REACH FOR HAPPINESS "Episode 27" Part 2

When Last We Left the Karen/Greg/Rita Love Triangle...

Karen returns to Danville Corners and Greg's arms.
Suddenly, Greg's fiance, Rita, awakens from her coma!
As friends and relatives gather to celebrate in Rita's room, a paramour from her past, Ray, appears...

Next Month:

The Third Most Unexpected Plot Twist of All!
(If you never watched soap operas, that is...) 

This chapter of "Reach for Happiness" from Secret Hearts #136 (1969) was written by Jack Miller, penciled by Jay Scott Pike, and inked by George Roussos (except for the cover/splash page which Nick Cardy penciled and editor Dick Giordano inked).

 Next Week:

We don't know what we'll publish...yet!

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

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True Love Comics Tales!

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Best of DC Romance Comics

REACH FOR HAPPINESS "Episode 27"

When Last We Left the Karen/Greg/Rita Love Triangle...

...wait!
Is Karen a man-stealer?
Is Rita about to have her heart broken?
Read on...

Why does Rita want Ray Silva, not her fiance, Greg, to take her home?

Next Week:

The Second Most Unexpected Plot Twist of All!
(If you never watched soap operas, that is...) 

This chapter of "Reach for Happiness" from Secret Hearts #136 (1969) was written by Jack Miller, penciled by Jay Scott Pike, and inked by George Roussos (except for the splash page which Nick Cardy penciled and editor Dick Giordano inked).

Please Support

True Love Comics Tales!

Visit Amazon and Order...

Heart Throbs

Best of DC Romance Comics

YOUNG ROMANCE "Full Hands, Empty Heart" Conclusion

We Have Already Seen...

Art by Bob Oksner and Frank Giacoia

...Nurse Phyllis Carter and Doctor Allan Tate bond over working together in the ER, and a romance develops between the medical professionals.
But it's a romance with a complication the medical professionals never thought they'd have to deal with...

Wait.
The doctor she's working with has just been murdered in front of her!
Even if she wasn't romantically-involoved with him...
They can't let her sit down and rest?
She's clearly in shock!
I wouldn't want her near patients in her present condition!
Plus, the police won't want to talk to her as a witness to the murder?
Speaking of that...has anybody restrained Johnny?
Written by Robert Kanigher, penciled by John Rosenberger and inked by Vince Colletta, this cover-featured story from DC's Young Romance #194 (1973) tries to jam a legitimate moral into the last few panels instead of giving it an extra page to play out in a more coherent manner.
Editor/writer Robert Kanigher was the most vocal proponent of racial equality in the DC editorial "Old Guard" of the 1950s-70s, scripting numerous anti-racist stories as well as introducing several Black characters into the DC Comics universe including...

...Nubia, the second ongoing character to bear the Wonder Woman title, as well as scripting this somewhat infamous Lois Lane story...

Though he meant well, Kanigher was rather heavy-handed, sometimes sacrificing plot logic (like the ending of "Full Hands, Empty Heart") to make a moral point.

Note: On some pages Phyllis (and other Black characters') skin is gray/purple and on some it's brown.
That's because on the pages showing her as gray, the color separators used the wrong combination of yellow, red (magenta) and blue (cyan) screens.
When the story was reprinted in Simon & Schuster's Heart Throbs: Best of DC Romance Comics (1979) trade paperback, the only editorial change was to correct the Black skin tones.

All the other coloring remained the same.

Next Week...

We Don't Know What We're Presenting...Yet!

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

And Now a Word from Our Sponsor!

Visit our

Negro Romance
Comic Collectibles Store

featuring the cover art from all four HTF issues
on kool kollectibles!

YOUNG ROMANCE "Full Hands, Empty Heart"

There are very few black romance stories in comics before the 1990s...

..and even fewer interracial romance stories during this tumultuous period in American racial relations!

Note: On some pages Phyllis' skin is gray and on some it's brown.

That's because on the pages showing her as gray, the color separators used the wrong combination of yellow, red (magenta) and blue (cyan) screens.

To find out what happens next...
Be Here Next Week
for the heart-rending conclusion as well as some background about the writer of the tale!
You'll Cry Your Eyes Out if You Miss It!
And Now a Word from Our Sponsor!

Visit our

Negro Romance
Comic Collectibles Store

featuring the cover art from all four HTF issues
on kool kollectibles!

Valentine's Day Special: MARGIE "Elusive Valentine!"

Here's a never-reprinted Valentine's Day treat...

...from 71 years ago, featuring a teen humor character from the company that later became Marvel Comics!

Until the mid 1970s when Archie Comics became the sole "teen humor" publisher, every company had several titles with wacky teenage protagonists.
Margie, created/written/illustrated by Morris Weiss was typical of the genre...
Irresponsible, impulsive teen (of either gender), constantly-annoyed parents, an annoying younger sibling (usually of the opposite gender to the protagonist),  and various friends.
Initially a backup strip that floated to whatever humor comic needed a 5-6 page filler, she finally got her own title by taking over Timely's Comedy Comics in 1946 as of #35 and holding on to it until #50 in 1950, when the book became Reno Browne: Hollywood's Greatest Cowgirl.
Margie went back to being a floating backup strip for another year before disappearing completely, never to be seen again!
This particular tale (one of the few comic tales I could find with "Valentine's Day" in the title that didn't deal with the famous gang-war massacre!) is from Margie Comics #37 (1946).

Happy Valentine's Day!

Be here tomorrow for our usual Wednesday Post!