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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Aerial Ardor BONNIE TAYLOR: AIRLINE STEWARDESS "Flight 101--to Heartbreak!" Conclusion

We Have Already Seen...

...when Bonnie Taylor: Airline Stewardess, filling in for a sick friend, encounters a former beau (with his current fiancee)...who slips her a note asking for a secret rendezvous...she's thrown into emotional turmoil!

This story from DC's Young Romance #126 (1963), written by Robert Kanigher and illustrated by John Romita Sr,  seems innoccuous enough,

But, within a couple of issues, Bonnie's throwing herself at literally every guy (and even a ghost or two) she runs into, ready to marry some of them before the second part of her two-part tales!

(I'm sure it it wasn't for the extremely-strict Comics Code Authority, we'd see some of the between-the-sheets action even all-ages comics of today occasionally indulge in!)

Next Week ...We're Not Sure Exactly What We're Going to Present!

But We Guarantee...

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

And now a word from our sponsor...

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Aerial Ardor BONNIE TAYLOR: AIRLINE STEWARDESS "Flight 101--to Heartbreak!" Part 1

We've Already Presented a Pair of Tales...

...HERE and HERE starring our horny air hostess, but this was her introduction!






It Actually Continues on Friday!
(We would have said "tomorrow", but the flight was delayed!)

This introductory tale, written by Robert Kanigher and illustrated by John Romita Sr, from DC's Young Romance #126 (1963) introduces Bonnie Taylor, who, despite her declarations of eternal love for whoever her current paramour is, eagerly jumps into the arms of someone at the very next layover and professes perpetual love...and sometimes marriage...for him!
She kept up this manic pace until #139, when she apparently settled down!

Next Week ...We're Not Sure Exactly What We're Going to Present!

But We 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...

Heart Throbs

Best of DC Romance Comics

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Super-Love DAREDEVIL AND THE BLACK WIDOW "Mark of Hawkeye!" Conclusion

We Have Already Seen...
Actually, we never quite get to the level of jealousy shown on this John Romita Sr-illustrated cover in this story, but it does get heated!

Clint (Hawkeye) Barton, frustrated at being spurned by Wanda (Scarlet Witch) Maximoff, travels from Avengers Mansion in NYC to the mansion in San Francisco rented by Natasha (Black Widow) Romanova to try to win his first love back.
But, her current paramour, Matt (Daredevil) Murdock (who is also living in the stately manor) had something to say about the matter and the two superheroes duke it out to a somewhat-silly stalemate...

Note: The incident T'Challa refers to (which occurred half-a-year earlier in Daredevil and the Black Widow #92) is shown HERE.

The Black Widow and Daredevil help The Avengers defeat Magneto, rescue Captain America, Iron Man, Scarlet Witch and The (original) X-Men, then return to San Francisco, but break up several months later.
Daredevil returns to NYC, Black Widow remains in California, where she forms and leads The Champions.
Trivia: Natasha officially becomes a reserve Avenger, but Matt declines the offer.
In the future, she will become a full member, and lead the team for a period.
Hawkeye ends up becoming a lynchpin to what becomes the first Marvel multi-issue crossover "event"...The Avengers/Defenders War! which runs through both the Avengers and Defenders books for the entire summer!

(We really love going full-on comics nerd once in a while.

Thanks for indulging us!)

Next Week

Super-Love Returns to the DC Universe with a Role-Reversal as Two Heroines Fight Over a Hero!
Hint: It'll be a Wonder if You Don't go Batty Trying to Figure Out Who!

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

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Black Widow
(Which Reprints this Story)

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Super-Love DAREDEVIL AND THE BLACK WIDOW "Mark of Hawkeye!" Part 1

If you know Marvel Comics history, the title above should tip you off as to what's about to happen...

If not, let's just say almost everyone's nightmare is about to occur...

...as Natasha (Black Widow) Romanova's current romantic partner meets her ex-romantic partner...who wants to rekindle the flames of love!

And on that sullen note, we bid adieu until...

FRIDAY!

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

Written by Steve (Howard the Duck) Gerber, penciled by Horror Age veteran Sam Kweskin (with some reworking by John Romita Sr), and inked by Golden Age/Silver Age great Syd Shores, this tale from Marvel's Daredevil and the Black Widow #99 (1973) was a break after several multi-issue plotlines which saw Matt (Daredevil) Murdock and Natasha become involved both professionally and romantically, move from NYC to San Francisco, and move in together into a rented mansion (on separate floors...at first).
The front-cover logo was modified to reflect the partnership, which lasted from #87 to #107, after which Daredevil returned to NYC, while the Black Widow remained on the West Coast and formed and lead The Champions!

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Black Widow

(Which Reprints This Story)
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