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!

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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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Lost Love OUR LOVE STORY "Model with a Broken Heart"

It's a 1970s story with a 1940s "feel"...

...because the scripter was a child of the Swingin' 60s-70s, and the illustrator was one of the greats of the Golden Age.

The story has a weird feel to it, like a 1940s-50s tales updated for the 60s-70s.

But I'm assured this never-reprinted tale from Marvel's Our Love Story #14 (1971) was, in fact, written and illustrated in 1970-71!

Writer Gary Friedrich began scripting Western, military, and superhero comics in the late 1960s, including Sgt Fury and His Howling Commandos, the cowboy Ghost Rider, and the Steve Ditko-illustrated Blue Beetle.

But he began his career doing romance comic stories at Charlton!

Later, he would co-create the first Black superheroine, ButterFly and the motorcycling Ghost Rider.

Tarpe Mills was one of few female writer/artists (let alone female writers or artists) in the Golden Age.

Besides working on a number of established series, she created one of the first superheroines; Miss Fury!

Tarpe retired from comics in the early 1950s, returning in the '70s to do this romance story under the pen-name "JT Mills" (short for her full name, June Tarpe Mills) and both a cover... 

...and a limited-edition tip-in plate...

for a Miss Fury reprint trade paperback.

Next Week...

Another Lost Love Story from the 1960s-70s!

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

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Marvel Romance: the Trade Paperback!

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John Buscema Tales OUR LOVE STORY "Boy Who Can't be Mine!"

Though Marvel continued publishing romance comics until 1976...

...they stopped running new material in 1973.

This tale from Our Love Story #16 (1972) was John Buscema's final romance comic assignment.

Written by Stan Lee and inked by Joe Sinnott (who inked more issues of Fantastic Four than anybody else in history, including almost all of Buscema's stories), the story demonstrates Buscema's almost effortless mastery of graphic storytelling, going from plot point to plot point with a variety of angles and perspectives that a TV or movie cinematographer would be proud of!

Next Week...

Well, We Ran a Tale Each from the 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s

What Will We Close Out the Month With?

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

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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!

John Buscema Tales OUR LOVE STORY "Only One Can Win!"

Though Don Heck is better-remembered by today's fans as a penciler...

...he actually was a rather elegant (though slow) inker, as his rendering of John Buscema's pencils on this Stan Lee-scripted torrid tale from Marvel's Our Love Story #3 (1969) amply-demonstrates!

Because, like John Buscema, he was such a fast penciler, both Marvel and DC used Heck in that capacity, only rarely letting him ink even his own work!
To be fair, Buscema was a faster inker...and John eventually talked Marvel's editors into letting him ocasionally ink his own rough layouts (not full pencils).

Next Week, John Buscema's final romance comic tale, from 1972!

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...

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!

Amorous Education OUR LOVE STORY "Joe Howard's Chick!"

Not sure if this is set in college or senior year of high school...
...but the situation in the story behind this never-reprinted cover by John Romita Sr was applicable in either venue!

Written by Stan Lee, penciled by Don Heck and inked by Jim Mooney, this tale from Marvel's Our Love Story #4 (1970) feels like a high school romance, but everybody's drawn more like college students!

Opinion?

Next Week:

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

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

And now a word from out sponsor..

Please Visit Amazon and Order...

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.

Amorous Education/Wedding Bliss OUR LOVE STORY "A Boy to Marry!"

Our final Amorous Education entry until September...

...involves graduation and the choices made after it, as this cover by John Buscema and inker John Verpoorten shows!

Written by Stan Lee, penciled by Gene Colan and inked by Dick Ayers, this tale from Marvel's Our Love Story #8 (1970) shows not going to college has its' benefits...perhaps not the message Stan meant to send...

It's also a perfect segue into our theme for June...Wedding Bliss, all about the actual ceremony when two souls are bonded into one..but in romance comics it doesn't always go smoothly, as you'll see starting next week!

Next Week...

We Don't Yet Know What We'll Present!

But, We Can Guarantee That...

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

(Yeah, we know you've heard that before, but it's true!)

And Now a Word from Our Sponsor...

Visit Amazon and Order...

Agonizing Love
The Golden Age of Romance Comics
(BTW, note she's wearing a wedding dress!)