exactly) had not yet been updated to the streamlined Dan DeCarlo versions, which serve as the primary templates of the characters from the 1950s to this day!

Next Week:

We don't know what we'll publish...yet!

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

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Archie and Friends All-Stars Christmas Stocking
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Advice d'Amour MARY WORTH featuring TOM KANE

Comics' Best-Known Little Old Lady/Busybody Returns...

...with a never-reprinted compilation from her still-ongoing newspaper comic strip!

Appearing in the Standard Comics one-shot Major Hoople Comics (1943), this 1942 tale by "Dale Allen" (Co-creators writer Allen Saunders and artist Dale Connor) introduced Connie Barclay, who ends up marrying ongoing character Tom Kane, and the two then fade from the series.

Ironically, Dale Connor left the strip shortly after this.
Ken Ernst, the longest-running illustrator on the strip began his run, which would continue until he passed away in 1985.
As we mentioned, the series continues to this day, one of the few to survive from the 1930s to the present without a break!
Check out the current Mary Worth strip HERE! and a cool article about the series (with timeline) HERE!

Next Week:
Another Annoying Busybody Offers Love Advice!
And We Can Say...

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

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True-to-Life Adventures of

MARY WORTH
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Advice d'Amour MR ANTHONY'S LOVE CLINIC "I Thought You Were Single"

We've Met This Real-Life Romance Know-It-All Before...

...as seen HERE, but you won't see him this time until near the end of this sorrowful tale, when he'll dispense his "Advice d'Amour"!

This never-reprinted tale from Hillman's Mr Anthony's Love Clinic #3 (1950) showed the title's namesake knew his stuff...at least when it came to matters of the heart!

Next Week...

Another Busybody Who Believes He/She Knows What's Best for Our Love Lives!

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

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Agonizing Love

The Golden Age of Romance Comics

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Prom Night: Dream or Nightmare? YOUNG ROMANCE "Campus Outcast"

It's May, the month of the annual high school/college ritual known as "The Prom"!

Will it be a fond memory...or something best forgotten?

We're starting the month off with a story from the guys who created the romance comics genre, Joe Simon & Jack Kirby in a never-reprinted tale from Prize's Young Romance #3 (1948)!

Though penciled and inked by long-time Simon & Kirby Studio artist Bill Draut, it's obvious the layouts are by Jack Kirby.
And, though no scripter can be traced, it's more than likely that, with that melancholy ending, Kirby and/or editor Joe Simon penned the story.
Note: We're beginning with a Young Romance story from the 1940s, and we'll end the month with a Young Romance story from the 1970s!
In between we'll look at proms in the 1950s, 60s, and even the future!

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

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Young Romance

Best of Simon & Kirby's Romance Comics

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A Month of Matt Baker WARTIME ROMANCES "Road to Disgrace"

Before 1973, serving in the military, whether voluntary or conscripted (the Draft)...

...used to be a part of almost every American man's life.

So, it seemed logical that there would be romance comics based around something that affected almost all young (18-25), eligible males, and the women who loved them!

The penciler of this never-reprinted story from St John's WarTime Romances #4 (1952) is legendary good-girl artist Matt Baker, aided by long-time inker Ray Osrin, but the writer is unknown.

Next Week:

We Don't Yet Know Which Matt Baker Story We'll Present, But We Guarantee that...

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

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Matt Baker

Art of Glamour

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