Showing posts with label Harvey Comics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Harvey Comics. Show all posts

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, 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 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, February 28, 2024

Laugh at Love FLIP! "For the Love of Mike"

Our final "Laugh at Love" entry was created for one of the many MAD comic book clones of the 1950s!
But, it was illustrated by an artist who was noted for his serious romance comic stories!
Writer Nat Barnett never wrote a romance comic tale.
His two-dozen or so comic book scripts ranged from humor (including this story from Harvey's Flip! #1 [1954]) to horror to war, but absolutely no love comics!
Artist Bob Powell was another matter, as anybody who has perused this blog can tell you!
Starting with "I Joined a Teen-Age Sex Club!" he's one of the biggest comic creatives featured here!
As a bonus for our finale of fun, here's the original art for this story, thanks to the ever-amazing Kraktactaka!

Next Week:
We're devoting all of March to one graphic novel of True Love based on a very popular (and controversial) prose series!
And, as Always, We Guarantee That...
You'll Cry Your Eyes Out if You Miss It!
And now a word from our sponsor...
Please Support True Love Comics Tales
Visit Amazon and Buy...

Monday, July 24, 2023

She's NOT Barbie! She's BUNNY!

 Harvey's female teen character, Bunny, was a doll...literally!
1n 1966, a toy company wanted to launch a line of Barbie-type dolls, with the added kick of a comic book tie-in to boost public awareness!
Much like the way the 1980s GI Joe comic series was co-conceived by Hasbro and Marvel, Harvey's writers and artists worked with the toy company's staff on character development and storylines for the comic and toys.
Like most Harvey characters, Bunny had an ongoing obsession--in this case with teen fads and trends...clothing, dances, hairstyles, etc!
Presumably, this was to encourage doll buyers to pick up the newest clothing and accessories the manufacturer could produce after seeing them in the comic!
The proposed Bunny line also had what would have been the first African-American fashion doll character, her best friend Marcy, beating out Barbie's "Colored" Francie by a year!
Marcy was a major part of the comic series, including performing in an all-Black band called
 SOULar System which had it's own backup strip!
However, before a single doll could roll out of the factory, the toy company collapsed!
The Harvey family, deciding not to let the already-written and drawn pages go to waste, decided to publish the comic anyway.
It sold well enough to keep going for twenty 68-page issues from 1966 to 1971 and produce a one-shot spin-off, Harvey Pop Hits: Rock Happening
, featuring the various musical groups introduced in the series!
Here's Bunny's never-reprinted "origin" tale from Harvey's Bunny #1 (1966).
Written by Warren Harvey (yes, one of the Harvey family who owned Harvey Comics), illustrated by Hy Eisman.
We previously ran a later Bunny story HERE, which, with its' thinly-masked drug references, was obviously not one of the original batch of pages done to tie-in with the proposed doll!
Next Month
We're going to spend August Having
FUN!
FUN!
FUN!
But not quite the way you think!
Be Here Next Week to Find Out!
And, Remember, You'll Cry Your Eyes Out If You Miss It!
And Now, a Word from Our Sponsor...
Please Support True Love Comics Tales!
Visit Amazon and Buy...

Thursday, April 27, 2023

Advice d'Amour LOVE STORIES OF MARY WORTH "Her Selfish Love!" Conclusion

We Have Already Seen...

War hero Ian McLane and actress Seline Adair seemed like the ideal couple.
But Seline's teen sister Binnie lusted after Ian!
When, in a misunderstnding, Seline apparently dumped Ian, Binnie (whom Ian doesn't know is Seline's younger sibling) made her move...

So Binnie was Seline's daughter...who married Ian, who Binnie said was too old for Seline!
This actually isn't unusual for radio/tv soap operas, which have gone to far more outrageous lengths to surprise the audience!
BTW, though nosy Mary Worth never had an actual newspaper advice column, the comic introduced one (albeit totally-scripted)...
Love Stories of Mary Worth continued for another four issues before cancellation and she hasn't had a steady comic book since then.
The Mary Worth newspaper strip continues to this day and you can find the latest "three-Kleenex tale HERE!
Next Week:
We're Not Yet Sure What Theme We'll Present, But We Can Say...
You'll Cry Your Eyes Out If You Miss It!
And now a word from our sponsor!
Please Support True Love Comics Tales!
Visit Amazon and Buy...