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!

Support True Love Comics Tales

Visit Amazon and Buy..

Marvel Romance Redux
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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..

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Archie's Rivals in Teen Comics

1940s-1970s

An Illustrated History
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Divorce American-Style BEST LOVE "I Craved His Kisses!"

No, This Isn't a Romance on the Range Story...

...it's definitely Divorce American-Style, and just happens to start in the present-day West...specifically Las Vegas, home of "quckie divorces"!

Scripted by an unknown writer (but likely the book's editor, Stan Lee), penciled by Werner Roth & Bill Everett and inked by Everett, this story of divorcees, divorce lawyers, and...well...failed divorce (which means a rekindled, successful marriage) and another, likely, marriage...appeared in Timely's Best Love #36 (1950).

Next Week:

We Have No Idea Which Story of Divorce We're Going to Run...Yet!

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 Buy...

Agonizing Love

The Golden Age of Romance Comics

(which reprints this story of almost-divorce and horny divorce lawyers)

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Prom Night: Dream or Nightmare? TEEN-AGE ROMANCE "When a Teen-Ager Falls in Love!"

It's Said That Girls Mature Emotionally Faster than Boys...

...so how does a 15 year-old sophomore get the attention of an 18 year-old senior?

(And yes, the prom is an integral part of this story!)

As you can see, a prom does play a critical part in this tale!

We know this never-reprinted story from Atlas' Teen-Age Romance #78 (1960) was penciled by Dick Giordano and inked by Vince Colletta.

But, the plotter/scripter is, sadly, unknown.

We speculate that the book's editor, Stan Lee, plotted it, with his brother, Larry Lieber the likely scripter!
And, you'll note that last week's tale was from the 1940s, with this one from the 1960s!
Did we leave out the 1950s?
Heck and gosh, no!
The 1950s prom tale will appear next week, with the 1970s tale winding up the month the week after!
Why aren't we running them in chronological order?
Be here next week to find out!

Next Week:

We Know Exactly What We'll Present, and We're Not Going to Tell You!

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

And now a word from out sponsor..

Visit Amazon and Order...

Marvel Romance: the Trade Paperback!

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Amourous Education TEEN-AGE ROMANCE "We Can't Marry Yet"

Though "Instant Gratification" is a Way of Life Today...

...it wasn't always so, as this never-reprinted story from Atlas' Teen-Age Romance #70 (1961) proves!

Edited/plotted by Stan Lee, scripted by Larry Lieber, penciled by Dick Giordano, and inked by Vince Colletta, this well-told tale of gratification deferred benefits from an especially-good coloring job by a (sadly) unknown colorist who was obviously "feeling" the material!

Next Week:

We're Not Yet Sure What We'll Present!

But We Can Guarantee That...

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