Wednesday, August 10, 2022

DARK MANSION OF FORBIDDEN LOVE "Mystery of Dead Man's Cove!"

Before we present our annual multi-chapter "beach read" gothic romance graphic novel next week...
...here's a short novelette to whet your appetite!
This never-reprinted tale from DC's short-lived gothic romance title Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love #2 (1971) was written by Mary Skrenes and illustrated by Don Heck.
Be here on Monday for...
Honeymoon of Fear
(Actually, the story's title is "Honeymoon of Horror", but the Comics Code Authority wouldn't allow the use of the words "Horror" or "Terror" on covers at the time!)

Wednesday, August 3, 2022

YOUNG BRIDES "Wait for the Doctor!"

Are newlyweds truly ready to handle "for better or worse"?
The answer may lie behind this totally-unrelated stock photo cover (despite the misleading caption) in a never-reprinted story from Prize's Young Brides #2 (1952)!
Written by Natalie Krigstein, penciled by Mort Meskin, and inked by George Roussos.
Though written by a woman (and a married one, at that), it feels a bit patronizing about Jeanie and her feelings and expectations in the marriage!
Next Week:
We're Not Sure Yet Exactly What We'll Present!
But...
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, July 27, 2022

Super-Love "The Marriage of ?????? and BatWoman"

Bet when you saw that title, we were going to conclude our July Super-Love features with...
...but, it's not that BatWoman, (Kate Kane), we're going to look at, but the pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths version, Kathy Kane...

...and for the record, Kate and GCPD Captain Maggie Sawyer didn't marry!
(Note: we do have a post about the current Batwoman in the works for the future!)
But let's get on with today's story from DC's Batman #122 (1959)...
Written by Batman co-creator Bill Finger, penciled by Sheldon Moldoff, and inked by Ray Burnley, this "it was all a dream" tale from DC's Batman #122 (1959) has been reprinted numerous times, and even adapted into an audio adventure...
Record Album Back Cover
Next Week:
We're Not Exactly Sure What We're Going to Present, But We Can Guarantee...
You'll Cry Your Eyes Out If You Miss It!

Wednesday, July 20, 2022

Super-Love SECRET WARS: SECRET LOVE "Ms Marvel II & Ghost Rider IV in 'Fan of a Fan' "

You want romantic angst that rocks you to your core?
You want to see a super-hero/heroine experiencing it?
How about a teen-age super-heroine, as this somewhat-deceptive cover by David Nakayama suggests?
OK, so it reads like an Archie comics story with a triangle of Kamala (who's oblivious to the crush by)...Bruno (who fears Kamila will fall for)...Robbie!
(Told you the cover was deceptive!)
Written and illustrated by Felipe Smith, this too-cute-for-words tale was from Marvel's Secret Wars: Secret Love one-shot, one of the few good parts of the whole terrible Secret Wars "Big Event" of 2015.
BTW, Kamala is the second Ms Marvel (after Carol Danvers), and Robbie Reyes is the fourth Ghost Rider (fifth if you count the non-demonic Western 1960s character).
Next Week:
MORE Super-Love!
You'll Cry Your Eyes Out If You Miss It!

Friday, July 15, 2022

Wedding Bliss & Super-Love ACTION COMICS "Superman Takes a Wife" Conclusion

...before the Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1985, there were two Supermen on parallel worlds, one who began his career just before World War II on "Earth-Two", and one who began his career in the late 1950s on "Earth-One"!
This is the tale of the Earth-Two version, who has just married Lois Lane...
The Mr and Mrs Superman strip, detailing the couple's adventures, ran for several years until Crisis on Infinite Earths merged all the parallel worlds in the DC Universe into one, rebooting the comic publisher's continuity and eliminating various duplicates of characters...except the Earth-Two Superman and Lois, who survived in a "pocket universe"!
But that's a story for another time (and blog)...
And now, we're going "fanboy/fangirl" with a few Easter Eggs...
The Earth-Two Superman's "different" chest insignia was actually used in the 1940s on a promotional painting done to publicize the Adventures of Superman radio show...
...rendered by pulp cover artist H J Ward, whose previous superhero credits included promotional art for the Lone Ranger and Green Hornet radio shows!
Villain Colonel (Edmond H) Future was a tribute to Golden/Silver Age pulp and comic book writer Edmond Hamilton, who, besides introducing a number of characters into the DC Universe, created the pulp sci-fi hero Captain Future...
...whose premiere issue's cover was one of the featured items in Sheldon and Leonard's apartment on The Big Bang Theory!
The robots Superman stopped in Part One of our story were based on the ones seen in the 1940s Fleischer Brothers' Superman cartoon "Mechanical Monsters"...which also showed the very first time Superman changed into costume in a phone booth!
Wow, it felt good getting that out of my system!
Next Week...
More SUPER Love!
You'll Cry Your Eyes Out If You Miss It!