One Book Stand MY LOVE / OUR LOVE STORY "Look of Love!"

On One of the Social Media Sites Where We Post Links to This Blog...

...fellow comics pro Steve Hogan aka Acid Keg Comics posted the original art of this romance comics cover attributed to John Romita Sr, which Romita himself notes "Done in the French Romance style"

I wondered why it would be referred to that way, so I dug up the story the cover promotes...

The illustrator, Enrique Montserratt, was actually a Spanish artist whose work appeared, thanks to multi-lingual syndication services, in most European countries...including France and England!
No doubt Romita (or someone else at Marvel) saw his French or British work and offered him an assignment of a Stan Lee script.
Sadly, whether it was due to distance, language difficulties, time constraints, or who-knows-what, this tale from Marvel's My Love #12 (1971) was Montserratt's only work for Marvel (or any American publisher!)

Getting back to the cover, here's the printed version...

Note the second circular caption on the right ("I Need Him--") and the surprinted text "Don't Dare Miss--" have apparently fallen-off the original art! 

When the tale and cover were reprinted a couple of years later in Marvel's Our Love Story #26 (1973), they were reprinted without the usual "updating" of hair and fashions!
In fact, the interior art wasn't even re-colored...which was even rarer!

Next Week:

We're Not Sure Yet Exactly Which Story We'll Present!

But, We Guarantee...

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

And now a word from out sponsor..

Visit Amazon and Buy...

Marvel Romance: the Trade Paperback!

Marvel's picked some of the best love comics from the 60s and 70s!

"It Happened at Woodstock," "My Heart Broke in Hollywood," "Love on the Rebound!"

Collects Love Romance #89 and #101-104; My Love #2, #14, #16 and #18-20; Teen-Age Romance #77 and #84, Our Love Story #5; and Patsy Walker #119.

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Anything BUT Archie! HOMER HOOPER "Twelve-Dollar Conundrum"

How Close Can You Come to Being an Archie Clone...without  Being Sued?

Atlas Comics sure gave it a shot with this series!

This typical tale from Atlas' Homer Hooper #3 (1953) was scripted by Stan Lee and illustrated by Hy Rosen.

Besides the blonde (who was well-off but not rich), the red-headed lead and the nasty frenemy, the series also featured a brunette, Homer's skinny best friend with a big nose, an athlete, brainy nerd, annoyed teachers and principal, etc.

Hy Rosen, who did a credible job as a Dan DeCarlo clone was one of the few artists working in the style who didn't end up at Archie Comics.

In the mid-1940s he added newspaper editorial cartooning to his already-busy schedule.

When comics almost died in the mid-1950s, Hy took on advertising storyboard work to take up the slack, creating the "White Tornado" ad campaign for Ajax Cleanser!

Hy's last work was for Harvey Comics in the early 1990s...on New Kids on the Block and Saved by the Bell comics!

Interestingly, his eulogy at his "home" newspaper, The Albany Times-Union, makes no mention of his comic book work!

Next week:

We haven't decided yet what 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 our sponsor..

Support True Love Comics Tales!

Visit Amazon and Buy...

Archie's Rivals in Teen Comics

1940s-1970s

An Illustrated History
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Swinging '70s Stories OUR LOVE STORY "Game of Triangles"

Though told from the viewpoint of the male protaganist...

...this story was, allegedly, written by one of the few female writers in Bronze Age comics.

Was it?

Read, and judge for yourself...

This never-reprinted tale from Marvel's Our Love Story #20 (1972) was scripted by Joy Hartle and illustrated by George Tuska and Paul Reinman.

Most people believe "Joy Hartle" was a pseudonym for Gary Freidrich.

"Joy" had only two stories to her credit, both romance tales that appeared almost simultaneously in late 1972-early 1973.

And, in fact, Gary's sister-in-law was named Joy Hartle!

But Gary was working steadily for Marvel at this point, scripting Captain America and Sgt Fury, as well as co-creating the motorcycle-riding Ghost Rider and a new version of the Frankenstein Monster (both with Mike Ploog)!

So why the pen-name?

The only thing I can think of is that these stories were done during the brief period in 1971-72 when Gary had left Marvel to work at the short-lived Skywald Publishing, and were "inventory" stories used to fill out what would've been all-reprint issues of the dying romance comics line.

BTW, the cover-featured tale has one of the worst romance comics covers I've ever seen...

Art by Alan Weiss & Frank Giacoia with retouching by Marie Severin and John Romita

Heck, the guy looks more like a stalker than a lover...

Next Week:

We're Not Sure Yet Exactly Which 1970s Story We'll Present!

But...

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

And now a word from out sponsor..

Visit Amazon and Buy...

Marvel Romance: the Trade Paperback!

Marvel's picked some of the best love comics from the 60s and 70s!

"It Happened at Woodstock," "My Heart Broke in Hollywood," "Love on the Rebound!"

Collects Love Romance #89 and #101-104; My Love #2, #14, #16 and #18-20; Teen-Age Romance #77 and #84, Our Love Story #5; and Patsy Walker #119.

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BARBIE "See You Later, Christmas Gator" Part 2: Special Delivery & Part 3: The Present

When Last We Left the World's Most Famous Fashion Doll...and Santa Claus...

 ...on Christmas Eve, Santa Claus runs into trouble when he's forced down over Florida by a tropical storm!

Luckily, Barbie is nearby...

Normally, we'd run Part 3 next week, but the chapters are so short, we're going to present it now...

Written by Angelo DeCesare, penciled by Mario Capaldi, and inked by John Lucas, this never-reprinted tale from Marvel's Barbie #50 (1995) was typical of the kool flights of fancy the series specialized in.

Barbie, and its' sister title Barbie Fashion, were two secret success stories for Marvel in the 1990s.

Because they weren't superhero titles, the hardcore (mostly male) fans never even noticed them, but the two books ran an impressive 63 and 53 issues respectively at a time when many titles lasted 12 issues...or less!

Next Week:

We're Not Sure Which Yultide Tale We'll Present!

But We Do 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...

Great Treasury of Christmas Comic Book Stories

BARBIE "See You Later, Christmas Gator" Part 1: the Journey Begins

Ah, a world where Santa Claus is real...

...that's my kind of place!

Written by Angelo DeCesare, penciled by Mario Capaldi, and inked by John Lucas, this never-reprinted tale from Marvel's Barbie #50 (1995) was typical of the kool flights of fancy the series specialized in.

Barbie, and its' sister title Barbie Fashion, were two secret success stories for Marvel in the 1990s.

Because they weren't superhero titles, hardcore, mostly male, fans never even noticed them, but the two books ran an impressive 63 and 53 issues respectively at a time when many titles lasted 12 issues or less!

Next Week:

The Poignant Conclusion to this Yuletide Tale!

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...

Great Treasury of Christmas Comic Book Stories

Lost Love MY LOVE "It Happened at Woodstock!"

Who Would've Believed that the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival...

...would result in never-reprinted, cover-featured romance comics stories, from both Marvel and DC???

First up, Marvel's entry, from My Love #14 (1971), which was actually the later entry~

Written by Gary Friedrich and illustrated by Gray Morrow, it's the steamiest Comics Code-approved story I've ever read!

Next Week:

DC's Never-Reprinted Woodstock Story!

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

And now a word from out sponsor..

Support True Love Comics Tales

Visit Amazon and Buy...

Marvel Romance: the Trade Paperback!

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